In Nathaniel Hawthorne short story Young Goodman Brown, the pink Essay

In Nathaniel Hawthorne short story Young Goodman Brown, the pink ribbons are used symbolically to represent purity - Essay Example One such citation of the pink ribbons found on Faith’s cap include Goodman’s thoughts, in which he looks at Faith as an angel that was sent to earth meaning and implies that at one time she will resume her heavenly duties. As such, the mention of the pink ribbons in Goodman’s case are a sign of blessings and innocence in which case Goodman believes in savoring Faith’s innocence by clinging on to her skirts and following her to heaven. This is symbolic of taking her innocence, pink ribbons, by first signifying a common belief related to the color pink, which is then accentuated by the fact that they are ribbons. Following the above argument, the ribbons at one point or the other point to Faith’s femininity, but this idea is then taken over by the concept of innocent. One such case in which femininity is suggested by the pink ribbons is in the fourth paragraph of the story, where Faith says, â€Å"Then God bless you.† (Hawthorne 2). The succeed ing events are those of Faith peeping at Goodman and her ribbons still showing. Following this, the ribbons signify the fact that she is feminine and that is part of the aspects that draw Goodman towards her and is again applied to draw her character and put it into a realistic form factor. This is such that the ribbons on Faith’s cap are pink, and this can be looked at the purity of the color, which is non-existent. For pink to be made existent, there is a need to mix red and white, which in this case draws out quite a scoop in building Faith’s character, especially considering the independent meanings of the two constituent colors. Pink is made of white, which is used to symbolize purity and innocence as is the case of Goodman calling her a blessed angel, while red represents a totally different feature. Red signifies prostitution and blood, which in this case when put together to create the color pink indicates the different faces or characters of Faith. The charact er are in that the ribbons stand for the young stages of life that Faith is at and the youthful and angelic innocence she bears, according to Goodman. It however goes on to symbolize the aspects of an unlived life that can only be achieved when Faith becomes of age and matures to see the world for what it is rather than living a sheltered life. Goodman brings out this symbolism in that he is of the opinion that in spite of all the sin in the world, only he and Faith are exempt to all the evil around them, which unlike earlier, he would like to preserve her innocence. At one point, Goodman accepts to being sinful and attempts to shield Faith from losing her innocence, where Goodman views her as a steadfast anchor against sin. To further indicate Faith’s purity, the ribbons are read as having fell and Goodman picking them up after they come of her cap. Goodman takes them as a sign of Faith having fallen from the glory of god and that her innocence is breached. As a result, the ribbons strongly represent innocence and purity of Faith’s character in that when they fall of her cap Goodman screams, â€Å"My Faith is gone!†, which then indicates the value attached to the ribbons by Goodman as a symbol of Faith’s state of being innocent and youthfully pure (Hawthorne 9). Altogether, symbolism in relation to the pink ribbons that are repeatedly mentioned and referred to in the story is used to depict a number of

A Concise History of Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Concise History of Latin America - Essay Example The term Latin America was first used during the 19th century as a way of reaching a compromise. The Latin America region consisted of all the countries that were colonized by the Spanish administrators and authorities; the only exception of these large parts is Brazil because it was colonized by Portugal. The term came into force when almost all the regions that lie south of North America started using Spanish or Portuguese as their official languages. The settlement of Spanish administrators was preceded by the voyages of Columbus who discovered the new land as part exploration and conquest. His made the Spanish monarch at the time to struggle in an effort to seize its newfound opportunities. By 1500, the Spanish had explored the entire region that spans the Caribbean shore. After the 14th century, the speed of the Spanish conquest, expansion and consolidation was fast considering the vastness of the region. By the year 1516 all, the islands of the Caribbean were under Spanish admi nistration, therefore, acting as the launchpad for further expansion in the region (Rosenthal 78). Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Latin American democracies, flourished, economies grew, and republics were established. This paper focuses on the political, social and economic transformations that were characterized in Latin America during the 19th century. The paper seeks to highlight the formation of republics that ended the imperial rule of monarchies across the region (Holloway 89).The early years of the 19th century witnessed a period of radical transformations on the Spanish dominated territory of Latin America. Latin America was characterized by monarchies that collapsed as republics started being formed. The regimes that were in power became disregarded or dismembered as colonial Latin America split into numerous parts. This split was followed by revolutions that established new politics and [political territories.

Having A Required GPA For Extra Curricular Activities Essay Example for Free

Having A Required GPA For Extra Curricular Activities Essay I am going to get through college on a football scholarship! How many times have you heard that statement claimed by the average teenage boy? In all actuality getting a full ride football scholarship to a university is extremely difficult. Instead people trying to obtain scholarships through extra curricular sport activities should focus more on their academics. Some students are only doing extra curricular activities so that their college application will look better to administrators. However, a 4.0 grade point average is going to fare more impressive to the administrators then below average grades and a large quantity of extra curricular activities. By requiring a C grade point average we could stop a lot of the stereotyping occurring in most high schools. Also, great amounts of responsibility will be earned for people juggling both the C grade average and extra curricular activities. This additional experience and responsibility will help the person succeed to a greater level in their adult life. If you are a cheerleader, then you must be idiotic. If you get above 90% in almost any class, then you must be a nerd. Stereotyping is a horrible thing occurring all over the nation today. The worst case of this is in high school. What is the cause for these stereotypes? The activities you partake in and how well you are doing outside of these activities. Students with good grades that are in many clubs are more of thought as the nerds and goody-goods of the school population. The students on the football, basketball, cheerleading, and almost any other sport related team are thought of as idiotic. If students were required to have a certain grade point average to be on those teams they wouldnt be thought of as nerdy or idiotic. The school wide population, while not completely stereotype free, would have calmed down with a lot of that stereotyping. We would be bridging the gap between the athletic and the academic. The more responsible you are the better you are going to be at succeeding at your desired profession. People that know how to cope with both academic and athletic fields will progress more then people that do not. If the person who is looking to hire a new employee sees that you can manage both of these fields they will think you are more responsible and choose you over a lot of the other applicants. Responsibility varies into many different forms, but  it usually matters most in your profession. Education is important in every aspect of life. More than any amount of athleticism you will need an education to survive in everyday life. Many people think they can get into a nationally ranked university if they have a lot of extracurricular activities. Although these look good on an application, maintained above average grades will look better. Even if you do not have perfect grades, a C average and some extra curricular activities will give you more chance of being accepted into the University of your Choice. Although you could argue that many students pride on their ability to do these extra curricular activities and their talent could most likely get them a scholarship it is not always so. For example, you could be working on a football scholarship, but, only an average of seventeen football scholarships are given out from a school per year. Being talented at a certain sport will usually not put you through college. Someone who has the talents and a better maintained grade point average will have an even better chance at getting that scholarship. In summation, it is my belief that a C grade point average should be required to participate in extracurricular activities. It will greatly reduce the amount of stereotyping happening in most high schools. More responsibility will be earned, therefore making your succession in a profession easier. Also, the more education you have, the easier it is going to be for acceptance into most universities. The better your application looks the better your profession will be.

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).

Animal Farm, by George Orwell :: Animal Farm Essays

The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell was a very interesting, complex, and informing novel. In the novel, George Orwell uses farm animals to portray people of power and the common people during the Russian Revolution. The novel starts off with Major explaining to all the animals in the farm how they are being treated wrongly and how they can over throw their owner, Mr. Jones. They finally gang up on their owner and he leaves the farm. Then they start their own farm with their own rules and commandments. Originally the two people in charge of the "Animal Farm", which they titled it, were Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon was really greedy and wanted all the power to be his, so he got the animals to turn on Snowball and make him leave the farm. After Napoleon took over the pigs started disobeying the commandments that the pigs, as well as all the other animals, organized and wrote down at the beginning of their take over. Soon the pigs have disobeyed, and/or changed every law there was from the beginning, and the pigs start acting and looking like humans. After that "Animal Farm" slowly starts to loose power and Mr. Jones takes back over. This is a style analysis of Animal Farm. Diction, language and imagery are three important elements in a style analysis. A word choice that is used a lot in the novel is "rebellion". Rebellion is a word used instead of a revolution or a war. Another word that is used a lot in the novel is "comrade". Comrade means an intimate friend or associate. Comrade is used in that form in the novel, instead of saying that someone was their friend the animals called him their comrade. "’No, comrades, a thousand times no!’"(p. 28), that quote was used when one of the animals is expressing to his friends that they will no longer take what man has to offer. Personification is the attribution of human characteristics to something

Colonial South Carolina Report Essay -- American America History

Colonial South Carolina Report George the Second, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, King, Defender of the Faith, I write to thee from the heart of South Carolina, Charleston to impart my knowledge of the region. My travels have been long and arduous. I arrived by way of a freight ship bearing finished goods for the colony on the twenty-eighth day of March, in the twenty-third year of thy reign. All that province, territory, or tract of ground, called South Carolina, lying and being within our dominions of America is well. The environmental conditions of South Carolina differ dramatically to that of England. The days are long, hot, humid, and at times damp. The people of the colony deserve admiration for dealing with such unfavorable weather. Occasionally, storms stemming from the Atlantic Ocean wreak havoc on the villages, upturning the soil and damaging the trees, but the majority of the days are bright with sunshine. During the spring and summer there is a combination of rain and scorching heat, whereas during the fall and winter it sometimes snows in the northern section of South Carolina, but throughout the rest of the region the climate remains moderately cool. The land is undulating and layered with an abundance of forestry. Yet, the terrain does not consist entirely of woodlands and smooth hills. The land is far from perfect. A large portion of the territory is made up of marshlands. The ground is somewhat blemished by the scattered swamplands. These quagmires are abode with vicious alligators and infested with countless mosquitoes. These bloodsucking mosquitoes in turn spread malaria amongst the populace. Despite the threat of malaria and fierce alligators, the economy thrives from the environment. South C... ...no loyalty to the Crown now, in future conflicts, the colonists may turn against us and become our enemy. Radical action must be taken in order to regulate their behavior. They must recognize the royal authority. The beneficial aspects of South Carolina outweigh the detrimental aspects. South Carolina is a powerful asset. The economy is strong and provides a priceless resource of indigo and rice. Our woolen industry would not be able to cope without the dye from the indigo. The colony produces an abundance of rice. The colony is also strategically located, to stop the Spanish from expanding north. Although there is a political predicament, it is not beyond thy Majesty to resolve it. By and large, the colony is a worthy investment and should receive immediate financial backing accompanied by British officials to reinforce the policies and taxes of thy Divine Grace.

Reaction Paper †Social Responsibility Essay

This chapter tells about the employees as stakeholders of a company or a business. As stakeholders, employees have also the rights and privileges which are due for them. With this rights they have, some responsibilities are also expected of them as part of the company. In the same way, they also have some employee contract which they know among themselves that guide them as they go along with their routine in their workplaces. It also discusses some ethical responsibilities to employees which are very essential to satisfy their needs and thus, make them as productive individuals. Every stakeholder of a company has their own rights with corresponding responsibilities. These must be given to them with due respect. It may differ depending on how they function in a company and how they can affect in the company’s performance. Nevertheless, each functions is essential and vital to the company’s operations, thus, each individual must also be given the rights which are really due for them. In my opinion, learning about employee relationship is the same way of learning how to deal with your employees. It is like knowing what motivates your employees to do well and how will you make them stay. Establishing or building a good relationship is very important in a company because it can greatly the company’s overall performance of the company. If a company has established a good employee relationship and employees has the initiative to do things, then we can say that they are employer of choice. This means they were able to choose correctly who among the employees are best suited in the job and they were able to provide them with benefits which make them stay in their job. There are many ways to manage your workforce and if situations call for an employee reduction, this means one has to reduce its workforce either because of lessening of needed labor, decreasing the quality of service or because of lack of resources to pay for the expenses. In this way, the company must also keep the good relationship despite the scenario. From employee entrance to exit, a good relationship must be kept. In general, this chapter is very useful for business people because it tells about another very important stakeholder of a company which are the employees. They are very essential to a company’s operations and transaction. Without them a specific operation will not be done and whether big or small job, it is essential and will have an impact on the company. But, in return the company must protect the rights and ad individuality of the employees. They must be given proper motivation and be compensated with enough benefits which is enough with the type of job they have done. Also, their ideas and privacy must be protected by the company. Whatever their positions maybe, they must be respected and treated fairly and equally. In this way, they can establish a good employee relationship which will be reflected Chapter 8 – Consumer Relations Another stakeholder of the company are the consumers. They are the ones who purchase, use and dispose of products for themselves an truly they play an important role in the operations of the company. Just like the other stakeholders, they have the rights and privileges which they should receive from the company. These are the things the company must consider to be able to provide their needs and satisfy their wants as well. As a company, they have some responsibilities to all their stakeholders like the consumer. It is true that fulfilling these responsibilities can make the consumer stay and help to establish a good relationship among them. In the long run, it can develop loyalty among their consumers. Looking on the economic aspects, it is proven that consumers and the company are connected by an economic relationship. There is a bond between the two which creates a relationship among them. It is money. True enough, money is a vital tool in economic development. Though we may say that it does not measure the economic growth of the country, its circulation creates a great impact in the measurement of growth, which is, still considered with some factors. Also, as a consumer, I expect my money to get the value from what I buy. The company must see to it that they are able to give the value of the  money the consumers pay for in exchange of the product or service. In the same way, it is a relief for consumers to know that there are some laws provided to protect their rights and to attend to their needs when situation calls for it. Like in the Philippines, the Republic Act 7394: The Consumer Act of the Philippines protects the consumer to possible threats like fraud from the company. But, sad to say, even with the existence of this act, there are still some misconducts and mischiefs done by the company. It is unfair for the consumers who become the victim of the company. This is not being socially responsible to as a stakeholder of the company. Some companies try to deceive their consumer by telling false information about what they sell. On the other hand, there are also those who follow the laws like providing warranties and others. With all these aspects come the rights of the consumers which include the right to choose, safety, be informed, heard, seek redress and privacy. With all these rights, I supposed right which is not fully given to consumers is the right to privacy. With the rise of the new technologies of today, privacy is quite forgotten. Information, ideas, photos, videos, files and others are being stolen by people through technology. It is part of the consumers to have their privacy whether they have given their information to the company. With this, the responsibility has been passed to the company to give their consumer the privacy they want. They should secure the information they have gathered and use it for business purposes in the right manner and with the consent of the consumer. Lastly, the philanthropic aspects are now given more attention by the company. Social responsibility has been a part of every organization now a days. This increases their attention to choose the company because of the philanthropic activities they are involved in. It attracts the consumer with the mindset that if the join the company or buy in that brand, they can also help the beneficiaries of the company. Chapter 9 – Community Relations and Strategic Philanthropy This chapter focuses on another stakeholder which is the community. They are  those members of society who are aware of, concerned about, or in some way affected by the operations and output of the organization. They may be the people around which also includes the environment they are living into. All the aspects which are being affected by the company operation directly or indirectly are part of it. These are also affected by several through several aspects in social responsibility. In this generation, there are many issues that concern the community. Issues include mostly of the environmental issue that is caused by the operations of the company. The degradation of the beauty of our mother earth due to some companies is very visible and greatly felt because of those failed to take into considerations the effect to its stakeholders. Pollution and land use are some of it. Like in Manila, pollution has been a problem for a long time. Many companies are continuously performing their operations without considering its effects to the community. Big factories are some of those who continuously contribute to the pollution. Also, another very popular issue regarding the land use is the reclamation being done for business establishments. Like the SM Mall of Asia. The land used for that establishment has been reclaimed. This is one example of company operations that affect the community. Philanthropic contributions of the company to the community are very essential for the stakeholders. It affects on how the will brand or see the image of the company. This aspect of the company must be properly planned to achieve what is really wanted. This chapter also talks about how a company can properly strategize for its philanthropic implementation. Through a strategic planning of philanthropic implementation, there can be a higher chances that the actions to be taken are feasible and will work in the benefit of the company. It can be done through a step by step procedure which is research, organize and design, engage and spend. Through this steps, it can be properly executed and will surely help in the operations of the company. As a community, they always look after the general welfare of everyone who is a member of their community. In that aspect, the company’s philanthropic strategy is very important. Through this, they can address the needs and concerns of their key stakeholders. This is what social responsibility is  all about. Taking into consideration all the key stakeholder of the company must always be done. It is important to satisfy their needs and wants so that every aspect of the company can function effectively and efficiently. In this way, all the members of the organization will function well and it will be reflected on the overall image of the company. Having a positive community relations and a strategic philanthropy can only be achieved if the people behind a company or a business is truly socially responsible. Doing what is right and what is just for your stakeholders like the community is being socially responsible. Chapter 10 – Technology Issues Technology has been very evident in every business establishment now a days. Even small businesses are making use of technology like calculator, cashiers, refrigerators and others. All of these things are product of technology and truly, they are a big help in the operations of the business. But, looking on the other side, technology can also cause destruction to a company. For example in a small business like computer shop. When the system or server is down, there can be no operations accomplished or if there is no internet connection. This is one disadvantage of technology. When there is a failure, sometimes it takes time to be fixed or sometimes cannot be fixed. Despite this, people continues to entrust their equities to technology. Technology helps businesses in their operations in every aspect. It makes the work easier and faster thus, as a result, there is a lesser requirement of manpower. This means fewer people are employed in the company. Let’s take Gardenia for example. They are known for the breads which are untouched by human hands. They made this possible through technology. Machineries take the responsibilities of a worker in the production. Thus, the only person they need is those who will man and control them. But, in brighter side, there are some new job opportunities due to the rise of technology. Technology is fast changing. In effect, the businesses need to adapt to the changes so that they can cope up with their competitors and provide the  changing need of the consumers. Improved products are produced due to this. Thus, a higher standard of living was also set because of technology. These things affect the growth of the economy of the country. With the rise of the new emerging technology, there came the emergence of the Internet which helps businesses’ transaction. It helps them to have a more targeted market, to have a closer relationship with their consumer and to have a facilitated supply chain management. Despite these things, the internet also made fraud dramatically increase in number. There are many incidents of crime in the cyber space. The most common are piracy and identity theft. The government is taking action to this issue. There are laws which provides protection and assistance to the information sent and received through the internet. Here in the Philippines, the recently passed law on cyber crime provides protection to the people the internet. In general, technology has many advantages that it can provide to companies and businesses. It is really a big help in their operations and transactions. It also makes the work faster and easier with a better quality produced not only in business aspects but also in all the other transactions in our daily life. Despite the number of advantages, technology has also it disadvantages. It is up to the company or the business if they will use the technology with social responsibility among their stake holders which include the shareholders, employees and consumer. Chapter 11 – Sustainability Issues This chapter focuses on a company’s sustainability. It refers to the potential for long-term well-being of the natural environment, including all biological entities, as well as the interaction among nature and individuals, organizations, and business strategies. Right now, companies are having a hard time to sustain a healthy environment for their stakeholders due to the operations they are undertaking. Sustainability includes the assessment and improvement of business strategies, economic sectors, work practices, technologies, and lifestyles while maintaining the natural environment One very evident issue is on nature. It includes all the resources like air, water and land. The issues are concerning on the destruction of these resources due to the establishment of the companies. Reclamation is now being done very often to pride land for new business establishment like the famous, and before very controversial, Mall of Asia. The land used to build the mall was formerly a part of the sea. It was cover with land and used as a site for business. This is just one of the issues. Other includes deforestation, pollution and development sprawl that affect the other living organisms. Due to the issues on the environment stated above, some wildlife or living things in the ecosystem are threatened. Their habitats are being destroyed or even the food they eat are being eaten up by the new establishments. In the same way, pollution has also an effect on nature. The clean air that we should be breathing is polluted by the smoke from the factories or the vehicles that we use. These actions can cause destruction to the nature that will hinder us from maintaining the sustainability of a certain organization or a company. Like in the technological issues, the government is also taking action to the sustainability issues globally. There are some laws and policies implemented for the protection and maintenance of sustainability in the place. Like in the Philippines, There are many organizations specializing in the protection of a certain natural resources. Though there are times that they cannot function well due to the lack of budget, they still do their best to maintain the order in it. In the same way, the businesses and companies are doing their best to eliminate the operations that are harmful to the environment. One example is the campaign against using plastics in any transaction. Whether in food, clothes or any product. They are using brown bags or ec0-friendly bags to hold their things. This campaign had gone all over the country. It starts from small businesses and to small town then cities and municipalities. I am from Batangas and my city has already embraced that campaign. There are  also other actions undertaken like using refrigerators or air cons that do not emit CFC which is harmful for our ozone layer. Sustainability of a certain place or company is hard to achieve but it is possible with the help and cooperation of all the stakeholder of the family. Also, it can only be achieved if everyone is socially responsible about their actions and how it can affect the other people around them. Chapter 12 – Social Responsibility in a Global Environment Due to the fast changing and evolving technological advancements worldwide, the marketplace for companies has also grown globally and thus, the need to adapt to the environment. There is a bigger arena for a larger number of competitors and more stakeholders to satisfy. There are different regions worldwide that has a variety of culture as well. As a company with social responsibility, they must know their culture so that they can provide their need better and with quality. At the same time, they must be familiar with the things that are prone to their culture so that they can establish a better relationship with their customers worldwide. They must gather a cultural intelligence that they can use to gauge how they should treat their stakeholders in all the parts of the world. Like in SGS, the company where I had my OJT, they have offices from all parts of the world and having Philippines as the back office. Being in this situation, they gather a cultural intelligence from all the countries they have a local office. From China, Egypt, Spain, Chile, Japan, Nigeria and etc. They have hired different nationalities that can help them to gain the cultural intelligence they need to deal with their consumers worldwide. As the back office, the Philippines must know how to understand each office because they are the one dealing with all the other countries and if they need to communicate, everything else will also pass through the Philippines. Not only with consumers. They must also know how to treat the employees from different culture. An open door policy must be imposed to encourage interaction among them. There might also be some policies or treaties  regarding salaries and wages relative to the home country’s standard and agreed upon by both of the countries. Same as with some policies and rules regarding their health and safety. One possible barrier that can hinder a smooth relationship between the company and its stakeholders is language. Communication is a vital part of an operation or transaction. If there is no proper communication, there could be misunderstanding that will lead to a failure of the business. Also, it can hinder the company from providing what the consumer really wants. Another is culture. If one did something which is against the culture of the other, this might cause a Despite the cultural differences and diversity of beliefs a company must continue to be socially responsible among its stakeholders. They must not forget their responsibility toward the people around them. Their economic, philanthropic, legal and social responsibilities must always be taken into consideration. In this way, they can have a smooth relationship with their stakeholder and thus, have a smooth sailing transaction across the globe even if it is a different environment.