Mao Zedong’s Legacy

Mao Zedong (Mao Tse Tung) was a Marxist theorist and soldier who led the Chinese communist revolution, later became the Communist Party’s leader and eventually became the head of state and Party chairman. While he did not entirely rule China on his own, he can be regarded as the modern China’s principal architect.[1]   Mao is largely credited for the programs the Great Leap Forward and the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution. Under Chairman Mao, China’s communism ideologically deviated from that practiced in the Soviet Union on account of the emphasis placed by the former on the role of the countryside peasantry in the communist revolution, a factor ignored in the Soviet paradigm centered on the urban classes. The Great Leap was an economic and social plan of Communist China under Mao Zedong to rapidly industrialize the then principally agricultural-based country. The plan hoped to modernize the communist state by turning it into an industrial-based economy.   It was however an economic debacle and aggravated by natural disasters, leading to the starvation and death of millions. The Cultural Revolution, on the other, was designed by Mao to get back at Party members who wanted to undermine his leadership.[2] Mao's policies were a mix of successes and failures. Millions died largely because of the inherent flaws of the Great Leap economic policy. Millions were executed under the reforms of the Cultural Revolution but in return, millions of proletariat farmers were awarded their own land to till. Among the long-term consequences of Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution policies was the decade-long widespread disruption in urban China of the education of many Chinese, giving their generation career and productivity disadvantages.[3] But Mao's programs did leave lasting advantages for China, including the legacy of a considerably successful space program, nuclear weapon capability and the acquisition of a strategic territory. [4]While the death toll under his leadership totaled to millions of Chinese who died either by executions or of famine, the architectural designing of China under his rule placed the country on the road to being a regional economic and political power that she is today. China is in fact currently being perceived by no less than the United States as a potential military threat. Pan, Esther.[5] References Giles, John.; Park, Albert; Zhang, Juwei. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Disruptions to Education, And Returns to Schooling in Urban China.   Retrieved 6 Dec. 2006 Kane, Thomas and Serewicz, Lawrence. China's Hunger: The Consequences of a Rising Demand for Food and Energy.   Parameters (Autumn 2001).   Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006 from the U.S. Army Accessions Command Website: http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/01autumn/Kane.htm. Is China a Regional Military Threat. (18 October, 2005). Mao Zedong. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved December 7, 2006, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. Mao Zedong. (2006, December 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:47, December 7, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/ w/index.php?title=Mao_Zedong&oldid=92619408.       . [1] Mao Zedong. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved December 7, 2006, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD . [2] Mao Zedong. (2006, December 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:47, December 7, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mao_Zedong&oldid=92619408 [3] Giles, John; Park, Albert; Zhang, Juwei. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Disruptions to Education, And Returns to Schooling in Urban China.   Retrieved 6 Dec. 2006 from The William Davidson Institute At The University of Michigan Website: http://www.wdi.umich.edu/files/old/EDTS/Papers/ John_Giles_cultural_revolution.pdf. [4]Kane, Thomas and Serewicz, Lawrence, China's Hunger: The Consequences of a Rising Demand for Food and Energy. Parameters, ( Autumn 2001).   Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006 from the U.S. Army Accessions Command Website http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/01autumn/Kane.htm. [5] Is China a Regional Military Threat? 18 October, 2005. Retrieved from the Council on Foreign Relations Website: http://www.cfr.org/publication/9052/is_china_a_regional_military_threat.html.

Relative Importance of Economic, Social, Cultural and Moral Considerations

Discuss the relative importance of economic, social, cultural and moral considerations underlying Canada’s migration policy. Canada is the world’s second largest surface area, with a population of 33 million. It is a rich resource base for industry with fertile soil, plentiful power supplies, well developed modern industries and a highly urbanised population. About 70% of Canada’s workforce growth comes from immigration and currently one in five Canadian workers are foreign born.Canada’s establishment and economic growth are directly attributable to immigration, but the country has always operated a highly selective system with policies changing due to the economic, social, cultural and moral needs of the country at that time. Between 1870 and 1918 was known as the ‘Open Door’ policy. The main need at this moment in time was economic and for infrastructure development, especially a rail network. In the west of Canada the main industry was agri culture and the East was mainly manufacturing. A rail network was then essential to link the two and create an integrated economy.This stage was called Open Door because there was no restriction on numbers into the country, but there was some cultural considerations underlying this policy as well. The migrants sought were almost exclusively from the USA, UK, NW Europe to reflect Canada’s customs and ideals. Therefore, the government could control racial composition of migrants. From 1919-1929 immigration became more selective and the main focus underlying the migration policy was social. Prospective migrants had to pass a literacy test. Migrants were separated into those from ‘preferred’, such as from the U.K and were given financial assistance, and ‘non preferred’ countries. ‘Non-preferred’ countries included Russia. Immigrants from here were only admitted in times of need for the lowest-paid jobs, and there were still restrictions. Thi s shows further cultural considerations in the policy. The non-preferred list also had a ‘non-acceptable’ category which included ‘visible minorities’ (e. g Chinese, who worked for the rail companies). The Exclusion Act in 1923 prevented Chinese immigrants bringing family members with them. This is a big example of the cultural considerations being used to change the policies.Unemployment rose significantly between 1930 and 1945 (The Great Depression). All migration was suspended, except under the family reunion category. The next stage between 1946 and 1960 had the aims of increasing in-migration and both cultural and moral considerations were major parts of the policies created. The immigration Act of 1952 reflected the ethnically selective nature of the Canadian Immigration. Groups could be refused entry on grounds of nationality, citizenship, ethnic group, occupation, class, ‘peculiar’ customs etc. After many years of racist undertones in p olicies there was a turning point between 1960 and 1986.An immigration act in 1967 sought to enrich and strengthen the cultural and social fabric of Canada. Attention switched to the skills of the migrant rather than the country of origin. This showed a switch from cultural and moral considerations in the policy to social. Preferred and non-preferred countries were abandoned for a points system which was much fairer. From 1986 to 1993, economic was the main consideration underlying the economic policies. Migration was now seen as a long term demographic solution due to a changing population. In more recent years the points system has been modified with moral considerations for everyone.

Internet Freedom and Democracy

Internet Freedom and Democracy Recently people more aware about real democracy because technological developments and internet help people who access the internet simultaneously. Especially internet has a great contribition. Internet’s most important two features which are pure information and easy accessibility are gift from network developers to general public. Some believes that this intervention is very helpful for humanity and some others argues that internet will be a tool for mean and malevolent people such as terrorists,racist or pedophiles.Democracy’s most well known feature is being free as can as possible. Person who lives in democratic country can do what s/he wants to do without abusing the other people’s rights,feelings and freedoms. Accordingly on this definition , people can access to internet when they want. They can communicate with each other or surf on the internet and no one can stop users. Internet is a new way of promoting democracy. It is a new area that capable for keeping in touch with billions of people. It does not need to rest or it never dies. However this event depend on governments and authorities’ attitude towards the internet.As you imagine that, internet’s simplicity creates powerful interaction. This interaction ability leads billions of people’s attention. This interaction power and lots of people’s attention may cause a handicap for Authorities. Becouse of this great power States and Authorities want to control it. Thanks to the democracy, there is a obstacle for that. Our rights are saved by laws and governments can not inhibit our internet freedom. Let assume that all of the developing and developed countries are beindg governing with complete democracy.In this circumstance,a large amount of people can reach various imformation easily. Only one click on the mouse opens a door to the rest of the world. Jamie Metzl describes the internet as a quick and cheap way of exchanging the information. It is a great invention that people may gain information very fast and very easy. People can announce their voice and express their ideas. People may also express themselves without the internet but internet makes this process faster. Sharing ideas has become easier with internet. Because internet provides flow of informatin without any corruption or changes.For example (from Peter Brophy and Edward Helpin’s article), human rights organizations were challenging with authoritarian governments early 80’s but later internet usage has started to grow and they have gained adventage from internet. They published their articles and annunced their activities freely. In Peter Brophy and Edward Helpin’s article, Amnesty International which is an organization that protects human rights all over the world. In their Indonesia campaign , they used the online communication becouse government could not making intervention to that area.Day by day Indonesian peo ple have become more aware about their rights and resisted to government’s human rights abuses. Briefly , internet provides democratic rights for people. With internet’s contribitions people can understand the democracy in fast and easy way. Internet is such a great invention that it is easiest way to foster freedom. There is no militaristic pressure, police stick, or torture for readings, songs and idea expressions. It means that there is no this kind of scary affects for being free. People know that they can read, listen or say what they want with internet.This is the main reason for internet’s popularity. Completely democratic countries have been allowing flow of information for many years. Except democratic and liberal countries’ citizens, people couldn’t express themselves freely before the invention of the internet. For example; in Turkey, in early 80’s lots of author was imprisoned by military because of their ideologies and books. Al so military was burning ideological books. Even today Turkish citizens aren’t recognizing the complete freedom. However, it changed recently. Lately 90’s internet has become popular and there was no limitation for it.That interval was the pure freedom for internet users. It is a fact that, only way for spread of an idea is communication. Frequency, power and speed of communication are directly proportional with dissemination of idea or information. A user’s idea could be effective on the other user. Different thoughts could become an ideology at the internet. For example; a couple months ago Turkish government has started to applying safe-internet which is software for limiting the internet. Popular bloggers wrote articles about it and they raise awareness about this law.Firstly bloggers and a lot of users protest this issue on web but it didn’t be effective. After that bloggers planned a real protest at streets. They invited both internet users and civil public to strike this issue. Thousands of people responded this call and they protest that law because, government tried to abuse their internet freedom. However, some people argue that internet isn’t kind of a tool that helpful for democratic developments. In dictatorships and non-democratic countries internet doesn’t work properly while process of promoting the democracy.Censorship issue and authoritarian pressures prevent flow of information. Not only civil people use the internet. Governments have their own websites or blogs. Public’s internet is being limited with same technology by governments. Civilian programmers call that the Censor ware. There are lots of ways for blocking or limiting access to websites. Most well-known are Web filters which programmed by states’ programmers. Another one is blocking the website. Jonathan Strickland mentioned this issue in his article. For Strickland, Governments block access to the web pages they identify as un desirable.Undesirable means that the websites which criticizes the state’s ideology or contrary with government’s activities. As a result, these actions cause a counter belief for internet’s democracy foster power. In conclusion, many people believe that internet is accelerating the freedom and democracy in most of the countries. A few people disagreeing with that but generally thought of internet’s contributions to democracy is positive. Two main features of this technology are helping people which are fast and easy and fast accessibility and not corrupted information.

Examine the main causes and consequences of the wars in Chechnya (and Essay

Examine the main causes and consequences of the wars in Chechnya (and now the wider North Caucasus) in the period 1994 to the pr - Essay Example Precisely, while it seems logical to claim that national liberation fuelled by fundamentalist beliefs on Islam could be the main reason for the movements of Chechnya (which I shall explain in greater detail in the succeeding parts of this paper), I wish to underscore that the economic and socio-political motives of the Russian government must also be taken into consideration. Perhaps, the terrorist attacks of the rebel groups could be a result and not mainly the cause of war, as Cornell (2003) posited. Aside from this, attention must also be placed on the theories ofpolitical economy that flourished in the neighboring regions of Chechnya in the North Caucasus. For evidences that I shall explore later on, it must be pointed out that the situation in Chechnya quite interestingly provided commercial benefits to Ingushetia and Dagestan. In the end, I wish to argue that the two Chechnya wars must not be simplistically viewed as a result of the ideological viewpoints of the Chechnya people , but rather a result of much complex string of socio-political and commercial perspectives. In order to maintain succinctness and focus in my discussion, I like to divide my paper into three parts. The first part will provide a brief overview of the happenings in the two Chechnya wars in order to highlight the key factors that have led to their occurrence—from the perspectives of the rebellious group and of the Russian government. The second part will synthesize the data gleaned by infusing socio-political, economic, and commercial perspectives into the discussion. The last part will provide a conclusion and shall re-emphasize the thesis presented above. The Two Chechnya Wars: A Brief Overview Located in the Southwestern corner of Russia, Chechnya is primarily considered a Muslim region (Zalman, n.d.). Geographically, it is bordered by Dagestan, to the north, Ingushetia, to the west, and Georgia to the south. Its capital is Grozny. The first Chechnya War, as further noted by Zalman (n.d.), was instigated by the region’s declaration of independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Deemed as a huge impediment in redeeming Russia’s economic and socio-political power, President Yeltsin ordered immediate military enforcement in the region (Hughes, 2001). As Vendina et. al. (2007) narrated â€Å"Boris Yel’tsin, then-president of the RSFSR, declared a state of emergency in Chechnya in November 1991, dispatching troops to Grozny one month after the region had declared its independence; these were repulsed and the chaos surrounding the Soviet Union’s demise allowed Chechnya to be left to its own devices† (p. 180). As factional fighting against the army of Air Force general Dzhokhar Dudayev increased in 1994 (which was also the time when Russia had already gained its strength as a state), Yeltsin ordered a full assault on the region (Cornell, 2003). In this regard, as Cornell (2003) described the subsequent happening s, â€Å"it took two months of massive air and artillery bombing for the federal army to capture Grozny—at the cost of thousands of own casualties, over 20,000 civilian lives, a total destruction of the city, and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people† (p. 170). Indeed, it was crude counterinsurgency tactic as marked by the massive use of firepower that defined the fighting strategy of Dudayev’

Business Simulation Game (Individual Report) Essay

Business Simulation Game (Individual Report) - Essay Example ment of a foot-wear company operating in Europe-Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and North America and the strategic decisions that the virtual company has made from its Year 10 to Year 15 of operation. The company operates in four different geographical areas; Europe-Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and North America. This means the company operates in different political atmospheres. It thus has to deal with the problems and challenges of political ambiguities and turbulence. In order to create a political environment that is amenable to our business, we have pursued political risk management strategies. We have taken advantage of the growing global awareness and entered into the global market. As globalization leads to more business opportunities for our company, we have to change the roles of the business game and strategize accordingly with the changing dynamics. We appreciate that different organizational players and settings shape our business opportunities through different public policy processes in the locales that host our operations. Before settling on any particular strategy to take control of the political uncertainty, our company further considered the High Involvement Strategy. This involved contemplating the possibility of expending great resources and developing a more elaborate strategy. The strategy would be geared towards effecting the political environment in ways that would yield maximum returns to our efforts. Using this strategy, the company did not abandon the idea of networking with other similar-minded firms. Instead of coalition with like-minded firms to gain scale, the strategy would be for diverse parties to gain scope. All companies, organizations and agencies are potential members of the High Involvement Strategy. The strategy would include networking of regional, local, national, political, economic and social actors. Through frequent communication and contact, the network behaves like an information-gathering device that

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 131

Summary - Essay Example he normative call in most of the alternative views on representation is that those in office should reflect and respond to the views of those who have elected them. Obviously, answering the question of whether public opinion has a connection to the voting patterns of legislators is important in political science. Myriad studies have looked into the two areas in examining the connection between the two important variables and the article records several authors behind the inquiries. As the article reports, most of them clinch that legislators are indeed reactive to the opinions of the public as they depict a positive correlation between the variables (Butler and Nickerson, 56–57). After a conclusive examination of related literature, the researchers finally choose a methodology fit to investigate the query at hand. The study involves 10,690 New Mexicans who are asked to give their views regarding the Governor’s outlay plans for a unique summer session in 2008’s summer. The survey results, which reflect District-specific opinions, are shared with legislators, who are selected randomly. Findings from the research show that legislators tended to vote in line with the opinions of the members of their constituency (Butler and Nickerson, 72). This then proves that legislators work towards being responsive to the opinions of the public than to their natural states. The results have myriad implications for comprehension as well as improving the manner in which represent the preferences of their constituents. Butler, Daniel M., and David Nickerson. â€Å"Can Learning Constituency Opinion Affect How Legislators Vote? Results from a Field Experiment.† Quarterly Journal of Political Science 6.1 (2011): 55–83. Web. 5 Oct.

What are the limitations of situational crime prevention Essay

What are the limitations of situational crime prevention - Essay Example es to reduce the opportunities for crime by increasing the effort that the offender must invest, increasing the risks he must take, and reducing the rewards. Moreover, a key finding in studies of situational crime prevention is that the calculus of risks and rewards does not have to be decisively altered to be effective. An instructive example is prevention of library and bookstore thefts by electronic detection systems. To a determined shoplifter (or library lifter), the system hardly poses an insuperable obstacle. And yet such systems are effective even when only a small portion (or even none) of a librarys books have actually been coded with the magnetic strip (Petersilia et al., 1995, 244). However, although the measures suggested in accordance with the principles of situational crime prevention can be very helpful towards the prevention of crime in specific places, in practice several factors can influence the completion of the relevant procedure in a way that the desired target – limitation of crime in specific places – is often missed. Back in the mid-nineteenth century, Edwin Chadwick had a very clear vision of crime prevention equivalent to the modern notion of opportunity reduction. As Reith says, quoting Chadwick, "the function of preventive police was placing difficulties in the way of objects of temptation."(1956:200). Chadwick, however, did not believe that the police alone were responsible for reducing criminal opportunities. In the Report of Constabulary Force Commissioners, he argued the need for "the honest portion of the community" to be "convinced of the necessity of taking effective measures for the abatement of the evil [property crime)" (Lefebre et al.,1839:55). Returning to more recent times, one begins to see the emergence of a specific crime prevention policy in Britain from 1950 when, according to the Greater London Council (GLC) (1986) the Home Office approached the insurance industry and in concert with them produced the first

Stereotype Logic and Programming Paper Assignment

Stereotype Logic and Programming Paper - Assignment Example The current paper critically discusses three stereotypes encountered in life and the effects they can have on others. The common stereotype about bullying is that the perpetrator is always a big, dumb and violent boy, while the victim is smaller and weaker. This notion is embedded in traditional views among schoolchildren that bullying is a rite of passage. From a social perspective, prejudice bullying is viewed as a social crisis deeply rooted in the wider social discourse with individuals justifying the use of negative behavior towards an out-group (Boyle, 2005). Traditionally, bullies were seen as having high self-esteem and those who did not do it were viewed as weak. The bullying stereotypes are largely based on the traditional perception that circumstances of imbalance of power must exist for bullying to occur. Other arguments include the perception that bullies struggle with academics and are socially detached. However, a critical analysis suggests that these arguments are mis taken. With the increased use of social networking sites, the nature of bullying has changed dramatically. Information and communication technology enables people to harm others using text messages via cell phones, emails or via social sites. Girls have become cyber-bullies and the traditional view that the perpetrator is stronger and bigger is becoming more obscure. Bullying is now not limited to schools or to people we know. Any one with a harmful intent can bully. The bully must not have any physical advantage in terms of body size or any other form of leverage. A common gender stereotype is that women are not good in competitive sports. Gender stereotypes are biased generalizations about the roles of individuals based on gender attributes. A predominant view about women is that they are generally poor in competitive sports. The main argument for this stereotype is based on traditional perceptions and beliefs about gender roles and sexuality. Other arguments are based on the fact that different performance measures and fitness levels are administered for female athletes. On the contrary, women are as good as men in competitive sports. While women and girls comprise a large part of the population, popular media do not cover women sports as equally as they cover men’s sports (Center for Gender Equality, 2006). Gender stereotyping is common in televised sports, hence, cementing the notion that women are sex objects and humorous fans, but not athletes. The Center for Gender Equality (2006) asserts that gender stereotypes and socialization contribute to the traditional gender roles of women and men, with the media playing a critical role in perpetuating this perception. One of the common stereotypes about old people and aging is that they are lonely and conservative homebodies, who live with relatives. This stereotype is perpetuated via the traditional patterns of behavior associated with Christianity, a predominant religion in our area. The arguments are based on the perception that terminally old people are heavily incapacitated by diseases and depend on other before death. Such generalizations affect the behavior and experiences of old people. People can be persuaded to believe they are elderly, even when they are still healthy and capable of taking care of themselves. More importantly, stereotypes about aging are constructed many years before individuals actually become old. On the contrary, there is a strong association between health and wellbeing. A critical analysis suggests the ‘lonely’ stereotype emanates from the fact that many old people live in houses with relatives. However, old people have a diverse social networking established throughout the years. This

Malaysia, entrepreneurship Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Malaysia, entrepreneurship - Dissertation Example Human beings are the super animals; all of them possess the power to innovate new things that would enhance the quality of living. Thus, identifying the new methodologies encompasses the most important characteristics of entrepreneurship. In short an entrepreneur is the one, who becomes a risk lover and accepts any upcoming risk, provided it associates the scope of achieving profit. In the modern world of globalization, business and trading activities are at its zenith. It is almost impossible to achieve economic growth in a nation without the expansion of entrepreneurial capabilities. Entrepreneurs in a nation give rise to small and medium scale enterprises that generate more employment opportunities in the country. A rise in the level of employment ultimately stimulates the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a country. Small scale industry growth is the primary aspect that helps in reducing poverty in an economy. Almost all the developed and developing countries in the world are now opting for rise in the level of entrepreneurial activities. The government of any nation should actively support the entrepreneurial activities in the economy, as this is the only key that would help in attaining economic development. ... economy. Most of the jobs and inventions in U.S. result from the current entrepreneurial activities. In early 2002, it was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau that almost three forth of the U.S. businesses were tackled by entrepreneurs (DOL, 2013). Figure 1: U.S. Growing Entrepreneurship 2006-2011 (Source: Forbes, 2012) Malaysia is a nation, whose income is categorized in the group of middle income nations. Since 1970’s the country has shown rapid growth and progress, transforming itself as a multi-sector economic system. It is estimated that small scale industries contribution in the economy is higher by almost 2 %, than the large scale business firms in Malaysia (CIA, 2013). The enormous number financing, infrastructural and business advisory policies framed regarding the entrepreneurship in Malaysia shows high prevalence of the same in the country. The Ministry of Entrepreneurial Development was established in Malaysia long ago in 1995 (USINFO, n.d). This state body ensured that the nation enjoys economic development with the help of capitalist class growth. In the recent times most of the economies are stimulating their economic growth with the virtues of entrepreneurship. Figure 2: Growing Popularity of Entrepreneurship (Source: MSU, 2013) Operational Management Strategies for Entrepreneurship The business environment of medium and small scale industries is highly competitive. The method and strategies used in the operational activities successfully helps a firm to generate competitive advantage among the rivals in the market. Operations involve managing business resources and modifying the procedure of production of goods or services. Figure 3: Operational Strategy (Source: Slack and Nigel, 2005) The above diagram shows that operations

Baseball economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Baseball economics - Essay Example A libertarian is one who prioritizes individual rights over the welfare of the state, one who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state (AHD, 2000a). On the other hand, utilitarianism is the belief that the value of a thing or an action is determined by its utility or usefulness (AHD, 2000b). Bowie Kuhn's view is that the introduction of massive cable television broadcasts of baseball will be economically bad for the sport because it will reduce gate receipts and network television revenues, as well a make watching baseball games available to cities without the consent of anybody in baseball management. From the point of view of baseball team owners, who derive revenues from the games, Kuhn's view is libertarian and anti-utilitarian. It prioritizes the rights of the baseball team owners and those of baseball management. However, from the point of view of baseball fans, it is anti-libertarian because it prioritizes the welfare of a few over those of t he general public.

Lenten Candles †The Color and the Significance Essay Example for Free

Lenten Candles – The Color and the Significance Essay Lent candles have their own significance in the observance of Lent. The burning candles stands for the arrival of Christ as the illumination of the world. The shades of the candles can differ. Conventionally, three purple candles and one rose-colored or pink candle are used. The purple indicates that Lent is a period of regret as well as hope. Many churches use blue candles instead of purple ones to highlight the positive hope of the period. A candle is lit on the first Sunday of Lent with an additional one lit on every following Sunday. The blissfully colored pink candle is set aside for the third Sunday of Lent, Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete, which actually refers to rejoice in Latin, is the initial word of the Introit for that Sunday: Several Christians append an exact explanation to the four candles. The first candle, or the Prophet Candle, stands for the optimism and expectation of Christs incarnication as forecasted at so many places in the Old Testament. The second candle recalls how Christ was born in modest style, in the trivial village of Bethlehem. Therefore this candle is often referred to as the Bethlehem Candle. The third candle is identified as the Shepherds Candle. It brings to mind the joy of the shepherds when they left after having seen the Christ-child in the stable. The fourth candle is the Angels Candle. It take us back to the blissful crowd that declared the good news of our Saviors birth.

The Rocking Chair Test Essay Example for Free

The Rocking Chair Test Essay By saying The Rocking Chair Test, Jeff refers to the time when he will be old and spend most of his time in the rocking chair thinking about things he has done in his past. Jeff wants to bring the facts of life to the readers notice and suggests that the rocking chair is not very far. He wants to show how small things which he did would reflect on his future and in the end, would it be worth the effort, put in for that action. Jeff figuratively points out whether the work that he does today capitalizes in future. Rather than wasting his time on smaller, irrelevant things, he could do something that may be more memorable or productive and would make him happy whenever he thinks about it. Jeff wants to cherish all the time that he will have lived when he will be old and sitting in his rocking chair thinking of his past. Jeff suggests, everyone should apply daily activities to the rocking chair test. He thinks that if everyone relates their daily chores to the rocking chair test, everyone would lead a cheerful life when they are older. Everyone will be contended by doing everything worthwhile in the past. In one of the extracts Jeff also portrays that doing something is better than owning. According to Jeff, a person will not cherish what he would had bought, more than what he could had done, in the past. 2]. According to Jeff, balancing the enjoyments of the present with the responsibilities of everyday life is trickier than what it sounds. It is mostly a personal opinion on what one would like to spend his time on. One has to decide individually, whether the acts done in the present would satisfy the doer when he thinks of it when he is old. Jeff wants to instill the rocking chair in everyone’s lives, but he says that the test results could vary for different people with different opinion. Both, leisure and work are an essential part of our lives. We often aren’t able to decide, what the best course of action is, and generally land in a dilemma. Jeff suggests gauging all acts against the satisfaction scale of the rocking chair test. It is a potential answer to this problem. Everyone has obligations, they need to honor. Some of these may be quintessential. The rest may just be of PPatil Page 2 4/12/2017 no relevance. Rationalize on what would be more pleasing to you when you think about it, sitting on your rocking chair. There will always be options that may entertain you, but then will it really amuse you when you think of it in your old age. The rocking chair test is certainly a good principle to live by if you want to live happily ever after. 3]. Things that would not pass Jeffs rocking chair test may not necessarily fail for everyone. One may give more importance to reading books and the other would feel that firsthand experience would be of more relevance. The decision would be purely personal based on individual thought pattern. If I get to apply the rocking chair test to my life, there would be a number of things I would eradicate from my schedule. Things like smoking would make no sense on the rocking chair test. I will never feel, Damn, I should have smoked some more. Health related stuff would gain priority so that the rocking chair stays as far as possible. I would take a more logical approach towards the future with the rocking chair test at hand. The rocking chair test will restrain television time to almost negligible. I certainly don’t want to miss reviewing a few, recent artist albums but I think experiencing a big release concert would make all the more logic. Also when applied to job, I would make most out of my time and effort, only to cherish the present achievements in future and reap their benefits. Jeff concludes that the rocking chair is closer than we think and I think that Jeff is right by all means.

Sustainable Construction in SMEs | Research Proposal

Sustainable Construction in SMEs | Research Proposal Introduction The construction industry is a significantly important sector in the UK and has profound economical, social and environmental impacts. The UK construction industry contributes 10% of UK GDP and provides employments to 1.5 million people. Unfortunately, the environmental impacts caused by the construction activities are appalling: annually 70 million tones of waste are produced and 50% of all energy generated is used by the industry (Addis, B Talbot, R, 2001:21). Worldwide, there has been a growing concern on the environmental impacts caused by the construction industry. Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Sustainability and Sustainable Development have captured the attention of all the industries in the world especially the construction industry. As a result of this concern, the concept of Sustainable Construction emerged. It is proposed that sustainable construction is the way forward to improve the performance of the construction industry, making it more sustainable, and subsequently helps to minimise the environmental impacts caused by its activities. The development and progress of sustainable construction in the UK is improving, although it lags behind other countries in Europe. Within the construction industry itself, there is a gap of performance and progress between large construction companies (LE) and small construction companies (SME) in implementing sustainable construction. Interestingly, much of the available literature on the UK sustainable construction focuses more on the large companies, while studies on small construction companies are still under researched. Thus, this research aims to investigate to actual level of understanding and implementation of sustainable construction among construction SMEs, with further intention to identify the barriers to these companies in implementing sustainable construction practices. It is impossible to conduct this research based on all disciplines within the construction team hence, a scope is determined. The research focuses only on contractors firms which fall under the category of SMEs (general contractors with less than 50 employees) and therefore, the scope of the construction phase is limited to the production or on-site activities. Justification/Rational of the Research The contribution of small companies towards any changes and innovations proposed by the construction industry is very significant. This is because the largest part of the construction industry is made up of small firms. In 2004, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has registered more than 170,000 private construction contractors working in the UK and 93% of these companies employed less than 8 people (DTI, 2004). Interestingly, previous studies on construction innovations and initiatives by the construction SMEs indicate that this group is often ignored and hence, they are under-performed compared to large construction companies (Sexton, M.G. Barrett, P.S., 2003a). With regards to sustainable construction in the UK, there as been a rapid development since the publications of the Egan Report (1998) and `Building A Better Quality of Life` (2000), which promote and encourage sustainable construction practices. Despite the rapid development, in the construction industry: .take up of sustainability principles varies significantly, with some leading firms following recognised practice, but others still making little effort. (Environment Agency, 2006) There are continuing problems, reaching small and medium sized enterprises, and the entirely of supply chains. The author is intrigued by this matter which seems to suggest that the construction SMEs is lagging behind in implementing sustainable construction practices when compared to large construction companies. Consequently, the question arises as to `what are the barriers to the construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction? At present, it is widely felt that investigate into barriers faced by construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction is under researched. Therefore, the author would like to undertake a research on this area in order to explore the level of understanding and implementation of sustainable construction SMEs, and consequently identify the barriers involved. It is hoped that the finding, from this research will help the construction industry to encourage more construction SMEs to implement sustainable construction principles and techniques, as recommended by the UK Government in Building a Better Quality of Life. The scope of the research is limited to contractors companies that employ less than 50 people. The area of research investigation is also limited to the activities on construction site, or known as the production phase. The diagram below demonstrates the deductive approach taken for this research in order to narrow down the research area to specific issues and activities during construction site operation. Eventually, the research scope will be limited to five making practices in implementing environmental sustainable construction, which include waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation materials efficiency and protection of biodiversity.

Cezanne, Lowry and Landscapes Essay -- Visual Arts Paintings Art

Cezanne, Lowry and Landscapes Cezanne Paul Cezanne, who was the son of a wealthy banker, became a painter in the 1860s in Paris when he quit his studies of Law. By 1874 he was painting landscapes in the Impressionist manner and had some of his work included in their first exhibition held during that very same year. He painted in the Impressionistic manner, but sheared off in a different direction to the main body of Impressionist painters. The main body of Impressionist painters were concerned with the 'fleeting effects of light and colour', and in order to capture the surface impression of that moment 'they had to work fluently and quickly'. 's analysis was far more prolonged and pains-taking; He spent so long analysing his subjects that some of his work was never finished. began to be more concerned with the use of colour in modelling objects and landscape and as a way of expressing their underlying form. The basic ideas of Cubism have been claimed to be present in his philosophy. His theory was that the painter could always find the cone, the sphere and the cylinder in Nature, and that all natural shapes were composed of these shapes at their most basic form. inherited sufficient wealth to live in rich seclusion in Provence near Aix. He needed this solitude or he found it difficult getting on with others: being naturally ill at ease, neurotically sensitive and suffering from outbursts of temper. His great contribution to art was to make Impressionism solid: to restore the careful analysis of form and structure that pervaded the old masters but to combine this with an intensity of colour and harmony, full of personal expression. In his landscapes he showed a deep feeling for the force of nature in each sweeping line and chopping stroke of the brush, in the intense orange earth against the clear Provence skies. Always dissatisfied with his efforts, struggled unceasingly to reveal the truths of nature. He made many landscape paintings of the area where he lived and through them he achieved great success even in his old age. Many of these landscapes like "Route-Tournante" pulse and glow with his free and painstaking analysis. Part of the vitality of this picture lies in the loose and patchy technique The effect is particularly striking in the subtle greens of the trees and the subtle earth tones. Part of the interest ... ...riel Decamps, Charles-Emile Jacque, and other minor landscape and animal painters - e.g Brascassat/Rosa Bonheur. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the school became more and more famous - the number of painters in the "school" also increased. Barbizon was the name of the area in France where members of this school settled down to paint. Jean-Francois Millet, together with Theodore Rousseau, became the centre - the nucleus of the Barbizon community, and the reference point for all the other Barbizonners - the other members of the Barbizon school. Millet settled down in Barbizon in 1849. has often been described as the initiator of the Impressionist movement, and indeed he did develop many of the ideas that we saw in the movement as it developed. It could be said that Lowry painted landscape in an Impressionist fashion as well, as his pictures are painted in such a way as to make the viewer aware of the message behind the picture rather than the actual picture which has been depicted using brushstrokes from a man of incredible painting skill. A painting by has been included with this essay, along with a reproduction of one of Lowry's pictures.

The Articles of Confederation Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Articles of Confederation was America’s first constitution. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by Congress in 1777 and provided for a â€Å"firm league of friendship† between the thirteen independent states. The Articles were in force from March 1, 1781, to June 21, 1788 and had both positive and negative effects on the states. The Articles of Confederation provided a very effective form of government with respect to the western lands but, in contrast, the government under the Articles of Confederation struggled in terms of foreign relations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Congress of the Confederation passed very significant pieces of legislation dealing with the Old Northwest, the area of land south of the Great Lakes, east of the Mississippi River, and to the northwest of the Ohio River. The Land Ordinance of 1785 established the public land policy of the United States that lasted for more than 75 years. The Land Ordinance of 1785 provided that the land of the Northwest should be surveyed and sold with the proceeds sent to the Congressional Congress to help alleviate the national debt. They land that was surveyed was to be divided into townships six miles squared, each of which was then to be separated into thirty-six segments of one square mile each. In this monumental piece of legislation, the sixteenth section of each township was to be set aside for public schools. In addition to the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was passed under the Articles of Confederation. The Northwest Ordinance provided for the formation of not less than three, nor more than five, states. The Northwest Ordinance created three stages, in which the first two evolutionary territorial stages would be subordinate to the federal government. In the first stage, the total population included fewer than 5,000 adult males, the officials were appointed by U.S. Congress and included a territorial Governor, Secretary, and three judges. The Governor and judges made laws. Under the second stage, total population included more than 5,000 adult males, there were elected and appointed officials. The government officials included a territorial Governor, a Secretary, three judges and a non-voting Territorial Delegate to U.S. Congress that was elected by the territorial legislature. The law making body under this second stage was a B... ...est with strangulation. Spain also claimed a large territory, north of the Gulf of Mexico including Florida, granted to the United States by the British in 1783. Spain and England together, using their influence among the bitter Indian tribes, prevented America from implementing efficient control over much of its total territory. In addition to the Spanish and English threat, France also provided America with some trouble. France demanded compensation for the money loaned during the war and constrained trade with their West Indies and many of their other ports. Foreign relations were very rough under the Articles Of Confederation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Articles of Confederation did not supply America with a sufficient enough government. The government created under the Articles of Confederation did both positive and negative things for the nation. While the Articles of Confederation provided a fairly effective form of government with respect to the western lands it was not so successful with foreign relations. Under the Articles of Confederation the central government was too weak, the â€Å"firm league of friendship† caused America to be the laughing stock of all nations.

Essay on the Deleterious Effects of Pride and Prejudice :: Pride and Prejudice

The Deleterious Effects of Pride and Prejudice   Ã‚   Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, illustrates that behavior is innate and, for good or bad, can be influenced by society. Austen further demonstrates that behavior is alterable by focusing on two aspects of behavior; prejudice and pride. The deleterious effects of prejudice and pride and the possibility of reformation are exemplified in a story that focuses on the ideals, ceremonies, and customs of marriage.    Austen's attempts to demonstrate conclusively that the essence of behavior is intrinsic to one's disposition, character, and temperament. She is successful in establishing this by portraying innate qualities in both Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth has a natural sagacity; she is able to examine situations, affairs, and relationships intuitively and with remarkable perspicaciousness. For example, in Chapter four when Elizabeth expresses her discontent with the manners and the seeming character of the Bingley's sisters, Jane defends them but," Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced; their behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and with judgment too unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them," (Austen 12). Ultimately Elizabeth's suspicions are confirmed when the two Bingley sisters betray Jane's kindness and attempt to unjustly dissuade their brother's affection. Elizabeth's discerning judgement is a product of her congenital sapience.    Austen also highlights in Darcy the fact that behavior is intrinsically determined. Darcy's admirable generosity marks the positive aspect of his nature and is exemplified in several instances throughout the novel. Through a series of events, the reader learns that Darcy voluntarily provided sufficiently for Wickham, contrary to Wickham's slanderous claim. Darcy's generosity and genuine concern for others is again confirmed by his unsolicited aid in disentangling the imprudent affairs of Wickham and Lydia. Austen also indirectly asserts that behavior is subject to outside influence and that any constituent of behavior can be cultivated. For example, Elizabeth realizes Darcy's pride after hearing him respond to Bingley that, "she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me,"(Austen 9). Elizabeth's prejudice is cultivated by her mother who states that,"...he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and conceited that there was no enduring him!"(Austen 10). Returning to the situation surrounding Wickham, one sees that Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy is again fueled by the defamatory remarks Wickham makes towards him.

Brand alliance Essay

The desired outcome of a brand alliance is to increase each other brand’s equity. Some of the examples could be as follows: â€Å"Two companies pool their resources to co-brand, with the idea that the new product can enjoy a unique positioning or two manufacturer’s pool resources to develop a promotional campaign featuring both brands. † (Samu, Krishnan ; Smith, 1999, p. 57). In general, brand alliances carry along great benefits but at same time ome inevitable risk. Well-established alliance is a powerful tool that can help to promote, to specify, to enrich, and to increase the brand value. Good example for increasing the brand value is brand alliance of PorscheDesign and Adidas, where PorscheDesign clearly raises the image of Adidas and on other hand PorscheDesign has more presence and can sell its products in many lucrative locations. (Adidas Annual report, 2009). Brand alliances are used at times of prosperity as well as in times when the brand suffers; they may serve as a driver for a brand to regain its market position. Wrong arketing strategies can ruin the attractiveness and image of a brand and successful brand alliance can revitalize them. According to (Samu et al. , 1999, p. 57) â€Å"A new brand might partner with an established brand to build a stronger presence for a specific usage occasion†. If one of the brands has very good image and brand equity, it is likely that customers will perceive the partner brand with similar attitude. This strategy is risky and can harm the stronger company. The risk factor can be lowered by extensive market analysis that can reveal some of the unfavourable issues for the xact brand alliance. A common practice for possible alliance partners is creation of an exit strategy. That allows companies react quickly if some of the planned outcomes goes wrong or in other direction than planned. (Melvin Prince ; Mark Davies, 2002) Very common reason for creation of brand alliance is a launch of a new product. It serves as a great advertising tool because it drags attention. New product is associated with some extraordinary brand, which creates a message for consumers. A successful example of brand alliances to promote new product launch where two trong brands allied and which worked perfectly was Range Rover and Victoria Beckham. The outcome was the new model line of Range Rover, Evoque. Targeted mainly at female customers, sales growth rose significantly after the introduction of Victoria Beckham’s special luxury edition. Even though the actual limited edition was produced only in small volumes, it created great deal of exclusivity for the new product. Associating the new model with Victoria Backham and creating a well- managed advertising campaign led to a successful launch of the new model line crowned by many design awards. About Land Rover, 2012). . Analysis of Successful Factors in Brand Alliance 3. 1 Successful Factors Before going deeply in the analysis, it is important to understand in theory the successful factors behind a brand alliance and their effects on consumer attitudes. while the effects they produce are the independent variables. While engaging in an alliance, it is fundamental for companies to work on the successful factors in order to produce and maintain the positive effects while reducing the negative ones

David Berman Essay

David Berman reviewed the macroeconomic numbers on inventory turns as he prepared for his regular appearance on CNBC’s â€Å"Squawk Box† as a morning co-host. A leading expert on â€Å"consumer related† stocks, Berman and his colleagues including portfolio manager Steve Kernkraut, a seasoned retail executive and analyst, were frequent contributors to various TV shows. On April 4th 2005, Fortune magazine ran a story on Berman called â€Å"King of the Retail Jungle†, and on December 13th, 2004, Barron’s ran a story called â€Å"Smart Shopper† where Berman’s four stock picks as identified, appreciated 30% on average over the next quarter. â€Å"Off air† he was a fund manager as well as founder and president of Berman Capital (which managed proprietary funds) and founder of and general partner in New York-based Durban Capital, L.P. (which managed outside and proprietary capital). Glancing at his notes on macro trends in retail inven tory turns, Berman wondered if he should talk about his impressions on the show. Berman held a bachelors degree in finance and masters equivalency in accountancy from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He had also passed the South African chartered accountant and the United States CPA examinations. Berman obtained his CPA qualification in California while an auditor for Arthur Andersen and Company where he examined the financial statements and operations of a number of retail clients. He had been the auditor of Bijan, the notable men’s upscale clothing store on Rodeo Drive and 5th Avenue. Prior to starting his own funds Berman worked as a portfolio manager and analyst primarily at two Wall Street firms. He evolved his investment style under the tutelage of Michael Steinhardt of Steinhardt Partners, which he joined shortly after graduating with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1991. From 1994 to 1997 Berman worked in consumer-related stocks at another large hedge fund. He subsequently launched Berman Capital in 1997 and Durban Capital i n 2001. Professor Ananth Raman of Harvard Business School, Professor Vishal Gaur of the Stern School of Business at New York University, and Harvard Business School Doctoral Candidate Saravanan Kesavan prepared this case. Certain details have been disguised. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617-783-7860. 605-081David Berman Berman believed that his training as an accountant together with his MBA and practices he developed over the years to refine accounting estimates enabled him to notice aspects of retail accounts that would be missed by most investors. The relationship between inventory and earnings and therefore share price, for example, while obvious to a retailer, was seldom recognized by analysts or investors. â€Å"This relationship,† Berman observed, â€Å"is ASTOUNDINGLY powerful, but surprisingly few understand why. Most think it’s just a function of inventory risk. It’s not. It’s primarily a function of how the operating margins can be manipulated by management in the short term by playing around with inventories†. â€Å"For example,† said Berman, â€Å"if a retailer’s inventories are growing much faster than sales, then gross margins would be higher than they ordinarily should be, as the retailer has not taken the mark-downs that a solid disc iplined retailer should take.† â€Å"Interestingly,† Berman beamed, â€Å"there is no law in GAAP that limits the number of days’ inventory to any â€Å"norm,† and as such, the practice of increasing inventories beyond any â€Å"norm† goes unfettered.† Berman continued â€Å"managements sign-off on the inventories as being fairly valued, and the auditors pretty much rely on their word.† Berman believed that â€Å"from an investor’s perspective, it’s a game of musical chairs; you don’t want to be the last person standing. In other words, you don’t want to be an investor when sales slow and when mark-downs of the bloated inventory finally need to be taken to move the goods†. The relationship of inventories to sales was also an important one that Berman focused on. â€Å"In a period of rising inventories on a square foot basis†, Berman says â€Å"it is quite obvious that same store sales should rise as the offering to the customer is that much greater. Simply put, the more offerings you put in a store, ceteris paribus, the bigger sales should be.† â€Å"It is at this time,† Berman argued, â€Å"that the stock price rises, as investors place higher valuations on retailers with higher sales, despite that this higher valuation is achieved primarily due to the higher inventories†. An excellent example of the inventory to sales relationship was Home Depot: In 2001 and 2002 Home Depot’s new CEO, Bob Nardelli1, seemed to struggle in managing the transition from a cash-flow GE-type philosophy to a retailer Home Depot-type philosophy. In his DeeBee Report2 dated June 10th 2003, Berman stated: â€Å"Bob Nardelli learned the power of inventory the hard way. In focusing on cash flow improvement, he dramatically lowered inventories – and yes, increased cash balances – only to see a huge decline in same store sales, and in its stock price {the stock went from around $40 to $22}. And so, under immense pressure, Nardelli reversed course and focused intensely on increasing inventories. Since Q2 of last year, inventories had been building until they were up 25% year over year. And yes, same store sales did improve, as did the stock price.† Recognizing this as potentially a short-fix, Berman continued â€Å"Now the cynical would view this increase in sales with skepticism, noting that it wasn’t of â€Å"high quality† as it was due, in part, to the massive inventory build. It is, however, pleasing to note that Home Depot simply got inventories back to â€Å"normal†, in that it now has turns similar to its’ competitors†. The stock, following the same store sales and earnings increases, which in essence followed the inventories increase, rose from $22 at the start of 2003 to $36 by the end of 2003. When asked about this â€Å"fix†, Berman responded â€Å"it will be more challenging for Nardelli to increase same store sales and margins going forward because his increasing inventories and therefore same store sales is arguably a one-time benefit and is essentially what caused the â€Å"fix†. Berman concluded by 1 Nardelli had worked at General Electric (GE) before taking over as CEO of the Home Depot. 2 A periodic report where Berman discusses his thoughts on retail, focusing on inventories. Given his insights as articulated, Berman believed his fund could value firms more accurately through better valuation of inventory. This was pivotal to his investment strategy. â€Å"You see,† Berman elaborated, â€Å"Wall Street basically ignores inventory. It’s actually quite amazing to me! This gives us one of our edges.† Comparing recently gathered retailer numbers that examined total sales in the U.S. economy to total inventory, for almost 300 retailers, Berman remarked: â€Å"The total sales to total inventory numbers is also a crucial relationship over time, and it gives us a macro edge, if that’s possible to believe. Indeed, at the end of Q2, 2003 I knew there would be serious inventory rebuilding in the economy going forward, as overall sales had grown at a faster rate than inventories. Indeed, in Q3, 2003 we saw a rapid and unexpected increase in GDP from 2.3% to 3.5% thanks in part to inventory rebuilding. This increase continued through Q1, 2 004 when GDP growth reached 5%.† Berman loved to discuss investment opportunities he had spotted by looking carefully at firm inventory: One of the clearest examples was Saucony (Nasdaq: SCNYA), a shoe company based near Boston, MA. Berman identified this company as a strong buy when he noticed in 2003 that even though sales were flattish, inventories had declined about 20% year over year. To Berman, this bode well for future gross margins. He started buying the stock at $14 in late 2003 due primarily to these lean inventories, despite that the stock was illiquid thus presenting greater risk, and despite that management was remarkably coy about sharing information. A year later, the stock had doubled. During this time period, sales rose, as did inventories, and of course, the gross margin expanded significantly, as expected. Earnings per share rose from $0.85 in 2002 to $1.29 in 2004. Berman’s selling, which came shortly after management asked him to ring the Nasdaq bell with them, was again based on a function  of his inventory analysis. This time it was the opposite scenario – inventories were now growing at the same pace as sales, so the trend of sales to inventories had deteriorated – and Berman was worried. To make matters worse, calls to management were not being returned. Sure enough, in March 2005, before Berman had gotten out of this illiquid position, Saucony announced it would miss earnings estimates and the stock cratered 20%. Yet another clear example was Bombay (NYSE: BBA). In November 2003, Bombay Company, a fashionable home accessories, wall dà ©cor, and furniture retailer, announced that sales were up 19% with inventories up 50% year over year. While the retailer beat earnings estimates, the company spoke of early November sales weakness, and the stock declined 20% that day to $10. Despite the decline, and noticing that inventories were up way too much, Berman felt the â€Å"music had stopped.† â€Å"Going into Q4 it was clear they would have to miss numbers again unless the consumer saved them, which would be a shocker†, he said. Just over two weeks later they lowered earnings again and the stock crated another 20% to $8. Remarkably, just four weeks later, after Christmas, management lowered earnings yet again, and the stock declined yet another 20%. â€Å"It was so sweet† exclaimed Berman, â€Å"to see the classic inventory / earnings relationship at work so quickly.† In just one and a half months, the stock declined 50% primarily because of inventory mismanagement along with weaker sales. As Berman prepared to leave for the studio, Christina Zinn, a young apprentice he had just hired from Harvard Business School, walked in and presented him with a stack of papers containing the valuation of John B. River (John B. River Clothiers, Inc. NASDAQ: JONR). â€Å"JONR is undervalued,† Zinn remarked, â€Å"and I think we should invest in this stock. Sales were up 24% in 2004 over the previous year, and gross margins, having risen for four straight years, seem to have peaked at 60% (one of the highest gross margins in all of US retail). 2005, the company’s price/earnings ratio is less than that of its primary competitor, Men’s Wearhouse, which is at 17.5 times estimated earnings. This is particularly strange given that John B. River has been growing faster than Men’s Wearhouse during the last few years.† Inventory Productivity in the Retail Sector Inventory turnover, the ratio of cost of goods sold to average inventory level, was commonly used to measure the performance of inventory managers, compare inventory productivity across retailers, and assess performance improvements over time.3 But wide variations in the annual inventory turnover of U.S. retailers year to year not only across, but also within, firms made it difficult to assess inventory productivity in practice, as evidenced by the following example and questions. Between 1987 and 2000 annual inventory turnover at Best Buy Stores, Inc. (Best Buy), a consumer electronics retailer, ranged from 2.85 to 8.53. Annual inventory turnover at three peer retailers during the same period exhibited similar variation: at Circuit City Stores, Inc. from 3.97 to 5.60; at Radio Shack Corporation from 1.45 to 3.05; and at CompUSA, Inc. from 6.20 to 8.65. Given such variation how could inventory turnover be used to assess these retailers’ inventory productivity? Could these variations be correlated with better or worse performance? Could it be reasonably concluded from this example that Best Buy managed its inventory better than Radio Shack? Inventory turnover could be correlated with other performance measures. Strong correlations, as between inventory turnover and gross margin, might have implications for the assessment of retailers’ inventory turnover performance. (Figure 1 plots the four consumer electronics retailers’ annual inventory turnover against their gross margins (the ratio of gross profit net of markdowns to net sales) for the period 1987-2000.) Relationships among Management Measures Relationships among inventory turns, gross margins, and capital intensity were central to deriving suitable benchmarks for assessing corporate performance. (Figure 2 presents a simplified view of an income statement and balance sheet. Table 1 presents mathematical definitions for inventory turnover, gross margin, capital intensity, return on assets, sales growth, and other management measures based on Figure 2 .) Whereas return on assets, sales growth, return on equity, and financial leverage tended not to vary systematically from one retail segment to another, variation in the components of return on assets was observed between and within industry segments. (Table 2 lists retail segments4 and examples of firms.) Table 3 presents gross margins, inventory turns, GMROI5, and asset turns for supermarkets, drugstores, convenience stores, apparel retailers, jewelry retailers, and toy stores.) Retailers with stable, predictable demand and long product lifecycles such as grocery, drug, and convenience stores tended to have better â€Å"efficiency ratios† (asset turns and inventory turns) than other retailers, retailers of short lifecycle products such as apparel, shoes, electronics, jewelry, and An alternative measure of inventory productivity, days of inventory, could be substituted for inventory turnover for the present analysis. Classification of segments is based on S&P’s Compustat database. GMROI is defined as gross margin return on inventory investment. Variation in gross margins, inventory turns, and SG&A expenses within and between segments ROE could be decomposed into gross margin and inventory turns, and further into the relationship between capital intensity and inventory turns (see below).Anticipating roughly similar ROE measures for different retailers, all else remaining equal, a change in any of the component metrics on the right side of the equation would be expected to result in a compensating change in some other component metric. For example, for ROE among retailers to be equivalent a retailer with higher gross margins would need to experience a compensating change in some other component, such as inventory turns. Gross margin and inventory turns: Gross margin and inventory turns were expected to be negatively correlated, that is, an increase in gross margin was expected to be accompanied by a decrease in inventory turnover. A retailer that carried a unit of product longer before selling it (i.e., a retailer with slower inventory turns) would expect to earn substantially more on its inventory investment than a retailer that carried the inventory item for a shorter period. For example, Radio Shack, which turned its inventory less frequently than twice a year,  was expected to realize higher gross margins on each sale than retailers such as CompUSA, which turned its inventory more than eight times per year. Retailers such as Radio Shack were said to be following the â€Å"profit path† (i.e., earning high profit with each sale), retailers such as CompUSA the â€Å"turnover path† (i.e., earning quickly after making an inventory investment small profits with each sale). Retailers within the same segment were expected to achieve equivalent inventory productivity. Inventory productivity could be estimated as the product of a firm’s gross margins and inventory turns, termed gross margin return on inventory investment or GMROI (pronounced â€Å"JIMROY†). If GMROI remained stable within a segment an inverse relationship between gross margin and inventory turns would be observed. (Figure 3 depicts the expected relationship.) A correlation between gross margin and inventory turns, although expected, did not, however, imply a causal relationship between the two variables. That is, a firm that increased its gross margin by better managing its inventory turns would not necessarily decline commensurately. The correlation between gross margin and inventory turns could instead reflect mutual dependence on the characteristics of a retailer’s business. Capital intensity and inventory turns: Investments in warehouses, information technology, and inventory and logistics management systems involved capital investment, which, being accounted for as fixed assets, was measured by an increase in capital intensity. Firms that made such capital investments often enjoyed higher inventory turns. Hence, inventory turns could be positively correlated with capital intensity. That an increase in inventory turnover and concurrent decrease in gross margin was not necessarily indicative of improved inventory management capability suggested limits to the use of inventory turnover in performance analysis. If, however, two firms had similar inventory turnover and gross margin values but different capital intensities the firm with the lower capital intensity might possibly have better inventory management capability. It was thus desirable to incorporate changes in gross margin and capital intensity into evaluations of inventory productivity. Zinn’s Analysis of John B. River Berman fidgeted in his chair. He enjoyed opportunities to evangelize to and educate television audiences, but found the wait in the studio tedious. Until called to hold forth on various aspects of managerial performance and investment strategy he would, he decided, wade through the report Zinn had prepared for him. Company Background On November 8, 2004 John B. River Clothiers, Inc., a leading U.S. retailer of men’s tailored and casual clothing and accessories, opened its 250th store. The retailer employed, in addition to the physical store format, two other channels: catalogs, and the Internet. Production of John B. River’s designs according to its specifications was contracted to third party vendors and suppliers. John B. River’s product suite, intended to dress a male career professional from head to toe, was identified with high quality and value. Its upscale, classic product offerings included tuxedos, blazers, shirts, ties, vests, pants, and sports wear. Excepting branded shoes from other vendors, all products were marketed under the John B. River brand. Trends in workplace clothing were an important determinant of John B. River sales growth. Thus, the early 1990s trend towards acceptability of informal clothing in the workplace was cause for concern to a retailer that emphasized men’s formal suits. But in the early 2000’s the pendulum seemed to swing back, with increasing numbers of employees preferring to dress more formally for the workplace. The material in this section is from John B. River Clothiers, Inc’s 2004 10-K Statement Retail stores were John B. River’s primary sales channel. Eighty percent of store space was dedicated to selling activities, the remaining 20% allocated to stockroom and tailoring and other support activities. Tailoring was a differentiating service highly valued by the retailer’s clientele. John B. River catered to high-end customers and so located its retail stores in areas with appropriate demographics. Its seven outlet stores provided a channel for liquidating excess merchandise. John B. River’s catalog and Internet channels accounted for approximately 11% of net sales in fiscal 2003 and 12% of net sales in fiscal 2002. Approximately eight million catalogs were distributed over these two years. Catalog sales were supported by a toll-free number that provided access to sales associates. The primary competitors of John B. River were Men’s Wearhouse Inc. (Ticker: MW) and Brooks Brothers (privately held). Apart from competing with these  specialty retailers, John B. River competed with large department stores such as Macy’s and Filenes, which enjoyed substantially greater financial and marketing resources. Supply Chain John B. River’s merchandise buying and planning staff used sophisticated information systems to convey product designs and specifications to suppliers and third party contract manufacturers and manage the production process worldwide. Approximately 24% of product purchases in fiscal 2003 were sourced from U.S. suppliers. Mexico accounted for 15% and none of the other countries from which products were sourced accounted for more than 10% of purchases. An agent was employed to source products from countries located in or near Asia. All inventory was received at a centralized distribution center (CDC), from which it was redistributed to warehouses or directly to stores. Store inventory was tracked using point-of-sale information and stock was replenished as necessary. John B. River expected to spend between $3 and $4 million in fiscal 2004 to increase the capacity of its CDC to accommodate 500 stores nationwide. Growth Strategy and Risks John B. River had developed a five-pronged strategy for achieving growth. First, it planned to further enhance product quality by elevating standards for design and manufacture. Second, it planned to expand catalog and internet operations. Third, it intended to introduce new products. Fourth, it was moving towards eliminating middlemen from the sourcing of products Fifth, it was committed to providing consistently high service levels by maintaining high inventory levels. Anticipating that growth relied on opening new stores, John B. River planned to expand to 500 stores. Approximately 60 stores were opened in fiscal 2004, increasing store count to 273, and about 75 to 100 stores were planned from  2005-08. Upfront costs associated with opening a new store included approximately $225,000 for leasehold improvements, fixtures, point-of-sale equipment, and so forth and an inventory investment of approximately $350,000, with higher inventory levels during peak periods. John B. River’s growth strategy was sensitive to consumer spending. John B. River relied on its emphasis on classic styles to retain a niche in men’s suits, a strategy that rendered it less vulnerable to changes in fashions but dependent on continued demand for classic styles. Zinn’s Analysis of John B. River’s Financial Statements Inventory: John B. River used the first-in-first out method to value inventory. During price increases FIFO valuation generated higher net income than LIFO valuation. John B. River’s inventory had been growing rapidly over the past four years. Zinn was surprised by the inventory growth, especially that inventory had grown faster than sales. Although inventory grew by 54% in 2003, corresponding sales growth was only 23%. In 2004 however, sales grew 24% while inventory grew by only 4%. Inventory at the end of 2004 however continued to be high at 303 days. Further the days’ payables increased from 54 days in 1998 to 82 days in 2004. Payables as a percentage of inventory however had declined from roughly 33% in 1998 to roughly 27% in 2004. But Zinn was not sure these concerns had much impact on her valuation of the company. Financial ratios: Current ratio and quick ratio had been hovering around 2 and 0.2, respectively.10,11 The large difference between these two ratios reflected the fact that most of John B. River’s current assets were inventory. Obsolescence costs would consequently be fairly high and could place the retailer in financial distress. The other financial ratios were indicative of a healthy company. ROE had increased from 15% to 27% since fiscal 2000. This increase had been largely fueled by an increasing profit margin (0.7% to 5.5% over the same period). John B. River had enjoyed rapid growth in sales over the last few years. Annual Sales growth had increased from 9% in 1998 to 24% in 2004, fueled by sales growth in existing stores (approximately 8% per year) as well as the opening of new stores and increased sales from the retailer’s catalog and internet channels. John B. River enjoyed a healthy increase in gross margins from 51% to 60% over the same period. Tables 4 and 5 provide key operational metrics for John B. River and Men’s Wearhouse. Prospective Analysis: Zinn had taken the Business Analysis and Valuation (BAV) class at HBS and discovered the â€Å"BAV tool.†12 She had used this tool to create a simpler model (used in the present analysis) to capture key aspects of valuation. Table 6 provides some key historical operational metrics for John B. River that Zinn used for her prospective analysis. Current ratio, defined as the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, was an indicator of a company’s ability to meet short-term debt obligations; the higher the ratio the more liquid the company. Quick ratio (or acid-test ratio), defined as the ratio of (cash + accounts receivable) to current liabilities, measured a company’s liquidity. The BAV tool was an Excel-based model developed by Harvard Business School faculty for valuing companies. Key assumptions made by Zinn in performing the prospective analysis of John B. River included the following. 1) Time horizon: Zinn chose a five year time horizon from 2005 to 2009 based on expected sales growth (derived from management projections). Beyond 2009 Zinn assumed the company to have reached a steady state defined by terminal values. 2) Sales growth: Zinn assumed that management’s projections for new stores were reasonable and that the new stores would be equivalent in size and productivity with the retailer’s existing stores. Using growth assumptions about stores and same store sales, Zinn computed sales growth for fiscal years 2005-2008 to be 18% (based on 15% square footage growth and 3% same store sale growth), and 10% for 2009. Sales after 2010 in Zinn’s analysis were expected to grow at the 4% industry standard for retail apparel stores13. 3) Gross margin: Gross margin had been steadily increasing; Zinn expected it to hover around 60% for the next five years and then assumed gross margin to reach its terminal value to reflect increased competition. 4) Other assumptions about the income statement: Zinn assumed that SG&A to sales and other operating expenses to sales would continue at the 2004 levels for the near term (till 2008). 5) Assumptions about the balance sheet: Zinn assumed that current assets to sales, current liabilities to sales, and long term assets to sales would continue at their 2004 levels, that is, the company would maintain a similar capital structure and remain as productive with its long term assets as in 2003. Zinn obtained terminal values from industry norms for â€Å"Men’s and boys’ clothing stores†14. The market risk premium was assumed to be 5%, risk free rate 4.3%, marginal tax rate 42%, and cost of debt 4.5%. Based on these assumptions, the value of a JONR share was estimated to be $43.58. Given the current (April 11th, 2005) closing price of $34.37 (see Figure 4 for historical stock prices of JONR), Zinn rated the stock a â€Å"strong buy.† You’re On the Air in Five Minutes! Berman knew he had to return to thinking about the bigger questions that would be posed by the host of the TV show. Yet he could not take his mind off of Zinn’s analysis. Berman smiled, knowing that his apprentice’s results were diametrically opposed to his own intuition. He recollected his conversation with the CEO and CFO of John B. River during one of the quarterly earnings calls when he was trying to learn about the retailer. When questioned about the steep increase in inventory, the CEO had mentioned that John B. River was planning to grow inventory in certain basic items like white shirts, khaki pants etc. as well as increase product variety to enhance service levels to its customers. Berman was not sure about this strategy of John B. River and wondered if the company’s gross margins were temporarily inflated based on increased inventories over the years. On the other hand, inventory management had improved of late. As reported on the 4th April 2005, Q4, 20 04 sales had increased 24% while inventories were up only 4% year over year.

Family and Technology Essay

The internet is affecting the way modern families interact with each other in negative ways. Experts are saying that there is a connection between a recent increase in childhood injury and parents being distracted by technology (Worthen). Additionally, young children have to compete with technology for their parent’s attention. Children are lacking the important interaction that should be taking place between parent and child. Consequently since children grow up seeing mom and dad glued to some form of technology, they learn to do the same and inevitably technology becomes the center of the family. The family is together physically, but mentally and emotionally they are stretched thin between all of their gadgets. From the beginning of a child’s life they are likely to be surrounded by people using Smartphones with cameras, capturing their very first moments. Little do they know that devices like these are going to have a profound effect on their lives maybe sooner than later. According to the Centers for disease control and prevention nonfatal accidental injury rates for children ages zero to five had been steadily declining since the 1970’s, based on emergency room records. Suddenly from 2007 to 2010 these rates went up 12%. Ironically Apple introduced its IPhone in mid-2007 and according to research firm Comscore 9 million Americans owned smart phones at that time. By the end of 2010 that number soared to 63 million. Factors, such as riskier behavior among children and an increase in parents taking children to emergency rooms have been mentioned by child injury experts as the cause for these increases (Worthen). Although the Wall Street Journal interviewed dozens of pediatricians, emergency-room physicians, academic researchers and law enforcement who all agree that using a smart phone while supervising a child could increase the risk of an accident (Worthen). Students, at Temple University observed 30 parents and their children in public places and found that in nearly every case the parent stopped whatever they were doing with their child to use a device. â€Å"In one case a parent let go of her kids hand in the middle of a busy street in Philadelphia in order to check a text message,† says Psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (Worthen). Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood called for a crackdown on distracted drivers and warned that the use of internet and handheld devices while driving can be a deadly distraction (Greenblatt). It’s a fairly small leap to suggest that supervisors are distracted,† says David Schwebel, a professor of psychology who specializes in injury prevention (Worthen). An example of a fatal accident in which the Florida Department of Children and Families concluded that the drowning of a two year old boy was a direct result of inadequate supervision. The evidence in the case proved that the boy’s mother was â€Å"tweeting† for five minutes before she pulled the boy out and called 911 (Worthen). This is an extreme case where the effect of internet social media left a family devastated by the loss of a child. In Infancy a child’s activity level is low, leaving parents with plenty of time to text message and use the internet. As the child gets older and their brains develop they start to require more engaging activities, which should be provided by parents, but with dad busy checking emails and mom updating her Facebook account, children are lacking the one on one interaction with parents. In the past it was typical to hear about parents who were always nagging their kids to get off the computer or to stop texting, whereas lately the attention has also shifted to the parents (The Washington Post). Many parents are coming forward and openly admitting that their kids are doing all kinds of things, such as banging on keyboards and throwing smartphones to get them to look up from their screens and participate in a family activity. For those who counter that social media and text messaging are helping them stay more in touch with their kids than ever before, experts stress that while these technologies can be a positive communication tool, there is simply no substitute for face-to-face contact. Being able to look your child in the eye, to reflect what they’re thinking, and to really be there with them in a way you can’t be in a text, is incredibly valuable, because it teaches kids to reflect on their own mental state and shows they’re not alone in the world. Eye contact is the number-one sign that you’re relating to your kid,† says child psychiatrist, Patrick Kelley (The Washington Post). Engaged parenting is the key to early childhood learning and it seems evident that parents distracted by all the devices in the home may hinder the child’s development. Kelley states that all the new technology and connectivity comes at a price of not paying much attention to those around us and suggests parents who are easily distracted by technology are modeling potentially harmful behavior for their impressionable children (The Washington Post). Richard Foremen a playwright describes the risk of turning into â€Å"pancake people† spread wide and thin, connecting with a vast network of information and social media that is so readily available (Carr). There is a small window of time where parents have the opportunity to limit their use of technology and set a positive example for their children. How many parents have been seen focused on their mobile phones instead of paying attention to their kids? MIT professor Sherry Turkle finds that kids raised the same three examples of feeling hurt and not wanting to show it when their mom or dad would be on their devices instead of paying attention to them, one of these examples was being at sporting events (Scelfo). Turkle explains that yes it is widely known that teens text all the time, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want their parents’ undivided attention when they are picked up from school or sitting at dinner (Dizikes). All the mental and emotional distance between family members has detrimental effects on family interaction. The Kaiser Family foundation did a study and found that children who use the internet the least do better in school and get along better with their families (Greenblatt). The age of children who get cell phones is getting younger and younger. As of 2009, 20 percent of kids between six and 11 years old had a cell phone, according to a Mediamark survey (Conger). Now, Imagine a family where dad has his lap top, mom has her tablet, the kids have smartphones and there is a desktop computer in the home. It’s a given that the face to face interaction between this family will go down especially if there are no limits set on how often and how long internet devices are allowed to be used.

English coursework Essay

The creature not only has beautiful thoughts in this quotation but uses sensitive language: attracted, lovely, delight. However later on the creature explains that rage grasped hold of him as he realised that he would never enjoy her company. This explains that the creature is desperate to love someone, but because everyone treats him as if he is sub-human he is filled with fury, which is a natural human reaction. This is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel, and it becomes blatantly obvious that if humans treated him with respect and admiration, the creature would have never caused desolation. The above quote is far from the only example of this reoccurring theme in the novel. When the creature studies the cottagers we realise that love and desire are an element of his personality; ‘The more I saw of them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures: to see their sweet looks directed towards me with affection was the utmost limit of my ambition. ‘ The creature clearly desperately craves for their admiration but when the cottagers encounter him, they scorn and beat him. It is clear that in this situation it is the cottagers who are the monster and the creature that is human, as the creature is reaching out for love and friendship, but the cottages dismiss him and beat him with malicious intent. At the time of the creation of this novel, a revolution was in progress in France. Throughout the novel there is an underlying connection between its story and the French revolution that became apparent. In France the radical reform was causing a severe amount of controversy and violence. Some believed the reform to be a positive movement as it would create a more democratic country, however there were others who believed that the reform would damage traditions and make several workers redundant. Therefore, despite the reformists’ intentions being good, the result caused violence and destruction. This theme is paralleled in the novel as Frankenstein intended to defeat death thus helping humanity; however the consequences of his actions resulted in violence and destruction. Another correlation between the two is that Frankenstein playing God (as he is defeating death) threatens religion as it insinuates that humans have the power and not God, and in the revolution the Church was under threat as the reform deprived them of power and encouraged liberal thinking. However the most important theme is the debate; is it the reform that causes destruction and devastation or is it peoples inability to accept something different? Is it the creature that causes destruction and devastation or is it peoples inability to accept something different? I believe the answer to both of these questions is peoples inability to accept something different, because if people were not afraid of change then they would have accepted the revolution and not created a reign of terror, and if people were not afraid of something alien and different then people would have treated the creature with some form of courtesy and consideration, thus avoiding infuriating the creature. Evidence from the text on this point is when a young boy free of prejudice and discrimination is confronted by the creature; ‘monster! Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me, and tear me to pieces – You are an ogre – let me go, or I will tell my papa. ‘ The creature had already explained that he had no intentions to hurt or harm the boy, but because the creature is different and alien, he is immediately associated with evil, and must be avoided. Mary Shelley creates a variety of interesting points throughout the novel; that we should except death and take solace in the fact that we will hopefully be reunited one day in heaven. Therefore we should not be saddened and try to control the natural process of life, but enjoy experience. Mary Shelley also warned the reader about the dangers of unknown science, and that even an experiment designed to help humanity can have disastrous consequences. However, the most inspiring point created was the connection between the French revolution and the novel. It opened the readers mind to the prejudice and discrimination that the human race evilly portray. Anything alien or different must be associated with evil, which is a fundamental flaw of society that is near impossible to eliminate. We are, as a race, extremely narrow minded. In the novel we failed to overlook the creature’s repulsive appearance and treated him with complete contempt and disdain. This story illustrates the intolerant and callous society, and no matter how considerate and selfless a person is, we will still torment and ridicule them if they are in any way different to ourselves. Therefore, I disagree that the creature is a fiend as although he is cursed with a grotesque appearance that does not make him a monster, and although he committed several fiendish acts he is not accountable for this as it is merely a consequence of humans disgraceful behaviour, however as the creature endures feelings of both compassion and rage, as he can distinguish between good and evil, and as he desires more than the basic necessities of hunger, shelter and thirst, I believe that the creature must be described as essentially human. Â  

Burma’s Peaceful Transition to a Democratic Future Essay Example for Free

Burma’s Peaceful Transition to a Democratic Future Essay Burma is an Asian country that attained its independence on 4th January 1948 and is bordered by China on the North and Thailand on the East. it was referred to as the union of Burma in 1948. On January 4th 1974 it changed its name to the union of Burma and then on 23rd September, 1888 it reverted to the union of Burma. In 1989, then it changed the name again to the union of Myanmar and this was through the efforts by the state law and order restoration council (SLORC). It is a country whose population has had a lot of significance in Burma’s politics. The Burmese government is known as Myanmar and assumed an authoritarian feature that is dominated by a military leader. There have been substantial efforts to switch to a more democratic moves but these efforts have be hampered by the military which is against this move for example in 1990, a parliamentary government was elected but the Burma’s military could not let it to convene. Burma has a population of about 50 million people and has 500,000 troops who have been helping the government to create a regime of fear by denying the citizens most of their basic rights. Some democratic leaders have come up and visualized a viable idea of freeing the people from the torture they get from the government. In 1992 with his party the National League for Democracy, managed to scoop 82 % of all country’s parliamentary seats but the military regime which used dictatorship principles declined to transfer power to the leaders that were democratically elected. For more than ten years later, Aung San Suu kyi was put on house arrest and was released only in 2002. Her release was viewed by many as the only hope to the establishment of Burmese democratic government that would be sensitive to the people’s needs unfortunately in 2003 herself and many of her supporters were killed by a rowdy mob that was sponsored by the government. This conflict between the majority and the minority became evident after Burma achieved independence in 1948. It was at this time that Aung San Suu was given the mandate to control all those areas that traditionally were not controlled by only single community. After 1948 when the Burmese constitution was signed, constitution right have not been exercised on the minorities, they also do not have pieces of land and especially those that formerly belonged to their people. Since the war period, the Burman minorities have been sidelined by the majority who are the Burmese Burma was a British colony from the 1920s and this continued up to 1948. Though the Burma’s heartland was ruled directly by the colonial powers, the surrounding regions were allowed to rule themselves and this led the loyalty to split along the ethnic lines. The dominant ethnic group is the Burmese that comprise of 68 percent of the whole population and minority accounts for the remaining 32 percent. Religion in Burma has played a key role in causing further divisions. There are many religious in Burma for example there are Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. These religious divisions have been aggravating the situations for example in 1991; more than a quarter million Muslims were evicted from their homes. This was exacerbated by the fact that there were many alliances formed. They were forced to cross the border to Bangladesh where they were accepted as refugees by the Bangladesh government but were helped by the international community with the basic needs. Today, the Burmese government is led a prime minister whose regime is greatly accused of displacing thousands of Burmese communities both internally and externally, some community such as Karen, Mon and Kareni were forced to seek refuge in Thailand. Those that are internationally displaced receive a better treatment than those that are internally displaced as the later are mistreated by the military. It is estimated that about 600,000 citizens have been internally displaced and are constantly looking for ways they could avoid slavery. They are used as slaves by this government as many of them are conscripted in the army by force or are left with no other choice except from joining the drug network that is sponsored by the state. There are various movements that have been trying to free the population of Burma from military. Some of these are; the Junta, the Karen National Union and the Moi Tai army though their efforts did not materialize because most of the current military officials are from the community with the majority that oppresses the minorities. So, it is really hard to make any advance but there is one very vibrant group that has mobilized the minorities to participate in a non-violent peaceful demonstration. Led by Buddhist monks, these people protested against the abuse of human rights and matched in groups of more than hundred thousand protestors in the streets. The Head of the State, General Shwe who is also the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is greatly criticized by the United States and the European governments which have imposed various sanctions that are enforced thorough consumer boycotts. The United States of America and the European governments using their influence led other Western nations to stop cooperating with Burma. Though these governments have been relentless in enforcing bans against Burma, some western companies are still cooperating due to some loopholes in sanction application. Most of these are the oil companies. Such as the American oil company and the French oil company. Also Cherron and the Yadana natural gas pipeline that runs from Burma all the way to Thailand is so much in use. There are still Asian businesses that operate in Burma for example the Daewoo Company that invests in extracting resources. The United States government in collaboration with the European governments also imposed sanctions on Burma’s clothing as well western nations to stop sourcing from Burma and more particularly those shops that were either partially or wholly supported by the government. After those peaceful protests, a good number of people stopped getting their products from Burma and these were led by an individual like Levi Strauss who was very vibrant in keeping up with the fight against the government products for example from 1992,many American cloth and shoes companies stopped acquiring their properties from Burma. In 2003, the united government banned Burma’s imports as in accordance with the Burmese freedom and democracy Act that was amended in the year 2003 however, some people have attacked this United States strategy of forcing this government to step down as has led many people to suffer greatly. Despite these critics, the move was supported by the Burmese democratic movement and has supposed by the Burmese democratic movement and has vowed to keep encouraging the western world to impose harder and stricter sanctions against the military government (Smith M. 1991) Burma insurgency and the politics of ethnicity London and New Jersey. Zed books. The human watches in Burma have highlighted all the crimes against humanity but there is no judiciary to address the problem any such move faces strong opposition from the military government. There is no free communication that is allowed by the Burmese military government in fact no one is allowed to access the internet and the search engines such as Google, G mail, hotmail and yahoo so the Burmese citizens are less informed. What the government has done is that it does not allow these companies to operate in its territory and as such they are blocked. If people have to access materials from the internet, they must first of all be filtered and censored by the military government. They use US filtering soft wares such as the Fortinet to censor emails, web pages and pro-democratic pages. In Burma, child soldiers are forcefully conscripted. They are also forced to punish their fellow military friends by being giving death threats incase they do not as they bare told. Children are conscripted in army by force. These children are promised to be jailed if they do not accept to join the army. Since the military regime usurped power in 1962, after overthrowing sthe democratically elected government, this regime has been one of the worst violators of human rights in the whole universe. The climax reached after the (SLORC) State Law and Order Restoration Council was changed To State Peace And Development Council sometimes back in 1997, November. This party in 1988 seized the states powers established itself and forcefully removed the little pretence that was there that they were upholding the dignity of the citizens and took part in massacring the demonstrates who were demonstrating against the creation of this undemocratic regime. They were marching in the streets of Rangoon and Burmese towns and cities when the military forces descended on them killing thousands. According to the comment that was made by the amnesty international human rights violation and torture were like a Burmese institution and they even listed various forms of abuses that were perpetrated by this corrupt regime. This report was further affirmed by the United Nations and other human rights watchdog. These abuses that they listed were for example torture, murder, litany abuses, forced displacements of citizens, holding or arresting individuals and keeping them in detention houses without trials and various litany abuses. These were the activities that were characteristic of this military regime and citizens have suffered enormously under it. Children were also abused by the military that forcefully conscript them in the army and also the villagers were forced to work for the military. Children are reportedly said to have been raped and defiled by the troops. The military operations that are from time to time conducted in various villages and these led to deterioration of living standards for example this was witnessed in Karen state and Shan state in 2001. This has forced many to be to run away to the neighboring states such as Thailand while those who are unable to move out of the country were internally displaced. The internally displaced and lived in the camps for internally displaced received very harsh treatment by the ruling military regime than those who manage to seek refuge in the neighboring states. The military regime do not in any way follow the internationally agreed freedoms for example the civil and political rights though Burma is a signatory to various international peace accords. Everything that happens in this country must be censored including the exhibitions. There is completely no freedom of expression. Even publications are not spared as they are censored by the government infact it is only sports and romance magazines are not censored. The broadcasting media houses are state owned and the government has the monopoly over them. They only air information that is favorable to them for example you it is common to see junta’s generals making speeches and from these stations and instead they go for less biased information. The SLOPCS has been very determined in curtailing the freedom of speech. Though they try to censor the information given by the public media, there are international ones that give more accurate information and these are what people rely on. These are stations such as the British broadcasting corporation (BBC), the democratic voice of Burma, radio Free Asia and the Voice of America (VOA). Apart from these international radio stations, any other person who goes against this decree risked twenty years imprisonment as per the 1996 decree. These are some of the laws that are enforced by this government without any regard to the international law standards. Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from government controls and abject rural poverty. The military regime took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the â€Å"Burmese Socialism†, but those efforts have since stalled. Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances including a steep inflation rate and an official exchange rate that overvalues the Burmese kyat by more than 100 times the market rate. Burma is a nation that is rich in various natural resources for example the country has precious such as pearls and rubies. The country is also rich in natural gases. In 1962 its economy was performing well when compared to other economies of the developing nations but the socialist party which assumed power later changed the economic status of Burma for example it replaced the capitalism mode of economy with socialism that advocated for central planning as opposed to central planning. Due to this economic change it became one of the poorest developed nations of world. In addition, most overseas development assistance was cut after the junta suppressed the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 election. A crisis in the private banking sector in early 2003 followed by economic moves against Burma by the United States, the European Union, and Japan – including a US ban on imports from Burma and a Japanese freeze on new bilateral economic aid further weakened the Burmese economy. Burma is data poor, and official statistics are often dated and inaccurate. Published estimates of Burma’s foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and border trade – often estimated to be one to two times the official economy. Better relations with foreign countries and relaxed controls at home are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. In February 2003, a major banking crisis hit the country’s 20 private banks, shutting them down and disrupting the economy. In July and August 2003, the United States imposed a ban on all Burmese imports and a ban on provision of financial services, hampering Burma’s ability to obtain foreign exchange. As of January 2004, the largest private banks remained moribund, leaving the private sector with little formal access to credit outside of government contracts. In Burma the rate of unemployment is very high and the prices of commodities are very high and life standards are very high. According to one businessman said that the situation in Burma was moving from bad to worse and that there was looming danger of social unrest, lectures, professors and pipeline construction workers are poorly paid. Due the constant mass uprising by the democratic movement against this regime, it was rendered bankrupt in 1988 in the onset of the 21st century, it was on the lowest income generating countries in the world but it has greatly reversed this situation because it dropped its economic isolationism. It has also welcomed the foreign investors in its economy so that it would strengthen its military bases. In response to its call, UNOCAL and TOTAL oil companies came to its rescue. In Burma, there are military controlled economic sectors such as Myanmar economic holdings limited and the Myanmar economic corporation that is, UMEH and MEC respectively. These two industries which are controlled by the Burmese military are the ones that dominate the economic sector of Burma. UMEH is geared towards military strengthening while MEC is geared towards shifting the defense cost from the public sector to the private ones but both corporations have a part to play in strengthening the military base of Burma. Though European Union has been imposing economic sanctions to Burma its sanctions are not as stricter as those of the United States. It has invested a lot in Burma and it doesn’t want to lose the much that it has invested. United States has been very keen in reinforcing the bans or sanctions that have been imposed on Burma. The US government particularly has imposed a ban on its investments in this country and has also placed a ban against Burmese exports. Since the bans were proposed, US is the only nation that has implemented them. In the past, the European Union has not been imposing strict sanctions but starting from last year it has increased economic sanctions on precious metals and on imports such as gemstone and timber but they still demand for fresh elections to be held and human rights to be respected. It is only thorough these ways that the country can witness a transition from military rule to a democratic one. It had eased its sanctions basing its reasoning on its above conditions. Japan has been very friendly to Burma. It has never failed to support this military regime though on a small scale. Infact it is one of the major donor in Burma but it is reconsidering its foreign policy on Burma especially after a Japanese journalist was killed. It said that it would cut the aid that Burma gets from it. The other reason for it to withhold its financial aid was in 2003 when San Suu Kyi was kept in detention by the Junta. They believed that was the only best move that would pressurize the military regime to address the democratic principles that have never been allowed to take root in this regime. In 2002,Japan supported Burma’s government with 17 million US dollars on top of that it gave Burma the technical support it needed Japan which was all this time shying away from enforcing sanctions on Burma as the US and UK were doing, it changed its policy after this saga. The British government pressurized the European Union to increase sanctions until san Suu Kyi was realized but it was assured that these sanctions would be eased if Suu Kyi was released. That nation that seems to support Burma or appears or appears or appears to be annually to Burma face violation by the US and UK government and this has occurred to china and North Korea. This is based on misconception that these close friends would be providing economic support to this government that has little regards for its citizens. The United States for example was very bitter because Burmese government suppressed democracy and imposed its will on people and that is why it has imposed sanctions. The heroic stature of Aung San Suu Kyi has greatly helped in making Myanmar to be recognized world wide. China has been blamed for helping this region for its support. The western world cannot sway the Juntas government for this to be effective, then the regional ASEAN countries such as India, Thailand and especially china must first be willing to transform this government. China has been asking Myanmar to quell violence and control protesters but it seems this is falling on deaf ears. China has been helping Burma in international affairs management for example it has been very vibrant in keeping the issue of Burma out of the United Nation’s agenda but the United States and the British governments have been on the other side. Due to many economic sanctions that have been imposed on this regime, it finds it even hard to provide aid to its people who living in poverty. The aid that Burmese gets is below par and is the lowest in the region especially when it compared with that of the local countries for example, an individual’s aid is counted as 2. 5 dollars per head while that of Laos’s stands at 63 US dollars. China has been accused of providing Junta with military aid thus limiting the chances of democracy being realized. It has continued to conduct business relations with. Burma but it is because of some factors that are understandable and some of these are that Burma is rich in useful natural gases that china is interested in again Burma provides China with an overland route to the Indian ocean so Chinese government would not do anything to destroy its relations with Burma. Though there have been calls for better treatment of protestors, they fall on deaf ears. The amnesty international has been pressurizing the United Nations to impose embargos and sanctions on China so that peace in Burma would be realized. This is based on understanding that the Burmese military government relies on china for most of its assistance so, if china was to cut its military aid then, the Burmese government would be unable to control the nation there by creating a platform of peace transition. If the new government would come in place, it would not find it hard to sustain itself even without getting any financial aid from other countries. There are a lot of minerals that aid from other countries. There are a lot of minerals that would help the government to finance its entire government projects. The new government should create confidence among its citizens so that they would participate in the economy thereby making the economy of this nation even stronger. This government should also extend its business relations with other nations as many of them do not have those minerals and definitely they would be so much interested in them. Work cited. Altsean-Burma: Alternative Asean Network on Burma campaigns, advocacy and capacity-building for human rights. 2008. Accessed on Wednesday, March, 2008 at http://www. altsean. org/ Andrew S. Burma’s Armed Forces: Power without Glory. Norwalk: East Bridge. 2002; 45-56 Burma net News. Accessed on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at www. burmanet. org BBC News. Analysis: Burma’s economic Crisis. 15th March, 2002, 13:47 GMT Accessed at http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/1871326. stm Brookings. Quality, independence and impact. Retrieved on April 30, 2008 at www. brookings. edu Donald M. S. Burma-China Relations: Playing with Fire. Asian Survey, Vol. 37, No. 6, 1997; 533 International Crisis Group. Working To Reduce Crisis World Wide. Retrieved on April 30, 2008 at http://www. crisisgroup. org/home/index. cfm Myanmar. com. New Light of Myanmar. April 30, 2008 Accessed on April 30, 2008. At http://www. myanmar. com Philip S. Robertson: Sanctions Are Working in Burma. 2003. Online commentary at www. irrawaddy. org/com/2003/com31. html Accessed on August 2003. Smith M. Burma insurgency and the politics of ethnicity. London and New Jersey. 1991; 78 Burma’s Peaceful Transition to a Democratic Future. (2016, Jul 31).