Proposal and Restructuring of the Middle Management

We propose a restructuring at the middle management level that will allow an increase in budget funds for i. e. pay raises, faster decision making process, and overall increase in employee morale, which in most cases equals higher productivity. In this proposed structure there would be an increase in responsibility for the general manager, office manager, and supervisor. Create a faster decision-making rocess, and a better working environment. By dissolving the sales, and rental manager†s positions. It would free up excess of $ 70,000 per year and the staff would report to one manager. The office manager†s responsibilities would increase, and the staff would now consist of approximately six individuals. He would report directly to the general manager. By dissolving the operations manager†s position it would free excess of $ 45,000 per year. The supervisor would inherit his duties and responsibilities, which are almost identical without the expensive price tag, and his staff would consist of twelve technicians. He would report directly to the general manager. By restructuring in this manner, the decisions making process will become more fluid, overall responsibilities will and should be increased, and finally morale and productivity will increase. Which will benefit the company short and long term.

Alcohol Industry, External Environments Essay

Diageo is a company that produces and distributes alcoholic beverages. Its products include all three branches of this industry – spirits, wine and beer. The brands that the company produces include well-known names like Smirnoff, Johny Walker scotch whiskey, Baileys, Captain Morgan rum, Tanqueray gin, Guiness beer, Don Perignon champagne, and many others. One can find the products produced by this company in nearly 180 countries all around the world. The company’s offices are located in 80 countries and employ 20,000 people. Manufacturing facilities are spread out all around the world, including Great Britain, Italy, Australia, Latin America, Canada, Ireland, United States, Caribbean and India (Diageo, 2011). Every company experiences the influences of seven key environments. One of them is internal environment that defines the corporate culture. The other six environments are external. They are: economic, technological, cultural, natural, governmental and legal environments. Every environment consists of forces that influence every business and their relationship with government and society (Steiner & Steiner). Diageo is a UK based company, but the United States of America is responsible for 40% of its revenue. The company has numerous offices, breweries and distilleries based in the USA, and they exist within influential frames of external environments of the country (Diageo, 2011 ). Regulatory Environment The United States of America has very strict laws and regulations that concern Alcoholic Beverage Industry. Alcoholic beverage consumption, as well as its distribution, is regulated by the government. Every state has different liquor consumption rules and regulations. However, the minimum drinking age of 21 years old is the same in every state. A place and time when alcoholic beverages may be consumed are regulated as well. The retail sales of liquor products are usually provided by the specialized stores. Some of the states, like Ohio, prefer to own the stores and have control over prices and sales. Some other states have privatized liquor stores (Kwon, 2010). According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, any retail dealer has to operate with the compliance with the principal Federal liquor laws and regulations. For every manufacturing location Diageo had to obtain manufacturing liquor license from the State Liquor Authority. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulates labeling process of wine, malt beverages and distilled spirits. It also determines the health warning statement that manufacturers have to put on the label (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, n. d. ). Macroeconomic Environment The macroeconomic environment has a great influence on the functioning of the company. There are certain trends that characterize the present economic environment. The recession made more people stay at home than go out; it led to the development of the off-premise consumption. During the recession consumers were trading down by purchasing less expensive brands (Kwon, 2010). For the manufacturing business of Diageo it meant the slower growth of revenues through the years. The range of products had to change as well, as the less expensive brands and products took the lead. After the decrease of investments into the industry in general and Diageo in particular during the recession, investors’ interest in the company is rising. At the present moment, the on-premise consumption is recovering after the recession. Increase in disposable personal income in 2011 is leading to the growth of company’s sales and consumption of more expensive premium brands. Consumers are starting to trade up (Kwon, 2010). The rise of the Producer Price Indexes put pressure on the profit margins of the company. Decreased interest rates mean an opportunity for active acquisitions and introduction of new products (Kwon, 2010). Cultural Environment The present cultural environment dictates Diageo produce more low-calorie products, as the population of the United States of America is going towards the healthier life style and is fighting obesity (Kwon, 2010). The growing number of Hispanic population increases demand for the liquor that is typical for that area, like tequila. It is very important to always target different age groups while conducting a marketing campaign or advertising. Different age groups have different product preferences and different spending habits. The wine producing segment of Diageo, especially the premium wines, is going to benefit from the increasing numbers of consumers in the over-55 age group. Increasing number of young legal-age drinkers will contribute to the increase in beer consumption (Kwon, 2010). In general, mature consumers drink moderately, and are very conscious about alcohol abuse and drunk driving. Governmental environment The United States government controls sales and marketing of alcoholic beverage products, collects taxes, and works on reducing underage drinking. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is the main federal agency involved in the alcohol policy. It regulates labeling, packaging, advertising and is responsible for product approval (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, n. d. ). All alcoholic beverage businesses have to get the authorization to produce and sell from Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. Some of them also have to be authorized under the Internal Revenue Code. Before starting manufacturing, distilled spirits plant, brewery or winery have to apply for a permit of operation from The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Soon it is going to be possible to apply for these permits online (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, n. d. ). Manufacturing and sale of the Alcoholic Beverages is taxed. â€Å"A tax is imposed upon the privilege of engaging in business as a manufacturer or as an importing distributor of alcoholic liquor† (USLegal, 2011). For example, in the year of 2008, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau collected around $17,4 billion dollars in taxes. It made this bureau, the third largest tax gathering organization in the federal administration (Kwon, 2010). There are several reasons why the excise taxes are imposed on the liquor products. First of all, it slightly increases the price of the products. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, lower prices on the alcohol beverages lead to the increased consumption of the alcohol mainly among the underage drinkers. This usually leads to the traffic crash fatalities, increase of the level of crimes and alcohol associated health complications. The second reason for the taxation is the revenue that may be used for public health, safety programs, prevention of underage drinking, enforcement of liquor laws, and prevention and treatment of alcoholism (Center for Science in the Public Interest, n. d. ). Government enforces the three-tier alcohol industry products distribution system. Manufacturers and importers sell their products to the wholesalers, then the wholesalers sell them to the retailers. Technological Environment For the maximum efficiency of the alcoholic beverage production industry, manufacturing company has to stay up-to-date with all the technological innovations. Combination of Rothes Distilleries is a joint venture in the United Kingdom, which was created in 1904 to process whiskey waste. Diageo is a proud member of this group and is taking part in one of their latest technological achievement. Waste from the whiskey distilleries is going to be used to create electric power for up to 9,000 homes. The power plant has won funding from the Royal Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The engineering work is already in process, and the construction is about to start within twelve weeks. The plant is going to be built by the existing animal feed factory owned by the Rothes Distilleries. Solid residue from the distilleries will be taken to the plant and burned with the wood to provide electricity which is going to be used to power local homes and run the animal feed production process (Ranscombe, 2011). Diageo is using enzymes as a part of the brewing process. Beer is usually made of barley, which contains starch that has to be broken down to fermentable sugars before the yeast can make alcohol. Therefore, there is a process named malting, where enzymes are needed for the degradation of starch into fermentable sugars (Molecular-Plant-Biotechnology, n. d. ). New technology of using anaerobic bacteria, to reduce the degree of pollution in the waters created by the processes of brewing and distilling, is used by Diageo (Dnce, Ayman-Oz, Turker, Celikkol, Dnce, n. d. ). New technologies allow the production of new types of packages like draft beer boxes and vortex bottles (Kwon, 2010). New software options were recently developed by the On-Trak company based in Cincinnati and Belgian company, Copa-Data. The new software allows manufacturers and distributors of food and beverage products track every item from the factory to the retail sector (Copa-Data, 2010). Natural Environment Processes of manufacturing of the alcoholic beverages cause damage to the natural environment. They generate large amounts of acidic, recalcitrant and colored wastewaters with high organic content (Steiner & Steiner, 2009). In 1970s, the Congress of the United States of America passed the number of new laws concerning the environmental protection. When the Environmental Protection Agency was created, this started the â€Å"environmental decade. † The agency has consistently worked on protection of human health and preservation of the natural environment (Steiner & Steiner, 2009). There are numerous possibilities to reduce the bad influence of the industry on the environment, and Diageo takes the path of sustainability as well as many other manufacturing companies. Diageo has reached ‘Gold Class’ rating in the admired SAM Sustainability Yearbook 2011. The yearbook measures more than 2,500 of the world’s largest companies in terms of their impact on economic, social and environmental performance (Diageo, 2011). All breweries and distilleries have numerous options on how to reuse their wastes, like growing mushrooms on the fermentation wastes or sending spent grains to farms for animals feed. It is also possible to recover the heat from the hot water using the heat exchanger saving energy (Cleaner Production International LLC, n. d. ). Trend interaction The six external environments do not exist apart from each other. They are connected and interact with one another. An important trend from one environment may be as important for another environment as well. For example, the regulations and policies provided by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau are connected to each other and can be related to both the Regulatory and Governmental environments. The same thing can be said about all the technological innovations. Most part of the new technologies were created with the sustainability in mind. The new technology of anaerobic treatment of waste waters helps to reduce pollution. With the help of new recyclable materials Diageo can create more sustainable packaging for its products. Trends of macroeconomic and cultural environments are usually connected. Consumers’ buying behavior is more or less easy to predict knowing the current economic situation and having data on the personal disposable income. The most important trends Having all this in mind, it is easy to detect the most crucial trends for Diageo’s future. To be aware of the range of products that are going to be needed in future, the company has to predict the economic situation in the country. If there is a recession to come, and personal disposable income is going to drop, consumers will trade down, and more cheap brands will be consumed. In the opposite situation, trading-up will be going on, and Diageo will have to produce more premium products. Types of the products that will be consumed will also depend on the popularity of the on-premise or off-premise consumptions. Management of every company has to know company’s customer base and be well aware of the demographical changes to come. Aging population of the USA is dictating the increase in the popularity of the premium brands, especially in wine and spirits sectors. Growing Hispanic population will increase the consumption of the import South American brands, some of which create a strong competition for Diageo (Kwon, 2010). Another crucial trend for Diageo is constant development of new technologies that allow the company to increase its level of sustainability and reduce its negative impact on the natural environment, as well as increase company’s efficiency and profits. Over the next five years, positive influence of the economic environment will take place. Recovery after the recession will allow people to get more freedom in their spending habits. Consumers will be trading up, and the on-premise consumption will thrive. The number of consumers in over-55 age group will be increasing, and demand for the premium brands will rise. It is important for Diageo to concentrate its attention on the innovation sector and introduce new brands and products that will match the growing demand for more expensive and sophisticated drinks. Old-fashion classic cocktail mixes manufacturing is another path that can be taken by the company. Diageo successfully applies most innovations that modern technology has to offer. I am sure, that in the course of the next five years, sustainability rating of the company will increase even more. Summary Exploring the present environment of business gives us a good idea on how the company operates in frames of the external conditions that influence the company. In its turn, every business impacts the environments, society and influences the course of history (Steiner & Steiner, 2009). It is easy to predict changes of many factors and trends. Knowing the way these changes will affect the company, we can create the optimal scenario for its development. However, there are some aspects that will remain uncertain, and some that will be changed with the influence of the company. Refernces Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. (n. d. ) . Liquor laws and regulations for retail dealers. Retrieved on April 26, 2011 from http://www. ttb. gov/public_info/5170-2a. htm Alcohol ans Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. (n. d. ) Labeling laws and regulations. Retrieved on April 26, 2011 from http://www. ttb. gov/labeling/laws_and_regs. shtml Center for Science in the Public Interest. (n. d). Why Raise Alcohol Excise Taxes? Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from http://www.cspinet. org/booze/taxguide/TaxIndex. htm Cleaner Production International LLC. (n. d. ). The Alcholic Beverages Industry: Improvement of Resource Efficiency and Environmental Performance. Retrieved April 19, 2011 from http://www. cleanerproduction. com/directory/sectors/subsectors/beveragesa. html COPA-DATA – process control and line management systems. (2010). Retrieved April 20, 2011 from http://www. drinks-business-review. com/suppliers/copa_data Diageo. (2011). About us. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://www. diageo. com/en-row/ourbusiness/aboutus/Pages/default. aspx Diageo. (2011, March 11). Diageo achieves Gold Class sustainability rating. Press Release. Retrieved April 28, 2011 from http://www. diageo. com/en-row/newsmedia/pages/resource. aspx? resourceid=764 Kwon, E. Y. (2010, October 7). Alcoholic beverages and tobacco. Standard and Poor’s Industry Surveys. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://0-www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. olinkserver. franklin. edu/NASApp/NetAdvantage/showIndustrySurvey. do? code=abt Molecular-Plant-Biotechnology. (n. d. ). Enzyme in Beer Manufacturing. Retrieved April 28, 2011 from http://www. molecular-plant-biotechnology. info/foods-and-beverages/enzymes-in-beer-manufacturing. htm Mergent online. (2011, April 21). Business summary. Diageo PLC. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://0-www. mergentonline. com. olinkserver. franklin. edu/companydetail. php? compnumber=94345&pagetype=synopsis Ranscombe, P. (2011, April 15). Power plant that runs on whisky waste wins funding. The Scotsman. Retrieved April 28, 2011 from http://thescotsman. scotsman. com/business/Power-plant-that-runs-on. 6752016. jp Steiner, J. F. & Steiner, G. A. (2009). Business, government, and society. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin U. S. Census Bureau. (2010, January 20). Resident population by age and state – projections: 2010 and 2015. The 2011 Statistical Abstract. Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from http://www. census. gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0018. pdf USLegal. (2011). Liquor Tax Law and Legal Definition, Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from http://definitions. uslegal. com/l/liquor-tax/ Dnce, B. K. , Ayman-Oz, N. , Turker, G. , Celikkol, S. , Dnce O. (n. d. ). Microbial ecology of anaerobic reactors for treatment of alcohol industry wastewaters. Retrieved April 19, 2011 from http://www. formatex. info/microbiology2/988-999. pdf.

Ethnicity and language Essay

1. Ethnicity Ethnicity is not a clear-cut term. It usually describes someone’s racial or cultural background but has a whole host of other connotations connected with appearance, dress, food, lifestyle etc. The ethnic majority in a particular place are, not necessarily those with the largest numbers, but those with social and political power. It is also the case that often terms describing race are fairly meaningless. People from the ‘British race’ for example originate from many other cultures and countries, depending on how far back you trace their family trees. 2. Prejudiced language Language can be used to make certain ethnic groups appear to be outsiders, or different from the ethnic majority. Markedness It is often assumed that immigrants, and people from ethnic minorities, must fit in with the ways and traditions of the ethnic majority. When this happens, the ethnic identity of the majority begins to appear normal and invisible, whilst that of the minority appears, strange, worthy of mention and marked. We often find in the media that people’ ethnicity is only mentioned when they are not white. So, we hear things like â€Å"the murdered black teenager Steven Lawrence† even in instances where the description of ethnicity is irrelevant. Negative labelling People are often labelled according to their colour, race or ethnicity. The problem with such labels is firstly that they may stop us seeing other aspects of the person as we are focussed on the attribute that the label describes. The second problem is that very often these labels are associated with negative stereotypes. We often find that the most marginalized groups in our society have the largest numbers of offensive terms to describe them. In addition, the media runs relatively few stories about those from ethnic minorities, and those that are included tend to reinforce the negative stereotypes by being about crime or disorder. 3. Marking Ethnic Identity Language can also be used as a powerful marker of ethnic identity. The language that we speak, and how we speak it, shows the ethnic group to which we believe we belong and claim solidarity with. British Black English People of West Indian and African Caribbean origin in England use many different varieties depending on where about they live and how long their families have been in Britain. Those born in Britain usually speak a variety of English and also a variety of Jamaican Creole, known as Patois. Linguistic features of Patois ?Lexical items (lick (hit), kenge (weak), bex (angry) ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Plural forms without /s/ suffix (e. g. many cow) ?Verbs not marked for tense (walk in place of walked) ?Simplified pronouns ([mi] for I, me, my and [dem] for they, them and their) ?Use of ‘fi’ in place of ‘to’ before infinitives. African American Vernacular English In the USA, the distinct languages of people of African American origin disappeared centuries ago. Nevertheless, a distinct variety of English, called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), has developed which acts as a symbol of ethnicity. AAVE is most often heard in cities in the North of the states. Linguistic features of AAVE ?Absence of standard copula be (e. g. ‘she very nice’, ‘that my book’) ?Use of copula be to signal recurring actions (‘she be at school on weekdays’) ?Multiple negation (‘I don’t want none’)? Consonant cluster simplification (‘aks in place of asks’) ?Existential it (where standard English has ‘there’, ‘it’s a boy’ for ‘there’s a boy’) Maori English In New Zealand, it is not clear if a Maori dialect of English actually exists. What is certain is that the features listed below occur more often in the speech of Maoris than Pakeha (non-Polynesian New Zealanders, usually of European origin) Linguistic features of Maori English ?Use of [? ] and [? ] in place of [? ] and [? ] e. g. [t? n] for [ n] ?Use of vocabulary items such as kia ora (greeting) and kuia (old woman)? Vernacular verb forms (walk for walked) ?Present tense forms with /s/ ‘I sees you’, ‘we gets home’) 4. Social Networks Social networks can help us understand speech patterns as the language and variety we use is influenced by the people we spend time with. You can draw a simple social network by considering the four or five people you speak to most often and drawing lines from their names to yours on a map. If any of those people know each other independently of you, connect them with lines (preferably of a different colour) too. Then add their two or three best friends, and so on.e. g. Tom Richard Bob Barbara Sandy Dave Features of social networks Density Density refers to whether members of a person’s network are in touch with each other separately. In the example above, only Richard and Bob know each other independently of Tom so his network is not a dense one. Plexity Plexity refers to the type of transactions that we are involved in with other people. If, for example, Tom only ever plays squash with Barbara, the relationship would be considered a uniplex one. If however, Tom and Barbara lived, worked and socialised together it would be a multiplex one. Language and Networks The language or variety we use is influenced by the people we talk to and what we talk to them about. We may change the language or variety we are using depending on which part of our network we are currently interacting with. For example, we may be more formal at work than at home. This type of language/variety shift is probably more likely if our social network is not very dense and our relations tend to be uniplex. If our networks are dense and multiplex, the whole network is more likely to use the use the same language or variety.

Sales - fairmont royal York Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sales - fairmont royal York - Assignment Example rom this above provided list of services one can appropriately understand about the types of services along with the level of quality that this hotel chain has to provide with the prime intention of retaining its market presence. Appropriate provision of all these services also requires the availability of trained staff members the details regarding, which has been mentioned in the later sub parts (FRHIb, 2014). Appropriate maintenance of a large hospitality chain such as ‘Fairmont Royal York’ requires the presence of highly efficient staff members who should be capable of catering to every specific hospitality requirement of the clients. Likewise, the sales personals associated with this hospitality chain should also have to evaluate and quantifiably analyze the expectation of the customers while rendering the services to them. Embedded steps within the entire customer convincing procedures, include the imparting precise knowledge to the customers regarding all the services that have been structured by the Fairmont Royal York. The sales personals should also provide the customers with appropriate suggestion regarding which packages they should be choosing. An instance in this context can be provided by taking reference of the variety of accommodation packages being provided by this hotel chain. In this context, the sales personal might take assistance of the ecommerce website of this hospitality chain for clarifying all the possible confusions of the customers. Regardless of tall these, the sales personals associated with this hotel should also have the capability of analyzing the pre-existent market information regarding other similar types of hospitality chains through which they can impart better developmental suggestion towards ‘Fairmont Royal York’ (FRHIc, 2014). Rather than just concentrating on a single emergent or matured product, this hospitality chain endorses a variety of emergent and well established services upon which the strategies related

The Role of Instruction in Second Language Acquisition Essay

The Role of Instruction in Second Language Acquisition - Essay Example The researches and scientific studies had probed dimensions of learning a second language and its effectiveness. It also has been an interesting field to explore for linguists. Many people contend with the stand that for the learning to be consummate, it had to be instructed the natural way; others dispute that the instruction of traditional methods in the classroom will provide a deeper understanding and comprehension of the language. The language that is the target to be learned is referred to as L2, and the acquisition; the second language acquisition is known as the L2A, or much better known as SLA. Formal instruction possesses a profound effect in the everyday endeavors of learners who are trying to gain fluency and mastery of a second language, so therefore, the rule of formal instruction in the process of learning a second language must be investigated and examined thoroughly. Moreover, it complements the best way to make instruction effective and helpful. Numerous studies have been carried out to investigate whether the ways of instruction alters the sequence of the learners’ acquisition, and also, whether the learners acquire the language in the way the naturalistic learners do. II. Instruction in Second Language Acquisition A. Theories About Second Language Acquisition One of the most emphasized concepts about second language learning is that some individuals are more inclined to learning a second language than other individuals. But there are factors to be considered before uttering such statements, such as age, motivation, ability, and socio-psychological factors.

PSY-499 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PSY-499 - Essay Example Pougnet, et al, (2011) there is significant difference in the cognitive command and social wellbeing of the children who have a longer and close attachment with the male parent In the development of a child from infancy, the immediate environment plays a vital role in defining the cognitive development of the child. This explains the varied behavior of children in various interactive social environments. In respect of the cardinal social input of the male parent to the child’s future behavior, children from parents who are incarcerated tend to differ marginally from the ones with their male parents around their daily life (Dick, 2011). Both the mother and the father have an influence in shaping the psychological development and maturity of the children. Finley & Schwartz,(2007) from their analytical experiments using Statistical tests of significance indicates that the mother plays primary role as far as the infant’s perception of the world is concerned. However as the child grows, the male parent also contribute immensely in his/her interaction with the new world and absorption of various concepts in life. Various scholars have explored the social inadequacies that are likely to erupt in the life of the child in the absence of the male parent. Some of the cases that may lead to this absence are also highlighted with more focus on male incarceration (Menning & Stewart, 2008). The effect of male parent’s absence is two sided in the social life of the child since there is a certain perception such children will develop about the absent fathers and this gradually alters the cognitive and moral interaction of the child in the society. The child’s language skills cannot be learnt from watching infant directed DVD’s or any audio-visual program from the media and it is this point where physical interaction of the male parent through playing with the child come in handy .Coakley,(2013) asserts that children are not able to relate visual objects with real

A South African Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A South African Investment - Essay Example While comprehensive civil rights as well as freedom are critically imperative to all people in order that they can realize their absolute potential and assert their appropriate place in humanity, there are other, supplementary fundamental needs that ought to be satisfied prior to a person worries about spiritual, intellectual and related individual freedoms and rights. It may not be reasonable to offer an individual full government, social, as well as legal rights if they are deprived any reasonable sources of livelihood (Mbendi, 2008). Caltex had the power to influence political policies on the South African government in order that the government may revive its laws. This has happened in other parts of the world, whereby conglomerates influence government policies in order to create a conducive environment for business. Foreign financial investments mean a great deal in any country since it revitalizes the social-economic status of the population and the national economy as well (T obin, 2009). It is an ignominy that Caltex had no problem investing in a country whose laws were exceedingly abhorrent to humanity. In contrast it is factual that in that era, the living standards of the South African minorities as well as the Blacks were in a deplorable state. They vast majority of these populations lived in pitiable homes, and had poor access to high quality educational programs. They were also deprived the right to practice certain jobs or careers, and granted wages that were exceedingly less than that of the white population in South Africa (Nicholas, 2008). For numerous South African Blacks at the time, for whom so several outside the nation had the courage to confront the repressive regime may have chosen to take up jobs at the Caltex plant which granted them better living wages and better workplace environment than in the civil service. It is justifiable to imply that absolute freedom may not have been the priority for all Black South Africans who needed bett er living standards. Therefore, the Caltex plant may have been the category of investments that were essentially required in the country at the time. The only provision Caltex ought to have added would have been the maintenance of reasonable wages and reasonable housing for its black and colored human resources (Mbendi, 2008). Question 2. As a stockholder in Standard Oil or Texaco, it would have been appropriate to vote in agreement with the three stockholder declarations. While it is factual that under the utilitarian philosophies, it might not of necessity have been the most appropriate option for Caltex, Standard Oil or Texaco to desist from investing in South Africa. As a stockholder, it would have been appropriate to vote according to individual conscience. Any financial recompense, such as facilitating the generation of national income from the mining of natural resources or construction of national industries such as in petroleum, appears as unconscionable in regard to the fu ndamental premise on which the South African government operated and survived (Nicholas, 2008). The first resolution demanded that Caltex terminates all its operations in South Africa unless and until the government ceased

The Business Cycle and Policy Response in UK Coursework

The Business Cycle and Policy Response in UK - Coursework Example This paper will examine closely the business cycle properties of the UK and government policy through assessment of the role of GDP and monetary policy conditions in modeling the cycle. Figure 1 Accessed on October 22, 2011 from, http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/images/2008/uk-GDP-growth-and-house-prices-feb08.jpg Figure 2 Accessed on October 22, 2011 from, http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/macro-uk-economic-cycle_clip_image002.gif There are definitional uncertainties that inevitably hamper GDP and its patterns decomposing into cycles and other components like circular flow. Figure 2 is a representation of the UK’s economy annual growth since 1980. Evident in the chart, two recessions have been experienced for the last 25 years. UK experienced the worst downturn in the 1980s. Later between 1990 and 1991, a recession was then followed by cumulative positive economic growth. The 1990s economic growth remains the longest period of economic expansion before the slowdown tha t was experienced in 2005. Not UK alone, but all other countries experience an economic cycle that causes national output and unemployment to fluctuate in a notable manner. Worth noting, the two main concerns of economic are growth and stabilization. As evident in the graphs, devising government policies have a considerable interest towards influencing the prospects for the growth of the economy and mitigate the frustrations associated the downturns. It is important to evaluate the benefits and costs of any policy with knowledge of the growth and business cycle determinants (Mankiw & Taylor, 2006:405). For the last few years, theoretical and empirical researches have undergone an explosion into growth of the economy. For the theoretical part, there have emerged two economic growth determinants. The first is human capital in which abilities, skills, and knowhow of workers are comprised. From this idea, regular improvement of stock of human capital is the fundamental base for economic growth. In other words, there is need to improve stock of human capital if at all the output of the good being produced are to increase for a fixed quantity of workers. Evidently, there exist a homogeneous impact between economic ability to produce goods and growth resulting from the accumulation of human capital. The second is research and development since growth can be realized if returns are non-decreasing. As technology advances as a result of research and development result to a consequential increase in production of the factors of production. Economists believe that changes in technology homogeneously impact produced goods. According to OECD Publishing (2007:23), the fact that there are fluctuation of production, changes in incomes, and changes in spending habits over time means that business cycle must be experienced. As the structure of economy evolves, the cycles will change thus GDP will influence these cycles. The business cycle in the country has been unstable due to the fluctuations caused by inflation. The increased costs of energy have contributed increasingly to the high rate of inflation, which soared from 4.2% in August 2011 to 5.2% September 2011. Being followed by a sharp downward trend, cutting down interest rates became the only tool to boost the economy and prevent any further financial

Crime and Deterrence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Crime and Deterrence - Essay Example Through evaluation of literature however, it is clear that much of the efforts to put into place stringent policies and adopt sophisticated tactics by police have not been up to the task of deterring crime. This paper therefore intends to answer the question of whether potential offenders are deterred from committing crime by change in policy over man power or sophistication of police tactics. Policies in criminal justice influence people towards engaging in crime and for those that are meant to influence positively, this occurs through either incapacitation or through deterrence. When such a policy is imposed and it makes people who would have committed a crime to change their minds, then the policy would be said to be effective in deterring the crime. In other instances, the criminal justice system may impose policies that would prevent possible crimes through putting potential criminals out of circulation such as through detention and this is called incapacitation (Chalï ¬ n & McCrary, 2013). It must however be appreciated that not all policies that are adopted that become effective over the task and this therefore justifies the objective of this study in analyzing the effectiveness of adopting the policy of increased police manpower and sophistication on tactics by police in deterring crime as seen through literature. Chalï ¬ n and McCrary conducted an evaluation on studies and other literature on criminal deterrence and established that economics have a fundamental effect in influencing the effectiveness of the tools adopted to deter crime. While focusing on such literature over two decades, they established a mixed outcome where very strong evidence of crime responding to police as well as legitimate market opportunities but little evidence was found to ascertain that crime responds to levels of severity in criminal sanctions imposed. The whole essence of deterring

International border searches Essay Example for Free

International border searches Essay It is recognized that it is paramount to the U. S. to protect and preserve the integrity of its borders. This involves a constant balancing by the authorities between trade and commerce on one hand and terrorist activities, contraband and illegal immigrants on the other hand. By reason of this, security operations involve border searches and seizures which necessarily have implications on the Fourth Amendment (Vina, 2005). The Fourth Amendment ensures and protects the people from unreasonable searches and seizures and provides, â€Å"â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized† (U. S. Constitution, Fourth Amendment). The Fourth Amendment is to ensure that the powers of the federal government are not arbitrarily used against its citizens. Legally, â€Å"reasonableness† is required as one to be determined by a judge for the issuance of a search warrant. The judge is said to be independent and impartial as to determine the existence of probable cause so that the police can make the search or arrest [Katz v. U. S. , 347, 357 (1967)]. A violation of the Fourth Amendment will result in the exclusion or suppression of whatever evidence may be gathered pursuant to the exclusionary rule enunciated by the Court in the case of Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U. S. 643 (1961). There are however, exceptions established when reasonableness and warrant requirement are relaxed and therefore â€Å"probable cause is not invariably required either† (Vernonia School Dist. 47J v. Acton, 515 U. S. 646, 653 (1995). This occurs when the interests of the public require more protection than those of private interests. One of these established exceptions to the warrant and probable cause requirement is border search [Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U. S. 523 (1967)]. Discussion Border search is defined in the case of United States v. Ramsey as â€Å"that searches made at the border, pursuant to the longstanding right of the sovereign to protect itself by stopping and examining persons and property crossing into this country, are reasonable simply by virtue of the fact that they occur at the border, should, by now, require no extended demonstration (431 U. S. 606 (1977)). This does not require a warrant, probable cause or reasonable suspicion (Onecle web site, 2005). The exception of border search is provided for under the United States Code specifically in Chapter 19, subsections 482 and 1582. This exception is premised on the duty of the state to protect its citizens, regulate trade and commerce and enforces immigration laws, thus, authorizing routine stops for searches at the border [U. S. v. Ramsey, 431 U. S. 606 (1977)]. There are two types of border search, namely routine and non-routine (Vina, 2005). In the case of U. S. v. Johnson, the Court explained that routine search include a search without any suspicion and entails very limited invasion of privacy (991 F 2d. 1287, 1291 7th Cir. 1993). This may include a dog sniff of the person, a search and inspection of belongings, luggage and car (Vina, 2005). The non-routine search includes more intrusive methods and is conducted when the authorities have suspicion that there is alimentary canal smuggling. The search may consist of â€Å"destructive searches of inanimate objects, prolonged detentions, strip searches, body cavity searches, and some x-ray examinations† (Vina, 2005). Body cavity searches include searches in cavities such as â€Å"vagina, rectum, or the use of emetics† [Vina, 2005 citing United States v. Ogberaha, 771 F. 2d 655, 657 (2d Cir. 1985) (vagina); United State v. Pino, 729 F. 2d 1357, 1358 (11 th Cir. 1984) (rectum); United States v. Briones, 423 F. 2d 742, 743 (5 th Cir. 1970) (emetics)]. The law requires that ‘reasonable suspicion’ consists in particular and specific facts which a logical person can infer from a wrong doing (U. S. v. Montoya de Hernandez (1985), 473 U. S. 531). There are also instances when border searches are allowed to extend beyond the border, in the following cases, namely: â€Å"(1) the government officials have reasonable certainty or a â€Å"high degree of probability† that a border was crossed; (2) they also have reasonable certainty that no change in the object of the search has occurred between the time of the border crossing and the search; and (3) they have â€Å"reasonable suspicion† that criminal activity was occurring† (U. S. v. Teng Yang (2002), 286 F. 3d. 940). These three requisites must exist and concur to render legal and constitutional, the extended border search by ensuring a â€Å"significant nexus with a border crossing† by the suspect (Vina, 2005). Most often the routine searches give rise to non-routine searches such as for instance where undeclared precious stones are found inside the pocket of the suspect, this resulted into reasonable suspicion thus giving rise to the conduct of non-routine search of strip searches. This yielded an envelope of narcotics (U. S. v. Flores, (1973) 477 F. 2d 608). Conclusion The U. S. government embarked on enhancing border security technologies and operations by reason of the September 11 terrorist attack. Intercepting and aborting terrorist attacks and smuggling of contraband were overstressed. Pieces of legislation are being drafted to harness further training in detection of false or falsified documents, pilot programs are launched for â€Å"surveillance technologies, biometric entry and exit data system and enhanced training of border officials (Vina, 2005). Volunteer programs were also set up to assist in observing and reporting of the movement of illegal aliens such as those launched in Arizona in 2005. This is a â€Å"citizens’ neighborhood watch’ program called the Minuteman Project. References Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U. S. 523 (1967) Katz v. U. S. , 347, 357 (1967) Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U. S. 643 (1961). Onecle Web site 2005 â€Å" Border searches† Retrieved on October 25, 2007, from http://law. onecle. com/constitution/amendment-04/18-border-searches. html United States Code, Chapter 19, subsections 482 and 1582 U. S. Constitution, Fourth Amendment Vernonia School Dist. 47J v. Acton, 515 U. S. 646, 653 (1995). Vina, S. 2005, Protecting our perimeter:† border searches† under the Fourth amendment CRS Report for Congress. Retrieved on October 25, 2007, from http://www. fas. org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL31826. pdf. United States v. Briones, 423 F. 2d 742, 743 (5 th Cir. 1970) U. S. v. Flores, (1973) 477 F. 2d 608). U. S. v. Johnson, 991 F 2d. 1287, 1291 7th Cir. 1993). U. S. v. Montoya de Hernandez (1985), 473 U. S. 531 United States v. Ogberaha, 771 F. 2d 655, 657 (2d Cir. 1985) (vagina) United States v. Pino, 729 F. 2d 1357, 1358 (11 th Cir. 1984) (rectum); U. S. v. Ramsey, 431 U. S. 606 (1977)]. U. S. v. Teng Yang (2002), 286 F. 3d. 940.

Economy, FDI and Hydropower Sector in Laos

Economy, FDI and Hydropower Sector in Laos Background: Generally speaking, hydropower has various economical, environmental and social and strategic advantages. The hydropower is the largest renewable resource used for electricity and Hydropower is a significant source of electricity worldwide and will likely continue to grow especially in the developing countries. Thus it plays an essential role in economical development especially in many developing countries. Like many countries the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) or Laos is in trend in receiving foreign investment mainly in hydropower sector which comparing by sector from 2000-2010 hydropower sector account more than 33% in total investment (MPI, Laos). Laos nature and climate provide mammoth opportunities for the country to develop hydropower sector which in recent year there has been increased demand for electric power in the region of South-East Asia, however less than 2 percent of the hydropower potential has been developed in Laos over the past 30 years (Laos National Statistic in 2007). During the last few years, the hydropower sector has played an important role in the speedy economic growth of the country recently has experienced, more than 70 hydropower projects are under development, and the hydropower sector makes up an significant part of the export industry in Laos. As the government set the economic outlook from now the year 2020, the National Development Vision to the Year 2020 is to graduate from the status of being a least developed country and become sustainable development nation. To reach and achieve such vision, Laos needs the capital and invests in the human resource capacity, as Laos Government lack of these things. Thus, the foreign investment especially in hydropower sector is playing an important role in increasing the governments revenue (capital generation), job creations and new business system introducing. The hydropower sector is playing the significant role in the Laos economic and social development, the investment law in 1994 introduced the huge incentives mainly tax incentives in order to attract more investment, the question is that are these incentives really work and attract more investment into Laos? Or how did the investment incentive policies effect to hydropower sector in Laos? Thus, the objective or thesis statement of this paper is to analysis the effective of incentive policies offered by government of Laos in attracting investment mainly hydropower sector into Laos. The scope of this paper is not go back beyond the investment law introduced in 1994, but it starts to introduce some basic information about Laos such as the basic information about population, land area, religions and so on (See the Laos at Glance in the table 1 below) and the investment incentive policies provided by the government of Laos. Many scholars explained that, market size and cost of production is the key in attracting investment. Krugman (1991a) argues that the interaction of market, transport costs, and fixed investment costs determines the location of industry. In the Morissets article (2003, p. 253), the impact of tax incentives on FDI is not obvious that it can help in promoting investment. In the past few decades the numerous studies of international investors have indicated that the investment incentive policies are not major factor in their investment location decision. More important factors such as infrastructure, political stability, labor and the cost of production, however in this study is going to explain and provide evidences that investment incentive policies provided by government are the key factor in attracting investment in the case of Laos. Most of the data and information using in here are mainly from the concerning ministries in the Laos as essential. Thus, once again, the scope of this thesis is not covering all aspects of the economic development in country; it will focus only on the laws and regulations applied to foreign investment especially in hydropower sector. Furthermore, there is no any hypothesis test in this paper, as the objective of the paper is to analyze and examine the effective of the Strategic Investment Promotion for Laos. The main study shall be identifying the issues of using incentive policies and drawing out the strategic policies for recommendations. In order to make this paper easy to read and complete, this paper is developed into four chapters. The chapter one is the introduction chapter, where the general information, thesis statement and scope of this paper are drawn. The second chapter is literature reviews related to the foreign investment policies. The third chapter will focuses on overview of Laos economy, FDI and Hydropower Sector in the economic and social development in Laos. In this chapter, the data and figures are illustrated in order to see how changing in hydropower sector in Laos through the policies and incentives offering, plus more specific study on the comparative study, which will focuses on the analyzing of the incentive and disincentive on foreign direct investment. The last chapter is conclusion and recommendations approaches. In this chapter, the policies recommendations are drawn. Then the last part of the paper is the references. Lao PDR at a Glance (Table 1) Name Lao Peoples Democratic Republic Surface Area Population total: 236,800 sq km, land: 230,800 sq km, water: 6,000 sq km 1995 census: 4,574,848 (2007 estimate: 6,677,534) Density 25 people per sq km Land Boundaries total: 5,083 km Borders Myanmar 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423km, Thailand 1,754 km, Viet Nam 2,130 km Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Climate Tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) Religion Buddhist 65 percent , animist 32.9 percent , Christian 1.3 percent, other and unspecified 0.8 percent (1995 census) Time Zone UTC+7 Currency Kip (LAK) Exchange Rates As of October 6th, 2008 : 1 Dollar: 8560 Kips 1 Euro: 11680 Kips GDP 39,284 billion Kips (Nominal, 2007 estimate) 4.1 US$ billion GDP per Capita 604 USS (2006) Source: Economic Research Department, MPI, Laos, 2007 Chapter II: Literature Review Foreign Direct Investment Policy Recently, many scholars try to explain and point out the factors for foreign investment location decision in developing countries. On the other hand there are many studies and articles related the FDI and its policies in developing countries. The developing countries try to develop their investment policies and strategic plan in order to attract the foreign investment In the article of Shaukat Ali and Wei Guo (2005) explained the behavior of MNCs in China, with its huge potential market size as the most important factor for attracting FDI to China, with its large population, steady economic growth, trade integrations are the perfect combination in attracting FDI. The authors further point out that the Chinese Government incentive policies are another important factor In the article of Ekrem Tatoglu (2002), it is was found that market size, openness of the economy, and infrastructure of the host country had positive effect, but the lack of exchange rate and economic stability had negative effect but not significant, however to some extent, it has slowed down its efforts to receive much higher volume of foreign investment. In the Morissets article (2003, pp. 253) point out that the relation between investment policy such as tax incentives and FDI is not the most significant whether it can help the host country in gaining the foreign investment. Over the past few decades they are numerous studies from the international investors have indicated that investment policy such as tax incentives are not the most important factor for investment locations, more important factors such as infrastructure, labor and political stability. However it doesnt mean that the investment policy has no effect on attracting foreign investment, one of the good examples is the Irelands tax incentives which have been recognized as key in attracting foreign investors over the past two decades. Moreover, there has been growing support evidence that investment policy influence the location decisions of companies within regional economic groupings, such as the European Union, North American Free Trade Area, and Association of Southea st Asian Nations. No doubt that market size is important to foreign investment in deciding location but other factors such as the investment policy and institutional framework, are essential in influential a countrys attractiveness to FDI. There are three forms of investment incentive policies: tax incentives, subsidies, export processing zones (EPZs). The investment policy can be favorable to foreign investment or unflavored to foreign investment in order to protect local industries The effect of FDI will depend, in part, on the form that FDI takes. FDI directed to heavily protected industries or attracted by very costly incentives may have a low, or even negative, effect on growth and productivity, Attitudinal and empirical research on the effect of tax incentives on FDI has been inconclusive. In the article of Hearnest (2007, pp.25-30) dedicated that if the investment policy such as tax incentives may be good for a country. This is so if some conditions are contents. First, the investment policy must lead to an increased of inflow in FDI into that country by attracting FDI that would not come without the presence of the incentives. Second, these FDI should contribute to the countrys development by offering returns to the country that more than offset (the returns) the foregone tax revenue in form of tax incentives granted to the investors. When trying to find out who should qualify for the tax incentives in Tanzania therefore, the work will focus on some types of investments that would not come to Tanzania without the presence of the incentives, but have the potential of contributing positively to the development of the country. As for who should not qualify, a focus will be on those investments that would come in any circumstance (in this case the absence of tax incentiv es). FDI determinants that MNEs look for are the presence of economic, political and social stability; and rules regulating entry and operations of businesses. Others are standards of treatment of foreign affiliates; business facilitation (including, inter-alia, investment incentives and thereby tax incentives; market size, growth, structure and accessibility; raw materials, low cost but efficient labour force and physical infrastructure in form of ports, roads, power and telecommunication. Specific incentives may not be main determinants of a countrys attractiveness to FDI. A countrys general economic and political conditions, domestic market, natural and other resources may be more important than some specific incentives. However various incentives have been found to influence investments. Since specific incentives may not be main determinants of a countrys attractiveness to FDI. A countrys general economic and political conditions, domestic market, natural and other resources may be more important than some specific incentives. However various incentives have been found to influence investments. In the conclusion for the literature reviews, there are both advantages and disadvantages by offering the investment incentives policy from the host countries to the foreign investors. However, most of the articles presented in there seem to support the investment incentives policy (tax incentives) offered by many developing countries. There is no doubt that this form of investment incentives are dominated in many developing from now and in the future, especially the ASEAN nations, particularly Laos. In this context, this paper will lead through the way that investment incentives are really strategic tools for FDI attracting in Laos. CHAPTER III: Overview of Economy, FDI and Hydropower Sector in Laos 3.1 Current Laos Economic Situation As the Lao government set their development goal which aiming to free the country from being least developed country by the Year 2020, it ultimate goal is to graduate from the status of being a least developed country and become sustainable development nation. To achieve the goal, Laos needs the capital and human resource capacity, as Laoss lack of these things. Thus, the Foreign investment especially in hydropower and mining sector are playing an essential role in increasing the governments revenue (capital generation), job creations and so on. Since the Laos government started their economic liberalization, the new economic mechanism (NEM) in 1986, the Government of Laos has made the development of private sector and attraction of the foreign investment as the strategic priority, thus the implementation of investment policies are very important to investment especially in attracting foreign direct investment. With the advantages such as political stability, natural resources, low labor costs, strategic location and incentive investment policies, both domestic and foreign investment has notably evidenced its contribution to the Laos Social Economic Development. Generally the total (public and private) investment mobilized rose significantly from 21.3 percent of GDP in 2001 to about 29 percent in 2005, and averaged at 27.8 percent for the five-year period which mainly from FDI  [1]  . The foreign investment has provided further drive to Laos economic growth. The government of Lao PDR provided good climate for investment, such as infrastructures, telecommunication, political stability, stable macroeconomic condition and law and regulation related to investment. With the Laos National Social and Economic Development Plan (NSEDP), Laos government had achieved to maintain the economic prospect with an average GDP from year 2000 to 2010 approximately about 7.73 percent (see figure 1), mainly benefiting from expanding natural resources within the country. By encouraging Foreign Direct Investment, Laos economy has been gradually increased in many sectors, especially industry sector and services sector, which by 2009 had reached 70 percent of GDP. (See Figure 2 and 3) Industrial sector has grown in recent year with rapid rate, accounted an average rate about 11.3 percent per year. The mining industry increased by 33.87 percent; tobacco 20.75 percent; food processing 9.17 percent; textiles 20.11 percent; and garments 11.15 percent. The services sector has been positively meet the requirements of production and trading, from 2001to 2005, the growth rate in total revenues from services sector accounted an averaged at 10 percent per year.  [2]  According to National Social and Economic Development Plan, in general Government of Laos (GoL) has performed well with its ambitious economic target and strong economic growth which grounding to free the country from the status of least-development country by 2020. Figure 1: Laos real GDP growth in percentage Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Economic Outlook 2010 Figure 2: Laos GDP composition by sector Source: CIA World Fact Book Figure 3: Laos GDP per capita compared by continent Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Economic Outlook 2010 In recent year the Government of Laos (GoL) continue to work hard and try to boost its foreign trade with the aim to increase more in export, the structure of their economic changed with the shares of the private sector and Foreign Investment in the economy have increased. In particular, Foreign Direct Investment has facilitated the creation of new products and increasing size of the markets including the entry of new markets. The number of foreign direct investments and private domestic in the past five years stood at 9.7 billion USD, in which foreign direct investments accounted for 8 billion USD  [3]  . Thus, the private sector has become more and more essential in the economy of the Laos. The Lao PDR has been headed for business in regional and global economic integration. It is vital to Laos economic with its potential in domestic and foreign investors to guarantee the benefits from the liberalization of trade. Being the member of ASEAN, ATFA and WTO applicant providing opportunity for the country in trade and attracting foreign direct investment increasing the market entry by reduced 98 percent of its tariffs (zero to five percent in 2008). However Laos faced the problem of trade imbalance, in the year of 2007 to 2008 the total trade was 2630.9 million USD which number of export only 822.7 million USD (see Table 2) 3.2 Foreign Direct Investment and Hydropower Trends in Laos Foreign direct investment is playing crucial role in Laos economy, with the implementation of Investment Law in 2004 which the Government of Laos (GoL) given huge investment incentive to foreign investors especially tax incentive, as the resulted in 2005 onward the FDI inflow has been significantly increased especially in mining sectors and hydropower sectors. In 2006 the FDI inflow raised up to 2,699 million USD and in 2009 increased more than 4,312 million USD (see figure 4 and figure 5). Figure 4: Foreign Direct Investment in Laos Source: Raw data from Ministry of Planning and Investment, Laos Figure 5: Foreign Direct Investment by Sector 2000-2010(Jun) Source: Raw Data from Ministry of Planning and Investment, Laos Not yet complete 3.3 Analysis Study of Investment Incentives and Disincentives in Laos 3.3.1 Investment Incentives in Laos Tax exemptions from some major industrial nations: Lao receive the trade privileges from European Union such as GSP privilege. Currently, the receiving GSP is from 42 countries from EU, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Vietnam and etc. Thus, the garment investment sector is still having comparative advantages in attracting many textile companies to invest in Laos. Mostly, investors are from Taiwan, Japan and Thailand. Furthermore, Laos has sign the Normal Trade Relations (NTR) with USA in December 2004. This is the signal for Laos to join the world trade system (membership of WTO is underway). Such membership leads confident for foreign investors doing business in Laos. Land-linked country: This is going to be trade hub in the Southeast Asia region, which has access to ASEAN market with more than 500 million. Inhabitants including southern part of neighboring China, which adds up together reaching nearly 1 billion people, this is going to be the huge market in the world. Currently, the main roads reaching every corner of the international border pointed have been built. In the next five year, Laos can be the transit goods and connect Southeast Asia to the Northeast and Central Asia. Abundant water resources, rich in mineral resources, and plentiful of productive land: Laoss government still enjoys receiving the application for the development of the hydropower dams and mining concession from foreign investors. These two sectors are main attractive sectors for foreign investors around the world. The abundant water resources help Laos to gain more major foreign investors to invest in the hydropower project, which lead Laos to be the electricity supplier or battery of Asia. Furthermore, unexploitations of mining areas are still existed and waiting for right foreign investors to invest in this sector. Most of the mines are gold, copper, coal, tin, Zink and others. Thus, this is another sector that the Lao governments use to promote and attract foreign investors for investing. Moreover, there are plentiful of productive land for foreign investors to do the plantation projects for the industrial plantation such as sugar, palm trees, eucalyptus, and so on. Currently, many big paper companies are investing for the industrial plantation in Laos such as Oji paper factory (Japan), and Birla Pulp Company (India). Laos Economic Zone: Savannakhet Province is a hub of trade and services in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The province is linking Lao PDR with Thailand, and Vietnam on the Road No.9. It is also all along the Road No.13 which runs through Lao PDR, leading north into China and South into Cambodia. The construction of Road and bridge will progress develop Savannakhet as a trade and services zone in near future and will bring an expansion of markets which will create further business opportunities for all the economic sectors in Savannakhet province, thus Savannakhet Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) which linking neighboring countries in the Asian region with a total population of more than 500 million people and thus is a main centre for trade and services. The categories of business activities planned to be developing in the Savannakhet Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) include the following: Export Processing Zone; Free Trade Zone; Free Service and Logistic Centre including tourism, banking and other activities. 3.3.2 Disincentive of Investment in Laos Geographic condition (land locked country) and poor infrastructure: Laos has no border with the sea, thus this is only obstacle for the transportation. The cost of transport goods from Laos to the sea port in Thailand or in Vietnam is quite expensive and may take longer time for the goods to reach the destination due to the documentations and unforeseen events that can happen anytime. Furthermore, the infrastructure in Laos is not quite good especially the road condition in some places or provinces. These cause the transportation cost high and the return on investment or profit is not so high as expected. However, with the support from the international financial organization such as ADB and World Bank, the Lao government has put the budget for the infrastructure development for the main route to the sea ports such as Road R3 connecting Thaiiand-Laos-China, the road No. 9 connecting Thailand-Laos-Vietnam, Road No. 13 run through the whole countries from North to South of Laos. The vision of the government is to change Laos as Land-Locked country to the Land-Linked country. By achieving this goal, the cost of transportation will be reducing for sure. Macroeconomic instability: Lao economic is not independent economic system. Directly and indirectly, the economic depends on the changing of the Thai and Vietnamese economic growth. Now, the Lao economic is more likely to depend to the Chinese economic as well now, as the major foreign investors is Chinese investors. The Lao currency (Kip) is none tradable currency, so it depends on the changing of the US dollars and Thai Baht. For instance, when the financial crisis occurred in 1997, supported that Lao can escape from this crisis, however, it hit hardly by the crisis as most of the commodities goods import from Thailand. Thus, when the global crisis hit Thailand, it will directly and indirectly hurt Lao economy. However, Lao government has put more afford to monitoring the economic development in Laos and try to not depending on one country economy such Thailand. Now, the free flow of goods leads Laos to escape from the dependent economic from Thailand. Laos can gain access to the Vietnam and China market now. Small market: Although the economy sounds goods in recent years, but the total expenditure of the Lao people is still low. Most of the markets in Laos are small in size and number of consumers. Most of the big spending on consumers is in the main city, but not in the rural areas. However, most of people in the city cross the border to Thailand in spending for the commodities goods. In recently, the good economic recovered and increasing in FDI inflow in to the country, Lao people spend more money in commodities and luxury goods. Thus, this is the good sign in increasing Lao people spending. In the near future, the Lao small market is going to graduate to the big market soon. Thailand. Now, the free flow of goods leads Laos to escape from the dependent economic from Thailand. Laos can gain access to the Vietnam and China market now. 3.4 Comparative Study of Investment Law (1994 and 2004) 3.4.1 The Investment Law in 1994 Not yet complete 3.4.2 The Investment Law in 2004 Not yet complete Law on the Promotion and Management of foreign Investment in the Lao PDR (1994) Law on the Promotion of Foreign Investment In the Lao PDR (2004) Form   of FDI à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚   2 forms of FDI: a) A joint Venture with one or more domestic Lao Investors b)   A 100% foreign- owned enterprises Exemption from import duties for intermediate components and raw materials imported for processing and re-export; Uniform flat rate of 1% of import value of equipment, means of production, spare parts and other materials used in operation of investment projects; No export duties on finished products; Annual profit tax at a uniform flat rate of 20% Special privileges, including reduction or exemption from theprofit-tax rate, are given based on the size of investments and the significant positive impacts that such investments have on the socio- economic development of Lao PDR; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ã‚   3 forms of FDI: a)   Business Cooperation by contract; b) A joint venture with one or more domestic Lao investors (Foreign equity should not be less than 30% of total investment capital); or c) A 100% foreign- owned enterprise 0% of import duties on production vehicles, machinery, equipment and raw materials No export duties on finished products;    Profit tax is classified into 3 groups: 20%, 15% and 10% and profit tax exemption is offered for a certain period depending on activities, investment areas and size of investment 1) Zone One (area with no economic information infrastructure) 7 years profit tax exemption thereafter a profit tax of 10% 2) Zone Two: (areas with certain level of economic infrastructures) 5 years profit tax exemption 3 years profit tax of 7.5% thereafter a profit tax of 15% 3) Zone Three ( areas with good infrastructure) 2 years profit tax exemption 2 years profit tax of 10% thereafter a profit tax of 20% Other   Incentives Investment term is up to 30 years Freedom to expatriate their earnings back home or to third countries Right to employ foreign expatriates Personal income tax at a flat rate of10% Investment term is up to 75 years Freedom to expatriate their earnings back home or to third countries Right to employ foreign expatriates (not exceed 10% of the enterprises labor) Personal income tax at a flat rate of 10% Source: Ministry of Planning and Investment, Lao PDR Case Study of Foreign Direct Investment on Hydropower Sector in Laos Not yet complete Chapter IV: Conclusion Not yet complete

Those Backwards Neo-Classicalists :: Neo-Classicalism Capitalism Capitalist Essays

Those Backwards Neo-Classicalists One of the principal themes of our class was that Neo-Classicalism is wrong, not only wrong but backward. It seemed that everywhere we turned we found one example after another that supported this conclusion. In a nutshell Neo-Classicalists believe that Capitalism is completely fair and that in a Capitalist system one can never be cheated. This erroneous theory extends even into the environment and pollution. The movie "Erin Brockovich" does a wonderful job of illustrating just how wrong the Neo-Classicalists are when it comes to this particular subject. Just what is the Neo-classical belief about the environment and pollution? Interestingly enough they do admit that companies pollute, they also admit that pollution should not be left untended. Both of these admissions are actually surprising and somewhat contradictory to what one might expect from the Neo-Classicalist, unfortunately this is as far as the surprise goes. In typical Neo-classical style the theory is that if pollution is really a problem the market will bear this out and then resolve it. The belief is that the citizens will recognize that it is in the interest of the common good to stop pollution, and the response will be a non-political way of alleviating or stopping the problem. I emphasize that the solution will be a non-political one because it appears that politics and Neo-classicalism are enemies. Neo-Classicalists believe that Government should never get involved in economic problems. They feel that if the government would just stay out of it all problems would s olve themselves through neo-classicalism. In other words Government is just this terrible thing that imposes itself and mucks the whole system up! The ideal of Neo-classicalism is that the pollution problem will give rise to a market that will meet the demand for a clean environment. Which brings me to another principal of Neo-Classicalism with which I have a problem; all things should be paid for. The all-popular Brita water purifier and the increasingly popular oxygen bars are prime examples of this ideal. Although you may be able to make an argument for this principal when it comes to goods and services it seems ludicrous when you apply it to the environment. You want clean air? Pay for an oxygen bar! You want clean water? Buy yourself a water purifier! Clean air and water should be things that all humans have a right to without having to pay for them.

Mans Best Friend :: Literary Analysis, Pam Houston

Man’s Best Friend The character in â€Å"A Blizzard under Blue Sky,† by author Pam Houston is clinically depressed, and desires to go winter camping it hopes to gain some relief from her daily stresses. The character views nature as something that is good for a person, and is somewhat rejuvenating. â€Å" One of the things I love most about the natural world is the way it gives you what’s good for you even if you don’t know it at the time†(284). The character in â€Å"To Build a Fire† by author Jack London, is somewhat numb as far as emotions are concerned. â€Å"Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd degrees of frost. Such fact impressed him as being cold and uncomfortable, and that was all† (295). His only hope and desire, is to get back to camp, where the â€Å"boys† are. The character in â€Å"A Blizzard under Blue Sky† decides to go camping and takes Jackson and Hailey with her, her two best friends. Jackson is an oversized male dog and Hailey is a female. The character proudly goes into detail about each of her dog’s personalities. She speaks of her dogs as companions, and she converses with them. â€Å"It’s fabulous here†, I told the dogs. â€Å"But so far it’s not working† (285). â€Å"Come on Mom†, Jackson said. â€Å"Ski harder, go faster, climb higher† (285). The character also shares her sleeping bag with her dog Haley, so that she can stay warm too. On the other hand, the character in â€Å"To Build a Fire† has a dog as well; it is a large native husky. The character is this story does not pay as much attention to his dog. â€Å"The dog dropped in again at his heels, with a tail drooping discouragement, as the man swung along the creek bed† (296). The character also sends his dog in ahead of him, when he senses danger. â€Å"The dog did Nevitt 2 not want to go† (297). In addition, he tries to kill the dog near the end in hopes keep warm. â€Å"He would kill the dog and bury his hands in the warm body until the numbness went out of them† (302). Both characters do have some similarities however, because both characters are warned, about the extremely cold weather conditions. The character in â€Å"To Build a Fire† is warned by a man in Sulphur Creek. â€Å"That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country.

Mark Twain is a Great American Author :: Biography Biographies Essays

Mark Twain is a Great American Author In the book Huck Finn, Mark Twain not only writes about the adventures of a young boy, he depicts the struggle that people had to go through in that time period. That is just one of the reasons why some people consider Mark Twain to be the greatest American author of all time. As I was reading the book Huck Finn I started to agree more with what Mencken had to say "Put him beside Emerson, or Whitman, or Hawthorne, or even Poe; he was palpably the superior of all of them". I could really relate to lots of the ideas and emotions that sprang into Tom and Huck's heads at the time. In Huck Finn, Tom gets a group of boys together to form a little club. When I was younger I would do the same thing with friends of mine. We would act out our fantasies just like Tom and Huck did in the story. All of Huck's life he was able to live it the way that he wanted, until he had to move in with Miss Watson. But as you read you find out that every minute he is away from her he is up to his old tricks again. From going out to having a smoke with Tom, or messing up his hair so he could feel at home. You can see that he is still a little boy inside who isn't ready to grow up. Tom Sawyer is one of those type of friends that everybody has, crazy enough to get everybody's attention but smart enough to know when to stop. I read some of the things that Tom had done in the book and some of the lies he would tell and I thought "man he is crazy for doing that" but as I thought about it more it seems reasonable to a kid at that age and why wouldnt he act the way he did ? Mark Twain takes a big step to the side when he writes about one of Miss Watsons slaves. Jim is a strong black slave in about his mid-twenties. As you read about Jim and see what he's had to go through you can start to Mark Twain is a Great American Author :: Biography Biographies Essays Mark Twain is a Great American Author In the book Huck Finn, Mark Twain not only writes about the adventures of a young boy, he depicts the struggle that people had to go through in that time period. That is just one of the reasons why some people consider Mark Twain to be the greatest American author of all time. As I was reading the book Huck Finn I started to agree more with what Mencken had to say "Put him beside Emerson, or Whitman, or Hawthorne, or even Poe; he was palpably the superior of all of them". I could really relate to lots of the ideas and emotions that sprang into Tom and Huck's heads at the time. In Huck Finn, Tom gets a group of boys together to form a little club. When I was younger I would do the same thing with friends of mine. We would act out our fantasies just like Tom and Huck did in the story. All of Huck's life he was able to live it the way that he wanted, until he had to move in with Miss Watson. But as you read you find out that every minute he is away from her he is up to his old tricks again. From going out to having a smoke with Tom, or messing up his hair so he could feel at home. You can see that he is still a little boy inside who isn't ready to grow up. Tom Sawyer is one of those type of friends that everybody has, crazy enough to get everybody's attention but smart enough to know when to stop. I read some of the things that Tom had done in the book and some of the lies he would tell and I thought "man he is crazy for doing that" but as I thought about it more it seems reasonable to a kid at that age and why wouldnt he act the way he did ? Mark Twain takes a big step to the side when he writes about one of Miss Watsons slaves. Jim is a strong black slave in about his mid-twenties. As you read about Jim and see what he's had to go through you can start to

Iron Crowned Chapter 1

Don't confuse fairy queens with fairy princesses. Where I come from, girls who want to be fairy princesses usually dream about gossamer wings and frilly dresses. Pink dresses, at that. I'm pretty sure rhinestones are part of being a fairy princess too, as are cute wands with stars on top that grant wishes. Fairy princesses expect lovely lives of luxury and lounging, ones that involve small woodland creatures waiting on their every need. As a fairy queen, I can admit that there is a bit more involvement with woodland creatures than one might expect. But the rest? A total joke. Fairies – the kind I deal with, at least – rarely have wings. My wand is made of rough gemstones bound together, and I use it to blast Otherworldly creatures out of existence. I've also whacked a few people in the head with it. My life is dirty, harsh, and deadly, the kind of life no frilly dress could withstand. I wear jeans. Most important, I look horrible in pink. I'm also pretty sure that fairy princesses don't have to deal with this kind of shit first thing in the morning. â€Å"I have killed †¦ Eugenie Markham.† The words rang out loud and clear through a dining room filled with about thirty people eating at round wooden tables. The ceilings were vaulted, and the rough stone walls made it look like part of a medieval castle because †¦ well, it kind of was. Most of the morning diners were soldiers and guards, but a few were officials and high-ranking servants who lived and worked within the castle. Dorian, King of the Oak Land and my bondage-loving Otherworldly boyfriend, sat at the head table and looked up from his breakfast to see who had made such a bold statement. â€Å"I'm sorry, did you say something?† The speaker, standing on the other side of the table, turned as red as the uniform he wore. He looked about twenty-something in human years, meaning he was probably a hundred or so in fairy – or gentry, the name I preferred – years. The guy bit his lip and straightened his posture, making another attempt at dignity as he glared at Dorian. â€Å"I said I killed Eugenie Markham.† The man – a soldier, it appeared – looked around at the faces, no doubt hoping his message would inspire horrified reactions. Mostly his words brought about good-natured confusion, largely because half of the people gathered in the room could see me standing in the hall outside. â€Å"I have killed your queen, and now your armies will crumble. Surrender immediately, and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Katrice of the Rowan Land, will be merciful.† Dorian didn't answer right away and didn't look very concerned. He delicately patted his mouth with a brocade napkin and then returned it to his lap. â€Å"Dead? Are you sure?† He glanced over at a dark-haired woman sitting beside him. â€Å"Shaya, didn't we just see her yesterday?† â€Å"Yes, sire,† replied Shaya, pouring cream into her tea. Dorian brushed autumn-red hair out of his face and returned to cutting up the sugary, almond-coated pastry that was serving as his most important meal of the day. â€Å"Well, there you have it. She can't be dead.† The Rowan soldier stared in disbelief, growing more and more incredulous as people continued to either regard him curiously or simply ignore him altogether. The only person who seemed mildly concerned was an elderly gentry woman sitting on the other side of Dorian. Her name was Ranelle, and she was an ambassador from the Linden Land. She'd only arrived yesterday and clearly wasn't used to the wacky mishaps around here. The soldier turned his attention back to Dorian. â€Å"Are you as insane as they say you are? I killed the Thorn Queen! Look.† He threw down a silver and moonstone necklace. It clattered against the hard, tiled floor, and the pale, iridescent stones just barely picked up some of the morning light. â€Å"I cut this off of her corpse. Now do you believe me?† That brought some silence to the room, and even Dorian paused. It was indeed my necklace, and seeing it made me absentmindedly touch the bare spot on my throat. Dorian wore his perpetually bored expression, but I knew him well enough to guess at the maelstrom of thoughts swirling behind his green eyes. â€Å"If that's true,† Dorian replied at last, â€Å"then why didn't you actually bring us her corpse?† â€Å"It's with my queen,† said the soldier smugly, thinking he'd finally gained ground. â€Å"She kept it as a trophy. If you cooperate, she might release it to you.† â€Å"I don't believe it.† Dorian peered down the table. â€Å"Rurik, will you pass the salt? Ah, thank you.† â€Å"King Dorian,† said Ranelle uneasily, â€Å"perhaps you should pay more attention to what this man has to say. If the queen is dead – â€Å" â€Å"She's not,† said Dorian bluntly. â€Å"And this sauce is delicious.† â€Å"Why don't you believe me?† exclaimed the soldier, sounding oddly childlike. â€Å"Did you think she was invincible? Did you think no one could kill her?† â€Å"No,† admitted Dorian. â€Å"I just don't think you could kill her.† Ranelle tried again. â€Å"My lord, how do you know that the queen isn't – â€Å" â€Å"Because she's standing right there. Will you all shut up now so I can eat in peace?† The interruption – and end to this farce – came from Jasmine, my teenage sister. Like me, she was half human. Unlike me, she was totally unstable and was consequently eating her breakfast while wearing loose but magic-stunting handcuffs. She also had headphones on, and the breakfast debate must have been overpowering her current playlist. Thirty faces turned toward where I stood near the doorway, and there was a mad scramble as almost everyone shoved back their chairs and tried to rise for a hasty bow. I sighed. I'd been comfortable leaning against the wall, resting from a hard night's journey as I watched this absurdity unfolding in my Otherworldly home. The gig was up now. I threw back my shoulders and strode into the dining room, putting on all the queenly airs I could. â€Å"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,† I announced. I had a feeling I'd messed up the Mark Twain quote, but in this crowd, nobody knew the reference anyway. Most thought I was simply stating the facts. Which, really, I was. The Rowan soldier's flushed face suddenly turned white, his eyes bugging out. He took a few steps backward and glanced uneasily around. There was really nowhere else he could go. I gestured for those who were standing and bowing to sit down as I walked up to my necklace. Picking it up from the floor, I eyed it critically. â€Å"You broke the clasp.† I studied it for a few more moments and then turned my glare on him. â€Å"You broke it when you ripped it off my neck while we were fighting – not when you killed me. Obviously.† I just barely recalled grappling with this guy last night. He'd been one among many. I'd lost him in the midst of the chaos, but apparently, Katrice had decided to send him here with a story after he'd captured this â€Å"evidence.† â€Å"You look amazing for being dead, my dear,† called Dorian. â€Å"You should really come join us and try this sauce that Ranelle brought.† I ignored Dorian, both because he expected me to and because I knew I didn't look so amazing. My clothes were ripped and dirty, and I'd accrued a few cuts in last night's battle. Judging from the haze of red I kept seeing out of the corners of my eyes, I had a feeling my hair was frizzy and sticking up in about a hundred different directions. It was already turning into a hot day, and my stuffy castle was making me sweat profusely. â€Å"No,† gasped the Rowan soldier. â€Å"You can't be alive. Balor swore he saw you fall – he told the queen – â€Å" â€Å"Will you guys stop this already?† I demanded, leaning in close to his face. This made a few of my own guards step nearer, but I wasn't worried. This loser wouldn't try anything, and besides, I could defend myself. â€Å"When is your fucking queen going to stop turning every rumor about Dorian or me dying into some huge proclamation? Haven't you ever heard of habeas corpus? Never mind. Of course you haven't.† â€Å"Actually,† piped in Dorian. â€Å"I know Latin.† â€Å"It won't work anyway,† I growled to the Rowan guy. â€Å"Even if I were dead, it's not going to stop our kingdoms from trampling yours.† That pulled him out of his stupefied state. Fury lit his features – fury spiked with a little bit of insane zeal. â€Å"You half-breed bitch! You're the one who's going to be blighted from existence! You, the Oak King, and everyone else who lives in your cursed lands. Our queen is mighty and great! Already she's in negotiations with the Aspen and Willow Lands to unite against you! She will grind you with her foot and take this land, take it and – â€Å" â€Å"Can I kill him? Please?† This was Jasmine. Her gray eyes looked at me pleadingly, and she'd taken the headphones off. What should have been teenage sarcasm was actually deadly seriousness. It was days like these I regretted keeping her in the Otherworld, rather than sending her back to live with humans. Surely it wasn't too late for reform school. â€Å"I haven't killed any of your people, Eugenie. You know I haven't. Let me do something to him. Please.† â€Å"He's under a truce flag,† replied Shaya automatically. Protocol was her specialty. Dorian turned toward her. â€Å"Blast it, woman! I've told you to stop letting them in with immunity. Wartime rules be damned.† Shaya only smiled, unconcerned by his mock outrage. â€Å"But he is protected,† I said, suddenly feeling exhausted. Last's night battle – more of a skirmish, really – had ended in a draw between my armies and Katrice's. It was incredibly frustrating, making the loss of life on both sides seem totally pointless. I beckoned some of my guards forward. â€Å"Get him out of here. Put him on a horse, and don't send him with any water. Let's hope the roads are kind to him today.† The guards bowed obediently, and I turned back to Katrice's man. â€Å"And you can let Katrice know that she's wasting her time, no matter how often she wants to claim she's killed me – or even if she manages it. We're still going to see this war through, and she's the one who's going to lose. She's outnumbered and out-resourced. She started this over a personal fight, and no one else is going to help her with it. Tell her that if she surrenders immediately, then maybe we'll be merciful.† The Rowan soldier glared at me, his malice palpable, but offered no response. The best he could manage was to spit on the ground before the guards dragged him off. With another sigh, I turned away and looked at the breakfast table. They'd already brought up a chair for me. â€Å"Is there any toast?† I asked, sitting down wearily. Toast was not a common item on the gentry menu, but the servants here had gotten used to my human preferences. They still couldn't make decent tequila, and Pop-Tarts were totally out of the question. But toast? Toast was within their skill set. Someone handed a basket of it to me, and everyone continued eating peacefully. Well, almost everyone. Ranelle was staring at all of us like we were crazy, which I could understand. â€Å"How can you be so calm?† she exclaimed. â€Å"After that man just – just – and you †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked me over in amazement. â€Å"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but your attire †¦ You've clearly been in battle. Yet, here you are, sitting as though this is all perfectly ordinary.† I gave her a cheerful look, not wanting to offend our guest or project a weak image. I'd just arrogantly told the Rowan soldier that his queen would never gain any allies, but his comment about her negotiating with the Aspen and Willow Lands hadn't been lost on me. Katrice and I were both scrambling for allies in this war. Dorian was mine, giving me the edge in numbers right now, and I didn't want to risk any chance of that changing. Dorian caught my eye and gave me one of his small, laconic smiles. It warmed me up, easing a little of the frustration I felt. Some days, it seemed like he was all that was going to get me through this war I'd inadvertently stumbled into. I'd never wanted it. I'd never wanted to be queen of a fey kingdom either, forcing me to split my time between here and my human life in Tucson. I certainly hadn't wanted to be at the center of a prophecy that claimed I'd give birth to humanity's conqueror, a prophecy that had driven Katrice's son to rape me. Dorian had killed him for it, something I still didn't regret, even though I hated every day of the war that had followed in the killing's wake. I couldn't tell Ranelle any of that, of course. I wanted to send her back to her land with an image of confidence and power, so that her king would think allying with us was a smart move. A brilliant move, even. I couldn't tell Ranelle my fears. I couldn't tell her how much it hurt me to see refugees showing up at my castle, poor petitioners whose homes had been destroyed by the war. I couldn't tell her that Dorian and I took turns visiting the armies and fighting with them – and how on those nights, the one who wasn't fighting never got any sleep. Despite his flippancy, I knew Dorian had felt a spark of fear at the Rowan soldier's initial claim. Katrice was always trying to demoralize us. Both Dorian and I feared that someday, one of her heralds would show up telling the truth. It made me want to run away with him right now, run away from all of this and just wrap myself up in his arms. But again, I reminded myself that I had to brush those thoughts away. Leaning over, I gave Dorian a soft kiss on his cheek. The smile I offered Ranelle was as winning and upbeat as one he might produce. â€Å"Actually,† I told her. â€Å"This is a pretty ordinary day for us.† The sad part? It was true.

Descriptive Essay About the 2009 Movie Up

I am writing my five paragraph essay on what I like to call, the â€Å"World’s Greatest Move†, the 2009 Pixar animated story called Up. If you look deeper into this crowd proclaimed â€Å"Kid’s Movie† you will find hidden meanings to the movie. You will find sadnesses that you may not have noticed before, happiness in the characters, and deeper meanings to the locations. In the film Up, although it is a kid’s movie, it is filled with many sad events such as Carl Fredricksen being forced into retiring, Ellie Fredricksen dying, and Russell being fatherless.The first sadness we encounter in the movie is Ellie Fredricksen, Carl Fredricksen’s lifelong love, dying. In this part of the film you see the lovers going on a picnic just like they used to do when they were young which is all happy and you feel really happy inside. Then she falls, and cannot get to the top of the hill where they are having the picnic. It then skips to a scene of Ellie dyin g in the hospital, then it skips again to the funeral which makes you feel really sad. This all happens in a time span of about 10 mins.When I watch this section of the film, it makes me sad because it is like showing you a cute puppy that you’re excited to care about, watch it grow up and be happy, then all of a sudden taking it away from you and all of that short happiness and excitement you had built up towards that thing. The second sad part that comes into the film is when you witness Mr. Fredricksen being forced into retirement after becoming too old to work at selling balloons at the local zoo, and then evicted from his home. In this part of the film you see Mr.Fredricksen working, then a manager silently walking up to him and giving him the news that he should retire because he is getting really sad and old, and when he gets home he sees an urban development being built around him yet he refuses to sell his home. Then, when a worker named Steve accidentally damages hi s mailbox he injures Steve, where he then gets a visit from the local retirement home and evicted from his home for being a â€Å"public menace†. When I watch this section, I see how Mr. Fredricksen is just getting overwhelmed by one thing after another because that’s exactly how I feel at times.The third sadness we come across in this film is when we start to put the pieces together about how Russell, the earnest young Wilderness Explorer, does not have a father anymore, and how he lives with his mother and her boyfriend in an apartment. In this scene little Russell explains that he doesn’t have a dad to do activities with, how he is not allowed to have dogs in his apartment, and that he doesn’t call his mom’s boyfriend dad. When I see this part, I get really sad and think that little innocent deserves so much better than the life he has.You learn to love that fat little kid. All in all, the movie has many sad moments that are overlooked by the fa ct that it’s a kid’s movie. In this film you can also easily see the happiness in this movie such as Russell, Mr. and Mrs. Fredricksen falling in love, and Doug The Dog. First, just when you think that the movie couldn’t get any more bizarre, a chubby 8-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell hitches a ride on Carl’s house, and the two unlikely heroes go on an exotic adventure to the wild jungles of South America.Russell the wilderness explorer is endearingly innocent. Russell makes me feel really happy inside because they made him cute and fat. He also talks really innocently so that just adds to the fun. Secondly, Ellie first met Carl as a child when he wandered into her clubhouse. The two became close friends after realizing they shared a similar admiration for explorer Charles Muntz. Ellie made promises with Carl by saying â€Å"Cross your heart? â€Å". Eventually, Carl and Ellie were married, but were unable to have children.They constantly tri ed to arrange a trip to Paradise Falls, but every time something always happened to prevent it. After Carl finally managed to acquire a ticket, Ellie died of old age. This part in the movie makes me feel really happy, and a little sad because of the way they fell in love was really cute and funny. The third happiness we come across is Dug the dog. Along their trek toward the falls, Carl and Russell find a strange and very large bird, whom Russell dubs â€Å"Kevin,† and a talking dog named Dug who is hunting the bird.Russell wants to keep them, but Carl does not want any extra tag-a-longs. When a pack of mean dogs sent by Dug's master show up to get the bird, Carl's trip takes a whole new turn. As it turns out, the dogs belong to Charles Muntz, the adventurous explorer who inspired Carl and Ellie's dreams of Paradise Falls. Dug is very funny and adds comic relief. Dug makes me laugh and feel happy about the movie, he does his job as a comic well. All in all, the movie Up