Discuss American experience in Vietnam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discuss American experience in Vietnam - Essay Example Similarly, John F. Kennedy illustrated this by saying that "The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring this endeavor [defending freedom] will light our country and all who serve it- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world"5, and this became one of the reasons why America found itself duty-bound to intervene into Vietnam. When we look at the region in which the war took place, the war encompassed a bigger conflict of the region including the adjacent countries of Laos and Cambodia, which was also known as the Second Indochina War. Vietnamese remember this combat as the American War (Vietnamese Chin Tranh Chng My Cu Nc, which when translated into English is "War against the Americans and to Save the Nation"). A look at the past wars in the region reveals that, the First Indochina War was the French Indochina War in which the French, in order to maintain their control of their colony located in Indochina, had to come to blows in this region against an uprising independence movement which was headed by a Communist Leader Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnam War was a succession of this confrontation. According to many the Vietnam War has not gone down in to history the way it truly occurred, for example according to Richard M. Nixon "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now."2 There are diverse views on whether America lost the war or not but, Henry Kissinger said on one occasion that, "The Vietnam War required us to emphasize the national interest rather than abstract principles. What President Nixon and I tried to do was unnatural. And that is why we didn't make it."3 This can also be taken as a lesson, that in all situations abstract principles, need to be stressed upon more than, just national interest. Another lesson is never to take undemocratic moves before going to war. America was long before at war, before the American public realized it. This move of Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, was undemocratic. Lyndon B. Johnson heightened the involvement of America in the Vietnam War from increasing the number of American soldiers from 16,000 in 1963 to 500,000 in early 1968. Keeping the masses in deception is not a good policy also. It is not so wise to call the bombing of some other country anything else than war. But Lyndon Johnson and McNamara formed a false impression that the attacks which were being made on North Vietnam were alternatives to war, instead of war itself. Since bombs cause destruction and death so they can not be called 'communication', especially for those who become the victim of those bombs. After the U.S was truly at war with Vietnam, Pentagon had predicted

East Asian History Essay Example for Free

East Asian History Essay In the year 1943, the allied forces made a Deceleration in Cairo pledging freedom for the Korean peninsula from Japan. The US, China and Great Britain were the main parties involved in this declaration, often known as the ‘Cairo Declaration’. In the Yalta Conference, Roosevelt made a proposal to the USSR leaders for having a four-power leadership of Korea. Although, Stalin took President Roosevelt points into consideration, no formal agreement was reached upon. President Roosevelt proposed that the US, USSR, Great Britain and China would take hold on Korea. Following these talks, the tension between the communist nations and the western nations began to rise. In the Postdam conference in July 1945, Independence was promised for Korea. The US asked the USSR to enter the war with Japan to free Korea. However, they also suggested that the Japanese could not be attacked from Korea, unless the Japanese mainlands were captured. The USSR army attacked the Japanese forces from the northern side after capturing Manchuria. Following the American bombing of the Japanese cities in August 8, 1945, the Japanese troops began to surrender. The 38th Parallel was utilized as a line of control. North of this line, the USSR troops took charge and south of this line, the American army had control. The Japanese forces actually surrendered to the US forces on September 8th in Seoul. The USSR forces began to seal the line of control. The USSR forces were however present in Korea earlier compared to the American forces. There are many reasons as to why the US government wanted to divide Korea. Some suggest that it was basically done to prevent the USSR army from occupying the entire Korea. Other felt that it was to increase the military presence (from several countries) in Korea, and in this way prevent any single power from taking control of Korea. Initially, the Korean division was proposed as a temporary measure (basically for military operations). However, the conflict between the Eastern and Western powers meant that no particular solution was reached for this issue. In this way Korea continued to be divided (Turner Learning, 2007 Britannica Encyclopedia, 2007). Once Korea was divided, the Americans began to have a Government under Korea under the rule of Syngman Rhee. This government was basically set up against communism. South Korea was called as ‘Republic of Korea’. In the northern side, the USSR government set up a communist government under the rule of Kim II Sung. This state was called as ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’. Kim II Sung was actually a major of the Red Army. After the World War II he was considered the head of the North Korean communist party. He was appointed the head of a committee for settling administrative issues. In 1947, a legislative assembly was formed in North Korea, and Kim was elected the head. He had a strong military presence in North Korea. Initially, Stalin wanted to stop Kim from using communist influence in North Korea, but Kim was against this. Later, Stalin and Kim were planning to enforce communism throughout Korea. Kim II Sung’s army was known as the ‘North Korean Military Army’. This army included a few generals who had waged war against the Japanese. Kim was interested in developing a nation that was torn out of war. He brought all agricultural activities under the control of state. He also started developing the industry in Korea. On the other hand, the South Korean’s did not have a strong military presence under the US army. When the US army was withdrawing its troops in 1949, only about 100, 000 soldiers were trained in the South Korean Army. The Russians began to support an attack of South Korea in the year 1950. North Korea utilized Russian artillery, guns and tanks to launch an attack in South Korea. The South Koreans were unprepared by the attack from the North Koreans. The American aid was rather insufficient. The Americans and the UN had to support South Korea in its fight against North Korea during the Korean War (Turner Learning, 2007 Britannica Encyclopedia, 2007).

Chimpanzee Essay -- essays research papers

Chimpanzee The acts of cannibalism and infanticide are very apparent in the behavior of the chimpanzee. Many African studies show that wild chimpanzees kill and eat infants of their own species. (Goodall, 1986:151) Although there is not a clear answer why chimps engage in this very violent and sometimes gruesome behavior there are many ideas and suggestions. This essay will deal with chimpanzee aggression, cannibalism and infanticide. This paper will present information on major research studies performed in Africa and analyze how and why this strange behavior occurs in a commonly thought peaceful primate. Wild chimpanzees(Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are known to kill and eat mammals in various parts of Africa. Monkeys were recorded to be consumed in the Gombe National Park, the Kasakati Basin, and the Budongo Forest. Moreover, there is new evidence that chimpanzees near the Ugalla River of western Tanzania also consume mammals.(Riss, 1990:167) Cannibalism has also been recorded both in the Budongo Forest, Mahale Mountains and the Gombe National Park. In Jane Goodall's, May 1979 article in the National Geographic called "Life and Death at Gombe" it reveals the first time that chimpanzees who were always perceived to be playful, gentle monkeys, could suddenly become dangerous killers. "I knew that some of our chimpanzees, so gentle for the most part, could on occasion become savage killers, ruthless cannibals, and that they had their own form of primitive warfare."(Goodall, 1979:594) To try and explain this ruthless behavior it is necessary to first analyze their social upbringing and unique lifestyle. The Chimpanzee society is clearly a male dominated aggressive social unit. Males are larger than females, they are more openly aggressive, and they fight more often. (Holloway, 1974:261) These fights can look extremely fierce and the victim screams loudly. But it is rare for a fight between community members to last longer than quarter of a minute, and it is even more unusual for such a fight to result in serious injury.(Goodall, 1992:7) Many fights break out suddenly. Afterwards the loser of the fight, even though clearly fearful of the aggressor, will alm... ...s been no evidence revealing why chimpanzees act and behave in this cannibalistic fashion. There are many theories and ideas but like the theory of evolution there is no one clear answer. Being the closest living relative to the human being, chimpanzees exhibit complicated and intricate behavior due to their advanced brains.(Zuckerman, 1932:171) This paper has revealed that chimpanzees are creatures of great extremes: aggressive one moment, peaceful the next. This gruesome violent behavior can actually be linked to a similarity with human beings. It is widely accepted in the scientific community that chimpanzees are the closest human relatives we have. If we are indeed superior to these primates, does it not stand to reason that humans should be able to learn from this violence and avoid it? Jane Goodall, in her article labeled, "Life and Death at Gombe" draws a similar conclusion: It is sobering that our new awareness of chimpanzee violence compels us to acknowledge that these ape cousins of ours are even more similar to humans than we thought before.

Ib Bio Experiment on Effect of Substrate Conc on Enzyme Activity

Practical Assessment 2 – The effect of substrate concentration on the rate of enzyme activity of Catalase Aim To investigate the effect of substrate concentration (manipulated by increasing concentration of hydrogen peroxide) on the rate of enzyme activity of catalase, produced by liver cells, on the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Introduction Enzymes are biological catalysts that increase the rates of reactions.In an enzyme-catalyzed reaction, the substrate binds to the active site and forms enzyme-substrate complex with the enzyme through the lock and key method (where the lock represents the enzyme and the key represents the substrate). The enzyme then breaks the bonds in the substrate. The product of the reaction then leaves the enzyme, which remains unchanged after the reaction. Without enzymes, many essential processes, such as digestion, would occur too slowly for life to continue.Catalase is an enzyme produced by our liver cells to break down hydrogen peroxide â⠂¬â€œ a common end product of metabolism, but highly toxic to tissues if accumulated in the body – into water and oxygen. The equation of the reaction is as follows: 2 H2O2 O2 + 2 H2O Catalase Catalase In this experiment, we obtain 6% hydrogen peroxide solution from a pharmacy and extract equal concentrations of catalase from liver cells.Filter paper discs are dipped into the catalase solution before they are submerged in hydrogen peroxide solution. The oxygen produced from the enzyme reaction will form on the discs and cause the disc to be buoyant enough to float upwards. We can investigate the effects of substrate concentration on the rate of reaction by catalase by using different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide solution, and measuring the rate of reaction by measuring time taken for the disc to float to the surface when sufficient oxygen is produced. HypothesisThe hypothesis for this experiment is that the rate of reaction will increase with the increase of hydrogen p eroxide concentration, if the other factors of enzyme activity (such as temperature, pH and enzyme concentration) are kept constant. However, the rate of reaction will stop increasing with hydrogen peroxide concentration at a point where the enzyme concentration becomes a limiting factor. At high substrate concentrations, most of the active sites available are occupied since they are saturated with substrate molecules at any given time.Hence, a further increase in substrate concentration will not cause the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to increase. As such, the expected graph from this experiment is as follows: Graph 1: Expected graph of rate of reaction against concentration of substance Variables Dependent variable: Rate of enzyme activity of catalase in terms of time taken for the disk to float to the surface of the hydrogen peroxide solution when sufficient oxygen is produced. * Once the filter paper disc has reached the bottom of the test tube, the stopwatch is sta rted.The stopwatch is stopped once the disc has reached the surface of the hydrogen peroxide solution. The recorded timing indicates the amount of time taken for the disk to float to the surface of the hydrogen peroxide solution. Independent variable: Concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution. * Add different volumes of water to the different volumes of 6 % hydrogen peroxide solution. Controlled variable(s): 1. Enzyme concentration * We are provided with homogenous liquid liver solution. Hence, the concentration of catalase is constant throughout the liquid liver solution. . Volume of hydrogen peroxide solution * The volume of hydrogen peroxide solution in each test tube is 5cm3. Controlling the volume of hydrogen peroxide solutions ensures that the same amount of hydrogen peroxide molecules (substrates) is available for reaction in the test tube. 3. Size of test tubes * The test tubes used each time must be of the same size, length and volume. This is to ensure that the distance the filter paper disc has to travel (between the bottom of the test tube to the surface) is the same for each time. 4. Filter paper disc The filter paper discs should be of the same diameter and of the same thickness. This is to ensure that the same amount of oxygen gas is required to lift it to the surface each time thereby enabling us to determine the time taken for it to do so. 5. Temperature * Enzyme activity is affected by temperature. The experiment is carried out in room temperature (25  °C), which is assumed to remain constant throughout the duration of the experiment. Apparatus * Digital stop watch, accurate to 0. 01 s * 6 Test tubes (Same size and length) * 6 Test tube holders * Wooden stick * 500 cm3 beaker 6 measuring cylinders Materials * 6 % hydrogen peroxide solution provided by teacher * Homogenous liquid liver solution provided by teacher * 30 Filter paper discs provided by teacher * Distilled water Procedure 1. 0. 75 % hydrogen peroxide solution is prepared by me asuring 3. 00 cm3 of 6 % hydrogen peroxide using a measuring cylinder and then diluting it with 21. 00 cm3 of distilled water. 1. 50 %, 3. 00 %, 4. 50 % and 6. 00 % hydrogen peroxide solutions are prepared using the same method with corresponding volumes of 6 % hydrogen peroxide and water as shown in the table below.Concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution/ %( ± 0. 02)| Volume of 6 % hydrogen peroxide/ cm3( ± 0. 01)| Volume of water added/ cm3( ± 0. 01)| 0. 75%| 3. 00| | | 21. 00| 1. 50%| 6. 00| 18. 00| 3. 00%| 12. 00| 12. 00| 4. 50%| 18. 00| 6. 00| 6. 00%| 24. 00| 0. 00| Table 1: Dilution table for preparing different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide solutions The prepared hydrogen peroxide solutions are poured into test tubes. Each test tube should contain 5 cm3 of the solution. The test tubes with their olutions are placed in the test tube holder, labelled with the concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution that they contain. 2. Obtain homogenous liver liquid from te acher and add 8 cm3 of liver liquid into each petri dish to be used in the experiment. (5 petri dishes) 3. A filter paper disc is soaked with liver liquid in each petri dish. 4. A filter paper disc is removed from petri dish and pushed to the bottom of a test tube with 0. 75 % hydrogen peroxide solution using a wooden stick. 5. The stopwatch is started immediately when the filter paper disc touches the bottom of the test tube. . The stop watch is stopped once the filter paper disc reaches the surface. The time taken for the filter paper disc to float to the surface is recorded. 7. Steps 3 – 6 are repeated a further 5 times, using other new 0. 75 % hydrogen peroxide solutions. 8. The average of the 6 readings for each hydrogen peroxide concentration is calculated and recorded. The rate of reaction is calculated by the following formula: Rate of reaction = 1/Average time taken for filter paper disc to reach the surface of the hydrogen peroxide solution from the bottom 9.Steps 3 -7 are repeated with 1. 50 %, 3. 00 %, 4. 50 % and 6. 00 % hydrogen peroxide solutions 6 times each. Data table | Timing for each run conducted/s| Concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide solution/%| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| Average timing for each concentration Hydrogen Peroxide solution/s| Rate of reaction for each concentration Hydrogen Peroxide solution/s| 0. 75%| | | | | | | | | 1. 50%| | | | | | | | | 3. 00%| | | | | | | | | 4. 50%| | | | | | | | | 6. 00%| | | | | | | | |

Comparitive Essay on Japanese and Western European Feudalism Essay

?Amir continues to try to enlarge his ego. Teasing Hassan makes him feel better about himself. Amir does not feel like he is getting the one thing he wants in his life. He wants acceptance from Baba. Baba seems to favor Hassan, so Amir must establish that he is better than Hassan constantly. Baba says that he feels like he connects with Hassan better when he was talking to Rahim Khan. This is where most of Amir’s jealousy is derived from. Baba expresses his disapproval for Amir when he says, â€Å"If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son† (Kite Runner 23). Baba also says, â€Å"There is something missing in that boy† (Kite Runner 22). The other source of tension in Amir’s life is his relationship with Baba, his hard-driving and demanding father. Desperate to win his father’s affection and respect, Amir turns to the sport of kite flying, and at the age of 12, with the assistance of Hassan, he wins the annual tournament in Kabul. Amir’s victory soon is tarnished when he witnesses a vicious assault against his friend, who raced through the streets of Kabul to retrieve the last kite, Amir had sliced from the sky, and fails to come to his aid. Amir’s cowardness is compounded by a later act of betrayal that causes Ali and Hassan to leave their home, and he now faces the nightmare, bearing the burden of his poor choices for the rest of his life. Amir was haunted with demons from his childhood for his whole life. The one demon that stuck with him the most was the fact that he stood by and watched as his best friend and servant, Hassan, was raped by a boy named Assef. Hassan and Amir had known each other since birth and, â€Å"A kinship exists between people who’ve fed from the same breast† (pg.320). Even the major fact of Russia invading Afghanistan could not get his mind off the horror that he stood by and watched happen. Even him living in America for the remainder of his life did not distract him from knowing that he was the reason his best friend was sexually abused. He is haunted until the very end of the book when he goes back to Afghanistan to face †¦ Amir is clearly an emotionally unstable person, but his resentment towards Hassan is increased because of his own haunting guilt. This guilt that seems to be terrorizing Amir is caused by his experience of watching the rape of Hassan in the alley. Amir is so guilty that he can no longer be close to Hassan. Amir says, â€Å"I’d hear Hassan shuffling around the kitchen in the morning, hear the clinking of silverware, the whistle of the teapot. I’d wait to hear the door shut and only then I would walk down to eat† (Kite Runner 87). Amir has trouble facing his guilt. Amir’s guilt shows that he knows what he did was wrong. Amir refuses to renew his friendship with Hassan. Amir knows that he has done wrong because he says, â€Å"There was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster† (Kite Runner 86). Amir eventually proceeds to the point where he can no longer deal with his everlasting guilt. Hassan is a clear representation of his guilt. Amir attempts to free himself from the guilt by getting the main representation out of his house. This is why he frames Hassan of stealing his watch; although this plan ultimately backfires and causes Amir even more personal anguish, it proves that he is an unstable and resentful person. Hassan was loyal to Amir through everything because that is the personality he was born with, because he grew up with Amir and looked up to him as a brother and a friend, not because he was born a Hazara and not simply because he was Amir’s servant. Amir never asked Hassan to do anything like that for him. This accentuated Hassan’s love and loyalty for Amir out of his own free will. When discovering that Hassan was Baba’s son, everything became clear to Amir: Baba’s affections for Hassan, Hassan’s undying love for his half-brother, Amir’s sibling rivalry and jealousy of Hassan, Amir’s betrayal of Hassan his own flesh and blood. It all just hit at once. The choices made by Amir and Hassan defined who they were and who they would become; Amir allows his original thoughts about Hassan to be tainted because he is a weak person. Although Amir and Hassan carved their names into a tree, Amir’s character complicates their ability to be best friends and their bond consists of a lopsided friendship. Both people associated in a friendship must act equally towards each other and they must hold love, loyalty, and trust for each other. Hassan was the beholder of all of these strong qualities that are necessary for the â€Å"best friend† relationship. Unfortunately Amir did not possess any of these qualities, and he did not realize all of his issues until he was informed that he was Hassan’s brother Rahim Khan called Amir back to Pakistan and told him that there was indeed â€Å"a way to be good again†(192). He gives Amir the opportunity to redeem himself by asking him to save Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Amir refuses at first and attempts to come up with excuses for himself to be able to turn Rahim down with out adding to his guilt. To convince himself that he wasn’t obligated to save Sohrab, he told himself that he had to be back home with his family and his job, but again the line that Rahim said played through Amir’s head. â€Å"There’s a way to be good again. † Amir knew that this was his last chance to earn his redemption and end his guilt (226). Amir had taken his guilt out on the very people that he had betrayed and then tried to run away from it all. To forget it. He realizes this and asks himself â€Å"what had I ever done to right things† (303). As Rahim says â€Å"Redemption comes when guilt leads to good. † You can may never fully get rid of the guilt or make right what has been wronged, but it is this guilt that motivates you to try. We see in his thought process just how motivated he is by guilt. As much as he doesn’t want to help Sohrab, he is drawn by the need for redemption, and the need to remove his guilt. This line running through his head over and over again shows just how much that guilt has driven him to yearn for things to be right and for himself to be good again. We don’t get to see Amir reach his point of redemption and we don’t get to watch him be completely relieved of his heavy laden of guilt. However the ending does leave us hopeful. Although nothing has been made right it was the beginning and leaves us with hope and the assurance that Amir is on his way to finding his redemption. Amir describes Sohrab’s lopsided smile at him being like the first snowflake melting in the spring, the first bit of good that had come out of his quest (371). Just the start of his slow process to redemption. What is the worst thing you have done to a friend or family member? Have you lied to them? Stolen from them? After the dreadful deed, did they forgive you? More importantly, did you forgive yourself? Regret and redemption are very important themes in the book The Kite Runner. Having regret for something can affect your whole life, as seen with the character, Amir. Through the development of Amir and his childhood friend, Hassan, Amir has to live with his regret and hope for redemption for the rest of his life.

Direct Instruction Essay

Direct Instruction Essay Direct Instruction Essay Teacher: Kashawn Prince EDU 706 Assignment: Chapter 8: Lesson Plan: Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback Subject: AppleCare Protection Apple Customer Director Employees October 22, 2013 Target/Objective: Customer Directors will gain the necessary information to become top sellers of the AppleCare Protection Plan by providing customers with the benefits of this service. Materials Needed: Handouts PowerPoint Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to identify the benefits of AppleCare. Students will know the importance of advising customers of AppleCare Students will be able to sell AppleCare Agreements and effectively meet weekly goals. 1. What will be done to help students review and practice the information learned in lesson? Students will watch PowerPoint presentation and also look on Apple website to verify products covered by AppleCare. Students will be able to identify the products and coverage AppleCare provides. Students will be able to advise customers of what services are covered and the price of AppleCare. Students will be quizzed on products and services offered. 2. How will the teacher know if students have learned the information? The students will be monitored daily to verify they have a clear understanding of AppleCare. The student’s weekly goals should also be met. Assessment: Student will be given a quiz at the end of the lesson and PowerPoint to determine their understanding of AppleCare. For future help students will be

The Invisable Push essays

The Invisable Push essays That formidable force that makes one needs, what one usually desires; that mind-set that is really more of an entity that sits on ones shoulder, and relentlessly screams further, further, that asset that makes those who are zealous, jealous.......This is ambition. Ambition has been the backbone of every army. Through those great ancient Egyptian wars, through Persia, Hastings, and Waterloo, and through every other noticeable conflict that has ever existed but that I am unable to cite. Each party was blessed by pure and passionate ambition. Ambition to win at whatever cost necessary. Surely, only the collective force of ambition found in battle is liable to cause as much suffering and damage as has been caused by all the battles that have ever been won or lost. Even the weakest most injured warrior who, persevered has been touched not by insanity, but by raw ambition. Ambition is a wonder of the world, it made all seven of our lands and more. What collective zeal one must obtain to create such a phenomenon. Some have been overtaken by blind ambition, which drives them on a mad rampage through reality. Stopping at no cost whether detrimental to themselves or others. Politics and Corporate Companies have been a spotlight though the years such as Watergate and in my opinion the current Enron Case. Hitler is another great example of blind ambition, he got so involved and drawn in, that he became conscienceless. Ambition is the source of all that is good and all that is evil. It makes the wonders but it can also make the wars. Ambition is the winner and loser of every game. Every athlete, every chess player, every marathon runner, and every duck-legged Olympic walker glows of determination which seeps from the pores of their ambition. When years of dedication pass the baton to ambition their is a sense to be reckoned with. No matter how tall ambition stands, someone always has to loose. Unlike the ambiti ...

Review of the Literature 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review of the Literature 3 - Essay Example amist revivals: revolutionary islamists, traditional islamists, and modernist islamists, where the common thread that binds them is their adherence to fundamental Islamic principles. For him, these different Islamists lead Islamic Revival in diverse terms, but they all argue for the renewal of fundamental Islamic principles. Revolutionary Islamists, also called as fundamentalist, are radical Muslims who advocate political activism and demand the conservative observance of Islam. They want to establish a purely Islamic state and to apply Sharia in their society. They resist Western beliefs and influences and anything that opposes the main beliefs of Islam. They want to reinstate the classical period, where the society made by Prophet Muhammad and his first four caliphs is the model Islamic state. For Revolutionary Islamists, the primary goal of the Islamic state is to implement the Sharia. The law cannot be separated from how the state should be run. Revolutionary Islamists do not acc ept the taglid and want to apply ijtihad and they blame the Traditionalist Islamists and their dogma of taglid for the fall of Islam. Revolutionary Islamists also do not approve of secularists, because this would weaken the ummah and oppose the idea of universalism in Islam. For the past few years, Revolutionary Islamists agree with the application of modern values in Islamic states, as long as they are aligned with the traditional Islamic principles. An example is accepting democratic ruling, as long as the ulama decides on lawmaking procedures and outcomes. Traditionalist Islamists are made of conservative ulama and Islamic scholars. Like the Revolutionary Islamists, they repudiate the teachings and principles of the West. They want to maintain Islamic beliefs and go back to the erstwhile eras of Islamic classical and medieval periods. They also do not oppose Sufism and other folk varieties of Islam, including the mystical ones. They argue that these different beliefs are part of

Value Chain Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Value Chain - Term Paper Example The company aims to achieve its mission and vision by fulfilling the needs of varied customers spread at different locations globally. The company ensures that it provides the best quality products at the best and affordable prices which are further accompanied with best services within the industry (Ashley Furniture Industries Inc, â€Å"A Proud History and Poised for a Formidable Future†). Thesis Statement The paper critically identifies the value chain activities practiced by Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc and briefly recommends on various core areas of the company in relation to value chain. Value Chain and Ashley Furniture The term ‘Value Chain’ was first coined by Michel Porter in his famous book ‘Competitive Advantage’ in 1985. The analysis of value chain identifies the activities performed by an organization and further relates them with the organization’s competitive strengths. Porter identifies primary and secondary activities as th e two major activities essential for value chain analysis. He further grouped the primary activities into five sub-heads including inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and services which are concerned with the value creation as well as delivery of products. Similarly, secondary activities are also grouped into four sub-heads namely, human resource management, technology development, infrastructure and procurement. The secondary activities help organizations to enhance the efficiency and the effectiveness of the overall organizational operations (Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations, â€Å"The Value Chain†). The basic model of value chain is being represented below: Source: (Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations, â€Å"The Value Chain†) Primary Activities Inbound Logistics Ashley Furniture aims to produce world class durable furniture in attractive designs and affordable prices. Furthermore, the comp any ensures that by no means are its product qualities compromised; and customers receive value for their investment made in terms of durable and finished products. The company has partnered with best class suppliers for the supply of a variety of components required for the manufacturing of the furniture products. In addition to this, the company has the largest air-ride truck fleet in the industry which can be evident on the highways of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce, â€Å"BPES-Ashley Furniture†). The tractors involved in the transportation of required components for the manufacturing process are equipped with auxiliary power units that result in less consumption of fuel almost by 10 percent. Additionally, the company is also striving to procure materials locally in order to reduce the cost of transportation and thereby offer its products at affordable prices to its discriminating customers (Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc, â€Å"Ashley World Class Furnit ure Company†). Operations Ashley Furniture has more than 250 acres operating space for manufacturing and distribution throughout the world. It has the biggest casegoods production related plant in the United States. The company sells furniture in more than 123 countries around the globe. The major regional manufacturing and

Procurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Procurement - Essay Example Nike, Inc. is an American company which is engaged in development, manufacturing, design and worldwide marketing of apparel, accessories, footwear, equipment and services. The company has its headquartered in Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports. It is a major manufacturer of sports equipment which has achieved revenue of $ 24 billion in 2012. Nike also operates retail stores under the name Nike town. It has left mark in athletic shoe. Nike which views itself as a sporting wear has now expanded into fashion apparel business which produces high-priced casual clothing for young adults and teenagers. Nike as a brand has many distinct brands into their portfolio. Nike Brand which develops designs and sells athletic gear and sports casual products. Converse is another brand which markets, designs and distributes luxury shoes, apparel and accessories. Cole Haan designs, distributes and markets the handbags, luxury shoes and outwear. Nike Golf also markets, de signs apparel, footwear, accessories. Famous director Nicolai Fuglsig has directed a campaign named New â€Å"Possibilities† campaign which is inspired by â€Å"Just Do It† campaign which was debuted 25 years ago. By the â€Å"Just Do It â€Å"motto, the company is aiming at inspiring people to challenge them to maximum potential. The campaign features actors like Serena Williams, Andre Berto, Gerad Pique, LeBron James and Chris Pine. The â€Å"Possibilities† campaign wants to inspire people to be their best with challenges like Nike Fuel and Nike + Running. The campaign begins with a line like if one can run a mile, then one should run a race, a marathon or even outrun a movie star. Thus different challenges and scenarios emerge and each time they need to push their limits. This campaign shows people a way of setting their goals so as to think about their athletic potential and help them in achieving their goals through services, products and inspiration. Even

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 17

Marketing - Essay Example These strategies are divided broadly into strategic scope and strategic strength. 2 A strategic scope relates to the demand of the products or the services that the company deals in and it focuses on the demand size and the component of the market. Strategic strength focuses on the supply of the products or services. Porter then came up with three strategies that reduced the broadness and the ambiguity of the previous strategies; these strategies included cost leadership, differentiation and market segmentation. The three strategies are drawn in a cube with the focus strategy being in the narrow segment and the other two being relatively broad.3 According to Porter, companies that gain a competitive advantage are those that strive to combine the three strategies effectively. Market segmentation can be combined with the differentiation strategy and ripe the company very effective results. Combinations of the strategies that are grouped in the broad category of the cube are a bit difficult to combine but that does not mean that they do not take place. Segmenting the market into niches helps the company to scope itself, increase the concept of demand and increase the company’s market share. Market segments also affect the strategies that relate to innovation and give the company the edge technology. This is because reducing the size of the market gives the company the specialization of the market and therefore, a chance to concentrate on aspects of improved technology. This presents the company as the pioneers of innovation. A multi-dimensional approach is a kind of approach where the company incorporates all the variables of market segmentation in coming up with its niches. These variables are broadly divided into; geographic variables, demographic variables, psychographic variables and behavioral variables.4 2.1 Geographic Variables – this is the

3 Speech Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 Speech Evaluation - Essay Example The failure to include statistics on other brands gives the impression that the problem may not be endemic after all, because only one chain appears to be responsible for the problem; avoiding that store, you avoid the problem, which I believe is not what the speaker intended. The display of money (a hundred dollars) is a good visual ploy to bring the point home about savings. The speaker also employed sufficient research, although the point about monitoring one’s fast food consumption was not sufficiently made. The closing, â€Å"I’m going to go grab my Big Mac,† was likely an attempt at humor, but it contradicts rather than reinforces the message. All in all, the speaker appears at ease, despite a few nervous pauses to glance at his notes, and in general maintained eye contact with his audience. His face was animated and shows he was connecting with his audience. His tone could have been more lively, but it was not monotonous and is on the whole satisfactory. O verall, the speech was entertaining, slightly humorous, and relatively informative. The opening was a first-person narrative of what turned out to be a Labrador pleading for its life, so it was compelling enough to capture audience attention, and the speaker effectively brings the focus squarely to the welfare of the animals. His research on the law and practice concerning animal experimentation is likewise forceful as it is informative, as it emphasized the gruesome aspects of the use of animals in scientific and medical research and personifies their pain in human terms. What it lacks, however, is balance. The speaker asks the audience to suspend their moral judgment, but at the same time presents information that directly appeals to this moral judgment. To be more objective, the speaker should also have presented alternatives to animal testing, as obviously products and

Policing and Minorities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Policing and Minorities - Essay Example African-Americans and Latinos are the victims of racial profiling in most cases. Certain officials like customs officials and airport officials also do racial profiling, disturbing the passengers. Policing targeting minorities are widespread. Thousands of complaints from African-Americans, Latinos and Asians have proved that racial profiling is a real happening. Victims of racial profiling are not only common people but also famous and rich people, celebrities, sports stars and people from all walks of life. There were cases when respected members of the society, like judges, lawyers, state legislators, and even representatives claimed that they were victims of racial profiling. This discriminatory stopping and checking by the police is disturbing thousands of pedestrians, innocent drivers, and shoppers and other helpless people across the nation. ‘War on Drugs’ as well as ‘War on Terror’ have given the police an excuse to suspect and check people whom they doubt as a terrorist or drug courier. This has resulted in several racial profiling issues. People will get humiliated and will lose their valuable time when they are unnecessarily stopped and checked by the police. Police has got a general belief that non-white people are mostly drug users and sellers. But studies (reports regarding police stops and checking) have revealed that people who are considered to be racially inferior are less likely to be having drugs or weapons with them compared to whites. Law enforcement agents are people who are having the policing authority for private or public purposes. Security guards at main offices or private institutions, police officers, and officers like airport security agents are having policing right which they misuse to create yet another racial discrimination issue. There were cases when airline pilots demanded people to disembark from the flights, as they suspected passengers because of their ethnicity. Nearly 10 million Asians (4 perce nt of the population) have already been victims of policing according to reports. Indians in America also had testified their complaints about stops and searches of local police. They complained about the vehicle check, (demanding license and registrations) and other checks done by police without any reasonable suspicion. Blacks as well as Latino pedestrians are stopped, questioned and checked without any reason (Juarez 2004). Non-white youths traveling in bikes are simply stopped and questioned for doing nothing wrong. There were incidents in which police dogs attacked non white civil rights protesters. Highway patrol canine units unnecessarily stop the vehicles claiming that they carry drugs. There exists a practice of threatening people of color by releasing dogs. Dogs are trained to attack and maul and are sent to attack people. Several hundreds of blacks and Latinos were attacked in different incidents. ‘Driving while black’ is a kind of policing that affects minor ities. This is an act of police haunting African-Americans for traffic stops as they think they are likely to be indulged in criminal activities. Even though racial profiling is illegal, Supreme Court (according to a decision taken in 1996) permits police to stop and examine motorists (their vehicles) to see whether they have weapons or illegal drugs with them (Juarez 2004). Stopping these people frequently will result in large number of arrests,

3 Speech Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 Speech Evaluation - Essay Example The failure to include statistics on other brands gives the impression that the problem may not be endemic after all, because only one chain appears to be responsible for the problem; avoiding that store, you avoid the problem, which I believe is not what the speaker intended. The display of money (a hundred dollars) is a good visual ploy to bring the point home about savings. The speaker also employed sufficient research, although the point about monitoring one’s fast food consumption was not sufficiently made. The closing, â€Å"I’m going to go grab my Big Mac,† was likely an attempt at humor, but it contradicts rather than reinforces the message. All in all, the speaker appears at ease, despite a few nervous pauses to glance at his notes, and in general maintained eye contact with his audience. His face was animated and shows he was connecting with his audience. His tone could have been more lively, but it was not monotonous and is on the whole satisfactory. O verall, the speech was entertaining, slightly humorous, and relatively informative. The opening was a first-person narrative of what turned out to be a Labrador pleading for its life, so it was compelling enough to capture audience attention, and the speaker effectively brings the focus squarely to the welfare of the animals. His research on the law and practice concerning animal experimentation is likewise forceful as it is informative, as it emphasized the gruesome aspects of the use of animals in scientific and medical research and personifies their pain in human terms. What it lacks, however, is balance. The speaker asks the audience to suspend their moral judgment, but at the same time presents information that directly appeals to this moral judgment. To be more objective, the speaker should also have presented alternatives to animal testing, as obviously products and

Geology Coursework 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geology Coursework 1 - Essay Example The most attractive landscape feature found in Los Angeles is the parking lot (cited in Ben-Joseph, 2012). Geographic data indicate that parking lots cover roughly one third of the land area in Los Angeles. Mainly built structures form the landscapes of Los Angeles. It is also found that certain types of rocks including igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, and metamorphic rocks are some influencing elements of landscapes in Southern California. Natural changes to these rocks significantly influence the structure of the region’s landscapes. References Ben-Joseph, E. (2012). When a parking lot is so much more. The New York Times: The Opinion Pages. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/opinion/when-a-parking-lot-is-so-much-more.html?_r=1 Forman, Godron & Bertrand. (2003). Landscape ecology: Definition of a multidisciplinary approach. In. F. Burel & J. Baudry (Eds), Landscape Ecology: Concepts, Methods, and Applications. USA: Science Publishers. 4. Plate boundary can be s imply referred to a point where two or more plates meet. A plate boundary has altered the land in New Zealand. The plate boundary between Pacific and Australian Plates separates New Zealand territory (What on Earth, 2012). As per reports, throughout South Island, it is observed that both Pacific Plate and Australian Plate slide pass each other and this movement leads to a â€Å"slight obduction of the Pacific Plate over the Australian Plate† (Real Integrity Mall, 2012). Consequently, this sliding process resulted in the formation of Alpine Fault and Southern Alps. Similarly, in the Fiordland south region, the sliding process causes the subduction of the Australian Plate under the Pacific Plate and thereby the formation of Puysegur Trench (Real Integrity Mall, 2012). The plate boundary location has changed over time. It seems that such movements cause changes to earth’s geological structure and ultimately alter land in which the plate boundary is located. References Rea l Integrity Mall. (2012). Geology of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://mall-uk.realint.com/keyword/Geology+of+New+Zealand What on Earth. (2012). Plate tectonics, spreading ridges, triple junctions. Australian Plate. Retrieved from http://whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk/plates/australian.asp 5. Headland is a hard feature. As Nordstrom (2000) describes, a headland can be simply defined as a land point with higher altitude and extended shape into a body of water. Headlands are comprised of harder and highly resistant rock and inlets; and generally headlands are formed as a result of sea attacks on coast comprising of alternating bands of soft and hard rock (p. 108). Ultimately, this hard feature is shaped by erosion. Cape Canaveral situated in Florida is a well known example of headland. Cliff is a soft feature. As Jackman and Wren (2000) define, a cliff is simply a rough vertical rock exposure; and erosion and weathering processes lead to the formation of cliffs. Studies reveal that cliff s are structured as erosions landforms, due to rocks that are highly resistant to the processes of erosion and weathering. Sedimentary and igneous rocks are more likely to form features such as cliffs. Royal Gorge cliffs located in Colorado is an example of cliff. Reference Jackman, J & Wren, W. (2000). Developing Non-Fiction Skills. UK: Nelson Thornes. Nordstrom, K. F. (2000). Beaches and Dunes of Developed Coasts. USA: Cambridge University Press. 6. Generally, hot air

The Black Cat Essay Example for Free

The Black Cat Essay Short Story Analysis: The Black Cat The Black Cat by Edgar Alan Poe is a short story told in a first person narrative, from the point of view of an incarcerated murderer. There are several ways to interpret this story; the reader can also gain insight on the narrator’s state of mind. What I am going to talk about today is how the narrator uses a lot of symbolism and descriptive elements in his story, and in turn, how the reader will interpret the narrator as a person. A few characteristics that will be highlighted are death, psychosis/state of mind of the narrator, and alcoholism. The narrator admits an alcohol dependency right from the start. â€Å"One night, returning home , much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (2). This gives the reader the impression that it is in the narrator’s normal character to be under the influence. The narrator used alcohol as his reasoning for cutting the black cat’s eye out. He then drinks away his guilt and sins with alcohol, â€Å"I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed† (3). From these statements, the reader can assume that the narrator is an alcoholic and uses that to blur the reality of his decisions. Madness is defined as the state of being mentally ill or extremely foolish behavior. In this story it is apparent that the narrator could very well be mentally unstable. He immediately expressed his fondness for animals, he thought of animals as a â€Å"principal sources of pleasure† (2). He later gets pleasure from abusing one of his animals, the black cat, by cutting the cat’s eye out with a knife. All because he felt the cat was avoiding him. He later hangs the cat, and then constantly feels haunted by his acts. In a way, the narrator seems enticed by his evil actions. â€Å"Evil thoughts became my sole intimates-the darkest and most evil of thoughts† (5). The narrator’s last act of evil is the murder of his wife, when he hits her in the head with an axe. He then immediately thinks of ways to cover up the murder. He talks about cutting his wife up into pieces, but later decides that he will hide her body in the brick wall in the cellar of their home. From this the reader has gone from believing the narrator is just some troubled alcoholic, to believing the narrator is suffering some serious psychosis. There are many faces of death in this story. The first starts with the abuse of the black cat. The narrator comes home drunk and believes the cat is being disobedient so he cuts the cat’s eye out. Later, when his guilt builds up and he can no longer take it, the narrator hangs the cat. He becomes paranoid and believes the cat is haunting him from the grave. Although I thus readily accounted to my reason, if not altogether to my conscience, for the startling fact just detailed, it did not the less fail to make a deep impression upon my fancy†¦among the vile haunts which I now habitually frequented† (4). The next face of death is the cruel and unexpected murder of the narrator’s wife. It becomes apparent that the narrator has a disturbing fascination when carrying out the acts of murder. These actions tie into the narrator’s mental stability. It is one thing to have thoughts of harming one’s self or others, but it is another thing when those thoughts are acted upon. â€Å"My happiness was supreme! The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little† (6). From this the reader can assume that the narrator is a mentally unstable alcoholic murderer. The three main descriptive characteristics that I wanted to highlight about the narrator and the story of The Black Cat are alcoholism, psychosis, and death. With these three elements the reader can pass judgment on the narrator and create an overall opinion of him as a person. The reader can become first enticed by the story with the narrator talking about his love for animals and then later his cruelty towards them. Next the reader begins to wonder if the narrator is imagining these things, â€Å"Upon its head†¦sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman† (7). Finally the reader can confidently asses their overall impression of the narrator. â€Å"Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. But to-morrow I die and to-day I would unburden my soul† (1).

A Good Man Is Hard To Find The Storm Essay example -- essays papers

A Good Man Is Hard To Find The Storm Of the two stories I read, one being The Storm by Kate Chopin and the other being A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor, I found that each had characters with moral dilemmas. In both, the setting played a role in these dilemmas but in different ways. In The Storm, the bad weather was the set-off to and unpredicted intimacy while in A Good Man Is Hard To Find, the setting seems to be focused around a family's vacation and their encounter with a criminal. In the following paragraphs, I will go on to explain how certain characters have moral dilemmas and how the setting helps to support my interpretations. The Storm is based around a woman by the name of Calixta who is left home alone while a threatening storm blows up suddenly. Her husband and son are stranded at a local store until the weather calms down. While she is preparing for the worst, a man visitor appears at her doorstep needing a place of shelter. This man turns out to be an old sweetheart of hers, Alcee. As the story goes on, Calixta and Alcee, unleash themse...

Women in the Apology of Socrates Essay -- essays research papers

Women in the Apology of Socrates The most striking thing about women in the Apology of Socrates is their absence from where we might expect them. Only two specific women are mentioned: 1) the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, who answers Chaerephon's question that no one is wiser than Socrates (21a); and 2) Thetis, the mother of Achilles (who himself is not mentioned by name but only referred to as the "son of Thetis"), who warns him that he will die if he kills the Trojan hero Hector (28c). Only two other times does Socrates even mention women: 1) a disparaging reference that those who embarrass the city by coming into court, weeping and carrying on to win the sympathy of the jury, "are in no way better than women" (35c); and 2) a remark that Socrates would enjoy questioning people in the hereafter, "both men and women" (41c), although everyone he actually names is male. Socrates does not mention questioning women in his investigations. Nor do women occur either as spectators to his que stions or in relation to all his talk about educating the "youth." The "youth" are obviously all young men. And again, Socrates mentions his family and his sons without mentioning his wife. Plato relates some relationships Socrates had with women (especially with Diotima in the Symposium), but those may be fictional. The only episode of Socrates questioning a woman that is clearly historical is related by Xenophon in his Recollections of Socrates: Socrates questions the courtesan Theodotà ª, who is famous for her beauty and poses for artists. Socrates lives in a world where the spheres of life of men and women were radically separate. In Plato's Symposium, which is a drinking party, both men and women are drinking and partying, but they do so in separate parts of the house. The musicans and dancers go back and forth between the men's party and the women's party. Political life was regarded by the Greeks as part of the male sphere of things, and so there were certainly no women in Socrates's jury; but it is hard to know whether there were any in the audience. There has been some dispute about whether women attended Greek plays, the comedies and tragedies, when they were staged -- though there are references by Plato to women in theater audiences. We have this difficulty in part because it was not considered proper for strange... ...ly male and all early nude art shows males, an ideal of female beauty rapidly gained ground in the century around Plato. In the three phases we can distinguish in the decoration of the Parthenon, the female figures are shown with progressively more diaphanous and revealing clothing. One of the earliest complete female nudes was a statue of Aphrodità ª that the great sculptor Praxiteles did for the island of Cos. He used as a model a famous courtesan named Phrynà ª (the scene of Phrynà ª posing at right is by the National Geographic painter H.M. Herget in Everyday Life in Ancient Times [National Geographic Society, 1961]). This was all rather shocking for the good people of Cos, who asked Praxiteles to do a more modest statue. He did, but the original went to the island of Cnidos, where it became a major local attraction. In Vamps and Tramps, Camille Paglia mentions that male visitors were so excited by the statue that they sometimes embarrassed themselves after the fashion of Pee Wee Herman. Eventually, the goddess herself was quoted as saying, "Alas, where did Praxiteles see me naked?" By the Hellenistic Age, female nudes were as common as male nudes. Thanks to friesian.com

Dispersion and Its Types in Fiber Optics

Dispersion: The speed of light is slower in various materials than it is in a vacuum or outer space. When the light passes into a material at an angle, the light beam is bent or refracted according to Snell’s Law and the index of refraction of the material. But also, the speed of light through a material varies slightly with the wavelength or frequency of the light. Thus, each wavelength is refracted at a slightly different angle when passing through a material at an angle. This spreading out of beam of light is called dispersion. Types of Dispersions and ways to reduce: Chromatic Dispersion: Chromatic dispersion results from the spectral width of the emitter. It is a term used to describe the spreading of a light pulse as it travels down a fiber when light pulses launched close together(high data rates) spread too much and result in errors and a loss of information. The spectral width determines the number of different wavelengths that are emitted from LED or laser. One way to reduce chromatic dispersion is to narrow the spectral width of the transmitter. Chromatic dispersion can be compensated for with the use of dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF). Laser has a more narrow spectral width than LEDs. A monochromatic laser emits only one wavelength and therefore, does not contribute to chromatic dispersion. Modal Dispersion: Modal dispersion deals with the path (mode) of each light ray. Most transmitters emit many different modes. Lower order modes travel a shorter distance. Some of these light rays will travel parallel to the center of the fiber while repeatedly bounce off the cladding/core boundary to high order modes their way the waveguide. The modes that enter at sharp angles are called high-order mode, which having direction towards cladding. These modes take longer path to travel through the fiber than the low-order modes and therefore it cusses of modal dispersion. One way to reduce modal dispersion is to use graded-index fiber. The graded-index fiber’s cladding is doped so that the refractive index gradually decreases over many layers. Graded Index Fiber has a different core structure from single mode and multimode step index fibers. In Graded index fiber the value of the refractive index changes from the centre of the core. With a graded-index fiber, the light follows a more curved path. The high-order modes spend most of the time traveling in the lower-index cladding layers near the outside of the fiber. These lower index core layers allow the light to travel faster than in the higher index center layers. Modal dispersion can be completely eliminated by using a single-mode fiber. Single mode fiber transmits only one mode of light so there is no spearding of the signal due to modal dispersion. Material Dispersion: Material dispersion is the phenomenon whereby material causes a bundle of light to spread out as it propagates. We know that a laser pulse contains a continuum of wavelengths in a small range. The index of refraction of a material is dependent on the wavelength, so each frequency component actually travels at a slightly different speed. Material dispersion contributes to group delay, along with waveguide delay distortion, differential mode delay and multimode group delay spread.

Is Seeing Believing?

‘Theory of Knowledge’ Name: Nkole C Date: 19th October, 2012. Instructor: Maurice H ‘Seeing is believing. ’ Belief is the mental reliance or acceptance of a condition. It causes people to validate and actualise what they have or get as information and consequently apply that to other situations in order to create new patterns- what is called Knowledge. ‘Seeing’ refers to the sensation of obtaining information through sight, or our senses.People can claim to obtain their knowledge in many different ways which include senses, intuition or intellectual reasoning, past experiences, priori knowledge used to develop a new organisation of patterns and perception of what is to come which usually results from relating with past experiences and cultural beliefs. Humans refer to sight, hearing, smell, temperature or pressure and taste as the senses used to obtain knowledge. Intuition refers to the relating of a condition and giving an intellectually valid reason to come up with truth.For example, we believe that three and four are greater than two, and so we can propose that there are numbers which are greater than two. This, in a sense, depends on the fact that we made true the fact that three and four are actually greater than two, which is a prior assumption. These different areas of knowledge all have their problems. However, true knowledge and the ways of obtaining it is something that has caused controversy among many scholars. On one hand is the idea of Empiricism while on the other hand is the idea of Rationalism.Empiricists are people who believe that whatever we know, and hence believe in, is gotten through sensory experience. They assert that the mind was as pure as white- defined as tabula rasa by them- and whatever that we know now as knowledge was installed or written on the mind by the senses’ experiences and absorbed into the brains. The information gotten in this way helps the human brain to relate this to oth er sensations and be able to make patterns to define new situations.Empiricists argue saying that there is no innate knowledge which the mind had validated before sense experience, though there is priori knowledge which is actually true. To the empiricist, ‘seeing’ or sense sensation is the only way people obtain knowledge and therefore is-believing. Depending entirely on senses for true knowledge, however, has its own problems and can easily lead to someone obtaining the wrong information.A defect on the sense organs like those due to agnosia and aphasia can lead to someone obtaining the wrong information since it is possible to speak in a way while the body language shows another thing. Senses also rely upon the environment to be able to function. A person who has never been exposed to the light will never know colours if they are exposed to them at a later stage in their lives. In their normal functioning, senses also have limitations in the way they obtain informati on. The human eye, for example, can only resolve up to 0. mm which means that points or lines that are less than 0. 1mm apart will be seen as a continuous line, which is false. The senses, no matter how true the information they get is, also depend entirely on the brain’s ability to evaluate the electrical impulses it gets from sense sensations which could be responses to chemical reactions in the taste buds and hair cells of the nose, frequency of light waves and difference in pressure of air in the eyes and ears respectively, or pressure and temperature in the skin.It is clear that if the brain itself has a defect, the probability of which we cannot be certain, every bit of the knowledge that one would get would be untrue. Even when it is true, and so to argue the rationalists, the brain sorts out the small bits of information it gets according to the relationship with some prior knowledge, innate knowledge they call it. ——————†”———————– [ 1 ]. http://www. thefreedictionary. com/belief [ 2 ]. http://plato. tanford. edu/entries/berkeley/ [ 3 ]. Definition gotten from hand-out given in class [ 4 ]. A condition that causes people not to get the tone of voice in speech and have to rely entirely on their ability to read body language to get in information. From class hand-out [ 5 ]. A condition that causes people not to make out complex pictures to be able to read body language. From class hand-out [ 6 ]. The allegory of the curve from hand-out in class [ 7 ]. From Biology text book

Analysis of Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” Essay

In â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† by Robert Hayden the story between the speaker and the father embraces the ideas of unseen love and the speaker’s regret. The poem is a result of the speaker’s reflection on his or her past experiences with his or her father. Hayden shows all the little things the father does, and how the speaker takes it for granted that the father just kind of did those things. Looking back, the speaker has now realized and understands what the father really had gone through for him. The descriptions Hayden uses expresses to the reader both the love of the father and the regret from the speaker’s reflection. Hayden goes into detailed explanations of examples of the father’s devoted love. His love isn’t shown through hugs and kisses, but through caring little things that bring happiness to the speaker’s day. This happiness can be seen by the regret the speaker shows when he says things like, â€Å"No one ever thanked him†(5). The father’s devotion is seen in lines 3-5, â€Å"with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze†(3-5). It is evident that the father, regardless of his own cares, makes the effort on those winter Sundays to try to make things a little easier for the speaker. Unseen by the speaker, the loving father has gotten up early and brought warmth into their home, and into the speaker’s day. Also, in line 12, â€Å"and polished my good shoes as well†(12), the feeling once again is presented of this father doing all he can to take care of the speaker, and show his love through his a ctions. This unseen love can also be noticed in the speaker’s thoughts. This poem is a reflection of his or her regret for not having been more thankful towards this man who cared so much for him or her. Once again line 5 shows us just how regretful the speaker was, â€Å"No one ever thanked him†(5). The use of the exaggerative word, ever, just shows how now the speaker has realized his folly and regrets not being more loving towards the father in turn. Also, in line 10 the word â€Å"indifferently† further points out the speaker’s realization. In the second to last line â€Å"What did I know, What did I know†(13), it seems like the speaker is almost scolding himself for this indifference. This line also especially exemplifies the speaker’s regrets. It almost seems like they’re are wailing over the fact that they had not  been more loving because of the repetition of the question. So, the unseen love of the speaker is not present directly in the poem’s text, but can be felt through further analyzation of the poem as one full of regret. Maybe the speaker had not realized this love do to the lack of communication between himself and the father. Line 9, â€Å"fearing the chronic angers of that house†(9) makes it seem like the father showed â€Å"tough love.† His intentions were always good, but maybe he pushed the speaker too hard and led to some lack in communication. This lack of a relationship with the father could be just another reason for the speaker’s regret. â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† presents both directly and indirectly the idea of unseen love. Directly when talking about the fathers actions, and indirectly through the reminiscing of the speaker. This poem in its entirety is about regret for taking for granted the love of the father, and not having returned that love, or shared a better relationship with the father.

Economic Repercussions of the Clean Air Act Essay

Economic Repercussions of the Clean Air Act - Essay Example In the public discussion over legal obligations versus economic rewards, there is a very limited knowledge of the fundamental economics concerned. If the goal is to regulate the discharge to an accurate, predictable level, direct quantitative regulations are apt to be most successful in attaining the social objective. If they can be checked and implemented, direct regulations will be effective in lessening pollution to a predictable level. It is far from evident that legislators must aspire for a definite pollution level. Being aware or predicting the right pollution level demands costs and benefits information that could be indecisive at best. Devoid of this particular knowledge legislators might prefer a technique that reduces the social costs stemming from the inaccurate costs or benefits information. This is likely to entail economic rewards instead of obligatory standards. While there are various views regarding the suitable objective of environmental policy, this paper supposes that environmental legislators pursue to take full advantage of the economic interests emerging from their policy decisions. The problem is that they are trying to exploit an indecisive ‘net benefit stream’, which is identified as the â€Å"difference between the health, aesthetic and material benefits of reducing air pollution and the costs of achieving this reduction† (Crandall, 1983, 59). There are critical setbacks of indecisiveness in approximating the costs of benefits of regulation. The importance of future health effects, the link between ambient quality of air and discharges from point-sources, the significance of reduced mortality or morbidity rates, and the regulation costs across various sources are the primary providers of this indecisiveness (Freedman & Jaggi, 1993). For each of these important connections, subjective or objective approximations should be performed by

Saudi Arabian 10th Five-Year Development Plan from 2015-2020 Essay - 19

Saudi Arabian 10th Five-Year Development Plan from 2015-2020 - Essay Example The main objectives 10th Five-Year Development Plan of Saudi Arabia are creating new job opportunities and diversification of the economy. The country thinks that if its economy does not diversify then enough job opportunities will not be created for the people living in Saudi Arab. This will reduce the prospects of job opportunities in the country when the reserves of oil will be finished in future. The economic development plan can create a good future for the company. In this development plan labour is the key priority for the country. Through this plan the country aims to promote its stability, growth and strengthen its economy (Arab News). The institutional reforms will be enhanced and Saudi Arabia will support civil institutions. It will try to improve the productivity and efficiency level of the state agencies. With the help of this 10th Five-Year Development Plan the country will enhance the principles of transparency and accountability for protecting the integrity of Saudis. The country will take effective measures to fight against corruption. The government will encourage different private sector industries of the country. This will enable the private companies in creating various employment opportunities. The country will implement meaningful and effective economic plan which will facilitate it in progressing towards diversification. Several measures are adopted in this plan to control Umrah operators. Saudi Arabia will try to lower down its inflation rate for making the economy stable. The business of SMEs will be encouraged by the country for increasing its GDP and employment rate (G20). The empowerment of National Competition Council is an important part of this plan. By implementing this 5year plan, Saudi Arab will enhance the competition level in various industrial sectors. The use of renewable energy will be encouraged by expanding the sources of this type of energy. The country will try to lower down the high consumption level of gas and oil i n the domestic sector. A national strategy will be implemented by the country for  developing a knowledge base society.  

Corporate Planning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Planning - Coursework Example The manager can then postpone the decision or take no action. The second reason why managers may fail to make a decision is need to maintain the status quo. The company may be performing extremely well and the manager may wish to pursue existing strategies to maintain good performance. Alternatively, the manager may be undergoing high pressure to comply with existing rules, policies or procedures. Consequently, the manager will have little room to introduce change. Therefore, maintaining status quo becomes better option. Sales forecasting is one of the core functions of the sales and marketing department. Sales forecasts must be realistic and inspiring to the sales and marketing department as well as to other departments of the company. Inspiring and achievable sales forecasts can be achieved by considering internal and external factors that affect company’s performance. The first issue is the internal environment of the company. Internal environment of the company is comprised of key personnel in the sales and marketing department, finance department and production department. The key personnel in the above key departments should be involved during sales projections. According to Haines (2008), sales executives should set their own sales targets. The managers of key departments proceed to discuss the targets and check if they are achievable. For example, the production managers confirm if sales targets are in tandem with the production capacity and finance managers confirms if the targets ar e in line with company’s revenue targets. The second factor to be considered when a company makes sales forecast is the external environment. External environment include the competition, purchasing power of the consumer, political events, fashion and styles, changes in population, and the state of the economy. The sales forecast team should make use of facts from the

Foundation Degree Hospitality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foundation Degree Hospitality Management - Essay Example In simple definition, ration analysis refers to the process by which the figures are quantified in order to understand business performance in terms of financial and operational management. Ratios analysis can be conducted to compare trends in the inter year performance of the organization. It can also be done to compare financial performance of several companies in the same industry. Similarly, the result of the analysis is comparable with that of the industry to which the company belongs. There are five main ratios that are applicable in this scenario. These include Profitability ratios, sales ratios, liquidity ratios, efficiency ratios, and financial ratios. Based on this brief introduction, ratio analysis of the Brown Sugar Cafe will follow in the next part... Identify appropriate techniques used to assess business performance, analysing data by applying selected techniques. Internal verifier: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..date:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. RATIO ANALYSIS Case of the Brown Sugar Cafe The assessment of financial and operational performance of an organization can be accomplished through the use of ratio analysis. This is achieved by evaluating the relationship of different figures generated from the company’s financial statements. A number of performance indicators are derived from these figures. In simple definition, ration analysis refers to the process by which the figures are quantified in order to understand business performance in terms of financial and operational management. Ratios analysis can be conducted to compare trends in the inter year performance of the organization. It can also be done to compare financial performance of several companies in the same industry. Similarly, the result of the analysis is comparable with that of the industry to which the company belongs. There are five main ratios that are applicable in this scenario. These include Profitability ratios, sales ratios, liquidity ratios, efficiency ratios, and financial ratios. Based on this brief introduction, ratio analysis of the Brown Sugar Cafe will follow in the next part The Brown Sugar Cafe Ratio Analysis 1. Gross Profit Margin (%) Gross profit margin is a profitability ratio that helps in examining the ability of the company to control costs associated with the acquisition of raw materials (Ratios Workbook, 2013). It is calculated using the formula below: Gross Profit % = (Gross Profit/ Sales) x 100 Using Brown Sugar Cafe

Work Specialization techniqu. Advantages and drawbacks Essay

Work Specialization techniqu. Advantages and drawbacks - Essay Example The topic under focus here is Work Specialization. It is one of the key elements to consider while devising a structure for one’s organization. Work specialization is defined as the extent till which work that needs to be done to achieve organizational goals is broken down into smaller manageable chunks of tasks. Most organizations might collapse without specialization because it is merely impossible for everyone to know everything and possess all the necessary skills needed to run the whole organization. It is the process that breaks down the big goals into small parts and then each part is assigned to one individual according to his/her skills set. These workers specialize in performing the assigned activity possessing the skills they already had. It is the approach by which the skills of a particular employee can be utilized at the best. The work is performed in repetition which also makes the employee more experienced with it reducing chances of error and hence caters to t he smooth functioning of the entire organization leading to the ultimate goal.

PESTEL Viet Nam Analysis Essay Example for Free

PESTEL Viet Nam Analysis Essay A. Introduction of Viet Nam Vietnam is approximately 331688 km2 in area and occupied the eastern coast of the Southeast Asian peninsula. The northern part of the country part consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. The south is divided into coastal lowlands and extensive forests. Because of differences in latitude and the marked variety of topographical relief, the climate tends to vary considerably from place to place. During the winter or dry season (November to April), the monsoon wind blowing from the northwest brings considerably moisture. Consequently the winter season in most parts of the country is dry. Major Vietnamese cities include Hanoi in the north, Da Nang in the mid coastal region, and Ho Chi Minh City (formally known as Saigon) to the south. Vietnam has considerable energy resources such as oil, gas and coal and its 41,000 km long waterways provide the basis for hydropower. The country is rich in minerals such as bauxite, iron ore, lead, gold, precious stones, tin, chromate, anthracite, granite, marble, clay, white sand and graphite. In addition, Vietnam has a considerable fresh and saltwater fauna, dense tropical forestry resources and it possesses great agricultural potential. The history of Vietnam, reference to the Geneva Accord signed in 1954. The accord ended French colonial rule, and the country was partitioned into the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh and the Republic of Vietnam in the South. The capitals were Hanoi for the North and Saigon for the South. Fights led by Ho Chi Minh to unite the country started in 1959 and lasted until 1975. Hanoi became the capital of the country whilst Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Following reunification, the Vietnamese government’s initial plan was to manage the economy via methods of central planning. Based on experiences gained during the 1976-1980 five years plan, subsequent central plans introduced more relaxed policies with respect to agricultural collectives, State Owned Enterprises and allowed more scope for private initiatives. These measures were instrumental in elevating poverty.  Growth rates during the early 80’s were higher than during the 1976-1980 five year pl an, however it became evident that further policy shift were necessary to enable the Vietnam economy to perform closer to its potential. Economic reform was the key point of discussion at the Sixth National Party Congress held in December 1986. The process then initiated of moving from a centrally planned economy to an open, socialist-oriented and multi-sector market economy known as Doi Moi (renovation). In 1992, the National Assembly revised the post-unification constitution to better reflect the aspirations articulated in the Doi Moi process. Economic performance since 1986 has justified the policy of relaxation of central control, the challenge faced by Vietnam has been the maintenance of rapid economic growth and integration into the global economy. B. â€Å"P.E.S.T.L.E† REPORT ON VIET NAM 1. Politics The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a single-party state. Its current state constitution, which replaced the 1975 constitution in April 1992, asserts the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in all organs of government, politics and society. In 2011, Viet Nam held the 11th Congress of Vietnam Communist Party, in which happened the Election of the Party Central Committee for the new term. Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong was elected to be the General Secretary. After the Congress, there happened the fist Congress of the Parliament, term 13th, in which Mr. Nguyen Sinh Hung was elected to be the President of the Parliament, Mr. Truong Tan Sang the President of the Country, and Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung was elected to continue the position of Prime Minister. This Congress also issued 4 degrees: first, approving the State Budget, second, agreeing on the program of building laws and ordinances in2012, third, beginning the study of the amendments and supplements of the 1992 Constitution and establ ishing the revised draft of the 1992 Constitution, and finally, the degree on the issuance of certain additional tax measures to remove difficulties for enterprises and individuals, contributing to economic development in 2011. In 2011, the disputes over the East Sea was the main cause of some changes in relations between Vietnam and some important countries in the world, especially the  Vietnam China and Viet Nam U.S. Tension in the East Sea has escalated due to Chinas provocative acts in May, 2011. Then happened many anti-Chinese protests in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh city. In this context, the relation between Viet Nam and the U.S was proclaimed to be elevated to strategic partnership.4 And late 2011, the tensions in the Vietnam-China relations down to the visit by the senior officials of the two countries. In terms of politically domestic policy, the government kept a political stability, and showed some positive signs. For example, the freedom of the press seemed to be extended. In addition, the government was also more aware of its limitations and of the policy mistakes. Concretely, at the Fourth Conference of the Party Central Committee (XI), Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong said: ―Besides the achievements, the Party building work still has many limitations and shortcomings, weaknesses, even spanning multiple defects; these limitations would reduce peoples trust in the Party; if not corrected, they will be the challenge for leadership of the Party and the survival of the regime. 2. Economy The year of 2011 was important for the economy of Viet Nam because this is the first year in the latest Socio-Economic Development Strategy (2011-2020), with the goal of becoming an industrialized and modern economy by 2020. This strategy goes on to identify the country’s key priorities to meet this ambitious target: stabilize the economy, build world-class infrastructure, create a skilled labor force, and strengthen market-based institutions. According to Vietnam Development Report (VDR) 2012, meeting these aspirations will not be easy. In fact, the country has experienced bouts of macroeconomic turbulence in recent years—double-digit inflation, depreciating currency, capital flight, and loss of international reserves—eroding investor confidence. Besides, rapid growth has revealed new structural problems. The quality and sustainability of growth remain a source of concern, given the resource-intensive pattern of growth, high levels of environmental degradation, lack of diversification and value addition in exports, and the declining contribution of productivity to growth. Vietnam’s competitiveness is under threat because the power  generation has not kept pace with demand, logistical costs and real estate prices have climbed, and skill shortages are becoming more widespread. And these difficulties strongly existed in 2011. Concretely, the inflation in 2011 was 18.13%; the growth of GDP has slowed (5,89%). Domestic and international gold price gap increased. The Corruption index 2011 from Transparency International ranked Viet Nam at the position 112. This shows that Viet Nam has been faced one of the most difficult challenges of economic development. In terms of financial, according to the document of World Bank, in 2011, foreign direct investment inflows (to Viet Nam) continued at a steady pace, although new commitments declined. International reserves increased in the first half of the year while the Vietnamese dong benefitted from a period of relative calm. In the last quarter of the year, however, exchange rate fluctuations increased due to volatility in gold prices, deepening uncertainties and the seasonal increase in demand for foreign currency as the year end approaches. With approximate 9 billion U.S. dollars, the amount of money coming from overseas Vietnamese was one of the biggest sources of foreign currency in 2011. This amount is equivalent to the amount of FDI. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japanese are the countries that contributed the biggest investment to Viet Nam in 2011. Hai Duong, Ho Chi Minh city, and Ha Noi are three places that has been most invested in recent time. The sectors that most attract the attention of foreign investors are processing industry, electricity supply, and accommodation and dining service. However, according to the analysis of a chief economist, Dr. Allan Pham, though facing the difficulties as mentioned above, the economy is coming to a better prospect in 2012, especially with a certain success in the fight against inflation of the country (the inflation has been trending down since the 4th quarter of 2011). Following is the figure of the selected macro indicators of the economy in recent years: Key Indicators 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 GDP growth (%) 8.5 6.2 5.3 6.78 5.8 6.0 CPI (%) 12.6 23 6.52 11.75 18.0 12-14 Trade deficit (USD) 12.5 17.8 12.2 12.4 12.1 13.3 Exports (USD) 48.4 62.5 56.6 71.6 80.2 86.5 Imports (USD) 60.8 80.3 68.8 84.0 92.4 99.8 FDI commitments (USD) 21.3 66.5 21.5 18.6 15.0 18.0 FDI disbursement (USD) 8.0 11.5 10.0 11.0 12.0 12.5 Credit growth (%) 54 21 37.7 27.6 15 18 SBV Base rate 8.2 8.5 8.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 Deposit rate (%) 7.0-8.0 7.0-8.5 9.5-10.5 10.0- 11.0 14 12.0 Lending rate (%) 10.0-12.0 10-12.5 10.5-12 13.0-13.5 18-20 14-16 USD/VND (bank rate) 16,016 17,468 18,600 19,500 21,500 22,500 Foreign Affairs At present, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 168 countries, and it has economic and trading relations with about 165 countries. Vietnam joined the United Nations in 1977. Vietnam became an official member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995, and has concluded a cooperation agreement with the European Community. Relationships with multi-national financial institutions such as the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have been re-established. Viet Nam has been participating in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (â€Å"AFTA†) since 1996 and became a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) in 1998. Vietnam became an official member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 11 January 2007. In January 2008, the country started a two year term as an elected non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Vietnam signed the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the United Sta tes in 2000. Besides aspects of international trade, the BTA covers a variety of other areas, including intellectual property rights, trade in services, development of investment relations, business  facilitation and the obligation to ensure transparency of laws and regulations. The BTA essentially constitutes a commitment by both countries to open their markets to each other. Intellectual Property In recent years, the Government has taken various measures to increase the legal protection of intellectual property and has created an environment of respect for intellectual property as compared to other neighboring countries. Intellectual property rights are protected by the Civil Code (1995 and 2005), the Law on Intellectual Property (2005) and a host of subordinate legislation. Vietnam is a long-time signatory to the Paris Convention, the Madrid Agreement on International Trademark Registration, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (â€Å"PCT†) and became a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 1976. On 27 June 1997, Vietnam entered into an Agreement on copyrights with the US. According to the Viet Nam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, Vietnam is under the obligation to adhere to the Berne Convention. The National Office of Intellectual Property (â€Å"NOIP†) is the authority responsible for the registration of industrial property and for the resolutio n of disputes with regard to industrial property in the first instance. Foreign organizations and individuals seeking to register their industrial ownership should file their applications through an authorized agent, who will transfer their application to the NOIP. The Office of Copyright Protection under the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism has also been established and is responsible for the protection of copyright. Works may be registered with the Office of Copyright Protection; however, registration is not a prerequisite for copyright protection. Currently, patents are protected for a period of 20 years. A certificate of utility solutions may be granted for 10 years. A certificate of industrial design is granted for 5 years and may be renewed every 5 years. However, the total effective period of a certificate cannot exceed 15 years. Certificates of trademarks are granted for 10 years with no restrictions on the number of renewals. Investment Guarantees The Government of Vietnam guarantees fair treatment for investors. Capital and other legal assets of investors will not be expropriated or confiscated by law or administrative measures and businesses with foreign-invested  capital will not be nationalized. Foreign investors are allowed to remit abroad investment capital and profits, loan principal and interest, and other legal proceeds and assets. Expatriates working for businesses with foreign-invested capital or for a business cooperation contract are permitted to remit their income abroad. The Vietnam government respects intellectual and industrial property rights and the interests of foreign investors relating to technology transfers into Vietnam. Economic Risks Global Finance Crisis is the hottest issues that people discuss most in this few years. The global financial crisis that started from the United States raises a very broad impact to Vietnam. Inflation Inflation has been in double digits since 2007 and peaking at 28% in August 2008. The fiscal deficit accounted for 4.5-5% GDP in 2008 while trade deficit reached US$17.5 billion (or over 20% of GDP), a level that signals vulnerability to a sudden drop in external demand (Figure 2). A high rate of investment combined with a sizeable fiscal deficit resulted in rapid growth in aggregate demand in the first half of 2008. Massive capital inflows generated asset price inflation, especially in real estate and land prices. Export Decline Vietnamese exports have suffered the strongest negative impact. With economic problems in the US, EU and Japan, which together account for more than 60% of Vietnamese exports, Vietnam saw a significant decline in export revenues. Vietnam’s export revenues fell 6.5% in November 2008 and a further 24% drop in January 2009 (year-on-year) (Figure 3). Orders for manufactured exports including garments, footwear and furniture dropped quickly, while seafood5 producers are also under pressure. The decline of orders has caused great difficulties for exporting companies, many of them are at risk of closing down.6 Vietnamese exports’ growth is forecasted to decline from 30% in 2008 to 13% in 2009. Unemployment Unemployment has worsened. At February 28, 2009, 66,700 workers (out of 45 million workers) lost their jobs in 2008 with national unemployment rate of 4.65%. Thus, it is estimated that over 80,000 workers lost their jobs  nationwide in 2008. The latest forecast of Vietnam Labor and Employment Agency estimates the figure to hit 400,000 nationwide in 2009. Job cuts are rising especially in big cities11 with industrial, processing and exporting zones. The situation may worsen in 2009 with an unemployment rate of 5% and at a projected economic growth of 6.5%. High unemployment has already affected domestic demand and consumers’ sentiment in Vietnam, which are bearish in recent months. 3. Socio-Culture 3.1 Education Viet Nams population enjoys a relatively high standard of education. In fact, Confucian ethics has strongly influenced upon Vietnamese’s viewpoint of social values, and education has always been considered as one of the best values that a person should desire to achieve. Nowadays, education has been still considered as one of the most important issues that the country has to pay great attention. Recently, at the 11th Party Congress, the government is determined to develop a national education policy as one of the priorities of the country. As a result, the country has gained big success in education. Concretely, according to the 2009 Census results, there are only nearly four million people who have never attended school (5.0% of the total population aged 5 years and over) and as compared with the 1999 Census this number has decreased 5% (6.9 million people, account for 10.0% of population aged 5 and over). This shows the significant progress of Vietnam’s education sect or in minimizing the number of people who never go to school. The official figures also point out that the literacy rate for the population aged 15 years and over increased by 3.7% (from 90.3% in 1999 to 94.0% in 2009). The female literacy rate increased 4.9%, while the male literacy rate increased 2.2%, significantly narrowing the literacy rate gap between men and women. Ha Noi, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City are three provinces having the highest literacy rate (97.9%) while Lai Chau has the lowest (59.4%). This data shows that the literacy rate was not only increased quite rapidly but also express successes of Vietnam’s gender equality work in the education sector.13 Certainly, besides such successes, Vietnamese education system also has faced many challenges,  including poor infrastructure, lack of equipment and teaching materials, low wages precipitating an acute shortage of skilled teachers and academic staff, a relatively poor linkage of higher education with research, production and employment, and some contradictions of the system. As the analysis of RFA, the situation of education in Viet Nam in 2011 had some notable points as following: There were three positive points of the education in Vietnam in 2011. The first point is the plan of reducing the load of textbooks from primary to secondary school of the Ministry of Education and Training. The second is the plan of achieving universal preschool education for children of 5 years old. In this plan, the Ministry of Education will build public kindergartens for children at age 5 in the mountainous areas; and the poor students will be exempt from tuition fees, with the plan of over 95% of children enroll in 2 sessions / day by 2015. And the third is the policy of training and vocational training in poor areas such as the Highlands. On the contrary, there were also many crucially negative points of the education in 2011. First of all, there was the imbalance in enrollment in universities and colleges between students with practical needs. The sectors of social sciences, agriculture, forestry and fishery were registered by only 2.5% of exam registration records (while Vie tnam has up to 70% of the population are farmers). And the sectors in demand such as business, tourism had to be encountered the difference between training and recruitment practices; and this leads to the fact that graduates get difficulty to find job. Secondly, teacher’s salary does not meet their living when inflation is high; and this leads to some problems: the teachers could not focus on their business as they had to find extra jobs, or to open extra classes. Thirdly, there has existed the problem of the degradation in social ethics of many students, due to lack of paying attention on humanity teaching, which can be proved by many cases of students committed violent guilty or crime. 3.2 Human Resource The national average population in 2011 estimated 87.84 million, up by 1.04% compared to 2010, including male population 43.47 million, (49.5%), and female population 44.37 million, (50.5%). Urban population is 26.88 million,  (30.6%); rural population is 60.96 million (69.4 %). According to the official report, the population structure by age in Vietnam is in a positive change. The population in the working age is 46,48 million, increased 0,12% compared to 2010. The proportion of workers in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries declined from 48.7% in 2010 to 48.0% in 2011; in industry and construction rose from 21.7% to 22.4%; and in the services maintained at 29.6%. The unemployment rate in the working age was 2.27% in 2011, of which the urban areas account for 3.6%, the rural areas 1.71%. This is the period of the country with advantages in labor force, also known as the demographic window period, which began in 2003 and may last from 30 to 50 years. This is considered as a bi g advantage for the industrialization and modernization of the country, if it takes advantage of the superiority Vietnamese on the labor force. 3.3 Traffic: Conditions And Problems Highway system The road system consists of over 200,000 km network including over 10,000 bridges. However road conditions are not ideal, less than half of the national highways have two lanes or more. In addition, road congestion is increasing in major cities. In recent years, the Government has mobilized a significantly large amount of capital to upgrade the highway system with financial support from international lending agencies. Railway The rail network consists of about 2,600 km of single–track line covering several routes. There are about 260 stations in the network. The longest and most important route is the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City line, which stretches for 1,730 km. This line is now serviced by an express train, which makes the journey in approximately 29.5 hours. The lines connecting Vietnam to China were re-opened a few years ago. Inland Waterways Often overlooked by foreign investors, the inland waterway system offers a cheap and flexible mode of transport. Vietnam has more than 2,300 rivers and canals with total length of 198.000 km. Currently, the inland waterway has a system of over 61,000 km. The two major inland waterway systems serve as major transportation outlets. The first major inland waterway system is in  the Red River area in the north which stretches for approximately 2,500 km. Along this system there are five main ports, of which Hanoi is the largest. The second major inland waterway extends 4,500 km along the Mekong River and its tributaries in the South and boasts about 30 ports, including Ho Chi Minh City. The larger river vessels are tug-drawn barges. Official estimates put the fleet capacity at about 420,000 tons with speeds ranging from 2 to over 20 km an hour. Smaller, wooden barges are mostly privately owned. Ports Vietnam has eleven major seaports. Ho Chi Minh City serves most of the South and now boasts modern container loading facilities. Just a few hours’ drive from Hanoi, Hai Phong serves much of the North. Given the rapid rise in trade volume, increasing port capacity is a national priority. Airports and Civil Aviation There are three international airports: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang. Currently, the Government has significantly upgraded international airports to handle the increase in the volume of traffic associated with Vietnams invigorated economy. A new international terminal of the Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, capable of handling up to 10 million passengers a year was opened in December 2007. Noi Bai airport in Hanoi was upgraded, enlarged and completed for operation in 2002, construction of a second terminal is expected to start in October 2008 and completed in two years. Four new international airports are planned to be constructed in Phu Quoc, Dong Nai, Lao Cai and Quang Ninh provinces. Preparations for the new Long Thanh International Airport, 40 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City in Dong Nai province is underway. The airport is scheduled to open in 2010 and by 2015 it will be further expanded to reach an annual transportation capacity of 80 to 100 million passengers, becoming one of the biggest airports in the region. In addition, there are 16 other domestic airports around the country. Culture and Social Vietnam is a country located in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a culturally rich country whose distinct history played a role in the development of the modern day state. Vietnamese practices of Confucianism and showing reverence towards ancestors are evidence of China’s historical influence on Vietnamese  society. Vietnam became an independent state in the tenth century but was colonized by the French in the mid 1800s. Vietnam gained independence in the mid twentieth century but still retains traces of French culture which are visible in the way people communicate verbally and nonverbally. Though Vietnam has struggled over the past century through colonial rule, the Vietnam War and recent economic upheavals, it is now rebuilding itself to be able to compete on a global scale. Having a comprehensive understanding of Vietnam’s unique cultural values and traditions can allow the company to develop strong and successful business relationships with Vietnamese counterparts. Language Vietnamese is the official language, although there are distinct northern, central and southern dialects and accents. It is a tonal language, with each syllable; there are six different tones that can be used, which change the definition and it often makes it difficult for foreigners to pick up the language. There are other languages spoken as well such as Chinese, Khmer, Cham and other languages spoken by tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions. Although there are some similarities to Southeast Asian languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese is thought to be a separate language group, although a member of the Austro-Asiatic language family. In written form, Vietnamese uses the Roman alphabet and accent marks to show tones. This system of writing called â€Å"quoc ngu†, was created by Catholic missionaries in the 17th century to translate the scriptures. Eventually this system, particularly after World War I, replaced one using Chinese characters (chu nom), which had been the u nofficial written form used for centuries. Non-verbal communication For certain feelings, Vietnamese people favor non-verbal communication. Vietnamese do not express feeling of thankfulness of apology in verbal communication, but non-verbal through silence or a smile. The proper respectful behavior is to avoid eye contact when talking to person who is not equal status or of the same gender. The smile is another non-verbal symbol conveying the feeling of respect in Vietnamese culture. It is used as an expression of apology, or as expression of embarrassment. For the Vietnamese a smile is a proper response in most situation in which verbal expression is not necessary, or appropriate. Confucianism The teachings of Confucius influence the Vietnamese describe the position of the individual in Vietnamese society. Confucian teachings emphasize the importance of relationships, responsibility and obligation. This philosophy is still a vital component of Vietnamese society and is prevalent in Vietnamese business culture in conserving the harmony of the collective good. The basic tenets are based upon five different relationships: Ruler and subject Husband and wife Parents and children Brothers and sisters Friends Hierarchy As like other group-oriented societies, Vietnam hierarchical structures are very much based upon age and status. This derives from Confucianism, which emphasizes social order. Everyone is seen as having a distinct place and role within the hierarchical structure, be it the family or workplace. An obvious example is seen in social situations where the oldest person in a group is greeted or served first. Within the family the head would be responsible for making decisions and approving marriages. Therefore companies that want to invest in Vietnam are made sense to give more authority to local managers to control the subordinates. The organization structure can be designed as hierarchical, with power derived from prestige, force, and inheritance. Collectivism Vietnam is a collectivist society in which the needs of the group are often placed over the individual. Family and community concerns will almost always come before business or individual needs. Family in particular plays an important role in Vietnamese society. You will notice that close ties between extended families and communities can have a major influence on individual behavior and oftentimes there are multiple generations living under one roof. For this reason, the company of the investor can pay more attention to their employees’ family members for example provide free medical treatment, childcare leave, family trips, etc. This can increase the employees’ loyalty to the company. Besides, in order to increase efficiency of Vietnamese employees, the company should assign tasks to them by group rather than individual. Religion Religion in Vietnam is closely related to the history of Vietnam and most importantly the culture of Vietnam. The earliest established religions in Vietnam were Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism (called the ‘triple religion’). These religions have been co-existing in the country for centuries and mixed well with the Vietnamese tradition of ancestor worship. This special mix explains why the Vietnamese people find it hard to say exactly which religion the belong to. They usually classify themselves as non-religious, despite visiting religious temples several times every year. At the year 2006, the major religious affiliations amongst Vietnam born people were Buddhism (58.6%), Catholics (22.1%), other (4.6%), and no religion (11.03%). From the data, we were found that Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism have greatly affected the Vietnamese’s behavior. The foreign investors should take note there are quite a large number of vegetarian in Vietnam, because of th e Buddhism religion. Food of Vietnamese Food is a very important part of Vietnamese culture. The Vietnamese not only enjoy eating but believe eating good food can bring harmony and closeness to the family and relationships. The types of foods are chosen to bring luck and these vary from province to province. Buying daily for fresh food is essential for all Vietnamese cooking. In general, Vietnamese people are not as concerned about nutrition as Westerner. They are more concerned with the quality of the foods. Concepts of Time Like most Asians, the Vietnamese have a more extended concept of time than that of most Americans. The agrarian nature of their traditional society focuses on seasons rather than days or weeks. And this tradition is reinforced by the Confucian tradition of respect for earlier generations. Americans measure time by the clock, Vietnamese by the monsoon. Although this is changing somewhat, Vietnamese can still be expected to take a longer view of time and be suspicious of the need for urgency in making decisions  or culminating a business deal. Patience remains the ultimate Confucian virtue in personal life as well as in business. Personal Relationships In Vietnam, propriety and courtesy play a major role in personal relationships. Vietnamese are generally more interpersonally formal than are Americans. This formality decreases the uncertainty surrounding interpersonal contacts in Vietnamese society and is carried over into the business realm for the same reasons. During initial meetings with Vietnamese officials, you can expect little real business to be accomplished. The Vietnamese will concentrate on getting to know youyour background, your expertise, your character. In their high-context communication culture, they will depend heavily on non-verbal clues to assess meaning. By becoming acquainted and establishing a personal relationship with you, they are merely trying to understand you better. Vietnamese society is comprised of an interconnected network of personal relationships, all of which carry obligations on both sides. These mutual obligations are the underpinnings of social order in Vietnam, so they are taken very serious ly. Americans need to understand and be sensitive to the serious nature of what may seem to them to be casual business relations. Failure to do so could easily result in a loss of trust or credibility, with obvious implications for longer-term relationships. 4. Technology In terms of technology, Viet Nam is a rapidly developing country. The year 2011 was the beginning of the strategic plan of economic and social development, period 2011-2020, in which infrastructural building is considered as one of main targets. With this plan, the country has been building many expressways and will let the local transport network be eventually upgraded to meet the requirements of rural industrialization and modernization, and connect itself with the national system. In addition, the above plan also includes a project which will work to narrow its scientific and technological gap with the world in some key fields by 2020. To launch this project, the Government will give top priority to enhancing the competence of scientists and related managers while encouraging the organization of training courses partnered with foreign competent partners. According to the project, the Government will focus on scientific and technological renovation to sharpen the competitive edge of local products and assisting businesses to purchase patents in some prioritized areas: biotechnology, information technology, new materials technology Nano technology , manufacturing technology and automation. 5. Legislation The communist party-controlled government of Vietnam has ruled under four state constitutions. The first was promulgated in 1946, the second in 1959, the third in 1980, and the current in 1992 (amended in 2001). Significantly, each bore the mark of its time. On paper, all these constitutions seem to establish a solid democracy. In fact, the purpose of the 1946 constitution was essentially to provide the communist regime with freedom of speech, the press, and assembly. The second constitution was explicitly communist in character. Its preamble described the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a peoples democratic state led by the working class, and the document provided for a nominal separation of powers among legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The 1980 Constitution concentrates power in a newly established Council of State much like the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, endowing it nominally with both legislative and executive powers. Many functions of the legi slature remain the same as under the 1959 document, but others have been transferred to the executive branch or assigned to both branches concurrently. The executive branch appears strengthened overall, having gained a second major executive body, the Council of State, and the importance of the National Assembly appears to have been reduced accordingly. The role of the Council of Ministers, while appearing on paper to have been subordinated to the new Council of State, in practice retained its former primacy. Having inherited the previous constitutions with substantial and basic changes, on the one hand, the 1992 Constitution continues reaffirming the basic principles in the constitutional history of Vietnam. First, it reiterates the target of socialist construction in Vietnam and the popular nature of the State. Second, the 1992 Constitution continues affirming the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership over the State and the society.  Third, it continues affirming the mechanism of State powers performed by the people through the National Assembly and the People’s Councils, the organization and operation of the State under the principle of concentrated powers; the concentration of State powers uniformly into the National Assembly with the division of responsibility among State bodies for the exercise of the legislative power, executive power and judicial power. On the other hand, the 1992 Constitution sees big changes: Vietnam decided to take economic renewal as the cent ral task, First, building the multi-sector and multi-ownership market economy along the socialist orientation. open-door policy and international economic integration. In reality, however, final authority on all matters rested with the Political Bureau; especially, the guarantees provided by the constitutions for freedom of speech, the press, and assembly has been never intended to be carried out. The constitutions eventually show its limitations since Vietnam has joined the stream of globalization, especially in the field of human rights and land-ownership law. In a report made public at the Conference on the Rule of law for human rights in the ASEAN region held by the Human Rights Resource Centre for ASEAN (HRRCA) in Jakarta, Indonesia on 30 April 2011, Mr. Vo Van Ai, President of Que Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam and the Vietnam Committee for Human Rights called on Vietnam to urgently reform its legal system and bring domestic legislation into line with international human rights laws. Mr. Vo Van Ai declared: ―36 years after the end of the Vietnam War, the rule of law exists only in theory in Vietnam. The government has incorporated human rights into its 1992 Constitution. Yet it has also adopted a whole arsenal of Laws, Decrees, Ordinances and Decisions which restrict or even nullify the exercise of these rights, in total violation of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Vietnam adhered in 1982â€â€". At the beginning of the New Year 2012 (Jan 1, 2012), there happened The Tien Lang land withdrawal case: in Tien Lang district (on the outskirts of Haiphong, a port city east of Hanoi) a fish farmer, Doan Van Vuong, and his family had resisted a large force moving in to enforce an eviction order. With an improvised mine and muskets bought on the black market, they’d wounded two soldiers and four policemen, including the local police chief. Prime  Minister Nguyen Tan Dung himself had to meet the Haiphong City authorities to resolve the case; and finally came to the conclusion on Feb 2 that the Haiphong government was absolutely wrong in the case; and he ordered the Haiphong City authorities to review their wrong works as and repair the situation. This case is just one among so many cases that show matters association with the land law. And this shocked case has raised the question of reforming the land law, which has been ambiguously claimed by the constitution as ―land is possessed by the whole peopleâ€â€". Mr. Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, comments that ―it’s possible to see the recent incident at Tien Lang as a climactic demonstration of the faults in our Land Law and how it is implemented at the local level. A good farmer, pure, simple and hardworking, who’s driven to defend his right to his land with home-made weapons – what misery! Everybody believes that there’s such a thing as justice and that the law ensures it. Certainly that’s what the farmers who built the fish ponds at Tien Lang believed. They went to the court expecting fair play, but the simple truths they understood proved elusive. The hopelessness of their situati on drove them to take desperate measures. As mentioned above, the 11th Congress of Vietnam Communist Party held in 2011 issued four degrees; and one of them is beginning the study of the amendments and supplements of the 1992 Constitution and establishing the revised draft of the 1992 Constitution. This is urgent and necessary for the development of the country. 6. Environment Viet Nam is blessed by the nature, with a great ecological and hydrological diversity. The country is made up of equatorial lowlands, high, temperate plateaus and cooler mountainous areas. It lies in the inter-tropical zone and local conditions vary from frosty winters in the far northern hills to the year-round subequatorial warmth of the Mekong Delta. At sea level, the mean annual temperature is about 27 °C in the south, falling to about 21 °C in the far north. Geographically, it stretches over 1600km (1000mi) along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula; and has two main cultivated areas, that are the Red River Delta (15,000 sq km/5400 sq mi) in the north  and the Mekong Delta (60,000 sq km/23,400 sq mi) in the south. Vietnam also has diverse wildlife, with rare and precious fauna such as elephants, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, black bear, snub-nosed monkey, crocodile and turtle. Forest area accounts for 2% of total forests in East Asia and Pacific. Fish catch is amon g the 10 highest countries in the world, with 1,451,800 tons per year. However, as the report of the World Bank on the environment in Viet Nam, ―Rapid economic growth in Vietnam over the last ten years, and its associated industrialization, urbanization, as well as increased exploitation of natural resources, has created significant pressures for the environment.â€â€"35 For example, the diverse wildlife is in precipitous decline because of the destruction of habitats, illegal hunting and pollution. In fact, Viet Nam Rhino was officially extinct in 2011. One of the most obvious examples for illustrating the environmental pollution is the phenomenon of getting narrowed of the lakes in Ha Noi. According to the Hanoi Construction Department, there are 111 ponds and lakes in Hanoi which cover a total area of 1165 hectares. The total area of lakes has decreased sharply during the urbanization, while a lot of them have disappeared. It is estimated that 80% of the lakesides have got polluted, 71% of lakes have suffered from pollution, 26% of the lakes still do not have embankments, while 8% of lakes have partial embankments. Environmentalists have called on to take urgent actions to protect the remaining lakes, or they would also disappear one day. Vietnam is among the countries that can be seriously affected by climate change. And the fact shows that the increasing deterioration of environmental conditions is emerging as a barrier to growth and development in recent years. In fact, according to the General Statistics Office, domestic natur al disasters occurred in 2011 has made 257 people dead and missing, 267 wounded; nearly 1.2 thousand houses collapsed and swept away; 391.8 thousand houses were submerged or damaged; more than 760 km of dykes, and the 680 km road motorized traffic bursts, landslides; 867 power poles broken or poured; nearly 54,000 hectares of rice and vegetables has been lost; more than 330,000 hectares of rice crops were flooded or damaged. Total value of damage caused by natural disasters in 2011 was estimated at over 10 trillion VND. Thus, this is really a big challenge of the country; and it needs a national and urgent action to prevent an ecological and hydrological catastrophe. C. BRIEF CONCLUSION With the aforementioned analysis of ―P.E.S.T.L.Eâ€â€", we see that in 2011, on the one hand, Viet Nam constantly attempted to keep its strategic plan of development, and also has obtained some important goals; on the other hand, the country had to face many difficulties and challenges which came both from outside and from inside. In my opinion, there are some main issues that the government should pay great attention in the coming years: reforming the education system, fighting against corruption (especially, promoting fiscal transparency and the public availability of economic data and information), reforming the state-owned sectors, amending laws, narrowing the gap between the Kinh, the Hoa and the ethnic minority groups, and improving environmental conditions.