Japanese Bribe Case Study

THE CASE OF THE JAPANESE BRIBE I. BACKGROUND OF THE CASE 1976: Former Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka was arrested on charges of taking bribes amounting to $1. 8 Million Dollars from Lockheed Aircraft Company. Tanaka’s secretary and several other government officials were arrested together with former Prime Minister Tanaka. Takeo Miki was ousted from office on suspicion of concealing Tanaka’s dealings with Lockheed Aircraft Company. In Holland, Prince Bernhard resigned from 300 government positions held for allegedly having received $1. Million in bribes from Lockheed Aircraft Company in connection with the purchase of 138 F-104 Starfighter Jets. In Italy, Giovanni Leone, the Italian President in 1970 together with Prime Ministers Aldo Moro and Mariano Rumor were also accused of accepting bribes from Lockheed in connection with the purchase of $100 Million worth of aircraft during the late 1960s. Scandinavia, South Africa, Turkey, Greece and Nigeria were also amon g the 15 countries in which Lockheed admitted to having handed out payments and that at least $202 Million in commissions were made by the company since 1970.Lockheed started using bribes since 1958 in order to outsell Grumman Aircraft, a competitor, for the Japanese Air Force contract. As per his testimony, William Findley of Arthur Young & Co. the auditors for Lockheed, engaged the services of Yoshio Kodama to act as middleman between Lockheed and the Japanese Government in order to secure the government contract for the purchase of military aircrafts. Several bribes were made by the company to ensure the contract in its favour.In 1972, Lockheed rehired Kodama as consultant to sell its aircraft to Japan. Lockheed was in dire need to sell its aircraft owing to a series of financial disasters, cost overruns, pushing the company to the brink of bankruptcy in 1970. A controversial loan guarantee awarded the company amounting to $250 Million helped the aircraft company in averting the bankruptcy. Lockheed President, Mr. Carl Kotchian anxiously anticipated making the sales since the company has not been making its projected sales of aircraft worldwide.Mr. Kotchian believed that Japan is a largely-untapped market and if Lockheed penetrates the Japanese market, the company can generate $400 Million and thus, improve the company’s financial status and ensure the jobs of thousands of the firm’s employees. Kodama eventually succeeded in engineering a contract for Lockheed with the All Nippon Airways, beating McDonnell Douglas, its active competitor. For the sale, Kodama askes and received $9 Million as pay-off money from 1972 to 1975.Allegedly, much of the money went to then Prime Minister Tanaka and other government officials for interceding with All Nippon Airways on behalf of Lockheed Aircraft Company. Mr. Kotchian admitted full knowledge about where the money was going and that he was persuaded by the assurance that in making the payoff, Lockheed was sure to get the contract with All Nippon Airways. Subsequently, Lockheed netted $1. 3 Billion from the contract. Mr.Kotchian defended the payoff as â€Å"in keeping with Japanese business practices†, meaning that I order to do business in Japan, one has to make payoffs, further, Kotchian reiterated that the transaction did not violate any American Laws and that Lockheed needed to adjust to the existing â€Å"functioning systems† in order to be competitive and guarantee the jobs of thousands of its employees, as well as ensure continuing profitability. Otherwise, the company would be bankrupt and thousands will lose their jobs. In August 1975, after investigations conducted by the U. S.Government, Lockheed admitted to making $22 Million in secret payoffs and in subsequent Senate investigations in 1976, the deals were made public, causing Japan to cancel the billion dollar contract with Lockheed. In 1979, Lockheed pleaded guilty to concealing the bribes by writing them o ff as â€Å"marketing costs†. Lockheed was not charged with bribery since the law took effect only in 1978. Mr. Kotchian was not indicted but was forced to resign from his office while in Japan, Kodama was arrested together with Tanaka. II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1. What were the moral and legal implications of the actions of the Lockheed management? . What is the effect of the transaction with respect to fair competition in business? III. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION 1. The need to ensure the profitability of the company. 2. The need to ensure the welfare and well-being of thousands of employees of the company. 3. The ethical and legal standpoint that binds entities in the conduct of their business. IV. ANALYSIS OF THE CASE The case revolves around several issues that confront today’s modern business practice/s; basically, every company aspires to achieve continuing growth and profitability as its major policy.Secondly, the company as an organization is augmented and comp osed by people who are performing each of their respective tasks in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the firm. In the case of Lockheed Aircraft Company, there is a dire need to rebound from near bankruptcy and the means by which it can be achieved is to get hold of the contracts for the company to build and supply aircrafts to their intended buyers. The Japanese market offers a potential target for the aircraft company, much as the other companies are likewise aware of.The airline and aircraft industry is a highly competitive industry. Each company needs to update its existing technology, requiring continuous investments in retooling and research. Such an activity requires continuous flow of funds considering the immense requirement for funding the expenditures. Should the company let up on continually improving its product and technology, the result would be disastrous for the company since competitors could easily overtake the company and its market. All of these predi caments compounded the financial woes of Lockheed Aircraft Company during the 70’s.It is under this duress that management was forced to find a means by which the company can stay afloat, make profit and support its large workforce. The decision to make extraordinary means to ensure sales was at the moment, imperative for management. Using the argument that during those days, a business sub-culture existed in Japan, that is, that the company needed to abide by the â€Å"functioning system† to get the All Nippon Air Contract. In simple terms, payoffs are needed to facilitate the sale of the company’s aircraft to the Japanese airline company.Ethically, a payoff to facilitate a contract at the expense of other competitors deviates from existing moral values that should govern the conduct of business. However, assuming that a system of patronage existed in Japan during the time; such a system constrained the management of Lockheed to use extraordinary means to go th rough channels as conduits to their intended client in order to seal the contract. Prior to investigations conducted and the subsequent admission of the company regarding the payoffs, landing the contract with All NipponAirways, did not only guarantee profits for Lockheed but also, a continuing support for its thousands of employees. V. CONCLUSION Based on the foregoing, it is established that Lockheed acted within the sphere of corporate culture prevalent of the times. From a business man’s point of view, the payoffs could indeed be classified as marketing costs since from the point of view of the company, the money that was used was partly in promotion of its product, by today’s standards. However, the crux of the problem was that those who received the payoffs were government officials who had control of the affairs of their country.As such, these officials were in a position to exert undue influence on the airline company to purchase the aircraft from Lockheed. It is this undue influence that made the act unethical and from a legal standpoint, criminal in nature since, the resulting transaction is now a case of bribery on the part of Lockheed and extortion on the part of the government officials who received the payoff. As for Mr. Kotchian, I believe that as CEO of Lockheed Aircraft Company, he acted in the best interest of the company and for everyone who are immediately involved with the company (employees, technicians, management, etc. As CEO, he is tasked with ensuring a profitable direction for the company and provide a continuing means of livelihood for all those employed by the company. Likewise, it is his duty to ensure the competitiveness of the company. VI. RECOMMENDATION Despite the arguments of utilitarianism in this case, wherein the interest of the majority is deemed primordial over the interests of the few, I/We believe that Mr. Kotchian, in behalf of the management of Lockheed Aircraft Company acted within the bounds of corpor ate culture prevalent of the time.Arguably, using ethics and morality as a gauge, I/We perceive that Lockheed and Mr. Kotchian were guilty of unfair competition as they undermined their competitors through the use undue influence instead of marketing a superior product. Although the immediate results could have benefitted all those concerned within the sphere of the company, the means by which it was achieved were tainted with fraud and the wilful distortion of facts (reporting payoffs as marketing costs), hence, providing the other stakeholders such as its investors and stockholders a false representation of the financial affairs of the company.Although, bribery was not yet classified as corporate crime prior to 1978, the act of Lockheed Aircraft Company and Mr. Kotchian should be regarded as unethical, immoral and illegal; as well as promoting unfair competition with respect to other aircraft manufacturers in the industry. The decision of the Board of Directors to force the resign ation of Mr. Kotchian as CEO of Lockheed Aircraft Company is deemed proper herein and the subsequent arrest of Mr. Kodama and former Prime Minister Tanaka is likewise appropriate under the circumstances.

Harlem Renaissance Essay

Claude McKay was Jamaican American who moved from Jamaica to the United States in 1912. He attended the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This is where he received his first taste of racism here in America and this would have a drastic effect on his future writing. He left the Tuskegee Institute to attend school in Manhattan, Kansas. Mr. McKay then moved to New York invested in a restaurant and got married. The restaurant fell through and McKay moved back to Jamaica. He later became an editor of the Liberator and wrote some of his own poems during the time period known as the red summer. One of his poems he wrote in protest of the harsh times would later be used by Winston Churchill during World War II to motivate the soldiers. (Modern American Poetry, 2011) â€Å"If We Must Die†, written by Claude McKay during the summer of 1919, is a mantra for people to stand up against those who wish to keep them down or in Churchill’s case to kill them during battle(Sayre, 2012). He is saying even if they must die they should do it with dignity. They may only have the grave to come, but he does not wish them to just lie down even in the face of adversity. Claude McKay displays double consciousness from the time he comes to America. He is first an intelligent Jamaican man who has come here to America in search of an education. Here he was seen by the white Americans around him in Alabama as nothing more than just another â€Å"colored† man. Claude had to deal with both being â€Å"colored† or â€Å"Negro† and being an American. In his poem â€Å"If we must die† McKay shows the idea of double consciousness all the way through. He shows the pride of a dignified man who will not just sit back while anyone attempts to push down into the grave. His writing is not specific to one race or ethnicity, as proven when the British Prime Minister used it to motivate the British and American soldiers. (Sayre, 2012) Langston Hughes was a young poe t, writer, and musician during the Harlem renaissance period. According to Sayre (2012), Langston was like many African-Americans searching for a freedom they could not find in America moved to Paris. In France he was subjected to a music very similar to jazz and ragtime. Harlem was quickly becoming the Paris of America to African-Americans because they were free to be who they want to be and accepted by all those around. When Hughes moved backed to Harlem he became one of the most powerful voices for the African-Americans in Harlem due to his abilities, according to Sayre. His capability to speak to your emotion and to create a feeling empathy, as well as his use the local speech, grammar, and dialect made his works attractive to all. According to the Kansas Heritage Group (n.d.), Langston Hughes had only been in college a year before finding the allure of Harlem, where he met many other famous poets of the times. Langston Hughes wrote the poem â€Å"As I grew older† describing how he has a dream but because he is a â€Å"Black† man he has walls that rise up between himself and his dream. This is a perfect example of double consciousness, because like all Americans he has these dreams that are always growing within him. However because of his ethnicity he has walls that are placed in his path. He feels because he is black man he is being forced down into the shadows and blocked from his dreams. He also is persistent enough in the poem to not lie in the shadows and let the wall win. He breaks through the wall and pursues his dreams despites the efforts to block him. (Poemhunter.com, 2003) The poetry of the times brings out the views and emotions of the people who were writing it. These poems bring out the feelings desire to be free to chase their dreams that write about as well. There are many poems that display thoughts of death and dying. Some of the themes were being brought on by the war, while others are themes were brought on by the feelings of oppression and racism. The biggest theme of them all is the fact we are American, whether we are black or white, Jamaican, German, or French descent, we are American. In Langston Hughes poem â€Å"Theme for English B† he states he is black and â€Å"You are white- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That’s American†. We are all American and we are all one. We all have similar desires not identical but similar in nature. We want to be free to be what and who we want to be without being held back by others who wish to hold us back in order to advance themselves. In his poem â€Å"As I grew older† he writes about oppression, â€Å"And then the wall rose, Rose slowly, Slowly, Between me and my dream†, The wall rising is the oppression brought about by the racism he faced here in America. Claude McKay in â€Å"If We Must Die† he writes a poem that can used to motivate a group of people as Churchill used to motivate the soldiers of WWI or to motivate the African-Americans here in America. He wants his people to have their honor even in death. â€Å"If we must die-oh, let us nobly die,† He wants to be seen with honor and dignity as he wishes for all his people. In the poem Christianity I write about beliefs and faith in a world where it seems to shun anyone who openly believes in Jesus Christ and his teachings. In today’s society Christians are often told they are cannot display their crosses in public spaces, because â€Å"we are pushing our beliefs on others†. This country was formed with the idea that people would have their freedoms. Freedoms that their previous government denied them, and one of the biggest freedoms they searched for was freedom to practice the religion of their choice. Christianity in its many forms was the biggest religion at the time of this country formation and you can see that in many ways even still today, however publically today there seems to be a push to hide all forms of religion. Christianity seems to be the religion that people wish to hide the most. This is why I chose to use this theme for my poem. Christianity Faith Belief in only one Love all – even my enemy They don’t want love They don’t want faith Truth Will Science ever agree Where is your evidence Is your truth, My truth Freedom Freedom to live Freedom to Love Freedom to believe Freedom to question Faith Who wants it Who needs it Why have it They certainly do not want it References Modern American Poetry (2011). Claude McKay. Retrieved from http://www.english.illinois. edu/maps/poets/m_r/mckay/mckay.htm PoemHunter.com (January, 2003) As I grew older by Langston Hughes. Retrieved from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/as-i-grew-older/ Sayre, H. M. (2012). The Humanities: Culture, continuity and change, Volume 2 (2nd ed.). (2011 Custom Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Kansas Heritage Group, (n.d.). Langston Hughes Biography. Retrieved from http://www. kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html

Final Exam

Answer four of the following seven essay questions. Essay answers should be in paragraph form using complete sentences. (No bullet points) Use PAPA style for citations as needed. Exams may be subject to student submission using Turning at the professor's discretion. Your answers should be submitted as a Word file attached to an email sent to me by the start of class on March 5th. While brevity Is the soul of wit, essay answers should err on the side of completeness versus brevity.That said, I don't want to see the answer to any question go beyond two single-spaced hypocrites pages using a font size of 10-12 points. 1. Congratulations! You have Just been elected ruler off small OLD. What steps will you take to manage the country's balance of trade, and Its currency? Name and use an actual country don't make one up. Sierra Leone is a country that is rich in agricultural and mining resources, yet the great majority (over 70%) of the country still lives in poverty. Economic growth is hin dered by disadvantageous exchange rates and government budget deficits.As the recently elected President of Sierra Leone, I will take any and all necessary steps o bring this beautiful country out of poverty (www. Henbane. Org, 2014). Sierra Leone Is currently working with the International Monetary Fund (MIFF) to implement changes and improvements in our country's economic system. Sierra Leone has made important strides in economic reconstruction and macroeconomic as well as political stability since the end of the civil conflict in 2002. Economic growth has strengthened in the last two years with a stream of iron ore production and increased Infrastructure Investment.As the new president, I will continue working with the MIFF to manage the balance of trade and stabilize our currency (www. MFC. Org, 2013). In regards to Sierra Lens's currency, the exchange rate system is classified as floating, with the value of the Leone (currency) determined by the market. Currently, the central banks interventions are limited and aimed at smoothing volatility in the market. In order to stabilize the currency, I will diligently work with the Bank of Sierra Leone (BOSS) and with the MIFF to Introduce a stringent stabilization policy and reduce our country's debt.This policy will be aimed at first and foremost at tightening monetary regulations and reducing government borrowing. I will encourage the BOSS o move from a wholesale foreign exchange auction system to a retail auction system available to importers. This will enhance the currency's stability in the market as well as improve competitiveness. I will also work with the BOSS to improve monetary policy signaling, address remaining gaps In banking supervision, monetary and foreign exchange operations. I initiatives to encourage the development of micromanage in rural areas.Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I will continue to work with the MIFF and the BOSS to develop a financial literacy campaign that will help to spr ead knowledge and titivation to continue efforts to stabilize the currency (www. Miff. Org, 2013) As president, I have also been charged with stabilizing trade in Sierra Leone. One of the biggest challenges in trade in Sierra Leone is that of smuggling and illicit trading activities. Sierra Leone is known for mining, especially diamonds, but poor regulation and policy enforcement, and high levels of corruption that lead to considerable levels of money laundering activities.As president, I will establish stricter controls and taxes around the mining trade, and crack down on corrupt government officials. I will continue to work with the government-created mining community development fund (DACCA), created to raise local communities' stake in the legal diamond trade, which returns a portion of diamond export taxes to diamond mining communities (www. Heritage. Org, 2014). Throughout my term as president, I hope to create a great economic turnaround for Sierra Leone, not only through bal ancing the currency and trade in the country, but through many more positive changes.I hope that by reducing budget deficits and improving the fiscal position of the government, I will be able to rehabilitate our social and economic infrastructure, stabilize the economy and provide a better life for Sierra Lens's people. 2. Compare and contrast the different methods of hedging transaction exposure. Include both derivative and non-derivative solutions. Transaction exposure is one of three types of foreign currency exposure. It is a type of risk that companies involved in international trade will face when entering fixed-price financial contracts.The risk occurs after the financial contract is made, and the subsequent fluctuations in currency exchange rates occur randomly and unpredictably. Although transaction exposure is considered short-term economic exposure, these changes in exchange rates can still affect the contract negatively, resulting in significant losses for the firm. The refore, companies participate in various hedging activities to avoid losses from transaction exposure (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). In transaction hedging, there are both derivative as well as non-derivative solutions. Derivatives are simply a contract between two parties.One of the ways which firms hedge transaction exposure is through the use of derivatives such as options contacts. Options are contracts used to reduce the risk of transactions by sing calls (sell) or puts (buy) on a financial asset at an agreed-upon price at some time in the future, which is known as exercising the option. Options also have a maturity or expiration date. In Europe, options can only be exercised at their maturity date, whereas in the United States, options can be exercised any time during the contract (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Another derivative solution is a futures contract.Futures contracts are an agreement to buy or sell an asset at an agreed-upon price in the future. Unlike options, futures contracts ar e standardized for an amount of the asset, and are usually transacted to exit the market. Hedgers avoid price variation in the market by and pass off risk to a speculator who will take a long or short position in the futures contract. The speculator is considered to be more willing to take on the price risk variation. Futures contracts are short-term and profits and losses are realized on a daily basis (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).Somewhat similar to a futures contract is a forward contract. Forwards are also a contract to buy or sell an asset at an agreed-upon price in the future, however, forward contracts have a specific maturity date unlike the daily settlements used in uterus contracts. Rather than being a standardized contract, forwards are tailor made to the needs of the participants. Also different than futures is that when trading forwards, forwards are often settled through the delivery of goods or cash (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).There are numerous other types of derivatives used to m itigate foreign exchange risk, but the most common are forward and futures contracts, futures options, and swaps which will be discussed later in this exam (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Many Macs also participate in non-derivative methods for hedging transaction risk. These are often used if a firm has positions in less liquid currencies. In order to mitigate risk in these cases, cross-hedging is a common technique in which a firm will hedge a position in one asset by taking a position in another asset.Effectiveness of cross-hedging is highly dependable on the strength of the relationship between the commodity futures prices and the exchange rate (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Another non-derivative method to avoid transaction exposure is hedging via lead and lag. A company can lead, to pay or collect on an invoice early, or lag, which means to pay or collect late. By timing the lead and lag strategy correctly, the firm can protect themselves against depreciation or appreciation of the foreign cur rency they are dealing in (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).Hedging through invoice currency can help firms diversify exchange exposure by using currency basket units. A currency basket is a selected group of currencies in which the weighted average is used as a measure of the value of a contract or obligation. It functions as a benchmark for regional currency movements. Because it is a portfolio of currencies, its value is more stable and can be useful as a hedging LOL, especially for long-term contracts where there are no forward or options contracts available (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).The last non-derivative form of transaction hedging that we will discuss is that of exposure netting. Exposure netting helps to centralize a firm's exchange exposure management function in one location, typically in a reinforce center. All invoices from nitrating transactions are sent here, where overall exposure is analyzed and determined. Foreign exchange experts can then determine the optimal hedging methods for the portfolio of transactions and move forward to implement them (Nun Arsenic, 2012). Overall, we have seen that there are numerous options to hedge transaction exposure.There are some similarities among them, but they differ from each other and are applicable to different needs. Derivative forms of hedging are typically contractual, relatively short term solutions to transaction exposure, whereas non- lifestyle. No matter what the case, however, it is prudent for any NC to determine a strategy for transaction hedging before going into significant overseas contracts. 3. Compare and contrast a plain vanilla currency swap with a plain vanilla interest rate swap. Describe and Justify a situation where a NC would use each type of swap.As discussed briefly above, swap transactions are a type of derivative used to mitigate currency exposure in forward trades. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange a sequence of cash flows over a period of time- a simultaneous sale of spot foreign exchange against a forward purchase of an equal amount of foreign currency (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). A plain vanilla interest rate swap is the most common and simplest type of swap. They are customized contracts that can be paid monthly, quarterly, yearly, or on a basis decided on by the firms involved.In a plain vanilla interest rate swap, one part agrees to pay the contract at a fixed interest rate, while the other party agrees to pay at a floating interest rate, and the two cash flows are paid in the same currency. The swap typically has a set date of maturity set at some point in the future (MacAfee, 2012). A plain vanilla currency swap, unlike the plain vanilla interest swap, interest and principal payments on a loan are exchanged in 2 currencies. In the plain vanilla currency swap, the two parties exchange payments at the beginning and end of the swap, which also differs from interest rate swaps (MacAfee, 2012).In the case of plain vanilla interest rate swaps, Macs or Mi ff would use these when they are paying a floating rate of interest on liabilities and earning a fixed rate of interest on assets. It can be highly risky for a firm to have such a mismatch between assets and liabilities. Therefore, the firm could use a plain vanilla interest rate swap to rectify the imbalance in their interest payments (MacAfee, 2012). For the case of the plain vanilla currency swap, a firm would be interested in conducting this type of swap when the firm wants to expand operations into another country, but has comparative advantage in its home country.The firm will likely have more favorable financing in its home country, and therefore could perform a currency swap with the country it is expanding into, and gain the necessary funds in the new currency to finance its startup and operations (MacAfee, 2012). 4. Discuss the issues and potential solutions for a NC contemplating foreign direct investment in a OLD. By definition, a NC or Multinational Corporation, is regi stered and/or has operations in more than one country. These types of firms engage in FED, or Foreign Direct Investment.FED is an investment made by a company based in one country onto a company or entity based in another country. Macs making direct investments typically have a significant degree of influence and control over the company into which the investment is made. Open economies with skilled workforces and good growth prospects tend to attract larger amounts of foreign direct investment than closed, highly regulated economies (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). FED can have numerous risks and obstacles for the NC involved. Olds, or Less Foreign direct investment can be an important source of employment opportunities for developing countries.However, anti-corporate advocates criticize Macs for entering Olds that have low human rights or environmental standards. They claim that multinationals give rise to large merged conglomerations that reduce competition and free enterprise, ra ise capital in host countries but export the profits, exploit countries for their natural resources, limit workers' wages, erode traditional cultures, and challenge national sovereignty. However, they remain attractive to investors due to low costs of labor, poorly enforced environmental and economic regulations, and inexpensive resources (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). Economic risk depends on the foreign country's financial state. A country with stable finances and a sound economy will be more attractive to foreign investors than one that has currency fluctuations and difficulty paying debt. Trade barriers and shareholder diversification issues can all be part of the economic risks taken on by a NC that is contemplating FED (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Trade barriers can often be overcome by moving trade through other countries without trade restrictions.In the case of physical trade barriers, such as poor transportation, FED can be put into place to improve infrastructure and reduce tr ansportation costs (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Political risk emerges when the political climate in a foreign country becomes unfriendly to investors. Political risk can be classified into three types: transfer risk, operational risk, and control risk. Transfer risk arises from uncertainty about cross border flows of capital and payments. Operational risk arises when the host country's policies affect the NC.Lastly, control risk is caused by uncertainty about the host country's policies regarding ownership and control of local operations (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). When contemplating investing in a OLD, the NC should take care to meticulously search and define the level of risk for doing business with the OLD they are considering, and also outline possible solutions in case of risk exposure. For example, those seeking more in-depth coverage of a particular country or region, two excellent sources of objective, comprehensive country information are the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Centr al Intelligence Agency World Fastback.Either of these resources provides an investor with a broad overview of the economic, political, demographic and social climate of a country. The Ell-J also provides ratings for most of the world's countries. These ratings can supplement those issued by Moody's, S and the other â€Å"traditional† ratings agencies (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). After completing the country analysis, the investing NC will have to decide on a sound investment approach. One of the recommended approaches is for the NC to invest in a broad international portfolio.Diversification is a fundamental principle of domestic investing, and is even more important when investing internationally. Even in a more concentrated portfolio, investments should be spread among several countries to maximize diversification and minimize risk (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). After deciding where to invest, an investor must decide which type of investment to enter. The choice of inve stment vehicle depends on each investor's individual knowledge, experience, risk profile and return objectives. When in doubt, it may make later.In addition to thoroughly researching prospective investments, an international investor also needs to monitor his or her portfolio and adjust holdings as conditions dictate. As in the U. S. , economic conditions overseas are constantly evolving, and political situations abroad can change quickly, particularly in emerging r frontier markets. Situations that once seemed promising may no longer be so, and countries that once seemed too risky might now be viable investment candidates (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). Final Exam Answer four of the following seven essay questions. Essay answers should be in paragraph form using complete sentences. (No bullet points) Use PAPA style for citations as needed. Exams may be subject to student submission using Turning at the professor's discretion. Your answers should be submitted as a Word file attached to an email sent to me by the start of class on March 5th. While brevity Is the soul of wit, essay answers should err on the side of completeness versus brevity.That said, I don't want to see the answer to any question go beyond two single-spaced hypocrites pages using a font size of 10-12 points. 1. Congratulations! You have Just been elected ruler off small OLD. What steps will you take to manage the country's balance of trade, and Its currency? Name and use an actual country don't make one up. Sierra Leone is a country that is rich in agricultural and mining resources, yet the great majority (over 70%) of the country still lives in poverty. Economic growth is hin dered by disadvantageous exchange rates and government budget deficits.As the recently elected President of Sierra Leone, I will take any and all necessary steps o bring this beautiful country out of poverty (www. Henbane. Org, 2014). Sierra Leone Is currently working with the International Monetary Fund (MIFF) to implement changes and improvements in our country's economic system. Sierra Leone has made important strides in economic reconstruction and macroeconomic as well as political stability since the end of the civil conflict in 2002. Economic growth has strengthened in the last two years with a stream of iron ore production and increased Infrastructure Investment.As the new president, I will continue working with the MIFF to manage the balance of trade and stabilize our currency (www. MFC. Org, 2013). In regards to Sierra Lens's currency, the exchange rate system is classified as floating, with the value of the Leone (currency) determined by the market. Currently, the central banks interventions are limited and aimed at smoothing volatility in the market. In order to stabilize the currency, I will diligently work with the Bank of Sierra Leone (BOSS) and with the MIFF to Introduce a stringent stabilization policy and reduce our country's debt.This policy will be aimed at first and foremost at tightening monetary regulations and reducing government borrowing. I will encourage the BOSS o move from a wholesale foreign exchange auction system to a retail auction system available to importers. This will enhance the currency's stability in the market as well as improve competitiveness. I will also work with the BOSS to improve monetary policy signaling, address remaining gaps In banking supervision, monetary and foreign exchange operations. I initiatives to encourage the development of micromanage in rural areas.Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I will continue to work with the MIFF and the BOSS to develop a financial literacy campaign that will help to spr ead knowledge and titivation to continue efforts to stabilize the currency (www. Miff. Org, 2013) As president, I have also been charged with stabilizing trade in Sierra Leone. One of the biggest challenges in trade in Sierra Leone is that of smuggling and illicit trading activities. Sierra Leone is known for mining, especially diamonds, but poor regulation and policy enforcement, and high levels of corruption that lead to considerable levels of money laundering activities.As president, I will establish stricter controls and taxes around the mining trade, and crack down on corrupt government officials. I will continue to work with the government-created mining community development fund (DACCA), created to raise local communities' stake in the legal diamond trade, which returns a portion of diamond export taxes to diamond mining communities (www. Heritage. Org, 2014). Throughout my term as president, I hope to create a great economic turnaround for Sierra Leone, not only through bal ancing the currency and trade in the country, but through many more positive changes.I hope that by reducing budget deficits and improving the fiscal position of the government, I will be able to rehabilitate our social and economic infrastructure, stabilize the economy and provide a better life for Sierra Lens's people. 2. Compare and contrast the different methods of hedging transaction exposure. Include both derivative and non-derivative solutions. Transaction exposure is one of three types of foreign currency exposure. It is a type of risk that companies involved in international trade will face when entering fixed-price financial contracts.The risk occurs after the financial contract is made, and the subsequent fluctuations in currency exchange rates occur randomly and unpredictably. Although transaction exposure is considered short-term economic exposure, these changes in exchange rates can still affect the contract negatively, resulting in significant losses for the firm. The refore, companies participate in various hedging activities to avoid losses from transaction exposure (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). In transaction hedging, there are both derivative as well as non-derivative solutions. Derivatives are simply a contract between two parties.One of the ways which firms hedge transaction exposure is through the use of derivatives such as options contacts. Options are contracts used to reduce the risk of transactions by sing calls (sell) or puts (buy) on a financial asset at an agreed-upon price at some time in the future, which is known as exercising the option. Options also have a maturity or expiration date. In Europe, options can only be exercised at their maturity date, whereas in the United States, options can be exercised any time during the contract (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Another derivative solution is a futures contract.Futures contracts are an agreement to buy or sell an asset at an agreed-upon price in the future. Unlike options, futures contracts ar e standardized for an amount of the asset, and are usually transacted to exit the market. Hedgers avoid price variation in the market by and pass off risk to a speculator who will take a long or short position in the futures contract. The speculator is considered to be more willing to take on the price risk variation. Futures contracts are short-term and profits and losses are realized on a daily basis (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).Somewhat similar to a futures contract is a forward contract. Forwards are also a contract to buy or sell an asset at an agreed-upon price in the future, however, forward contracts have a specific maturity date unlike the daily settlements used in uterus contracts. Rather than being a standardized contract, forwards are tailor made to the needs of the participants. Also different than futures is that when trading forwards, forwards are often settled through the delivery of goods or cash (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).There are numerous other types of derivatives used to m itigate foreign exchange risk, but the most common are forward and futures contracts, futures options, and swaps which will be discussed later in this exam (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Many Macs also participate in non-derivative methods for hedging transaction risk. These are often used if a firm has positions in less liquid currencies. In order to mitigate risk in these cases, cross-hedging is a common technique in which a firm will hedge a position in one asset by taking a position in another asset.Effectiveness of cross-hedging is highly dependable on the strength of the relationship between the commodity futures prices and the exchange rate (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Another non-derivative method to avoid transaction exposure is hedging via lead and lag. A company can lead, to pay or collect on an invoice early, or lag, which means to pay or collect late. By timing the lead and lag strategy correctly, the firm can protect themselves against depreciation or appreciation of the foreign cur rency they are dealing in (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).Hedging through invoice currency can help firms diversify exchange exposure by using currency basket units. A currency basket is a selected group of currencies in which the weighted average is used as a measure of the value of a contract or obligation. It functions as a benchmark for regional currency movements. Because it is a portfolio of currencies, its value is more stable and can be useful as a hedging LOL, especially for long-term contracts where there are no forward or options contracts available (Nun & Arsenic, 2012).The last non-derivative form of transaction hedging that we will discuss is that of exposure netting. Exposure netting helps to centralize a firm's exchange exposure management function in one location, typically in a reinforce center. All invoices from nitrating transactions are sent here, where overall exposure is analyzed and determined. Foreign exchange experts can then determine the optimal hedging methods for the portfolio of transactions and move forward to implement them (Nun Arsenic, 2012). Overall, we have seen that there are numerous options to hedge transaction exposure.There are some similarities among them, but they differ from each other and are applicable to different needs. Derivative forms of hedging are typically contractual, relatively short term solutions to transaction exposure, whereas non- lifestyle. No matter what the case, however, it is prudent for any NC to determine a strategy for transaction hedging before going into significant overseas contracts. 3. Compare and contrast a plain vanilla currency swap with a plain vanilla interest rate swap. Describe and Justify a situation where a NC would use each type of swap.As discussed briefly above, swap transactions are a type of derivative used to mitigate currency exposure in forward trades. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange a sequence of cash flows over a period of time- a simultaneous sale of spot foreign exchange against a forward purchase of an equal amount of foreign currency (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). A plain vanilla interest rate swap is the most common and simplest type of swap. They are customized contracts that can be paid monthly, quarterly, yearly, or on a basis decided on by the firms involved.In a plain vanilla interest rate swap, one part agrees to pay the contract at a fixed interest rate, while the other party agrees to pay at a floating interest rate, and the two cash flows are paid in the same currency. The swap typically has a set date of maturity set at some point in the future (MacAfee, 2012). A plain vanilla currency swap, unlike the plain vanilla interest swap, interest and principal payments on a loan are exchanged in 2 currencies. In the plain vanilla currency swap, the two parties exchange payments at the beginning and end of the swap, which also differs from interest rate swaps (MacAfee, 2012).In the case of plain vanilla interest rate swaps, Macs or Mi ff would use these when they are paying a floating rate of interest on liabilities and earning a fixed rate of interest on assets. It can be highly risky for a firm to have such a mismatch between assets and liabilities. Therefore, the firm could use a plain vanilla interest rate swap to rectify the imbalance in their interest payments (MacAfee, 2012). For the case of the plain vanilla currency swap, a firm would be interested in conducting this type of swap when the firm wants to expand operations into another country, but has comparative advantage in its home country.The firm will likely have more favorable financing in its home country, and therefore could perform a currency swap with the country it is expanding into, and gain the necessary funds in the new currency to finance its startup and operations (MacAfee, 2012). 4. Discuss the issues and potential solutions for a NC contemplating foreign direct investment in a OLD. By definition, a NC or Multinational Corporation, is regi stered and/or has operations in more than one country. These types of firms engage in FED, or Foreign Direct Investment.FED is an investment made by a company based in one country onto a company or entity based in another country. Macs making direct investments typically have a significant degree of influence and control over the company into which the investment is made. Open economies with skilled workforces and good growth prospects tend to attract larger amounts of foreign direct investment than closed, highly regulated economies (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). FED can have numerous risks and obstacles for the NC involved. Olds, or Less Foreign direct investment can be an important source of employment opportunities for developing countries.However, anti-corporate advocates criticize Macs for entering Olds that have low human rights or environmental standards. They claim that multinationals give rise to large merged conglomerations that reduce competition and free enterprise, ra ise capital in host countries but export the profits, exploit countries for their natural resources, limit workers' wages, erode traditional cultures, and challenge national sovereignty. However, they remain attractive to investors due to low costs of labor, poorly enforced environmental and economic regulations, and inexpensive resources (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). Economic risk depends on the foreign country's financial state. A country with stable finances and a sound economy will be more attractive to foreign investors than one that has currency fluctuations and difficulty paying debt. Trade barriers and shareholder diversification issues can all be part of the economic risks taken on by a NC that is contemplating FED (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Trade barriers can often be overcome by moving trade through other countries without trade restrictions.In the case of physical trade barriers, such as poor transportation, FED can be put into place to improve infrastructure and reduce tr ansportation costs (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). Political risk emerges when the political climate in a foreign country becomes unfriendly to investors. Political risk can be classified into three types: transfer risk, operational risk, and control risk. Transfer risk arises from uncertainty about cross border flows of capital and payments. Operational risk arises when the host country's policies affect the NC.Lastly, control risk is caused by uncertainty about the host country's policies regarding ownership and control of local operations (Nun & Arsenic, 2012). When contemplating investing in a OLD, the NC should take care to meticulously search and define the level of risk for doing business with the OLD they are considering, and also outline possible solutions in case of risk exposure. For example, those seeking more in-depth coverage of a particular country or region, two excellent sources of objective, comprehensive country information are the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Centr al Intelligence Agency World Fastback.Either of these resources provides an investor with a broad overview of the economic, political, demographic and social climate of a country. The Ell-J also provides ratings for most of the world's countries. These ratings can supplement those issued by Moody's, S and the other â€Å"traditional† ratings agencies (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). After completing the country analysis, the investing NC will have to decide on a sound investment approach. One of the recommended approaches is for the NC to invest in a broad international portfolio.Diversification is a fundamental principle of domestic investing, and is even more important when investing internationally. Even in a more concentrated portfolio, investments should be spread among several countries to maximize diversification and minimize risk (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). After deciding where to invest, an investor must decide which type of investment to enter. The choice of inve stment vehicle depends on each investor's individual knowledge, experience, risk profile and return objectives. When in doubt, it may make later.In addition to thoroughly researching prospective investments, an international investor also needs to monitor his or her portfolio and adjust holdings as conditions dictate. As in the U. S. , economic conditions overseas are constantly evolving, and political situations abroad can change quickly, particularly in emerging r frontier markets. Situations that once seemed promising may no longer be so, and countries that once seemed too risky might now be viable investment candidates (www. Investigated. Com, 2014). Final Exam The response to each question or statement is either True or False. 1. A business organized as a separate legal entity owned by stockholders is a partnership. 2. External users of accounting information are managers who plan, organize, and run a business. 3. Two primary external users of accounting information are investors and creditors. 4. Financing activities for corporations include borrowing money and selling shares of their own stock. 5.Income will always be greater under the cash basis of accounting than under the accrual basis of accounting. 6. The difference between unearned revenue and accrued revenue is that accrued revenue has been recorded and needs adjusting and unearned revenue has never been recorded. 7. Cash is a temporary account. 8. Bonding means insuring a company against theft by employees. 9. The treasurer should prepare and sign a check only after authorization to issue a check has been provided. 10. Using borrowed money to increase the rate of return on common stockholders' equity is called â€Å"trading on the equity.The extent of internal control features adopted by a company must be evaluated in terms of cost-benefit. 11. A good system of internal control will safeguard its assets and enhance the accuracy and reliability of its accounting records. 12. All reconciling items in determining the adjusted cash balance per books require the depositor to make adjusting Journal entries to the Cash account. 13. Cash equivalents include money market accounts, commercial paper, and U. S. Treasury bills held for ninety days or less. 14. A basic principle of cash management is to increase the speed of paying liabilities. 5.A cash budget contributes to more effective cash management. 16. A change in accounting principle occurs when the principle used in the current year is different from the one used by competitors in the current year. 17. If a company has sales of $110 in 2007 and $154 in 2006, the percentage decrease in sales from 2006 to 2007 i s 140%. 18. In a common size income statement, each item is expressed as a percentage of net income. 19. Profitability ratios are frequently used as a basis for evaluating management's operating effectiveness 20. Inventory turnover is a measure of equity that focuses on efficient use of inventory. 1 . The current ratio is a measure of all the ratios calculated for the current year. 22. From a creditor's point of view, the higher the total debt to total assets ratio, the lower the risk that the company may be unable to pay its obligations. 23. Alternative accounting methods affect the quality of earnings 24. Because pro formal earnings are based on specific rules, these amounts are highly reliable. Section II: Multiple Choice Choose your response from one of the possible answers provided. 26. A business organized as a corporation ). Is not a separate legal entity in most states. ). Requires that stockholders be personally liable for the debts of the business. C). Is owned by its stoc kholders. D). Has tax advantages over a proprietorship or partnership. 27. Which of the following is not one of the three forms of business organization? A). Corporations. B). Partnerships. C). Proprietorships. D). Investors. 28. An advantage of the corporate form of business is that a). It has limited life. B). Its owner's personal resources are at stake. C). Its ownership is easily transferable via the sale of shares of stock. ). It is simple to establish. 29.The group of users of accounting information charged with achieving the goals of the business is its a). Auditors. B). Investors. C). Managers. D). Creditors. 30. Which of the following is a primary user of accounting information with a direct financial interest in the business? A). Taxing authority b). Creditor c). Regulatory agency d). Labor union 31 . An income statement a). Summarizes the changes in retained earnings for a specific period of time. B). Reports the changes in assets, liabilities, and stockholders' equity ov er a period of time. C). Ports the assets, liabilities, and stockholders' equity at a specific date. ). Presents the revenues and expenses for a specific period of time. 32. Which financial statement is prepared first? A). Balance sheet b). Lonesome statement c). Retained earnings statement d). Statement of cash flows 33. Which one of the following is not a Justification for adjusting entries? A). AdJusting entries are necessary to ensure that revenue recognition principles are followed. B). AdJusting entries are necessary to ensure that the matching principle is followed. C). AdJusting entries are necessary to enable financial statements to be in conformity tit GAP. D).AdJusting entries are necessary to bring the general ledger accounts in line with the budget. 34. If a resource has been consumed but a bill has not been received at the end of the accounting period, then a). An expense should be recorded when the bill is received. B). An expense should be recorded when the cash is p aid out. C). An adjusting entry should be made recognizing the expense. D). It is optional whether to record the expense before the bill is received. 35. An adjusting entry would not include which of the following accounts? A). Cash b). Lintiest Receivable ).Property Tax Payable d). Unearned Revenue 36. At December 31, 2007, before any year-end adjustments, Boils Company's Prepaid Insurance account had a balance of $2,700. It was determined that $1,500 of the Prepaid Insurance had expired. The adjusted balance for Insurance Expense for the year would be a). $l ,500. 0. $2,700. D). $1,900. 37. Which one of the following is not an objective of a system of internal controls? A). Safeguard company assets b). Overstate liabilities in order to be conservative c). Enhance the accuracy and reliability of accounting records d).Reduce the risks of errors 38. Which one of the following would be considered a long-term solvency ratio? A). Receivables turnover b). Return on total assets c). Curre nt cash debt coverage ratio.

Hispanic American Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Hispanic American Diversity - Essay Example For example, some groups use the word "sopa" to refer to a food item while the rest use it to denote soap. The unique geo-political circumstances of different Spanish speaking regions have contributed to the formation of regional dialects. For instance, Mexico being close to the United States of America has resulted in the importation of English words into common usage. So much so that, some cultural commentators call the Mexican language as Spanglish. (Hope Cheong, 2006) Of all the four groups, Mexican Americans stand out in terms of their involvement in mainstream American politics. The dissenting voices of Mexican Americans were first heard during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Although African Americans were predominantly seen as the leaders of the movement, significant contributions were made by such Mexican American luminaries as V.Mendoza, Reies Lopez Tijerina and Rodolfo Gonzales. Their political activism ranged from basic rights for farm workers to rights of electoral franchise at all levels of governance. (Jokisch, 2006) Parallels could be observed in Puerto Rican American history as well. One of the more recent immigrants to the country, Puerto Ricans are poorly represented in politics. However, to their credit, they succeeded in forming trade unions to demand for worker rights during the second half of the twentieth century. Given such an initiation, it is only natural that their worker movement graduated into a socialist one. Given the strong capitalist roots in America, this movement did not make much impact though. Any description of Cuban Americans will have to be made in the context of Cubas hostile political relation with the United States. The primary reason for migration to their more affluent neighboring country is economic opportunity. Yet, the totalitarian and sometimes repressive regime of Fidel Castro would mean that the migrants are also

Text analysis , written text , English linguistic and literature Essay - 1

Text analysis , written text , English linguistic and literature - Essay Example Instead, it addresses an issue that concerns survival of the humankind as a whole or ‘citizens of the world and not of this or that sect or nation’. From the words ‘To take an even more spectacular example, which is in everybody’s mind at the present time’, it may inferred that the essay was written at a time when the world, after having witnessed two world wars, lived in the grip of constant fear. For later generations, it can serve as an important source of indicative information on apprehensions of intellectuals that emanated from the scientific and political developments in the mid-20th century. However, on account of its highly academic nature of the content and the subtle style, the essay warrants a lot of effort from the reader to be able to fully comprehend precisely what is on the author’s mind. It is too hard to be understood in a single reading. Once understood, it may be said that the essay has the capacity to radically reorganize one’s paradigms in understanding the world, right from an insight into the precautions required to be taken by men of science engaged in research to a revi sed blueprint of religious and moral instruction. Though the essay offers the scope to learn wisdom by reflection and imitation rather than by experience, the fact remains that the ideals proposed by the author in the essay are so lofty that they could turn the world into a heaven if only the inhabitants of the planet imbibed the substance of such ideas. But it can only be a utopian dream for it is easier said than done to overcome the egoism of surroundings, senses and emotions. The first paragraph of the essay introduces the two questions the author intends to deal with, the first being ‘What is wisdom?’ and the second being ‘What can be done to teach it?’ The second, third, fourth and fifth paragraphs address the first question and provide a definition of wisdom as a combination of five factors namely comprehensive vision, awareness of the ends

Advanced Research Methods Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Advanced Research Methods - Dissertation Example Companies are expanding operations in other nations and the increasing incidence of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures have increased the challenges before organizations in terms of managing a diversified and cross cultural work force. For example, an American company shifting its manufacturing and marketing facilities in China will have to integrate organizational HR practices in keeping with the lifestyle and culture of the local population. Such situations can result in cross cultural conflicts that can adversely impact organizational culture and productivity. It is very difficult for American executives to adapt to Chinese culture and systems of working. Such circumstances create responsibility for the HR department to ensure that cross cultural relationships within the organization are cordial and positive so that the company functions smoothly. This proposal is about a quantitative research that will be carried out in the area of human resource management in an organizati on that is shifting its manufacturing facilities from the US to China in order to benefit from the accruing economies of scale, low costs of production and cheap availability of raw material. The proposal will outline the research strategy on how to deal effectively with the emerging issues of training a culturally diversified workforce. Introduction The study will address some major issues in terms of the extent to which a cross cultural training strategy can work positively in improving the company’s performance in China. In order to achieve this objective, exhaustive research will have to be carried out on how expatriates and local employees have to be dealt with. Initially the company will have to ask Americans or nationals from other countries to work in China because key positions in the company cannot be performed by Chinese nationals. The research will ascertain the merits and demerits if cross-cultural training modules and also ascertain the approaches that will work best in the given environment. Another objective will be to develop theories of efficient cross-cultural modules for global human resource personnel. HRM is widely acknowledged as a management resource that imbibes the maximum possible management actions and decisions that impact relationships amongst the organization and workers (Beer et al, 1986). It is the process that coordinates the organization’s human resources in meeting organizational objectives. Therefore, the job of HR professionals becomes quite complicated because all aspects of the firm and workers have to be encompassed. It is believed that the most significant asset of the organization is its people that assist in achieving its goals, and this comprises the core of the HRM philosophy. Human resources are the most important asset and are the major force that drives human resource management in any organization. Human resource personnel have to take care of areas such as professional development, compensation, benefits, performance evaluation, recruitment, health and safety, job design, job analysis, labor relations and management of a diverse work force (Lipiec, 2002). According to Schermerhorn (2002), there is global inter-dependence in the global economy in terms of resources and markets whereby every business thrives because of competition. Internationalization has led businesses to act and think globally in order to succeed in a competitive environment. Some theorists have viewed globalization as providing massive growth potential for both developed and developing

Promtional Activities of Hobbs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Promtional Activities of Hobbs - Essay Example ance of one to one marketing, more personal promotions, word of mouth and the emerging technologies like the internet and mobile based marketing that are less expensive to launch and more efficient when it comes to delivering results. The majority of the Hobbs customers are located in London as however the company has significant customers in Ireland and the rest of the UK as well. The marketing plan depicted below however is targeted towards the current and the prospective customers of the company in Birmingham. The Mosaic for Birmingham depicted that fashion consumers in the region are very versatile with people taking cues for their seasonal fashion trends from those generated by the Milan, Paris and the New York fashion weeks. The customers are highly influenced by the fashion trends generated from these fashion capitals of the world and seek to go to retailers that can provide such fashion to them in an accessible and more affordable manner. These target markets are dominated by the South Asian Families, settled Majorities, Upper Floor families and urban youth and professionals. The analysis of the various types of customers that tend to shop at Hobbs depicted that the customers consider store ambiance, its environment, theme and layout. The Hobbs retail company has realized this and an effort has been made by the management to change the look and the feel of the store by employing a walnut and white interior in their stores to make them more fashionable and trendy. â€Å"When retail organizations make a major shift from an old-fashioned merchandise management orientation to a strategic marketing orientation, the development of a functional marketing plan for the implementation of strategic plan gains in importance† (Samli, 1998, p2) Other retailers in their business have also taken to store management and the management of store ambiance to further foot traffic in their stores and increase profits through sales revenue. â€Å"Starbucks, Pottery Barn, Eddie

Focus Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Focus Paper - Essay Example It is also define as (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a complex level (Gilligan, 1982). Development on the other hand, refers to the progressive series of changes of an orderly and logical type leading to the individual's maturation; this definition implies that for development to be progressive there is a direction in the manner in which changes occur, development is also coherent essentially because the sequence of changes that occur are related to each other and do not haphazardly or abruptly (Gilligan, 1982). It also vital to study the Importance of studying stages of development, factors in growth and development, for us to have a clear picture of how one's morality grows and develop, since morality matures along with individual'sgrowth and development. Importance of Studying Stages of Development. In many instances people meet children of varying ages and wonder why each of them displays different characteristics (Erikson, 1959).The focus of study of development precisely points to these observations. A teacher, who expects to meet the needs of his/her learners, must be aware of the variety of developmental differences among his/her learners.The knowledge of the pattern of human development will certainly help a teacher to know what to expect of children and at what approximate ages certain patterns of behavior may appear or are expected to appear. Planning for instruction should also be based on certain development principles, which to a great extent determine what type of learning and amount of learning are appropriate for different age groups.In other cases knowledge of developmental patterns will allow teachers to identify learners with developmental lags or delays so as to provide guidance and intervention as early as possible.Thus teachers must learn to recognize the significance of this knowledge to their teaching success as well as to the learning process (Boeree, 2003). Factors in Growth and Development. Two general factors influence human development namely: 1. Maturation or natural growth resulting from heredity; 2. Environmental Influences in and through which the growing takes place. These two are factors are so thoroughly interrelated that it is impossible to isolate their specific influences. Every individual is born with definite potentialities of development passed on to him by his parents through hereditary potentialities for many kinds of behavior patterns continue to develop for months or even years, this process by which heredity exerts its influence long after birth is called maturation (Erikson, 1959). Modes of behavior at a given time in the life of an individual are not determine by heredity or environment working alone, instead they are the product of the interaction between his inherited tendencies and potentialities and those environmental influences by which he is stimulated an that is the starts when one's morality grows and develops Beginnings of Morality. Babies have no scale of values and no conscience, they are therefore moral nor immoral but non-moral in the sense that their behavior is not guided by moral standards eventually they will learn moral codes from their parents, and later from their teachers and playmates as well as the necessity for

Movie Response Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response - Movie Review Example I agree with movie’s director that most of these topics are a taboo in the Egyptian culture. As cited by Mattin, in the movie: while Zaki lives in vanishing luxury and loves women, Bothayna is a victim of sexual harassment while working as a shop assistant in order to fend for her family after her father’s demise, Bothyana’s boyfriend, Taha (Mohamed Imam), is not wanted in the police and joins a radical Islamic group, and gay newspaper editor who seduces a young soldier (Bassem Samra). The Egyptian board of censors gave the movie an adults-only rating. As a consequence, the movie has sparked a lot controversy in Egypt. For example, the legislators denounced the film on the floor of the House, and a subsequent television series of similar name cut out the homosexuality part. However, the movie still became one of the highest-grossing movies Egypt has ever produced. Marwan Hamed is able to balance these story lines with skill, bring out credible performances from the cast, and expertly handles the variations in tone and scale. To me, the movie is an epic in scope. To others, it may be tender and intimate. According to Mahajan (2), the film, The Yacoubian Building is one of the bravest movies that have been produced in Egypt. Now a former shadow of its former, the Building is a metaphor for Egypt where the country was faced with poverty and corruption under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak. On the other hand, the movie’s weakness is that the more than 2 hrs 30 minutes duration makes The Yacoubian Building tiresome to watch. The other weakness is that by using the most expensive building of; Yocoubian apartment. The movie is the most expensive in Egypt making it inaccessible to the majority of the audience. The divergent plot lines imply that the opening scenes of this movie lack the narrative zap. However, in general, I am of the opinion that in spite of the

In the Mood for Love Essay Example for Free

In the Mood for Love Essay The quote by the author Drucker is a prime example of how non-verbal communication is most of the time more important than the actual answer itself. Body language is an essential element of everyday interaction amongst people. Based on simple hand gestures or a flicker of a smile, one can instantly change the syntax or structural meaning of a sentence. This change could turn a negative sentence into a positive outcome. Throughout the history of cinema body language is a tool that is applied to every movie. Movies by their very nature started of as any elaborate ploy on body language. The silent film era relies on nonverbal communication that is accompanied by visual elements and implanting a specific score in order to suspend disbelief that the audience is sitting an in a dark room watching various shades of light and color onto a screen. The movie In the Mood for Love directed by Kar Wai Wong is a prime example of how the characterization and plot of a movie doesn’t need to revolve around the construction of dialogue between the protagonist and other characters in the movie. To start off I would like to say the cinematographer Christopher Doyle and Pin Bing Lee did a great job in presenting a somewhat stale plot line into a visual masterpiece. There are many examples, of how the cinematography of this movie enables the audience to visualize the budding of a love that happened out of pain, spite, and loneliness. I would like to analyze the cinematography of a scene in order to bring more clarity to how body language is more important. The first scene I would like to examine is in the first act of the movie. Keep in mind during this scene there is no dialogue just a musical score. The faces of the two adulteresses remain obscured throughout the scene. Fade from black no picture in your minds eye the wife Su Li-Zhen is in her apartment with her husband while everyone is playing Mahjong. She takes the chair behind her husband and sits there. When she leaves for a brief instance to let another woman by which is the wife of Mr. Chow. Chow then proceeds to take his queue and exit the room looking troubled and deep in thought walks by and slightly grazes Mrs. Li-Zhen. Li-Zhen then goes to sit down next to her husband and puts her arm on his shoulder. This scene is jam-packed full of visual elements that make this scene very compelling and drives the movie forward with such palpable tension. First, the wife of Mr. Chow is dressed in a vibrant red dress that really pops out from all the dull whites and browns that are present in on the screen. This vibrancy of color and by the nature of all the skin that is revealed above her neck alludes to a characterization that is more sexual, more â€Å"desirable† in comparison to Mrs. Li-Zhen. She is wearing a dull white dressed that is cut in a more traditional and plain way. By the nature of the fabric and patterns on the dress it looks like she is blending in more than standing out. This direct comparison is between the mise en scene of the costuming foreshadows that the wife Mrs. Li-Zhen will become less desirable over time and this will present the problem of some kind of cheating. Also during this scene the very body language present between the two women towards Mr. Li-Zhen is very different. The wife of this man is sitting behind her husband she seems reluctant in showing her affections towards him. She doesn’t really act like they are together she only looks over his shoulder. The camera movement at this scene is very important when the wife walks into the room the camera pans out back to the doorway. Then, The adulteress wife walks from off the screen through the doorway. At this point the camera pans in. The woman in red then proceeds to walk in between the married couple sitting down, and drapes her arms across Mr. Chows back. Mrs. Li-Zhen gets up puts on an insincere smile and backs against the wall. The woman in red seems to push the faithful wife away. This scene is a metaphor down to a tee of what is happening to the Li-Zhen and Chows relationship. The initial distance between the first married couple shows that there is some discontent or rift between them. This body language is very subtle but its possible to see that they aren’t not entirely happy with each other. It’s not until she has her back against a wall and sees the discontent on Mr. Chow’s face do you really see the wife really warm up to her husband. The camera movement during this scene further supports my points on the relationship between the two couples. When the camera pans out it is signifying that even though Mrs. Li-Zhen is getting closer in reality she is quite distant from her husband. This distance is growing and impossible to reverse in this instance. This distance created by turning the shot from a medium, shot to a wide angle. Which sets up the next camera movement where Mrs. Chow comes from off the screen and the camera moves in and follows her as she makes her way towards MR. Li-Zhen. This shows that the there is a shift of desire going from the faithful wife to the new fling. This sexual shift is subtle but very evident once the adulteress pushes the faithful wife. The score during this scene is also very prominent during the entire movie. It is present every time we she a slight shift of the relationship status between the two couples. At first the music indicates that the physical, mental, and sexual attraction between the original couple is shifts towards a more negative outcome. During this scene the music is indicating that the once happy couples are now beginning to shift towards separation. The music cues as Mrs. Li-Zhen walks into the shot from off the screen. The tone and tempo of this piece directly correlates to the overall plot line of the film, and is key to this scene as well. The tone of the piece is a somber one; very little percussion is used in the score. There is a very prominent violin that is playing over other various strings. The tempo of this particular piece starts with slow staccato or â€Å"plucky strings† they start slow and there is able time between the notes to hears brief instance of silent. Then piece revs up to have a very mellow violin playing on top. The use of the tone in the piece reflects on the mood of the entire film and distress of the two that are faithful initially. The tempo of this piece shows that at first everything stress there is some kind of hidden element going on and then it quickens. The heartbreak comes, and now they have to live with it. As the movie progresses however the music becomes an indicator that new found couple having difficultly letting go, but they are making progress towards becoming whole again. When talking about this scene in particular the use of this music directly correlates to the action of what is going on in the scene. At the beginning of the piece the wife is walking into the room. This plucky string part signifies that there will be tension going on between Mrs. Li-Zhen and her husband. The violin is cued in as the camera movement stops and the adulteress wife walks onto the screen. The music is indicating that this woman spells trouble and she is bringing to the movie. Also, as the violin is playing the husband walks out of the room right after a brief pause between the violins solo. You hear a few plucks and silence of the violin at this instance. The silence of the violin signifies that he is not a problem but instead also in trouble from what is happening around him. He exits and the film cuts to the Li-Zhens being more affectionate, yet the sad music is still playing. This foreshadows that no matter what the relationship between these two couples is doomed even though the wife either remains ignorant or refuses to let go. At, which we find out later in the movie she tries to resist letting go the man she married because she cares so deeply for him. For example the original faithful protagonists are eating at a restaurant and both are trying to emulate the other’s old significant other. This movie very eloquently uses subtle metaphor through body language. The visual elements and the musical score help to strengthen the lack of dialogue in order to tell this story in a more compelling way. Body language is a necessary tool to understand in order to have a more in depth understanding of the characterization of the actors in well done films. Without strong body language is possible to sends confusing signals to everyone around you whether it be in the movies or in real life.

Dangers of over empathising

Dangers of over empathising Discussion This assignment will attempt to discuss the importance of empathizing during the counselling exchange and focus on pointing out the dangers of over empathising as well as discuss how these dangers can be avoided. Before analysing the problems that occur when the therapist over empathizes, I will try to stress the importance of empathy within the client therapist relationship. When referring to the term empathy we mean the capability to share and appreciate someone elses emotions and feelings. It is often referred to as the ability to put oneself into anothers shoes, or in some way experience what the other person is feeling, (Ekman, 1999). Empathising with patients should be the starting point for improving the client therapist relationship and the counselling exchange and process. Empathy has always been a significant characteristic of psychoanalytic treatment. It is the essential healing factor as well as the basis of data collection in psychoanalysis, (Plutchik, 1980). Even though empathy is vital in psychoanalytic, self-psychological, and client centred therapies, its main purpose is seen as different within each therapeutic method, (Nicoll, W.G. 1999). With client centred therapy, the most important role of empathy is to generate a specific kind of learning experience where clients exist and relate to themselves in a different way. In particular, the purpose is to assist people in developing the skill of learning and show them how to use experiential referents in making every day decisions. With psychoanalysis, empathy is a key that assists the therapist in developing insight into the clients unconscious dynamics. With self psychological therapy, empathy works as a way to strengthen self-structure. Even though these functions are different, they can coexist Rogerian therapy According to Rogerian therapy, the therapist enters the clients world. Within this unique world the therapist neither agrees or disagrees. and does not attempt to look into the subconscious, the unconscious or point out contradictions, (Rogers 1977). Instead, therapy is seen as a process of freezing the individual and taking away obstacles and barriers in order for normal growth and development to occur which would eventually result in the clients independence, (Moses, I. 1988). Within the process of therapy the client passes on from rigidly of self perception to fluidity. For this to happen the therapist must be completely genuine and must have positive attitude towards the client and show empathic understanding, (Shaffer, 1978). A fundamental but also tricky in respect to the amount of empathy towards the client is keeping positive attitude towards the client. This demands from the therapist to relate to the client as a person to a person and not as a scientist to an object of stu dy, (Cornelius, 1996). In the context of therapy, empathy is characterised and expressed by studying a persons facial expressions, studying the body movements , and by active listening, by hearing their tone of voice, (Haase Tepper, 1972). Rogers (1975) emphasised on the therapist sensing the clients inner experiencing and communicating something about this understanding back to the person. In this regard, empathy involves a commitment to grasp the internal state of an individual as accurately as possible (Cochran Cochran, 2006). It is the sustained interpersonal stance of the therapist in perceiving and responding to the private meanings of the client that is central to the healing and change process (Barret Lennard, 1976; Rogers, 1975; Bennet, 2001). In order for an empathic response of a therapist to affect a client, it must be expressed or made visible in some form (Barret Lennard, 1993). Although empathic acknowledgment may involve some form of stimulation in the therapist (the empathiser), the therapist should not adopt or experience this feeling as their own, instead they should locate the feeling in the other person. Otherwise the therapist may experience an emotional atmosphere or even that the emotions displayed belong to all the parties involved rather than just to the client, (Moses, I. 1988). As Rogers pointed out: it is crucial that the therapist is able to perceive the experience of a person, but without losing the as if the counsellor were the client (Rogers, 1957). It is said that, in therapy, it is essential for a practitioner to avoid allowing conflictive personal issues to interfere with the counselling relationship (Boy Pine, 1982). On the other hand however, if the therapist maintains only an emotionally distant level of engagement with the client, communications and understandings that are forthcoming from an experiential mode of empathy may be diminished or precluded, (Olinick, S. L. 1969). At this point it is crucial to point out that although empathy is important it can be a very difficult issue for many therapists, (Moses, 1988). This is because therapists are very vulnerable to an excessive level of identification with another individual when personal issues and conflicts are unresolved and subject to merging with the material of the client. Feeling too much can easily complicate things and make it difficult to treat the patient in a completely objective manner. Being too empathic may also result in the therapist in a sense picking up attributes of the patients physical and mental disease. When over empathising the therapist may feel disempowered and it may then become very difficult for the therapist to feel relaxed, centred and rooted which is a basic requirement when attempting to treat someone, When the therapist over -empathises with the client he is in a way reproducing the physiological state of the client in his own system, (Davis, M. H. 1996). This can make therapy a dangerous quest as there are negative emotions involved, which leave the therapist in risk of exposing him or her self directly to the clients negative experience of the problem which could be depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and many more. By exposing himself directly and without borders to the clients negative state, the therapist is not helping himself, the client or the process of therapy. However, by empathising with the client in a conscious and appropriate manner it can work as a healthy protective mechanism which shields the therapist when needed, Empathy Empathy is not the act of getting lost in the clients state. If this happens, the therapist will be pulled down with the client when the client is drowning and therefore will not be able to provide any help, A sensible definition of empathy is to sense the clients private world as if it were your own, but without ever losing the as if quality this is empathy and it seems essential to therapy. To sense the clients anger, fear, or confusion as if it were your own, yet without your own anger, fear or confusion getting bound up in it. (Rogers) As Rogers states, empathising with the client in the way described can assist the client way more than just the positive feeling of being accepted and understood: When the clients world is clear to the therapist, and he moves about in it freely, then he can both communicate his understanding of what is clearly known to the client and can also voice meanings in the clients experience of which the client is scarcely aware. This way the therapist and the client can move forward together, step by step, instant by instant touching areas of experience which are within the client and affect his or her life, but for some or many reasons is difficult to access, therefore is not open to understanding, acceptance or change, (Myers, S. 2000). Therapists need to keep in mind that counselling is not just talking things over (as they do in their everyday life with friends), but a more formal kind in which there are two very different roles, the counsellor does not generally talk about them self or try to rescue the client as they would do with a friend because by doing this there is a danger of over-empathizing with the client and losing a clear sense of being separate people, (Eisenberg, N., Strayer, J. 1987) In terms of the content of therapy, there is a need for the therapist to constantly look out for the influence they may be experiencing from the client. Therapists need to question all their own assumptions and beliefs through reading, consciousness-raising, and through self examination. This requires a ruthless honesty that can be painful as well as exhilarating. Only when counsellors have gone through this themselves can they genuinely help their client and not become to attached or over-empathize. Ultimately it is important that therapists work with and acknowledge all aspects of their clients and themselves that are beneath and above the form visible to our eyes, (Myers, S. 2000). They need to be able to tune into the level on which they can see the human soul in front of them without being distracted by their theories and self beliefs. However it is important for therapists to distinguish the difference between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy Sympathy is often confused with empathy as both conceptions are viewed as passing on a sense of caring or compassion. In therapy however, there are clear differences between these aspects that can either potentially delay or increase the treatment process, (Lang, J.A. 1994). The primary intent of empathy is to understand a person and the focus of sympathy is the well-being of an individual (Black, 2004). In practice, if a client expresses emotional distress, a counsellor employing an empathic stance tries to understand the individuals functioning and convey a sense of the experience back to the person. In contrast, if a therapist sympathetically responds to a clients distress, he or she may attempt to alleviate the clients plight, (Lang, J.A. 1994). With sympathy, a practitioners identity may begin to merge with a clients feelings and situation (Kalisch, 1973). As the psychological boundaries between the client and therapist blur, and the sharing of feelings intensifies, the expectation that a counsellor will be able to assume an objective or detached perspective becomes more remote. A manifest pattern of similarity with a clients behaviour may indicate the operation of identification as a defense mechanism on the part of a counsellor (Clark, 1998a). In contrast to sympathy, empathy implies a sense of detachment and separateness. A practitioners identity is maintained except for momentary periods of active resonance with a client (Schlesinger, H.J. 1981). With empathy a counsellor directs attention more to the needs and issues of a client and attempts to maintain a focus on the individuals perspectives. As mentioned previously, identification and projection represent defence mechanisms that can distort a therapists ability to communicate and maintain an empathic posture with a client. The defences relate to conflictive issues and a therapists functioning that emerge during threatening interactions in treatment. Counter-transference is another construct with origins in the psychoanalytic persuasion, and relates specifically to unresolved conflicts of a therapist that potentially have a negative impact in the therapy process (Rud, C. 1993). Because it involves distortion of perceptual functioning, counter transference results in the diminished ability of therapists to focus on the needs of a client. At this point it is safe to argue that over-empathising is similar to sympathising in a way. Empathy is clearly different to sympathy. Sympathy suggests feeling sorry for the other person or, perhaps, identifying with how the other person feels. If one sympathises, they imagine them self as being in the other persons position and how doing so would make them feel. This results in not being able to have a clear view of the problem and therefore not being able to offer an objective point of view as a therapist. if one empathises, however, they try to imagine how it is to be the other person which means that feeling sorry for him/her does not really come into the issue, allowing the therapist to be a disposition towards the client, and allowing the client to express them self fully. Therapists should be very cautious so as to avoid being too sensitive to the clients emotions, and to avoid over-investing their own emotions, as this may have an effect on them and drain away their own orig inality, creativity and resourcefulness. In any therapeutic condition an understanding of the borders and limitations of empathic accurateness is fundamental. It is important for the counsellor to always remember that it is the client in the end who will find his own way through, and will find his own idiosyncratic answers to his problems in living and that the counsellor is there to assist and guide him through.

How much should be spend on the military?

How much should be spend on the military? Topic: â€Å" Evaluate the idea that governments should spend less money on war and their military, and more on other areas such as health care and education† In recent years, developing a comprehensive nation must rely on many areas such as environmental protection, health and education. Military can be defined as one of the areas that need attention. Some suggested that the military must be kept as strong as possible because the world is a dangerous place. There have been two major wars in the past which include World War 1 and World War 2 where heavy losses was experienced, but in the end the results showed that the government with the highest power of military could lead to victory. History has proven that war could happen again anytime and with the world getting more dangerous every year, especially now that the world is experiencing economic turmoil. There can be no doubt that the next major war will happen within a few years. In particular, China is now considered as a number one threat to the U.S. economy and the safety of the sea in the Asian area. This stems from national interests with Chinas ambition to become the number one position in the world. A recent report shows that China is increasing their military budget, which should be alarming and be monitored closely. On the other hand, many believe that the government should spend more on other areas such as educational welfare and the health system instead of investing in going to war and pouring money into another country. Even though a country may be considered as having one of the best health and educational systems in the world, there are always areas where improvement is needed. Every country should be obligated to make every effort to do that. Health and education really matter for the future of the country and its people. This essay seeks to address the following question: Should the government cut some of the Department of Defence’s budget and dedicate more funding to education and health care. This paper has been divided into three parts. The first part deals with consequences of investing too much budget on the military and war. Secondly, why do the government need to pay more attention to health issues? Finally, the achievement of educational development will be clarified. First of all, using a large amount of the government’s money for development of military and wars could lead to a shortage of the budget leading to an economic crisis. Consequently, the more they spend, the more they will be in debt. In fact, people believe that crime can not be excluded by only spending too much money on the military instead of education or health care. For example, in 2011 America had a $553 billion military budget which couldn’t even stop the prevention of the twin towers bombing attack. Even though America had spent billions of dollars on military weapons and security it had little impact. Many people questioned how come a county with such a high military budget could not stop a couple of hijackers from attacking one of the most populated cities in the country. â€Å"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes †¦ known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.†¦ No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.†- James Madison , Political Observations, 1975. Furthermore, another example includes the consequences of the war in Iraq. With all the funds injected into this primary focus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹America is gradually losing their economic power position in the world and gradually increasing their debt. At the start of the Iraq war, the Bush administration predicted that it would cost the country around $50-60 billion in total. Evidently, they were wrong by more than a factor of ten, sending the U.S.’ debt soaring, a condition that has yet to be rectified. According to a recent study, the war is set to have cost the U.S $2.2 trillion, though that number may reach up to $4 trillion due to the interest payments on the loans taken out to finance the conflict. Of that staggering amount, at least $10 billion of it was completely spent in rebuilding efforts (http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/03/18/1732841/us-iraq-war-10-years/) . With the consequences of spending more money from investment budget into the milit ary and war, it is time for the government to balance the budget for the development of other sectors such as health care and education. Debate continues about the best strategies for the management of governments budget in health care of citizens. Health care is an index based on the evaluation criteria on the number of people per doctor, number of hospitals in each region, the rate of child mortality and life expectancy of the population. Some speculators believe creating a health care for the people will result in higher taxes with the government having to pay a ton of money buying medicines. In fact, every citizen at one time or another has contributed to society in one way or another. Every year, they have paid a very large amount of tax for the countrys development, therefore, they also expect to have access to the best medical services. Investment budget for health care services brought tremendous efficiency. Firstly, saving dollars, making sense, a research of U.S. suggests that improving nutrition programs for children and low-income mothers could save the health care system between $1.77 and $3.13 for every dollar spent. Secondly, this creates a better future for children, because they are the new generation of the country as they need to be trained and nurtured in a healthy society. Research leads us to believe that if children are exposed to good health services, they can avoid suffering from cardiovascular diseases, obesity or depression.( https://www.ecmap.ca/Early-Childhood-Development/Pages/Benefits-of-Healthy-Development.aspx ). Also the average longevity of the population increases the satisfaction and happiness of the people with social services. According to the World Health Organization France has the number one health care system in the world where the increase life expectancy now averages 85 years for women and 78 years for men. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/international livingcom/best-countries-for-health-care_b_4773837.html ) Another area of government spending can be the investment in the development of education so every country can benefit from having a good educational system. How to organize such a system and what the optimal level of resources to allocate to it is of course a difficult question. Moreover, education can really shape the future of the country, whether that country has developed strengths in education or not. For this reason, education can make people wiser, therefore leading to good citizens who make better life choices which create a better country. With many countries, innovating education is often required, if not want to be left behind in the development race, which takes place increasingly fierce. Since a few decades ago, history has proven a rule, no country can be separated prosperity with success in the field of education of this country . Which countries disregard education or have not enough knowledge and ability necessary to develop education as an effective way, countries that may suffer worse consequences than bankruptcy. A great experience of the world has been drawn and is also summarizing the rule such as if a country fully invested in education, the country will progress faster in its development, otherwise, developmental delays or setbacks are inevitable. Alvin Toffler, futurist American said: The illiterate of the 21st century are not those who can not read and write, but those who do throw away the old knowledge to further study He also said that The World War III will take place on the field of education. It will change the basic direction of development of human civilization, which will develop strong human curiosity. Whoever slows in this direction, does not catch up with the general progress of humanity Japan is admired as a country with miraculous phenomenon. From a country of poverty and backwardness, natural resources are almost nothing significantly, the population density east, lost the battle, have been devastated by the World War II, but they have become economic power and technology to make the world to admire and marvel. What makes Japan go up so fast? Education is a great motivation to promote the development of Japanese society. The Japanese soon realized this when they would understand the secret behind that of the European powers, the United States is so well run education, training people qualified and creative energy in industrial society. Japan also influenced by Confucianism but they escape profound influence of confucian education receptive to Europe, America, and they took the country into one of the boom. In conclusion, the consequences of investing too much on the military budget and the wars, why should we go to war if we can not develop new technologies with smarter people, and there is no way that cutting any education budget will make that better. In a modern world, where the military is not the only weapon, the governments should concentrate on funding other more important things like public healthcare and proper education,or maybe even free university or paying of the debt. Reference list: (http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/03/18/1732841/us-iraq-war-10-years/) https://www.ecmap.ca/Early-Childhood-Development/Pages/Benefits-of-Healthy-Development.aspx http://www.huffingtonpost.com/internationallivingcom/best-countries-for-health-care_b_4773837.html http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/06/17/this-country-has-best-health-care-nope-not-the-united-states http://www.debate.org/search?q=the%20idea%20that%20governments%20should%20spend%20less%20money%20on%20war%20and%20their%20military,%20and%20more%20on%20other%20areas%20such%20as%20health%20care%20and%20education Stereotyping and prejudice: Stigmatized groups Stereotyping and prejudice: Stigmatized groups First of all I would like to consider what stigmatization is and what it means in the modern society. According to Anna Scheyett (2007), stigmatization means social stigma hanging labels. In this sense, stigmatization is the association of any quality (usually negative) with a specific person or group of people, although this relationship is absent or is not proved. Stigma is an integral part of many stereotypes. It should be noted that origin of the term stigmatization is associated with the word stigma, which in ancient Greece called stamp on the body of a criminal or slave. Since the second half of the XIX century the word was used in a figurative sense as a marker, and in medicine as a sign of illness. Stigma is more than just labeling. Public attitudes to the different phenomena rarely occurs quite spontaneously, without justification, it does not arise from nothing. As a fact, subconscious fear is the main cause of any stigma. However, this fear has always supported selective reporting in the media. As a rule, to create a social stigma to one quality that is considered to be illustrative, and a set of qualities that are attributed on the basis of having the first, as evidenced by the following examples: Women can not drive car properly it is a form of stigma associated with sexism. As a fact, on average women drive car not worse than men do, although, of course, they have their own characteristics in this activity. It is important that not necessarily every woman will be greeted poorly led and well-established stigma that implies. Germans are Nazis in this case it is used the collective responsibility (unacceptable humanistic morality) to justify the actions of individuals in that period. Homosexuals have feminine behavior it is the transfer of features typical for some, the entire demographic group. It should be noted that stigma can lead to discrimination as the real action that limits the rights of some groups. Though, in civilized countries a clear stigma and related discrimination are prohibited by law or condemned the culture of almost every society that saturated stigmas. For example, people who came to New York from the provinces, being labeled provincial. It is believed that they are less cultured than the locals; consequently, it can be said that stigma leads to discrimination. As a matter of fact, social stigma sometimes can be couched in positive form, for example, the military can praise for an unusually sensible idea for a man of his profession. Such positive labels can be no less offensive than the stigma explicit negative direction. At the same time it should not be attributed to the discharge stigmas each offensive or ironic definition. If a man was offended in transport, it does not mean that he was stigmatized. According to Patrick Corrigan, Amy Watson (2005), scientists distinguish following types of social stigmatization: Cultural stigma is social labels, rooted in the culture of the state or world culture (New Yorkers are arrogant). Institutional stigma is a legislatively fixed stigma (a man with a criminal record). Personal (or inner) stigma is a prejudice against yourself, based on involvement in anything (I am a fatty). As a rule, society establishes ways of categorizing people and defines a set of qualities that are considered as normal and natural for each of the categories. The routine practice of social interaction in the current environment allows you to others familiar to people, not particularly thinking about it. Even everyday language uses special terms to refer the stigma (e.g. cripple, moron, etc.) as a figurative expression. As a rule, we do not think about their original value, and tend to attribute to man a long series of imperfections on the basis of some of them. I think that in our view, the processes of stigmatization are formed from primary school, then developed and fixed in adolescence. Term labeling is associated with the position of a primary school teacher, as a teacher, which is attached to the childs socialization. He introduces children into the world of culture, and on how it is done depends how does child feels himself as a normal part of society or not. It should be tak ing into account that the stereotypes that were glued in childhood, often inadvertently fixed in the ordinary course of social interactions. There is no doubt that stigma can be created and can be reduced, but its formation occurs easier and faster. According to Catherine Campbell, Harriet Deacon (2006), many scientists consider that parents have great influence on the stigmatization process, very often adult family members do not think about the implications of what was said at parent meetings, visiting, telephone, etc. But in my opinion stigmatization is more depends on special role of school teacher. The current organization of the educational process in schools have increased focus on the psychological and pedagogical methods for determining mental and other abilities of the child, his emotional and volitional characteristics. Such an approach is often appears a cause in fact there is only a consequence of manifestations of deeper social, cultural and other factors in the educational process. As a member of a social group, the child or young person has certain social roles and comes with other group members and representatives of other groups in social and communication relations. Any person is included in the system of social relations, so is the product of social relations with others. Stigmatized identity is no exception. According to Daphna Oyserman, Janet K. Swim (2007), phenomenon of stigma is widespread in the educational process, as were evidenced by the study of U.S. schools students, conducted by sociologist in 2006. There were surveyed 448 secondary school students of different states. The study showed that as a rule students are labeled as bully, whore, junkie, etc. by 33,2% of teachers and 32,4% of other adults. Among the parents such occasions meets twice less 14,2%. It seems quite all right that 71,2% of respondents indicated that teachers formally conduct educational activities in schools. The findings suggest that in the eyes of American students responding teacher today one of the main stigma creator, put labels on their students, and therefore, has direct relevance to the deviant behavior of students and their psychological outcast class, and informal childrens groups. This analysis suggests that the stigma is one of the socio-cultural phenomena of the educational process resulting from a specific role identification and regulation of personal qualities. In this case, the norm and deviation from it belongs to the decisive role. Thereby, stigma in school performs the reverse side of used pedagogical techniques. In my opinion, the stigmatization of education should be investigated and deserves further research. I am convinced that this is a serious problem and society should react on such problems immediately. As a rule, the grounds for the social stigma may act as belongs to ethnic or religious group, physical or mental disabilities; very often people such categories like drug junkie, prisoners and unemployed suffer from stigmatism. There are many definitions of social stigma, Irving Hoffman, a sociologist at the University of California, is one of the most famous scientist of the XX century, engaged in the problems of stigmatization. In his book, he defines stigma as a quality significantly damaging social group. It should be mentioned that discredit is the central idea of the Hoffmanns concept. As a fact, a person belonging to a stigmatized group, considered inferior, and on this basis denied the rights and privileges. According to Being Targeted By Stereotypes And Prejudice Affects Self-Control And Academic Performance (2009), people are deprived of the right to be full the consequences of this are numerous and horrific. The majority belongs to the minority as inferior beings, flawed or dangerous, and believes that they have rights to feel anger and hate them. The majority discriminates stigmatized groups, selecting its capabilities, which should be equal for all people. For example, a landlord may refuse to pay salary to good housekeeper a representative of stigmatized group, and employer refuse to give a job. Moreover, most of them can terrorize the minority. Social stigma can lead to such egregious crimes such as lynching of African Americans during XX century, prostitution of Chinese women during the Second World War and the inquisitorial torture. It should be noted that Hoffman believes that the source of stigma lies in the man himself: the base is to discredit any quality of a person. Black skin of African Americans excites prejudice. The wheelchair gives rise to the stereotype of incapacity of its owner. Smokers are obliged to the stigma of cigarettes. In these two cases, the bases for stigma are the outward signs wheelchair and cigarettes. The irony is that the interpretation of the stigma as the inherent quality enhances the blame: it is characteristic of man that causes the bias of others. This arise an important question: does it follow that if African Americans have had a white skin, they would not be discriminated? Edward Jones and Albert Hastorf, and their colleagues from the Center for special studies Institute for behaviorism of Stanford University discovered this discrepancy and finalized the definition of stigma. They concluded that stigma plays major role in perceptions of labels. As a fact, stigma arises not when most people see a sign, and when the majority hangs on this feature label. Black skin itself is not a label; rather, in the view of Europeans black skin means membership to the second class people. It leads to prejudice. Injustice arises because of viewers perceptions. According to Anna Scheyett (2007), Bruce Link, a physician-epidemiologist at Columbia University, summed up these arguments and based on them brought four statements the criteria by which we can determine whether the group exposed to stigma: The differences between people are labeled. Beliefs that one culture is dominant comparing with others. Majority group discriminates minority group with labels. The group with labels has a lower social status and is discriminated. As a rule, advocates of social justice will tell you that any stigma, mentioned above is a terrible sin. Anything that deprives people of social respect and individual empowerment entails irreversible consequences for the cultures in which there are such injustices. Supporters of opposing viewpoints can recall the original problem of stigma in ancient Greece, where a special mark (mark on his cheek or shoulder, special clothing) have noted the people who represented a danger to society. Stamps warned that the man is the criminal or insane. Although this practice seems outdated, the public stigma still exists in Western countries. In most U.S. states exists the practice of registering sex offenders, so that people can, for example, check to see whether living with them in the neighborhood pedophile. Arrested for drunk driving must stick to the bumper special sticker. It should be mentioned that the results of scientific studies conducted over the past 30 years, suggests that the media is one of the most significant factors influencing the belief systems. Because individuals with diseases associated with stigma, usually stay in the shade. People form their attitude towards them on the basis of movies, television programs and news programs. For this reason, the media play an important role in the fight against stigma, against people with mental health problems, and media reports may be correct only if they are given correct and accurate information. It can be said that advocates of the stigma were founded upon the main idea of conflict resolution, according to which individuals often can not get along with each other, since differ in their interests and outlook to life, with those who are in power, have opportunity to express their views and principles in the rules governing institutional life, and successfully hang the negative labels on violators of these norms. They are interested in the process by which certain individuals receive the stamp of the deviants, begin to consider their behavior as a deviant. According to Shana Levin, Colette van Laar (2004), adherents of the theory of stigma Edwin Lemert, Howard Becker and Kai Erikson argued that, firstly, action by itself has not criminal nature. Negative action is not due to internal content, but by how others appreciate such an act and react to it. Deviation is always a subject of social definition. Secondly, all people tend to deviant behavior associated with the violation of some rules. Proponents of this theory deny the popular idea that people can be divided into normal and that who have some pathology. For example, some exceeding the speed drive, commit shoplifting, cheating with homework, hiding income from the tax office, get drunk, have engaged in acts of vandalism in honor of the victory of his favorite football team, violate the rights of private property without permission or rolled into the car of his friend. Proponents of the theory of stigma are called such action a primary deviation, defining it as behavior that violates social norms, but usually escape the attention of law enforcement. Third, whether the specific acts of people regarded as deviant depends on what these people are, and how the reaction of the others, i.e. this estimate depends on how the rules will prefer to strictly follow the company, in what situations and for some people. Not all those who exceeded the speed ride, shoplift, withheld revenues, violated the rights of private property, etc. For example, in U.S. African Americans are condemned for the actions, which is permissible for whites, and women for the actions, which is permissible for men, some may be condemned for the same acts that commit them with impunity friends, individual behavior may be condemned as deviant, although it is not violate any rules, simply because they indiscriminately accused of such acts, which they may have never done (for example, a person looks effeminate and it labeled as a homosexual). Of particular importance is the social environment, and then denounces it as a specific individual violator of norms or not. Fourth, the labeling on the people implies certain consequences for these people. It creates the conditions that lead to secondary deviation deviant behavior, produced by the individual in response to sanctions imposed by others. According to Shana Levin, Colette van Laar (2004), adherents of the theory of stigma argue that such a new departure from the norm triggered hostile reactions from legislators and law-abiding citizens. The individual receives a public definition, which is built into a stereotype, and is declared by the offender like crazy, forger, rapist, junkie or criminal. The label helps to perpetuate the status of an individual in an outsider (a person out of our circle). Such a master status suppresses all other statuses of the individual in shaping his social experience and as a result of playing the role of self-fulfilling prophecy. Violators of the rules begin to perceive their status as a particular type of deviance and shape based on the status of their own lives. Fifth, those who received the stamp by the offenders usually find that the law-abiding citizens condemn them and do not want to have business with them. They may turn away from friends and relatives, in some cases they may be jailed or put in the hospital for mental illness. Universal condemnation and isolation of stigmatized individuals is to push deviant groups, comprising people whose fate is similar to their own. Participation in the deviant subculture is a way to cope with a critical situation, to find emotional support and an environment where you take the way you are. In turn, enter into such a deviant group strengthens the individuals view of themselves as on the offender, promotes the development of deviant lifestyle and relax with a law-abiding environment. Thus, according to the theory of stigma, the deviation is determined not by the behavior, and societys response to such behavior. When the behavior of people is viewed as retreating from the accepted norms, it gives impetus to a range of social reactions. Others define and evaluate the behavior to a certain label. The offender begins to harmonize their standards further actions with such labels. In many cases, the individual produced by self-presentation, which coincides with that label, as a result he is able to embark on the path of deviation. To sum it up, I would like to estimate theory of stigmatization. The theory of stigma, not focusing on the reasons for committing deviant acts, it helps explain why the same act may be regarded as deviant or not, depending on the situation and characteristics of the individual in question. Many proponents of the theory of stigma applied to the provisions of the theory of conflict, primarily to existing inequalities in society, to understand what are the basis of the structure and social institutions, which drawn up and enforced the laws. The theory of stigmatization has its critics. First, although the theory of stigma helps to understand how individuals become professional abjurers, it does not show what caused the original factors of deviant behavior. Indeed, for many forms of deviation living conditions are responsible for the labeling on these people. So, it seems clear that the vast majority of people placed in the hospital for the mentally ill, experiencing severe violations associated with the inner psychological or neuralgic abnormalities. Their confusion and suffering can not be explained solely by the reactions of other people. Nevertheless, a large number of facts suggest that the professional psychiatrists provoke social manifestations of mental illness through the application of systems stigma, and not just discover the inner pathology or mental illness. Labels also play an important role in shaping the ideas of ex-patients clinics for the mentally ill from other members of society, and have themselves ex-patients. Secondly, the deviation can not be understood in isolation from social norms. If the behavior is not deviant as long as it has not received such an assessment, then how to classify such secret and remained unsolved crimes as embezzlement of public money, tax evasion or secret sexual violence? Moreover, many criminals convinced that the crime is a payback to the society. One study found that a third of crimes against private property committed by the conviction of criminals in that way they can get much more than by an honest, legitimate work, and another third of crimes committed are unemployed. I think everybody must think about this situation that we created. In my opinion people should be more tolerant to each other. Of course, this will not solve stigmatism problem, but it will help mitigate contradictions in our society. Finally, like said one wise man, even the biggest trip begins with a small step.