Monday, September 30, 2019
A Gap of Sky
The short story written by Anna Hope is about a girl called Elli. Her life is a typical dystrophy student's chaos, dominated by drugs, anticipation parents and a distracting Identity crisis. There are several themes that concern the story, and I shall now review some of them. As my aforementioned statement points out, Identity crawls Is an essential Issue throughout the story. Her mind Lies In a dilemma between either to follow her desires, or the expectations which are upon her.She doesn't know whether o succumb to the temptation of the drugs and partying, or to complete her course and score high grades for the good of her mom and dad. Other themes which could cover a Gap of Sky would be issues like expectations, responsibility, drugs, youth and pressure. The narrator is using the stream of consciousnessâ⬠technique throughout most of the story, which is very similar to similar to Virginia Woofs writing manner. It gives the reader a slightly confusing and unfocused interpretati on, though it also manages to pull the reader Into the main character's mind.In spite of the fact that you may easily feel; that the narrator Is Elli herself, It Is actually a third person omniscient narrator. The language of the text Is highly Influenced by slang, and has a typical youngsterâ⬠stereotypical use. The story begins In an ââ¬Å"In medias restâ⬠and follows a linearly progression. It has its turning point when Elli begins her adventure of finding ink, by walking out of her door. There is also a use of similes, metaphors and symbols. Especially the similes are visible ââ¬â for example in line 49 ââ¬Å"(â⬠¦ And it feels like ledge, like thick dark sludgeâ⬠, and line 83 ââ¬Å"(â⬠¦ ) and her skull feels as though it might split openâ⬠. The metaphors aren't particularly prominent in the text, but these, plus the similes, make you get a more figurative interpretation, than if there weren't any. The last rhetorical device used in the text, th at I shall go into, is the personification which for example Is used In line 128 ââ¬Å"(â⬠¦ ) she wants to receive this night and Its great dark pulsingâ⬠Symbols are dominant In the text. Some very obviously, some less obvious.The love on line 61, which has its ââ¬Å"buck fingerâ⬠ââ¬Ë raised, makes Elli think ââ¬Å"Buck it allâ⬠. It is therefore a symbol of Else's rebellious side and the way that Elli wishes to follow her dreams without any concerns for her surroundings. But this sensation vanishes when Elli sees the skull at the exhibition. Her state of mind suddenly orbits the thought of life and death. She feels that it isn't a coincidence that she's there. She thinks that the exhibition is made to tell her something, to wake her up. She becomes so afraid of facing death, that she has to run away from the museum.There is also the red Jasper to mention. Although the symbolism of this object is explained to some extent, it Is worth to mention how much the stone voices the regret Elli has over how much she has taken her mother's love for granted. Despite all the loving and caring Else's mother has yielded, Elli has been entirely ungrateful. Also the title of the story ââ¬Å"A gap of sky plays an Important part In this analysis. Somewhere In the story Elli sees a gap of sky. This is partially a metaphor, which illustrates the gap in her state of broken, or a gap where something new can grow.Where something can change. There is a certain enumeration of nouns in the short story, which creates a dynamic understanding and concludes with a certain amount of short sentences. Especially in line 28-37. It takes place over a couple of hours, from afternoon to early evening in central London. It is also the city where Elli lives and studies. One might almost say that ââ¬Å"A gap of sky' is a parallel history to Virginia Wolf's life. The fact that both of her parents killed themselves caused, that Virginia went through a long time clogged tit d epressions and nervous breakdowns.The outcome of it was that she, at the age of 59, threw herself in the river near her home and drowned. In the end of the story Elli comes to a river at the end of The Strand. This river is yet another dilemma. The aforementioned climax at the exhibition, makes her become afraid of death, thus afraid of drugs. The river could be the place where she would be able to wash herself clean. On the other hand the river could also be the place where she could end all these troubles and worries, like Virginia Wolf.The ending of the story makes it up to ourselves to figure out what will happen next. This whole scenario that we, as readers, are brought into, is not only a Journey through the streets of London, but also a Journey through Else's mind and thought. You have to notice that Elli is not only a simple human being. She is also representing the dilemmas and crises that teenagers have to go through nowadays. They have so many possibilities, and therefore also a lot of responsibility. That is the fundamental topic in A Gap of Sky.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Pestle, Porter and SWOT analysis of Lukoil Essay
LUKOIL, a vertically integrated oil company, and carries out exploration, acquisition, integration and subsequent efficient development of oil and gas fields outside the Russian Federation to facilitate the transformation of LUKOIL into a transnational energy corporation. LUKOIL operates in 25 countries (the most major of them are Russia, Azerbaijan, USA, Georgia, Turkey and Czech Republic). Net income in 2013 is $3.105 billion. Basic earnings per share ââ¬â $4.11. The Companyââ¬â¢s 2012 net income rose by 6.2% and reached record $11,004 billion. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization) rose by 1.7% and reached $18,915 billion. Sales revenues were $139,171 billion (+4.1% y-o-y). In 2013 Forbes estimated LUKOIL as #43 in Sales, #34 in Profit, #254 in Assets, #139 in Market value. According to these data we can assume, that LUKOIL is successful Russian company with a lot of strengths, like good prospects regarding financial indicators. And fortu nately, it doesnà ´t need any financing. Usually, the company invests in different projects regarding environmental protection andà employeeà ´s support. 2. Mission and Vision Mission: ââ¬Å"The Companyââ¬â¢s mission consists in increasing shareholder value through the exploration and production of hydrocarbons outside Russia.â⬠My vision of the situation is that company wants to be a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons on the international market. Moreover, Lukoil has a purpose to support economic growth and social stability in long-term prospects. Thus, it has some main aims such as to achieve reputation of a reliable and dependable hydrocarbon supplier in the world; to deliver high-quality petroleum products to end-users; to ensure long-term sustainable growth; to reach leading position on the market; My formulation of the mission: Lukoil as a company in the oil and gas industry using natural energy recourses is trying to be a leader in the international market by reducing costs, increasing operations and stabling social aspects. Vision: ââ¬Å"The company wants to be worldââ¬â¢s leader in oil and gas sector by first-class services to our customers, effective HR policy, reliable and positive image of the company, effective environmental policy, optimization of the operational efficiency, decrease of the operational costs, sustain high-profit level.â⬠In conclusion, companyââ¬â¢s mission determines a purpose within the organization; provides standards for allocating organizational resources; establishes a general organizational climate; shows purpose and direction. Consequently, mission and vision are clear and give a lot of advantage. 3. Macro-environment (PESTLE) At the beginning of this part, it is necessary to mention some relevant facts: Population in Russia: 139mln Area: 17mln sq. km Time zones: GMT +2 to +11 9th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP, reaching USD 2014,8 bn 2013 Exports and Imports exceed 50% GDP Highest GDP per capita among BRICS countries Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi 2012 and FIFA World Cup 2018 are coming 1. GDP Figure 2.1 Real GDP As we can see on the Figure 2.1 Real GDP has a tendency to grow up. Moreover, the present value of Real GDP is about 2014.8 USD billion which is the highest point during the history. Real GDP had been increased up to more than 6% in comparison with the previous period Contemporary situation in economy, especially in Real GDP, shows the opportunity for a company to increase production, because higher GDP means higher consumer expenditures; in turn, it is an alleviating competitive pressure within industry, then itââ¬â¢s the potential for expansion. As we can see GDP is constantly growing that means an opportunity to have higher revenues for LUKOIL Company because people have a higher profits and respectively higher consumer expenditures. 2. Interest rate The interest rate in Russia was last recorded at 5.50 percent. Interest Rate in Russia is reported by the Central Bank of Russia. It is quite high interest rate in comparison with for instance European countries. The average interest rate in Europe is 0.25%. For LUKOIL it is a threat of decreasing the companyââ¬â¢s sales, because during high interest rate potential consumers tend to spend less (borrowings become more expensive). Therefore the consumer purchasing power is quite low and companyââ¬â¢s sales will be decreased. Figure 2.2 Russia interest rate 3. Inflation rate Figure 2.4 Russia inflation rate Figure 2.5 Petroleum price RUB per liter As we can see Figure 2.4 and Figure 2.5, the oil price and rate of inflationà are connected directly: when oil price goes up, the inflation follows in the same direction. We can explain it by that the oil is the major input in economy (oil is used for manufacturing and transportation). The inflation rate in Russia was recorded at 6.30 percent in October of 2013. It has a positive impact on Oil and Gas industry. LUKOIL can estimate future profit more accurate and eliminate several risks which effected by the oil price and inflation rate. 4. Unemployment rate Figure 2.5 Russia unemployment rate At the moment the rate is 5,5%. And the tendency has a declining character. Thus it could be opportunity to find high-qualified employees. There is a competition on a labor market. 5. Reservoirs of oil Russia is the first country in the world in crude oil production. Its share is 12%. This indicator makes the country attractive for the investors. Consequently, LUKOIL could use positive investment climate of Russia as the companyââ¬â¢s benefit. 6. Taxes Nowadays there are three main taxes which have influence on economic in Russia: a) Corporate tax rate ââ¬â 20% b) Personal income tax rate ââ¬â 13% c) Sales tax rate ââ¬â 18% Accordingly to these indicators the corporate tax rate is quite low in comparison with Japan ââ¬â 38,01%, United Arab Emirates ââ¬â 55%, US ââ¬â 35%. Therefore, it is opportunity to increase a profit (low taxes increase net profit). We are analyzing oil and gas industry in Russia. Fortunately most of deposits are situated in cold geographical areas like Tyumen Region, called Extreme North or Far North. Government gives a lot of benefits like people who work there are used to receive an extra grade of payment, referred to as the ââ¬Å"Northern Bonusâ⬠, as well as other benefits, including extra vacation, extra disability benefits, extra retirement benefits, and housing benefits. LUKOIL wonââ¬â¢t increase outflow of money into pension fundsà etc. 4. Technological factors (PESTLE) New technologies are an important competitive advantage of LUKOIL Group. Key technological aspects: 1. The company conducts R&D to develop new technologies and upgrade the existing ones. 2. Cooperation with national projects is actively developing, including the Skolkovo innovation project and the RUSNANO Corporation. 3. Great attention is paid to developing information technologies and improving business processes. 4. The total financing of scientific and technical works in 2012 amounted to US$ 150 million. It is opportunity to use own technology and ability to exclude costs for using technologies from elsewhere. 5. Environmental factors (PESTLE) Waste disposal Russia drowns in 60 million tons of garbage a year. It is serious problem in waste disposal issue. Today, only 11% of the whole volume is recycled. Unfortunately, it is substantial evidence of contemporary problem and the threat for environment. LUKOIL uses chemicals for production, which could be statutory restrictions by the government for environmental protection. It is the threat for company of activitiesââ¬â¢ restriction. Pollution Oil and Gas industry damages nature by pollution. Many risks occur like spilling of oil into the sea or into the ocean. In this case LUKOIL will pay damage to nature and spoil its reputation. Consequently, LUKOIL should take into account all risks and try to avoid them. Climate There is the dominance of the continental climate on the territory of the country. Russia faced to one serious problem during springs. It is flood. For oil industry it could be a relevant threat because it directly depends on transportation, for instance if roads are damaged it is becoming complicated to transport oil to different regions. 6. Political factors (PESTLE) Strictly speaking, two of the most dangerous threats are the high level of corruption and terrorism. High level of corruption Russia is ranked 127th out of 175 countries in Transparency Internationalââ¬â¢s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2013. This score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption in a country or territory. Terrorism There is a terrorist war aimed at destabilizing Russia politically and economically. Few weeks ago there was the 3rd terrorist attack in Volgograd during last 2 months. Membership in World Trade Organization In August 2012, Russia officially became a World Trade Organization member. Moreover, European Union contributes half of Russia trade flows. It is opportunity of simplified international market access with the purpose of trade and it is opportunity of hiring professional and administrative staff on fixed term contracts. Index of Economic Freedom Index of Economic Freedom in Russia is 51.3 out of 100 and it ranked as mostly unfree. These ranking means that the country is not attractive to do business and indicates a low possibility of obtaining investment. Thus, it is a threat for LUKOIL, it will be difficult to attract foreign investors. Protection of property rights It is an opportunity to protect LUKOILââ¬â¢s innovations and to get patent. 7. Legal factors (PESTLE) The following laws of the Russian Federation form the main legal framework of the oil and gas industry: Constitution of the Russian Federation. Federal Law On Subsoil (Subsoil Law). Federal Law On Gas Supply in the Russian Federation (Gas Supply Law). Federal Law On Natural Monopolies. Federal Law On the Continental Shelf of the Russian Federation. Federal Law On Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency. Federal Law On Production Sharing Agreements. The following federal laws are also relevant to the legal framework of the natural resources industry of the Russian Federation: The Codes of the Russian Federation, including the Civil Code, Land Code, Water Code, Forest Code, Tax Code, Code on Administrative Violations and Criminal Code. Federal Law on Environmental Protection. Federal Law on Ecological Expertise. Supreme Council Regulations on the Procedure of Enactment of the Provisions on the Procedure of Licensing of the Subsoil Use of 1992 (Subsoil Use Licensing Regulations). The fundamental rights that are guaranteed to each Russian citizen are: All people shall be equal before the law and court. The State shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership of public associations, and also of other circumstances. All forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be banned. Man and woman shall enjoy equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them. That means that Lukoil should take into account all this rights and keep it in mind when hiring the employees. 8. Socio-cultural factors (PESTLE) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 11,498,268/female 10,890,853) 15-24 years: 12.4% (male 9,031,057/female 8,662,557) 25-54 years: 45.8% (male 31,894,116/female 33,432,996) 55-64 years: 13.1% (male 7,926,184/female 10,711,347) 65 years and over: 13% (male 5,622,464/female 12,847,828) Most of population is in ââ¬Å"capable of workingâ⬠age. There is a competition on labor market. It is an opportunity to find employees corresponded to the standards of the company. Main religion: Christianity No requirement in the organization of labor. Thus, it is opportunity for LUKOIL to organize manufacture easily. High level of education Opportunity to attract well-qualified personnel. 9. Porterââ¬â¢s 5 Forces 1. Threat of New Entrants (Low) The LUKOIL is protected by high barriers to entry. Therefore the threat of new entrants is very low Huge amounts of capital expenditure are needed to perform the activities, for example the cost of refinery is almost $7 billion, the price of petrol station is $600 000. Large amounts of fixed are require for the development of oil fields and the installation of production facilities Costs for entering the industry: drilling costs, oilfield services, skilled labor, scientific research, materials and energy Only companies that operate economies of scale can survive, for example LUKOIL has been searching for oil since 1991. They invest a huge amount in up-to-date technologies making it difficult for new entrants to compete. Russia allows only national companies (or foreign companies in partnership with the national company) to exploit oil reservoirs, because it is owned by the state. It is barrier to entry. 2. Power of Suppliers (High) There are more then 100 suppliers in Russia; OAO ââ¬Å"Gaztrubinvestâ⬠, TOO ââ¬Å"KST Steelâ⬠, OAO ââ¬Å"Severstalâ⬠are some of them. But their products are unique: tubular products, electric centrifugal pumps, oil cable, spurt steel framework. What gives them high bargaining power to dictate conditions. Moreover there are no substitutes, because the equipment needed for oil industry is special and impossible to replace. 3. Power of Buyers (Low) The main buyers are government and car owners. Product differentiation is low and customers donââ¬â¢t have opportunity to choose, only to buy. The market share of LUKOIL is almost 17% and it has contracts with government, becauseà they have a big chain of petrol stations. Consumersââ¬â¢ willingness to pay is the only power buyers have. Only very large buyers of oil such as big countries like US may influence oil price. Overall the buyer power is low 4. Threat of Substitutes (Low) At the moment customers can not switch from using oil and gas for other sources of energy. Only some European countries introduced renewable sources of energy instead of gas and oil. But there are many alternatives of energy: coal, solar, and wind power. Instead of this fact, we notice the demand for oil increases every year and there is no chance of decreasing in consumption. 5. Industry Rivalry (High) LUKOIL has 4 serious competitors: Rosneft (22% share of market), TNK-BP (14%), Surgutneftegaz (12%), Gazprom neft (6%). Even though there is a very strong rate of growth in oil and gas sector the rivalry remain small due to large switching costs, required investments for a new entrance, size of competitors, and political barriers. There is no place for small companies because of few market leaders. Also there is no possibility that competitors will offer a lower price. LUKOIL is second company that operates in Russia. The leader is Rosneft and its main competitorââ¬Å½. LUKOIL has 17% share of Russian market, Rosneft 22% respectively. 10. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses ââ¬â 1st among the largest private oil and gas companies in the world. ââ¬â 1.3% oil reserves of total reserves of oil worldwide ââ¬â and second in terms of volume proven hydrocarbons reserves ââ¬â about 2% of total global reserves; ââ¬â Increase in oil index price in the world. ââ¬â High entry barriers in the market, which eliminates small competitors. ââ¬â Very sufficient technology of research and exploration. ââ¬â Geographical business diversification (30 countries). ââ¬â Large amount of oil reserves(17%) ââ¬â Superior oil related technology. ââ¬â Fully vertical and horizontal integrated. ââ¬â Well supported by Russian government. ââ¬â Constant increase in demand for gas and oil in Russia. ââ¬â Constant research and innovation. ââ¬â Production costs are relatively high compared with levels achieved by its main competitors. ââ¬â The companyââ¬â¢s communication both inside and outside is slow and bureaucratic. ââ¬â Cost of environmental hazards. Opportunities Threats ââ¬â Increase in oil and gas demand in Russia. ââ¬â New exploration projects. ââ¬â Investment into new businesses. ââ¬â Iraq oil project. ââ¬â Corruption. ââ¬â Terrorism. ââ¬â Floods. ââ¬â Decrease sales (high interest rate). ââ¬â Competition on the market Internal analysis Revenue $139.2 billion Employees 150.000 Recommendations Despite having a relatively good position in the regional market of Central and Eastern Europe, LUKOIL faces strong competition. In this context, LUKOIL should increase its market share through an offensive strategy of territorial expansion and to attract new customer segments. In addition, LUKOIL should ensure implementation of new technologies for modern and efficient production in terms of cost and continues its efforts to improve product quality and competitiveness, in order to meet international standards, including API and ACEA. Another important trend is the application of marketing strategies on the downstream, taking into accountà the factors influencing consumer choice of stations: location, value for money, image, service, the existence of ancillary services. These strategies are reflected in the mix of marketing, in which both product and promotion play a central role.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
American Education And William A Henry Education Essay
American Education And William A Henry Education Essay In America today we believe that everyone should be educated and seek some form of higher education. We also believe that everyone should be entitled to the same educational opportunities and given every chance to become a productive member of society. Because of these beliefs it has made us the strong democratic country that we are today. In William A. Henry IIIââ¬â¢s essay ââ¬Å"In Defense of Elitismâ⬠he believes that everyone should not be given the same educational opportunities; because he believes that not everyone is competent enough to make it in college. Henry thinks that a college education should only be offered to an elite few. He believes that if America would follow his method then the educational standards would rise and make college more prestigious. Henry believes that too many students in college today are only there to make more money in the future and he believes that this is the wrong reason to seek a college education. Because of this it is creating a tremendous downfall in our education system. Henry is not alone on this belief. Benjamin R. Barber shares this same belief in his essay ââ¬Å"America Skips School.â⬠Barber also agrees with Henry in the belief that there should be a very distinguished line separating vocational and academic education. Even though they share some of the same beliefs, they begin to clash when it comes to their ideas of improving Americaââ¬â¢s education system. Barber believes that we have failed to educate our youth. We have created a money hungry generation and by not allowing them to go to college will taking away the only opportunity they have to become well educated and a productive member of society. Barbers ideas and beliefs outweigh those of Henry, because he realizes the need and importance to have well educated citizens in order to preserve and strengthen the strong democracy that America has worked so hard to achieve. William A. Henry criticizes Americaââ¬â¢s views on education. He thinks that having this egalitarian outlook is degrading our educational values and taking away from the hard work and accomplishment of getting a college degree these days. Henry backs up his point by stating that there are too many students enrolled in college and eventually the standards and requirements for college will drop. Henry believes that itââ¬â¢s normal for your average young adult to receive a college degree and the prestige of possessing one is no longer there. Ultimately, he thinks we have allowed too many people who are unqualified to receive a college degree. Henry would like to see elitism brought back to Americaââ¬â¢s education system. Therefore he proposes that we reduce the number of high school students who go on to college by giving every senior a standardized test and shutdown down schools depending on the students performance. Henry thinks that every student is ultimately responsible for their own future and eventually they have to step up and take responsibility for their own actions. By separating the ones that care about their education from the ones that donââ¬â¢t will restore our education..
Friday, September 27, 2019
Azithromycin loaded polyethylene sebacate nanoparticles preparation, Essay
Azithromycin loaded polyethylene sebacate nanoparticles preparation, pharmacokinetic and efficacy in pneumonia of rabbits - Essay Example The reason for the interest is that the scientific community believes that there are 2 ways of using nanoparticles for drug delivery. The first reason is that due to the minute size of the particle, nanoparticles have the uncanny ability to penetrate even the smallest human capillary. The nanoparticles spread through the human system, thus allowing for efficient drug accumulation in target specific areas of the body. Second, the biodegradable materials used in the creation of nanoparticles has allowed pharmaceutical companies to develop long term release drug preparations within target sites covering a span of a few days to a few weeks. (Sahoo et al., 2003) The reason for this superior method of chemical delivery within the human system stems from the nanomedicines measuring only between 10 and 100 nanometers (nm). This makes the chemicals much easier to absorb than its larger sized counterparts when administered in passive mode for tissue penetration. Currently, nanomedicine drug formulations are designed to work with existing generic drugs, which reduces the cost of drug formulation for the pharmaceutical company. While most drugs in its current form are already effective in treating various illnesses, nano formulation of the same drugs allow the manufacturers to fine tune the drug molecules, this providing a significant increase in the effectiveness of the drug. This is done through the development of sustained release drugs that offer minimal side effects in the process. Known as nanoparticular drug delivery, the system allows a normal pharmacokinetic profile to deliver the correct amount of drugs in a targeted method that will affect only the required area over an extended period. This is a method that is not totally possible with encapsulated drugs. The nanoparticular drug delivery has allowed pharmaceutical science to
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Scattering or Sowing of Seeds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Scattering or Sowing of Seeds - Essay Example Digging into the definition of "collective memory" it is evident that past experiences of an individual in a society influences the experiences of others in the same society and elsewhere. Collective memory is defined as the shared memory that can be passed on and also constructed by the group or modern society. (Esquith, 1996, P. 78) The definition further predisposes that it s the memory that a community possesses of its own history, lessons and learning it consciously. The tendency of bringing the entire institutional fabric which is created during such periods (when such memory occurs) impacts neglectively on the role of collective memory. It does not play a crucial role in the processes of political change. It leaves a mark on the daily political practices once the new regime becomes established. Collective memory leaves traces of the past memory in the political learning systems but to some extend this is unavoidable. (Fabre, 1994, P.29) Most of the studies under this topic focus on the effects of trauma that is produced by the memory of those bad times, war for example. Most of the scholars indicate that the war left an indelible mark on the nation. This could or can affect and undermine the peaceful nature of the society at critical moments. Collective memory instills lessons in the individuals' life and when it comes to political learning, chances are that political change may be effective. Political learning is the process through which people modify their political beliefs and tactics as a result of severe crisis, frustrations and dramatic changes in the environment. (Fabre, 1994, P. 33) This phenomenon is based on the fact that beliefs are not fixed immutably in childhood and that they are affected by political events. Political learning represents a process of cognitive change which is key to democratic reconstruction. In the African American culture has a history of struggle. African American struggled to succeed and be free, equal and affirmed. These experiences have impacted positively in some aspects. Most of them have positive sense of racial identity and spiritual strength because during the slavery period, the spirit was vital for survival. It was in the open that colour was a major determinant of who would be a slave and who would be free. (Walton, 1997, P. 132) The spiritual strength of the African - American was also derived from the physical and psychological struggles of slavery. They value self-love and love for others as methods through which people can enhance their personal lives. Through enhancing the lives of people, political change would be evident. Despite the experiences that they had gone through, they still had a great sense of accommodating change. (Walton, 1997, P. 34) Collective memory comes about through collective attitudes and behaviors. These are created and shared through common experiences and communication among a group of people. In the case of the African American, the slavery attitudes and experiences were eminent. The use of collective memory as a political socialization agent was a good target to the bringing of new knowledge to the people through political learning. It had a role of changing perceptions and attitudes of a group of people who had been exposed to hard kind of life. This tool captures the interests of researchers and scholars in social, psychological memory, sociology and anthropology. Research has it that individuals who were born between 1940 and 1960 are
Sales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Sales - Essay Example Ethics is education what is correct and what is incorrect and after that doing the "true thing." Public relations engage offering advice on the "true thing" to execute and then assisting the organization obtains credit for it. The sales and political surplus of the last 10 years have received a number of public relations practitioners to the gloomy face since they experienced it was the merely method for their organization to revenue1. Though it is believe doing correct for corrects sake is sufficient, there are a number of who might not distribute this viewpoint. There's a basis that several good entrepreneur could clinch: study currently demonstrates that publicly accountable attitude is first-class for the bed line. Analysis A fresh analysis of in general monetary performance of the 2001 list of 100 Best Business people demonstrates that this crowd of companies did considerably healthier than the enduring organizations of the S&P 500. It is observed that the mean level of the 100 Best was more than 10 percent superior to the other type of organization of the S&P 500. A lot of group believes that by making a business ethics plan that monetary progress will be guaranteed. The most excellent CEP in the humanity would not give guarantee the progress of an awful creation. Neither would it, in separation, alter individual's attitude. It is merely a part of document in the end. The acceptance of a rule is merely one component of a many-sided procedure that could re-engineer an organization and need important alteration in whole functions and processes. There is no one volume fits all while no two organizations are identical, that's why, in the performance of one conferring organization, opening a novel mission is defined to the client as "incoming the Gray Zone" 2. Science or Art Sales ethics fundamentally is a science of people communication that endorses an optimistic status in the market place. At the same time as development engages individual, it has an inclin ation to be more the achievement of equipment beneath human course. Sales, still at the uppermost business stage, are concerning human relation and boundary. It is regarding reality, simplicity, honesty, and belief, amongst an entire chain of further precise elements. It creates no more sagacity to parse the words Sales and Ethics disjointedly than to differentiate among the words Cold Weather. Sales are the operation of trade and Ethics is the deliberation of how it is performed. In ethics exercise the objective is to attain a truthful status, whatever the field of attempt, with the intention that behavior could be calculated, and accustomed to make the most of kindness towards the organization. Ethics commissions survive in almost each area of life, medical, educational, political, to forename a few, and these well-known meetings plan to augment public assurance in their grounds. examinations into individuals or organizations that have reasoned apprehension raise public self-confi dence with the intention of the organization is eventually disturbed in relation to the familiar good. At the same time as we could definitely talk about the qualities of the peoples words it is not unavoidably creative to do accordingly. In background, and employed as an evocative term, sales ethics is an idea of amount of good behavior for any business venture. Why it is deemed high-quality public relation and sales ethics are inextricably joined? It comes down to clarification. Ethics is actually the
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Community health nursing(strategies for community health promotion) Essay
Community health nursing(strategies for community health promotion) - Essay Example There are four phases identified in the program outline. Nutritional aspects are identified as the means to improve the health of the community as a whole. The roles of the community health personnel in the program are discussed. The stress is on the role of the community nurse, as the community nurse is required to play several roles, each of which is vital to the successful outcome of the program. In this manner the various aspects that go into the development of a program for improving the health of communities, as a part of efficient public health are discussed in the formulation of the program outline. The objective is to develop a program outline for promoting health in an economically disadvantaged community. In the process goals and objectives to encourage better health in the economically disadvantaged community would be identified. In addition two frameworks or models that influence community change towards the identified goals and objectives would be evaluated. Finally the role of the community health service worker in facilitating the program goals and objectives of health promotion in the economically disadvantaged community would be evaluated. 2. Relevance: Promotion of health in disadvantaged communities is becoming more relevant, as disadvantaged communities around the world are on the increase, and found to have very poor health parameters in comparison to their more prosperous counterparts (Heath & Haines, 2000). Therefore, for two reasons it becomes important that efforts be directed at disadvantaged communities to increase health awareness, and better health parameters. The first reason is that societal equality norms demand that these communities not be left out in the advantages that developments of science and technology have given humankind in the understanding of the nature of diseases and
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2
Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Another reason is that someone gets fired or laid off from work and tries hard to get another job. After a year and a half of unemployment benefits now running out and no job in sight, a person has to resort to extraordinary measures to make money or lose the home, car and even the family in some cases. Times can get really hard for these people. Whatever the reason for my finally becoming an entrepreneur, there are certain principles of business and marketing that have to be consolidated first before even getting started. What will I be selling or promoting? That is the heart of my business and, whatever the choice, the product or service must stand out in some way to attract the attention of potential clients (Kiyosaki 2012). My idea is that I would like to start a photography and graphics business as I love digital photography and working with graphics to make unusual and original graphic art. The Entrepreneurial Personality The personalities of entrepreneurs will tend towards tho se who are willing to take risks in order to achieve a goal and I certainly have that characteristic. They also are willing to devise a plan on their own to build a product or service that others will need or want and to put it out there for the entire world to see and comment on. It takes a change of mindset from being an employee where one is told what to do and when to get it done (Kuratko & Hodgetts 1998). That change for me will not be hard to do. ... Entrepreneurial Risk Taker Fig. 1(DCTC 2010) Research must be done on how to proceed and that means finding out what others did and how they did it which is something I have already done. It is one thing to be in an office setting where everything is laid out and most of the hard part is already taken care. An entrepreneur now is in charge of not only developing the product or service, but also the funding, setting up the structure of a business, creating the financial system of operation, designing and building a website for promoting the product and finally, for ensuring its success in the marketplace. At some point, I will hire people to take care of the financial books and office work so I can create the art. All of this takes an organized mind, a lot of determination, a plan of the product or service and a planned structure of the business overall along with marketing procedures (Action Coach 2012). The person therefore, must have the strength and will to take risks, to get back up when falling down, to revise and redevelop as needed, and to study others who may be in the same field or genre of product and service. I have already made some mistakes but view these as a learning process before getting right down to creating my business. Ultimately, I view myself as strong, innovative, utilizing creative thinking in solving problems and always open to making changes for the better without going overboard. It is essential not to grow too fast but only enough that control is maintained over every part of the business (Action Coach 2012). The following table shows what the entrepreneur is typically responsible for within the structural framework of a
Monday, September 23, 2019
Multi Sector Collaborative Project Research Proposal
Multi Sector Collaborative Project - Research Proposal Example This portion of the project introduces the topic. The topic a very brief explanation regarding it should be given in this portion. The topic chosen for study is "to study the effects of the usage of Methamphetamines in Spokane." Excessive usage of Meth by the people is one of the major issues that Spokane has been facing in the recent years. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effects that are created by this drug on the social setup of Spokane and the methods to curb the further spreading of this deadly habit among the people. This portion is the introduction of the project. The project and its purpose are to be explained in detail in this portion. An introduction regarding what Methamphetamine is and what influence it had on Spokane is to be enumerated in this portion. Meth is a drug that speeds up the activities of the brain. This drug is normally in the form of powder. It is also available in pills and crystal forms. This drug is mostly used by the youth. This drug affects the central nervous system very badly. Excessive usage of this drug is harmful for human being as it causes many diseases including diseases that are related to the cardiac system. It will also result in higher body temperature. People use this drug through many ways. Smoking, swallowing, inhaling and injecting are some of the methods through which people take in this drug. This drug is used by some others to reduce weight or to boost up their performance. That is usage of this drug will accelerate the working of heart and brain. As a result of which blood flow increases in the body. It is found that excessive usage of this drug has even resulted in death. Hypothesis A hypothesis is any argument made by the researcher that he intends to prove by the results of his study. The hypothesis of this project can be any statement that shows that usage of Meth is harmful. The hypothesis here is "excessive usage of Meth will harm the social setup of Spokane and will also harm the future generations of the society" Objectives of the study This is one of the important components of any project. The objective of the study is the intention of the researcher behind doing a project. The research or project should be carried on by adopting the objectives as the base. The objectives of this project are as follows: To study the impact of excessive usage of meth on the social setup of Spokane. To analyze the impact of court order on the mindset of Meth addicts. Main body Main body of the work is where all the information regarding then topic and all the literature required for conducting the study is listed. In this portion the researcher should gather detailed information regarding the components of the topic of study. The main objective of this project is to analyze the impact of the usage of Meth. The project is being studied on the basis of prevention program that is conducted for many meth addicts of the region. The people who are considered here for prevention program are persons who are charged with drug related offences. The results of the project are based on the prevention program and the additional information gathered from various secondary sources. Spokane is a city located near to Washington. This city is located along the Spokane River. This city is also called Lilac City. Spokane is the second largest populated city in Washington. The
Sunday, September 22, 2019
A typical day for a cabin crew on a long haul flight Essay Example for Free
A typical day for a cabin crew on a long haul flight Essay This report will acknowledge you about a typical day for a cabin crew on a long haul flight. Of course it may vary time to time because all airlines are different.à The night before the flight, as a cabin crew, you must pack your suitcase for the flight and to know what clothes you should bring, you should check the weather in the destination you are flying to. You must make sure your uniform is clean and neat, you bring all documents with you and it is very important to review SEP questions before going to the pre-flight briefing. Also you must check your airline website where you will find information about your position (e.g Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4) and other flight info such as departure time, flight number, estimated duration of the flight and crew information. Another important thing is to decide how you are going to get to the airport and how much time it will take you to get there, so you will not be late. Pre-flight briefing All cabin crew members will have a meeting with their ISM, senior crew and other cabin crew members before the flight. During this meeting you will be given information about the flight, your role on the aircraft, information about meals and drinks, if there are any passengers who need extra assistance and also you will be asked some health and safety questions. Before boarding Before boarding you must make sure you have all important documents such as ID card and passport with you. Once you are on board, you must do a full safety check of a cabin to make sure nothing suspicious has been left onboard and also check if all safety equipment (such as first aid kit, PBE) is on place and correct. Check if there are enough meals and supplies for the number of passengers onboard. Finally check the toilets for security and that they are stocked up with necessities. When you finished, you must do a report to crew that you have finished all checks. PAX boarding When boarding for passengers started, cabin crew must greet the passengers, check their boarding passes, direct them to their seat and help them find space for their luggage. Passengers must put their hand luggage in the overhead compartment or under their seat. If the luggage is too heavy it must be put in the cargo. After boarding on the aircraft finished, it is time to do a safety demo, where you let the passengers know how to use their seatbelt, oxygen mask and life jacket and also to inform them where the floor lighting is that will guide them to the nearest exit. After that you do your final checks and you must ensure that all luggage is correctly stowed away, seatbelts are fastened and the cabin is ââ¬Ësecureââ¬â¢. When you will receive a message from a captain, cabin crew must take their seat for take-off. After take-off Once the aircraft is airborne and the seatbelt signs have been switched off, you can start the in-flight service. This will differ from airline to airline and depending on whether all items are sold or are free as part of the service. You must prepare for cocktail service, put you meals and food on the trolley. Also, the service will be different if your airline has business or first class. During this time, you will also check the toilets for security and cleanliness and also deal with any passenger enquiries or first aid. Also during the long haul flight you will be given some time to rest. Landing and disembark PAX When it is time to land, once again you will do checks that all seatbelts are fastened and all luggage is stowed and cabin is ââ¬Ësecureââ¬â¢ and ready for a safe landing. Once this is complete is time to return to your crew seat. Once all passengers have left the aircraft, you must do a cabin safety check to make sure that passenger did not leave their documents, mobile phones or any valuable stuff onboard. It is important to do this check to make sure that nothing suspicious has been left onboard. Also you cabin crew must complete some documentation, such as cash summary and flight report. Summary After reading this report you will have an idea of how looks like a typical day for a cabin crew on a long haul flight.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Literature Review On Foreign Direct Investment
Literature Review On Foreign Direct Investment The theory of the determinants of private investment, irrespective of whether it originates domestically or from abroad, is relevant for an understanding of what drives FDI. This has become increasingly true with the globalisation of world markets, although there remain additional factors which may inhibit or encourage FDI that would not affect domestic investment. Much of the research on the determinants of investment is based on the neoclassical theory of optimal capital accumulation pioneered by Jorgenson (1963, 1971). In this framework, a firms desired capital stock is determined by factor prices and technology, assuming profit maximisation, perfect competition and neoclassical production functions. This theory was a deliberate alternative to views expressed initially by Keynes (1936) and Kalecki (1937), that fixed capital investment Much of the research on the determinants of investment is based on the neoclassical theory of optimal capital accumulation pioneered by Jorgenson (1963, 1971). In this framework, a firms desired capital stock is determined by factor prices and technology, assuming profit maximisation, perfect competition and neoclassical production functions. This theory was a deliberate alternative to views expressed initially by Keynes (1936) and Kalecki (1937), that fixed capital investment depends on firms expectations of demand relative to existing capacity and on their ability to generate investment funds (Fazzari and Athey, 1987:481; Fazzari and Mott, 1986:171). Several studies have challenged the neoclassical assumption that any desired investment project can be financed2. Asymmetric information3 about the quality of a loan could lead to credit rationing, implying that not all borrowers seeking loans at the prevailing cost of capital may be able to obtain financing (e.g, Greenwald, Stiglitz and Weiss, 1984). Consequently, firms tend to rely on internal sources of funds to finance investment, and to prefer debt to equity if external financing is required4. A further theoretical development was the introduction of irreversibility and uncertainty in explaining investment behaviour. This literature demonstrates that the ability to delay an irreversible investment expenditure can profoundly affect the decision to invest (Dixit, 1989; Pindyck, 1991:1110). Firms have an i ncentive to postpone irreversible investment while they wait or new information which makes the future less uncertain (Bernanke, 1983; Cukierman, 1980). The development literature has long been concerned with investment, because of its importance for the rate of growth of per capita output in the economy (Dornbusch and Reynoso, 1989:204; Fei and Ranis, 1963:283; IMF, 1988). Although empirical models of the determinants of investment in developing countries are in broad agreement with results obtained for industrialised countries, there are additional factors which have been found to constrain capital accumulation. Most of these are related to the problem of uncertainty and/or risk, which acts as a disincentive to private investment, because of the irreversible nature of most investment expenditures (Pindyck, 1991). Inflation reduces private investment by increasing risk, reducing average lending maturities, distorting the informational content of relative prices, and indicating macroeconomic instability (Dornbusch and Reynoso, 1989:206-208; Oshikoya, 1994:585,590). Empirical studies show that the variability of inflation has a stronger negative effect on private investment than does the level (Serven and Solimano, 1993:137). Large external debt burdens also have a strong disincentive effect on private investment, especially short-term debt (Faruqee, 1992:52). Debt-service payments reduce the domestic resources available for investment, and poor international creditworthiness reduces access to foreign savings5. For domestic investors, the existence of a large debt overhang reduces the future returns to investment because a high proportion of the forthcoming returns must be used to repay existing debt (Borensztein, 1990:315). A debt overhang is also a major source of uncertainty: the size of future transfers to creditors is uncertain; macroeconomic policy is uncertain; and the exchange rate is uncertain. The combined risks of changes in relative prices, taxation and aggregate demand reduces investment by both domestic and foreign entrepreneurs. Whatever the cause, the irreversibility of real capital expenditures can result in underinvestment if the future is uncertain, even when current conditions are righ t (Tornell, 1990). During macroeconomic adjustment, the credibility of policy changes is an added problem (Rodrik,1989), and the possibility of policy reversal can have serious consequences for real private capital expenditures. Investors prefer to hold financial capital, which is easier to realise if conditions turn out to be adverse, and which retains the option to purchase real capital if optimism continues. For this reason, there are frequently long lags in the investment response to adjustment(Serven and Solimano, 1993:131,137). Several studies report the effects of changes in the real exchange rate6 and the terms of trade7 on investment. These studies generally find that the variability of the real exchange rate is usually Some researchers support the notion that FDI contributes to the productivity and growth of local enterprises. Blomstrom and Sjoholm( 1998) are of the opinion that the productivity and growth of local enterprises could be achieved through spill over effects/externalities from FDI. This is achieved as the Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) either introduce superior technology of through the marketing activities of MNEs that affect the market equilibrium forcing local operators to act in such way that they can retain their original market shares. Graham and Krugman (1995) indicates that competitive enterprises (MNEs) contribute to productivity and growth of the host nation by infusing technology, labour skills, management methods, and training into the host economy. Empirical research shows that FDI affects the economy of a host country in a variety of ways. Firstly, it provides the required capital and state -of -the- art technology that enhances economic growth in the host country (Caves,1996; Dunning, 1993; Blomstrom and Sjoholm, 1998; Smarzynska,2002; Akinkugbe ,2005). Secondly, it augments the skills of the host nations and thus stimulates growth through the infusion of managerial, labour skills and training (de Mello,1999). Thirdly it promotes the technological upgrading, regarding start- up, marketing , and licensing arrangements (de Mello and Sinclair , 1995 ; Markusen and Venables ,1999). FDI is thus seen as a catalyst to the host nations economic growth and development as it enhances technological process and promotes industrial development (Asheghian, 2004). In addition, FDI can be expected to encourage economic growth of the host nation, given the prevailing view that MNEs can complement the local industry and stimulate growth and welfare in the host nations (Grossman and Helpman, 1991; Barro and Sala-i-Martin, 1995). The major determinants of the host countrys economic development and growth is the economic environment portrayed by its rate of economic growth , trade policy, political stability, legislation , domestic market size and balance of payments constraints (Caves, 1996; de Mello, 1999; Dunning, 1993)- the political economy of the nation . These factors may inevitably influence the decision of foreign investors (MNEs ) on the possible choice of a viable investment location (Akinkugbe, 2005). Dunnings (1981, 1988) electric theory provides a flexible and popular framework where it is argued that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is determined by three sets of advantages which direct investment should have over the other institutional mechanisms available for a firm in satisfying the needs of its customers at home and abroad. The first of the advantages is the ownership specific one which includes the advantage that the firm has over its rivals in terms of its brand name, patent or knowledge of technology and marketing. This allows firms to compete with the other firms in the markets it serves regardless of the disadvantages of being foreign. The second is the internationalisation advantage, that is why a bundled FDI approach is preferred to unbundled product licensing, capital lending or technical assistance (Wheeler and Mody, 1992). The location-specific advantages relate to the importance for the firm to operate and invest in the host country and are those advantages that make the chosen foreign country a more attractive site for FDI than the others. For instance firms may invest in production facilities in foreign markets because transportation costs are too high to serve these markets through exports. This could either be directly related to the actual nature of the good, either being a high bulk item or a service that needs to be provided on site, or due to policy factors such as tariff rates, import restrictions, or issues of market access that makes physical investment advantageous over serving the market through exports. Location advantage also embodies other characteristic (economic, institutional and political) such as large domestic markets, availability of natural resources, an educated labor force, low labor cost, good institutions (the clarity of countrys law, efficiency of bureaucracy and the absen ce of corruption), political stability, corporate and other tax rates among others. Bende-Nabende and Slater (1998) investigate both the short-run and long-run locational determinants of FDI under the broad categories of cost-related, investment environment improving and other macroeconomic factors. The short-run dynamics indicate that European investment in the Thai manufacturing sector has been more responsive to the macroeconomic factors. The long-run dynamics on the other hand suggest that European investment has been more responsive to the investment environment improving factors. In particular, there is evidence to suggest that the Thai manufacturing sector is losing its cost-related comparative advantage. Dar, Presley and Malik (2004) studied the causality and long-term relationship between Foreign Dirct Investment (FDI), economic growth and other socio-political determinants. Although a considerable literature gives the evidence of relationship between FDI and economic growth. Their paper considers economic growth, exchange rate and level of interest rates, unemployment, and political stability as determinants of the level of FDI inflows for Pakistan over the period 1970-2002. Almost all variables are found to have the theoretically expected signs with two-way causality relationship. The present study also estimates an error correction model by ordinary least squares, based on cointegrating VAR (2). Nunnenen (2002) argues that there is a startling gap between, allegedly, globalization-induced changes in international competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) and recent empirical evidence on the relative importance of determinants of FDI in developing countries. He shows that surprisingly little has changed since the late 1980s. Traditional market-related determinants are still dominant factors. Among non-traditional FDI determinants, only the availability of local skills has clearly gained importance. As concerns the interface between trade policy and FDI, he finds that the tariff jumping motive for FDI had lost much of its relevance well before globalization became a hotly debated issue. Artige and Nicolini (2005) analyse the determinants of FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows for a group of European regions. The originality of their approach lies in the use of disaggregated regional data. First, they develop a qualitative description of their database and discuss the importance of the macroeconomic determinants in attracting FDI. Then, they provide an econometric exercise to identify the potential determinants of FDI. In spite of choosing regions presenting economic similarities, they show that regional FDI inflows rely on a combination of factors that differs from one region to another. Bà ©nassy-Quà ©rà ©, Coupet and Mayer (2007) re-examine the role of institutions in the host and in the source country by estimating a gravity equation for bilateral FDI stocks that includes governance indicators for the two countries. Second, they tackle multicollinearity and endogeneity bias by implementing a three-stage procedure for instrumentation and orthogonalisation. Third, they look further into the detail of institutions by using a new database constructed by the French Ministry of Finance network in 52 foreign countries. This database is used to point out in some detail the relevant institutional features. Its country coverage, which focuses on developing countries, is very helpful for studying the impact of the institutional environment of the host country. It does not allow, however, going deeply into the impact of the institutional environment in the source country as well as into the impact of institutional distance. Hence they complement our analysis with estimatio ns based on the Fraser database, which provides fewer details on institutions, albeit on a more balanced country coverage between industrial and developing countries. Finally, they study the impact of institutional distance on bilateral FDI. Onyeiwu and Shrestha (2004) argues that despite economic and institutional reform in Africa during the past decade, the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the region continues to be disappointing and uneven. In their study they use the fixed and random effects models to explore whether the stylized determinants of FDI affect FDI flows to Africa in conventional ways. Based on a panel dataset for 29 African countries over the period 1975 to 1999, their paper identifies the following factors as significant for FDI flows to Africa: economic growth, inflation, openness of the economy, international reserves, and natural resource availability. Contrary to conventional wisdom, political rights and infrastructures were found to be unimportant for FDI flows to Africa. The significance of a variable for FDI flows to Africa was found to be dependent on whether country- and time-specific effects are fixed or stochastic. Nakamura and Oyama (1998) studied the macroeconomic determinants of FDI from Japan and the United States into East Asian countries, and the linkage between FDI and trade, and other macroeconomic variables. Their analysis focuses on the structural differences among East Asian counties and classifies them based on statistical tests of fixed effects models using panel data. This examination helps to clarify how Japanese and American multinational firms position their production bases in East Asian countries within their world marketing strategies. In order to avoid the problem of simultaneity among variables, they examine simultaneous equation models to confirm the validity of panel regression results. In their study they find that East Asian countries can be classified into four groups depending on FDI from Japan and other elasticities to macroeconomic variables, and this grouping almost coincides with their economic development stages. Moreover, they confirm that FDI from Japan into a ll the groups are strongly affected by changes in real bilateral exchange rates, but this is not always the case for FDI from the United States. Among different country groups, FDI into group 1 (Taiwan and Korea) responds positively to the Japanese capacity utilization, indicating their industries integration with the Japanese economy. Group 3 (Indonesia and the Philippines) shows that Japanese FDI is buoyed up by the yens appreciation against the U.S. dollar. FDI into group 4 (China and Malaysia) and, to a lesser extent, group 2 (Singapore and Thailand) is oriented more toward capturing local markets compared to the other groups. They also find that Japanese FDI has strong trade expansion effects, which is rarely seen for U.S. FDI. With regards to research on the determinants of FDI to Africa there appears to be a dearth of literature. A Search on the Econlit database using Foreign Direct Investment and Africa as keywords yielded the other two reffered journal articles on the Determinants of FDI to Africa. One of the papers, Schoeman et al (2000), analyses how government policy (mainly deficits and taxes) affects FDI. However, their analysis focuses on one country, South Africa. The Second paper , Asiedu (2002) examines whether the factors that drive FDI in developing countries have a different impact on for countries in Sub Sahara Africa (SSA). However, the analysis focuses only on three variables the return on investment, infrastructure availability and openness to trade, and does not take into account the natural resource availability , which is an important determinant of FDI to Africa. Another paper that focuses exclusively on Africa is Morisset (2000). Unlike Asiedu (2002), Morisset (2000) controls for natural resource availability , measured by the sum of primary and secondary sectors , minus manufacturing. However, this measure of natural resources is too broad and does not accurately capture the availability of minerals and oil, the most important types of natural resources relevant for FDI to SSA. In addition none of the studies examine the impact of some of the important variables that feature predominantly in investor surveys, such as corruption and regulatory framework in the host country. This research extends the limited to empirical literature on the determinants of FDI to Africa by examining the extent to which the economic, political, institutional characteristics of a country, as well as the policy environment affect FDI flows. Nunnekamp (2002) sought to assess whether determinants of FDI have changed with globalisation i.e whether traditional determinants are losing importance whilst non traditional ones are increasingly gaining importance. Two approaches were adopted, namely survey data from European Round Table of Industrialists ( ERT 2000) and simple correlation for 28 developing countries. Market size (proxied by host countrys population and level of GDP ) as a traditional determinant of FDI is said to have declined in importance over time. Other factors such as location, cost differences, qualities of infrastructure, ease of doing business and the availability of skills measured by average years of schooling have become increasingly important as non-traditional determinants of FDI (Nunnekamp 2002:16) The survey results were supplemented by World Bank Data on variables that are considered important FDI determinants. Results show that traditional market related determinants still dominate determinants of FDI distribution among the countries considered (Nunnekamp 2002:24). Non traditional determinants such as cost factors, and trade openness , measured by ratio of exports plus imports to GDP, have typically not become more important with globalisation. Of importance is the availability of skills which is proxied by average years of schooling, which has become a relevant pull factor of FDI in the process of globalisation (Nunnekamp 2002:35). An analysis of a developing country by (Tsai 1991) focused on Taiwan by providing demand size determinants of FDI using time series data. Tsai (1991:279) employed OLS method using equations in logarithm form. Two equations were specified, i.e first on the demand size determinants and the second using variables as ratio of GDP to eliminate possible side of influences. A dummy variable was used to assess the impact of government incentive polices on FDI in different periods. Tsai (1991:276) suggests that for Taiwan only labour cost, market size and government incentive policies are important demand size determinants. Although FDI is seen to exploit cheap labour in developing countries, the case of Taiwan seems to show that growth in FDI with rising labour costs indicates the cheap labour may not be as important as expected. No clear evidence was found to support the expectation that government incentive policies were effective in attracting FDI to Taiwan. An interesting finding in Tsai (1991:279) is that Taiwans relatively outstanding economic performance as reflected in the expanding domestic market and ever increasing per capita GDP during 1965-1985 was not particularly attractive to foreign investors. As Tsai argues, this could be attributed to FDI being used supply side determined rather than demand side or perhaps non- economic factors outweigh the investment incentives. It is generally believed that factors determine FDI inflow in developing countries could have a different impact on SSA countries in particular . This is because developing countries outside Africa seem to attract huge FDI inflow while SSA attracts low levels of FDI as discussed by Asiedu (2002). Another study in Africa by Obwona (2001) investigated the FDI-growth linkage for Uganda. Obwona used the investor surveys approach and econometric tests. Using investor surveys, both local and foreign investors were directly questioned regarding their decisions and decision making processes when investing in Uganda (Obwona 2001:55). The focus was on productive investment, as such purely commercial and consulting activities were excluded. For econometric tests , time series data was used for the period 1975-1991to estimate the determinants of FDI and growth. Findings from the survey showed that increased foreign investment was a result of a conducive investment environment provided by government though its policies and institutions (Obwona 2001:56). The author concludes that from the investors surveyed, foreign investors are primarily concerned with fundamental factors, i.e a stable macroeconomic and political situation and credible policy reforms. For Uganda , Obwona considered pull factors such as growth factors , liberalised exchange rate, low inflation and fiscal discipline. The major determinants are availability and cost of natural and human resources, adequacy of infrastructure , market size, trade policies, macro stability, economic growth and political stability (Obwona 2001:62). The importance of each of these variables , however depends on the type of investment and motivations or strategy of investors. Obwona (2001:62) agrees with other researchers, such as Nunnekamp (2002) that given the shifts in the type of investment, the availability of low cost unskilled labour in location decisions has declined over time. This has meant more emphasis on skilled labour or the trainability of workers. Furthermore, two notable studies by Moolman et al (2006) and Fedderke and Romm (2004) have focused on determinants of Inward FDI to South Africa. Moolman et al (2006) sought to examine the macroeconomic link between FDI in South Africa and its resultant impact on output for the period 1970-2003. In so doing, they initially identified supply side determinants of FDI before analysing their impact on output. Their research method follows the supply side macro econometric framework, which does not take into account the demand side determinants that are equally important as well. On Model specification , five variables were explored as explanatory variables for FDI in the empirical estimation, namely, market size measured by real GDP, exchange rate proxied by the rand-dollar exchange rate , infrastructure, openness and a dummy variable for sanctions. The empirical results of Moolman et al (2006:3) indicate that market size, openness, infrastructure and the nominal exchange rate are factors which South African policy makers should focus on when seeking to attract FDI. The FDI output link does not take other factors such as increased employment , improved skills and new management techniques into account (Moolman et al 2006:29). After thorough investigation and studies, it was found out that only market size and openness are common factor determining FDI. The role of exchange rate is an important determinant of foreign investment in most countries. Particularly for South Africa, it should be considered whether it could be an important FDI determinant. Studies from developing countries have also identified other factors that should be considered as in the case of South Africa as those of Loots (2000) and Ahmed et al (2005).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)