Good vs. Evil †Lord of the Flies Essay

Star Wars, Superman, James Bond—all of these are stories which chronicle the ever-present warfare between good and evil. What exactly is good? How does one describe evil? The answers to these questions are highly subjective, and could be debated for years on end without ever reaching a final conclusion. However, it is widely agreed that each person is inherently born with two sides; one of which is good, the other evil. It is this sense of inherent good and evil in all of us that William Golding tried to warn and protect society against in his classic, The Lord of the Flies. It is clear to anyone who reads this book that Golding is trying to exaggerate the inherent good and evil in the boys on the island. The boys are all well-raised, British prep school boys. They have grown up in a dignified and sophisticated society, and are by no means savage before they crash on the island. However, in a very short period of time, the boys lose the intelligence and sophistication they had been raised with, and become wild and crazy and almost completely devoid of any signs of civilization. The boys come to the island controlled by their inherent good, but the longer they stay, the more the inherent evil begins to take over. Inherent good and evil are also represented in the book through different characters. For example, Simon seems to be the most sensitive and civilized boy on the island. He is also the only one who recognizes that the true beast on the island is inside the boys themselves. Simon represents the inherent good in human beings. However, Roger is clearly bloodthirsty with little or no concern for those he hurts when while he is trying to accomplish a task. In fact, Roger enjoys deliberately hurting other boys on the island. Roger is representative of the inherent evil in man-kind. Through these examples and many more, Golding clearly warns us against the good and evil inside all of us. One may wonder, however, what society can do in order to help prevent catastrophe. After all, if good and evil are truly inherent—what can be done to fix the problem? Golding shows us the answer to this problem through certain events in his book. One of the most obvious examples of this is in the chapter â€Å"Huts on the Beach. † This chapter describes the process which the boys go through to build their shelters on the beach. When they begin the first hut, all of the boys are working together. The final result it strong and of high quality. However, as work continues on the second and third huts, the boys begin to leave for an assortment of reasons—and discontinue their work on the huts. The second hut, with only a few boys working on it, does not end up as strong as the first one. Predictably, the third hut, with even less boys working on it, is of the worst quality out of the three huts. The building of the huts shows that when the boys work together, the end product is much higher quality than when only a few boys are working to create the shelter. Symbolically, Golding is trying to tell society that if we work together, we can ultimately saves society from ourselves, and the inherent evil in all of us. Another example of this message is in an example of what will happen if society instead, continues on the path it is currently on, and people continue to right against each other rather than working together. Toward the end of the story, Jack creates his own group on the island. This divides the island in two—Jacks’ group on Castle rock, and Ralph’s group which remains on the beach. At the time of this separation, the already lacking democracy on the island weakens drastically, and everything falls apart. Simon is killed, Piggy’s glasses are stolen, SamnEric are tortured and manipulated, Piggy is murdered, and Ralph’s life almost comes to a dramatic end. These events represent the obvious truth that when the people fight against each other, the result is extremely counter-productive, and will eventually corrupt society. Inherent good and evil, and the qualification of each, is a topic that has been debated for centuries, and is sure to be debated in the future. We may never all agree on one true definition for good and evil. We may never even agree on whether good and evil both truly exist. However, the important thing is to realize that what Golding was trying to warn us against is a real problem. Society is heading in a negative direction, and if we don’t do something soon, it may be too late to turn back.

Battle Cry of Freedom

United States History i| Battle Cry of Freedom| The Civil War Era by: James M. McPherson| | Sandra Dunlap| 4/16/2010| James M. McPherson was born October 11, 1936. He is considered to be an American Civil War historian and he is a professor at Princeton University. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his book Battle Cry of Freedom and Wikipedia states this was his most famous book. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Ph. D. and teaches United States History at Princeton University. Battle Cry of Freedom; The Civil War Era id a work of such vast scope necessarily emphasizes synthesis at the expense of theme. If there is a unifying idea in the book, it is McPherson's acknowledged emphasis on â€Å"the multiple meanings of slavery and freedom, and how they dissolved and reformed into new patterns in the crucible of war. † In spite of the existence of a growing class of urban workers and a burgeoning immigrant population, McPherson finds that â€Å"the greatest danger to American su rvival midcentury was neither class tension nor ethnic division.I feel it was sectional conflict between North and South over the future of slavery. † He dismisses the idea advanced by some historians that conflicts over tariff policy and states’ rights were more central to the political tensions of the 1850's than the South's â€Å"peculiar institution. † McPherson emphasizes that â€Å"by the 1850s Americans on both sides of the line separating freedom from slavery came to emphasize more their differences than similarities. McPherson is critical of previous literature that he says â€Å"lack the dimension of contingency-the recognition that at numerous critical points during the war things might have gone altogether differently† (857-858). The narrative style allows him to point out such critical moments that others would have missed or looked over. He carefully identifies instances where another outcome was possible, or even probable. His treatment of both sides in the war is evenhanded.The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt to brace a government ready to split apart with a few political two-by-fours: It gave the South a deferred decision on the question of slavery in New Mexico and Utah in return for a stronger fugitive slave law and the admission of California to the union as a free state. Four years later, the Kansas-Nebraska Act shattered this uneasy peace by repealing the Missouri Compromise line of 1820, which had banned slavery in the northern territories, and substituting the deliberately ambiguous doctrine of popular sovereignty, which left room for violent disagreement among the territorial settlers.The Kansas-Nebraska Act completed the destruction of the divided Whig Party and gave rise to the new, entirely Northern, Republican Party, whose stated objective was to prevent the spread of slavery. Although not all Republicans were motivated by sympathy for the Negro—indeed many were deeply antipathetic toward blacks and opposed slavery only in the economic interest of working-class whites—and although the party was pledged not to disturb slavery where it already existed, Southerners regarded it as a threat.The election of Republican Abraham Lincoln in the â€Å"revolution of 1860† precipitated the â€Å"counterrevolution of 1861,† the secession of the lower South and, after the firing of shots at Fort Sumter, of the upper South as well. In stressing the formation of the Confederacy as a â€Å"preemptive counterrevolution,† McPherson follows the model of historian Arno Meyer, who applied it to twentieth century Europe.Such a counterrevolution does not attempt to restore the old orders; it strikes first—preempts revolution—in order to protect the status quo before revolution can erupt. The secessionists magnified the potential threat posed by Lincoln's election, arguing that waiting for an â€Å"overt act† against Southern rights was comparable to waiting for a coiled rattlesnake to strike. The time to act was before the North decided to move against slavery, as the Southern radicals believed the â€Å"Black Republicans† ultimately would.McPherson's other important theme is that the Civil War was a political war, fought by citizens rather than by professional armies; as a consequence, political leadership and public opinion directly affected military strategy, and events on the battlefield reverberated on the home front and especially in Washington, D. C. For this reason he chose a narrative rather than a thematic format, integrating political and military events to emphasize complex patterns of cause and effect. Thus, he emphasizes that the failure of the Army of the Potomac to reach Richmond during the Seven Days’ Battle in the spring of 1862 changed Union policy rom the limited goal of restoring the Union into one of total war to destroy the Old South and consequently gave rise to the Copperhead faction of a ntiwar Democrats in the North. Antietam was a major turning point not only because Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was driven back across the Potomac, but also because it ended Confederate hopes for European recognition and military assistance, and gave Lincoln the military victory he had been waiting for as a backdrop for his Emancipation Proclamation.Especially in the North, where the two-party system still operated and the Republican position on slavery was still evolving and far from unified, Union military success or failure had far-reaching effects. The defeats at Bull Run and Ball's Bluff led Congress to establish the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, and the Union failure at Fredericksburg gave Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, who aspired to replace Lincoln as the Republican nominee in 1864, an opportunity to encourage a senatorial investigation of the cabinet.Public morale in the North rose after the victory at Stones River and temporarily blunted the Cop perhead offensive against Lincoln's war policy; it plummeted again after the Confederate triumph at Chancellorsville on May 2-3, 1863, and Lincoln exclaimed in despair: â€Å"My God! my God! What will the country say? † McPherson gives military outcomes the central place in his explanation of Northern victory and Southern defeat; he is critical of theories that undervalue events on the battlefield.In his concluding chapter he reviews the various explanations that historians have advanced for the South's ultimate defeat, analyzing the weaknesses in each. Although the North was superior in manpower by two to one and had even greater economic resources, revisionist historians have denied that the South fought against odds so great as to make defeat inevitable; they have pointed out the number of small countries that won independence against even greater odds, not the least of which was colonial America against Great Britain.Such historians have argued instead that internal divis ions—the states’ rights governors who refused to cooperate with the central government, the disaffection of non-slaveholders, libertarian resentment of conscription and the restriction of civil liberties—fatally weakened the South's morale and destroyed its will to fight. McPherson discounts this argument, as well as the alternative interpretation that stresses the gradual development of superior Northern ilitary and political leadership that was evident by 1863, because both commit â€Å"the fallacy of reversibility†: If the outcome had been reversed, the same factors could be cited to explain a Southern victory. He particularly faults the loss-of-morale thesis, for â€Å"putting the cart before the horse†; defeat was the cause of Southern demoralization and loss of will, McPherson argues, not the consequence. McPherson faults most explanations of Southern defeat for failing to take into account the factor of contingency, the realization that at v arious turning points the war might have taken an entirely different turn.He identifies four critical turning points that shaped the final outcome. The first was in the summer of 1862, when Stonewall Jackson and Lee in Virginia and Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby-Smith in the West launched counteroffensives that prevented the Union armies from claiming what had appeared to be certain victory. This rally by the South meant that the war would be prolonged and intensified, and Southern success seemed assured before each of three successive turning points toward Northern victory.First, Union triumphs at Antietam and Perryville in the fall of 1862 turned back Confederate invasions and killed the hope of European recognition for the Confederacy; they may also have prevented a Democratic victory in the 1862 elections, which would have hampered the Lincoln government's ability to prosecute the war, and certainly permitted the president to make his Emancipation Proclamation from a position of political and military strength.The next critical time was during the summer of 1863, when success at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga turned the North toward eventual military victory. The last one came in the summer of 1864, when enormous Union casualties of the spring campaign in Virginia—three-fifths as many battle deaths as in the previous three years of fighting—combined with the seeming lack of progress forced the North in the direction of peace negotiations and nearly resulted in the election of a Democratic president.William Tecumseh Sherman's capture of Atlanta and Philip Henry Sheridan's destruction of Jubal Early's army in the Shenandoah Valley made Union victory inevitable; only then, after the military situation became impossible, McPherson contends, did the South lose its will to fight. Several important long-term consequences of the Northern victory emerge in McPherson's analysis. Slavery and secession were killed forever, and the word â€Å"Uni ted States† became a singular instead of a plural oun; the â€Å"union† of states, as in â€Å"the United States are a republic† became a nation and an indivisible entity. Replacing the old federal government with which the average citizen rarely came in contact, except at the post office, was a new â€Å"centralized polity. † This national government levied direct taxes and collected them through an internal revenue service that it created itself, drafted citizens into a national army, imposed a national banking system, and instituted numerous other innovations.Eleven of the first twelve amendments to the Constitution, McPherson points out, had restricted the authority of the national government; beginning in 1865 with the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, six of the next seven amendments greatly increased federal power at state expense. Finally, the balance of political power shifted from the South, which had controlled the presidency for tw o-thirds of the years since the founding of the republic, and had predominated in the selection of the House Speakers, presidents pro tem of the Senate, and Supreme Court justices.For fifty years after the Civil War no Southerner was elected to the presidency, none of the House Speakers or Senate presidents came from the old Confederacy, and only one-fifth of the Supreme Court justices were appointed from the South. McPherson contends that despite the South's appearance of being different from the rest of the United States, the argument can easily be made that until the Civil War it was actually the rapidly changing North that was out of step with the rest of the world. Although slavery had been largely abolished, most societies had an un-free or only semi-free labor force.Most of the world was rural, agricultural, and traditional; only the northern United States and a few countries in northwestern Europe were speeding toward industrial capitalism. Thus, Southerners were both sincer e and correct when they claimed to be fighting to preserve the republic of the founding fathers: limited government that protected property rights and served an independent gentry and white yeomanry in an agrarian society. The South's preemptive counterrevolution attempted to preserve this tradition, but Union victory in the Civil War ensured the dominance of the Northern vision of America.

Abortion Essays (4361 words) - United States Law, Abortion

A couple decades ago, when abortion was illegal, thousands of women died because they did not want to bear an infant and attempted to terminate the child's life by themselves or with an unprofessional approach. After 1973's Supreme Court decision, which allowed women to have the choice to abortion, thousands of women were saved. Abortion can save thousands of lives of women and thus, should remain legal in the United States. Imagine you have a balance beam. On one side you have the physical life of an infant and on the other you have the mental and emotional life of a mother and her unwanted child. Which side can we, as civil humans, claim as more valuable? Up to this current day, abortion has become an exigent issue that faces everyone nationwide. As a moral and ethical issue, abortion is a dilemma for society. Abortion was illegal before the 1973 Supreme Court decision in the trial of Roe v. Wade, but now that abortion is legitimate, women have the freedom and the choice to live their life the way they want to. Albeit, abortion is criticized by religious sects in America and some of the public, the practice of abortion should remain legal in the U.S. because it allows a woman to choose her destiny and prevents unwanted children. Definitions are essential to define in this issue. Abortion is the forcible removal of a developing baby from the womb of his or her mother, using surgical, mechanical, or chemical means. Medical definition holds that abortion is any termination of pregnancy before 20 weeks. Medically defined, abortion is the "end of a pregnancy before viability." Therapeutic abortion is the termination of pregnancy via the intervention of a physician through surgery or the use of RU-486 or some other medications. Conception is a synonym for fertilization or creation. An embryo is a stage of prenatal mammalian development which extends from 2 to 8 weeks. Fertilization is the penetration of an ovum by a single sperm. A fetus is a stage of prenatal mammalian development which extends from 9 weeks after fertilization. Miscarriage is the interruption of pregnancy prior to the 7th month, usually used to refer to an expulsion of the fetus which starts without being induced by medical intervention. About a quarter of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage. An ovum is the mature sex cell generated by females in an ovary. Trimester is a period lasting nominally 3 months. A human pregnancy is often divided into three trimesters, from fertilization from birth. From a historical perspective, the purpose of abortion has been undoubtedly to act as a life saver for both child and mother. In the two decades before abortion was legal in America, it's been estimated that about one million women per year underwent illegal abortions. In the process, thousands of American women died and thousands more were maimed. Whenever a society outlaws abortions, it induces the women to seek abortions in the back alleys where they become deleterious, exorbitant, and tarnishing. Thus, to protect the woman's life, we must keep abortion legal in America. According to abortion statistics from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, about 15,000 women have had abortions each year because they become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. Fortunately, the nation's leaders were able to stop this butchery of women. In Roe v. Wade, a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1973, stated that a woman and her doctor may freely decide to abort a pregnancy during the first trimester, sta te governments can restrict abortion access after the first trimester with laws intended to protect the woman's health, and abortion after fetal viability must be available if the woman's health or life are at risk. In other situations, state governments have the right to prohibit abortions. Abortion, thereby, became authorized in the United States of America because the court decided to preserve the right to choose an abortion as a constitutionally protected liberty. It is possible for one to be supportive of abortion on a political level, but against abortion on a personal level. Although many individuals say this notion is contradictory, different people evidently have different morals and values based on religion, from parents, friends, family, experience, and knowledge.

Week 8 case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 8 case study - Assignment Example The patient also reports a similar instance that happened ten years ago after she played soccer. Second, the patient will have to undergo a physical examination which will give more information regarding the patient’s condition. A physical examination typically involves listening to the breathing of the patient and looking for signs of asthma and allergies. An individual with asthma may produce wheezing sounds while breathing, a running nose or swollen nasal passages. Allergic skin conditions may also be present. In our patient’s case, there is the presence of wheezing and dyspnea which are typical symptoms of asthma. Also, her cough is non-productive, meaning bacterial infections such as tuberculosis are ruled out. Third, the Institute recommends diagnostic tests to assess lung function. A spirometry test is usually done to determine the volume of air that an individual can breathe in and out. The test also measures how fast the patient can exhale (Madsen et al., 2014). However, in our case, the physical examination and patient history provide enough information to make a diagnosis. As a result, she will not be subjected to diagnostic tests. The nursing care plan will include management at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. At the primary level, the patient will be required to minimize exposure to agents that trigger an asthmatic attack. These include pollen, dust and other respiratory tract irritants such as tobacco (Heederik, Henneberger & Redlich, 2012). In this patient’s case, it has been established that strenuous physical activity triggers an attack so she should ensure that she does not engage in such exercise. Moderate physical activity is however recommended. Patient education is also important. The patient will be educated on the various ways that an asthma attack can be prevented and managed. She will also learn about the various medication options, and which ones are most appropriate for her. The patient may also need to

The Determination of Food Policy in a Modern World Essay

The Determination of Food Policy in a Modern World - Essay Example Contrary to the main point of The Omnivore Dilemma, however, that part of the difficulty for humans is choosing their food is that we have too much choice, that we can eat anything we want. The problem, however, is that we do not actually have that great a degree of choice and that the factors that determine the crops we grow are in fact outside of our control. It is impossible to simply choose better, safer, healthier, and more environmentally friendly food because the food we grow is determined by the complex interaction of population, food-consumption style, and climate. In order to truly be the masters of our destiny in terms of food production, we must control the factors that determine what food we plant. Corn is in many ways a wonder food and in many ways a dangerous food. Corn can be produced in quantities that far exceed other plants (Pollan 2006, 36), and is incredibly versatile, functioning as everything from feedstock (65) to the sugars in sodas and candies (85). This mea ns that corn is the product of choice for most food production – in a single meal, nearly everything you eat can be a corn product in some way or another (111). This leads to problems, however. Firstly, heavy reliance on a single crop is incredibly dangerous from a food security perspective - an insect that develops the ability to eat it in high quantities and resisting pesticides, or a phage that targets the plant could lead to significant food shortages. Likewise, corn products are not always the most healthy – the high-fructose corn syrup that is in nearly every junk food on the planet is associated with heart disease and diabetes, two of the most serious killers in North America. So, realistically, there would be many benefits to breaking our addiction to corn (and other similarly homogenous cereal crops) and diversifying our planting to a wider variety of food products. But unfortunately, this is near to impossible because of the pressures that actually decide wha t kinds of food we plant. Forces other than free choice force the determination of what crops we plant. The first of these forces is population. Corn and other cereal crops’ incredibly high yields have led to a population explosion the like of which the human race has never seen before. And the fact is, this means that we now need these high yield crops in order to maintain the population and avoid even greater mass starvation than is already occurring. Population in many ways forces us to grow the crops we do. The second major force is lifestyle – a great deal of the crops we produce are used to feed livestock, which are incredibly inefficient uses of food resources from the human perspective – only about one-tenth of the energy used to feed the animal a human eats actually makes it to the human(68). So the widespread consumption of meat in our society is another major factor inducing the growth of corn. A final factor is climate – as climate changes rap idly it is important to grow crops that can endure a wide variety of conditions, and corn has shown that it is able to do this – it can be grown anywhere from Brazil to Canada, and can endure significant swings in temperature, rain and so on without failing, unlike many other crops.  

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Literature Review - Essay Example These in most cases are caused by different need, or ideologies that we experience when we are brought together. Absence of negotiation can worsen the differences hence unstable relationships between societal members. This paper presents a thoughtful literature review of the importance of negotiation skills with reference to various scholarly articles and books. ElShenawy views negotiation as an important managerial skill which the success of the global environment relies on. Additionally, most interactions need the aspect of negotiation. This makes skilful negotiators are perceived as useful assets that are capable of increasing the financial performance, maintain good customer relations and ensure worker’s satisfaction (ElShenawy, 2010). Arguably, skills are very essential in the growth of any organization as it promotes understanding and inter-relationship among individuals in the organization. Today, most organizations are interested in employing individuals that are well equipped with appropriate skills like listening skills, and negotiation skills. According to Taylor, Mesmer-Magnus and Burns individuals’ ability to effectively negotiate with others like their coworkers, superiors and their juniors hence effective global workforce (Taylor, Mesmer-Magnus, & Burns, 2008). ... Ideally, skills in negotiations involve the ability to be persuasive and assertive and not confront other parties. These skills promote the effectiveness in negotiation process. Generally, communication skills are very essential in our daily activities and relationships. The only way to solve a dispute is exert the key negotiation skills in the process. However, negotiation is in most cases influenced by the power of the two parties, how they are able to influence others matters. According to Ahn, Sutherland and Bednarek, how the parties influence each other enhances the willingness to reach an agreement (Ahn, Sutherland & Bednarek, 2010). This simply means that the agreement reached to solve the differences between two parties is ideally based on the level of influence that the parties involved have towards each other as well as the case presented, and the third parties present. Briefly, steps followed while negotiating include preparation, discussion, and clarification of goals, wi n-win outcome, agreement, and implementation of the course of action. Equally, all parties involved have to participate in the negotiation process. The venue to discuss the problem, time limit, and presence of all facts of the situation need to be clarified in order to avoid further conflict and wastage of time. Then, parties involved are given opportunity to air out their views of the situation. Here, they are encouraged to listen, question and ensure clarification of ideas as each side given equal chance to present their cases. Thereafter, the two parties’ goals, interests and viewpoints need to be clarified to found a common ground. Followed by negotiation for a win-win outcome where both parties feel that their views have been taken into LITERATURE REVIEW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1 LITERATURE REVIEW - Essay Example The study subjects were categorized by sex and age after which their demographic data was taken. cyanobacteria isolates were cultured in sterile inorganic media. The research was conducted using skin patch technique in which the nurses prepared subjects’ backs using acetone and the patches applied (Ian, Ivan, Penelope, Philip, & Glen, 2006, p. 2). The patches contained aqueous suspensions of cyanobacteria which were applied for 48 hours. Dermatological assessments were carried out after 48 and 96 hours of application. The subjects were advised to keep their backs clean and not to participate in any vigorous activity that might interfere with the patches. The hypothesis that was evaluated in this research was to assess the potential of cyanobacteria to cause skin hypersensitivity reactions. The literature review mainly covered two variables: cyanobacteria and skin patch technique. These are the most important variables since they form the core of the research hypothesis. The li terature review starts by describing what cyanobacteria are and associated public health risks. Skin rashes have been reported as a result of exposure to cyanobacteria. Usually, these rashes are very pruritic and itchy (Ian, Ivan, Penelope, Philip, & Glen, 2006, p. 2). In order to understand the hypothesis, conditions that favor growth of these algae and their health effects have to be known. This literature review was therefore, very relevant to the hypothesis. The author also gives information on the reports arising from exposure of cyanobactreia especially in recreational situations. The fact that few of these reports have been reported for domestic water supplies is also reviewed. From the literature it can be seen that skin patch testing has been in used as a procedure for testing effects of cyanobacteria since 1900s (Ian, Ivan, Penelope, Philip, & Glen, 2006, p. 2). It is also indicated that 20-24 percent of volunteers reacted to cyanobactreia in a study by Pilotto et al (Ian, Ivan, Penelope, Philip, & Glen, 2006, p. 2). Therefore, the use of skin patching to assess the effects of cyanobacteria has been used successfully in several studies. This means that the same procedure can be used in this research and give good results. The literature review used in this study fully supported the research hypothesis. In the literature review the author points out that reports of skin rashes as a result of cyanobactreia have been reported. Most of these cases are as a result of recreational exposure. Very few cases have been reported as a result of poor water treatment facilities hence their presence in water supplies (Ian, Ivan, Penelope, Philip, & Glen, 2006, p. 2). There is a gap in information concerning cyanobacteria in water supplies. The literature review was somehow biased. This is because the researcher only covered two aspects (cyanobacteria and Skin patch testing) in the literature review. It could be more interesting if the author could incorporate hyper sensitivity in the literature review. Important information to be included would include types of hypersensitivity caused by cyanobacteria and long term effects of these hypersensitivity. Nevertheless, the review on cyanobacteria and skin patch testing presented in the paper gave a good background information about the field of study. Therefore literature review can be used to form a good base for a research. The literature review mainly concentrated on primary information sources. This

The Poisson Distribution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Poisson Distribution - Research Paper Example Poisson distribution has a number of important uses as will be shown later. When the binomial distribution for probabilities of success (p) is close to zero (0), say 0.01, it would be too time consuming to calculate, especially when N is large them the Poisson distribution becomes useful. According to Mason and Lind, (1999 p242): â€Å"The distribution of probabilities would become more and more skewed as the probability of success became smaller. The limiting form of the binomial distribution where the probability of success is very small and N is large is called the Poisson probability distribution.† In general, the Poisson distribution will provide a good approximation to the binomial probabilities when N ≠¥ 20 and p ≠¤ 0.05. When N ≠¥ 100 and Np ≠¤ 10, the approximation will generally be excellent† (Miller and Miller, 1999 p187). Spiegel and Stephens, (1999 p158) also point to the relationship between the Binomial and Poisson distributions. â€Å"In the Binomial distribution, if N is large, while the probability p of the occurrence of an event is close to zero (0), so that q = 1 – p is close to 1, the event is called a rare event. An event is rare if the number of trials is at least 50 (N ≠¥ 50) while Np is less than 5. In such case the binomial distribution is very closely approximated by the Poisson with ÃŽ » = Np.† This is indicated by comparing the Poisson distribution table above with the Binomial distribution table shown immediately below. Spiegel and Stephens, (1999 p158) also indicated that: â€Å"Since there is a relationship between the binomial and normal distribution, it follows that there is also a relation between the Poisson and normal distributions. It can in fact be shown that the Poisson distribution approaches a normal distribution with standardized variable (X – ÃŽ »)/√Î » as ÃŽ » increases

Critical Review of Nokia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Review of Nokia - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that decreasing the dependency ratios of the elderly people within the rural municipalities, the project also aims to facilitate in the delivery of better health services and assuring a sustained economic growth. The project, which includes both a literature review on the issue, and an evaluation of the present conditions through discussions, questionnaires, and interviews, will help us to understand the subject matter better by giving us a clear insight into the Finnish health care system, and the use of the technological innovations within this sector. The research question, suitably framed, takes into account the elderly population and the medical services in rural Finland, examines the entire field of medicine and innovative technology. The basic motivation behind this project is the viability of the Health book, is an â€Å"easy to use online medical networking service aimed at senior citizens, communities, hospitals and doctors†. The elderly population living within rural communities will benefit from this online health service by getting direct access to medical and social support without having to go out of their houses. The hypotheses that says ‘quality performing telecommunication connections and broadband accessibility make it possible for people in rural areas to live and work despite long distances’   is measurable both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitatively the data can be collected through theoretical studies of books, journals, and articles on the relationship between improved health ca re facilities, and innovative technologies and communications.  

Globalization and Indian Industries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalization and Indian Industries - Essay Example Closeness to the technological frontier to fight the entry of the external competitors is considered to be very significant in this connection. The industries that have capability to improve their technological strength for investing in the updation of the production systems would be able to withstand the competition (Mishra, 2006). Thus the industries in this group tend to flourish and perform well under liberalized regime. While the companies that were very weak didn't have the enough strength to enhance their capacity and elevate them in towards the technological frontier. Thus most of these units have shorter business life span and ultimately get eliminated from the race. Thus the industries having very low technological frontiers would be losers under the globalised business environment (Mishra, 2006). Indian experiment on globalization started in the year 1991 with the major sectors involved being steel, pharmaceutical, petroleum, chemical, textile, cement, retail and BPO (Business maps of India.com, n.d.). The government had expected that high rate of growth could be achieved by inviting large volumes of foreign direct investments. A comparison on the number of companies that operated in India across pre and post-liberalized era clearly show the impact of the policy change. Earlier to 1991, the number of factories in India stood at 1,10,179 while their number reported in the year 2004 was 1,29,074. The first observable signs in this direction after the implementation of the polices were setting up of different companies with foreign investments for enhancing its operation in the above-mentioned sectors. This is said to have helped to address the local unemployment problems to a significant level and thus reducing the poverty levels in a few of the locations (Mishra, 2006). Also indirect benefits were obtained as a result of considerable improvements in the technology and management that the domestic companies had to attain to face the competition from their foreign counterparts having highly efficient production systems. On the other hand, the consumer preferences in buying also had a sporadic shift. The Indian consumer who were mostly dependent on the domestic products had the opportunity to purchase quality products at affordable prices. This had resulted in the lowering of business volumes of the pharmaceutical, chemical, manufacturing, and cement manufacturing industries (Business maps of India.com, n.d.). Also, the companies resorted to various structural adjustments like lowering of profits, which threatened the viability of long-term operations. Another striking feature was the reduction in the labour strength across the sectors. The labour statistics available for the year 1990 was 81,62,504 and those for the year 2004 was lowered to 78,70,081. Thu s the influence of globalization policies on the poverty reduction in India as a whole is very ambiguous (Mishra, 2006). Hence a The sector specific assessment on the impact of the globalization is as given below (i) Petroleum Industry: Globalization of the petroleum Industry had begun much before the

Foundation by Isaac Asimov Essay Example for Free

Foundation by Isaac Asimov Essay Foundation is the first novel in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). Foundation is a collection of five short stories, which were first published together as a book by Gnome Press in 1951 which, together, form a single plot. Foundation saw multiple publications—it also appeared in 1955 as part of Ace Double D-110 under the title The 1,000-Year Plan. Four of the stories were originally published inAstounding Magazine (with different titles) between 1942 and 1944, and the fifth was added when they first appeared in book form. A further two books of short stories were published shortly after, and decades later, Asimov wrote two further sequel novels and two prequels. Later writers have added authorized tales to the series. The Foundation Series is often regarded as one of Isaac Asimovs best works, along with his Robot series. Plot summary Foundation tells the story of a group of scientists who seek to preserve knowledge as the civilizations around them begin to regress. The Psychohistorians (0 F.E.) (First published as the book edition in 1951) Set in the year 0 F.E., The Psychohistorians opens on Trantor, the capital of the 12,000-year-old Galactic Empire. Though the empire appears stable and powerful, it is slowly decaying in ways that parallel the decline of the Western Roman Empire. Hari Seldon, a mathematician and psychologist, has developed psychohistory, a new field of science and psychology that equates all possibilities in large societies to mathematics, allowing for the prediction of future events. Using psychohistory, Seldon has discovered the declining nature of the Empire, angering the aristocratic members of the Committee of Public Safety, the de facto rulers of the Empire. The Committee considers Seldons views and statements treasonous, and he is arrested along with young mathematician Gaal Dornick, who has arrived on Trantor to meet Seldon. Seldon is tried by the Committee and defends his beliefs, explaining his theories and predictions, including his belief that the Empire will collapse in 500 years and enter a 30,000-year dark age, to the Committees members. He informs the Committee that an alternative to this future is attainable, and explains to them that creating a compendium of all human knowledge, the Encyclopedia Galactica, would not avert the inevitable fall of the Empire but would reduce the dark age to one millennium. The skeptical Committee, not wanting to make Seldon a martyr, offers him exile to a remote world, Terminus, with others who could help him create the Encyclopedia. He accepts their offer, prepares for the departure of the Encyclopedists and receives an imperial decree officially acknowledging his actions. The Encyclopedists (50 F.E.) (published May 1942 as Foundation) Set in 50 F.E., The Encyclopedists begins on Terminus, which has no mineral resources but one region suitable for the development of large city, named Terminus City. The colony of professionals, devoted to the creation of the Encyclopedia, is managed by the Board of Trustees of the Encyclopedia Galactica Foundation, composed solely of scientists. The affairs of Terminus City itself are handled by the citys mayor, Salvor Hardin, who is virtually powerless due to the influence of the Board of Trustees. However, Hardin does not accept the status quo, which he believes puts Terminus in danger of political exploitation by the neighboring prefects of the Empire, which have declared independence and severed contact with Trantor. Hardin, recognizing the imminent downfall of imperial power due to the loss of the Empires outermost region, decides that the only way to ensure Terminuss continued survival is to pit the four neighboring kingdoms against one another. Hardin manages to avoid an attempt by the Kingdom of Anacreon to establish military bases on Terminus and to take advantage of nuclear power, which Terminus retains but which the Four Kingdoms do not. Hardin succeeds in diverting Anacreon from its initial goal and furthers his goal of the establishment of a stable political system on Terminus. Hardins efforts, however, are still resisted by the Board of Trustees and its chairman, Dr. Louis Pirenne. To remove this obstacle, Hardin and his chief advisor, Yohan Lee, plan a coup detat designed to remove the Board of Trustees from its politically powerful position on the same day that, in the citys Time Vault, a holographic recording of Hari Seldon is programmed to play. The recording will contain psychohistoric proof of Hardins success or failure; Hardin realizes that his coup is a great gamble due to the possible case that his beliefs are incompatible with Seldons original goals. The next day in the Time Vault the holographic video of Hari Seldon appears. He is in his wheelchair and his voice is old and soft. He reveals that the Encyclopedia Galactica is a distraction intended to make the colonys creation possible. The true purpose of the Foundation is to form one nucleus of a Second Galactic Empire and shorten the predicted period of chaos to a mere thousand years, rather than thirty thousand years. After the video ends, the Board of Trustees admits they were wrong to Hardin and schedule a meeting to discuss their next action. Hardin smiles, knowing they would be giving orders no longer. Out there in Terminus City Yohan Lees men were already in control. In two days time Anacreon would be landing in force, but that was fine, in six months they would be giving orders no longer as well. Salvor Hardin had guessed the solution, and as Hari Seldon said, it was obvious. The Mayors (80 F.E.) (published June 1942 as Bridle and Saddle) Set in 80 F.E., three decades after the events of The Encyclopedists, The Mayors is set in a time where the Encyclopedia Foundations scientific understanding has given it significant leverage over the Four Kingdoms, though it is still isolated from the Galactic Empire. Exercising its control over the region through an artificial religion, Scientism, the Foundation shares its technology with the Four Kingdoms while referring to it as religious truth. Maintenance technicians comprise Scientisms priesthood, trained on Terminus. A majority of the priests themselves are unaware of the true importance of their religion, referring to advanced technology as holy food. The religion is not suppressed by the secular elite of the Four Kingdoms, reminscient of Western European rulers of the early medieval period, who use it to consolidate their power over the zealous populaces. Salvor Hardin, as Mayor of Terminus City, is the effective ruler of the Foundation, and has been reelected as mayor cont inuously since his political victory over the Encyclopedia Galactica Board of Trustees. However, his influence is suddenly checked by a new political movement led by city councillor Sef Sermak, which encourages direct action against the Four Kingdoms and a cessation of the scientific proselytizing encouraged by Hardins administration. The movement, whose followers refer to themselves as Actionists, is wildly popular, and Hardin is unable to appease Sermak and the Actionist leadership. The kingdom that is most concerning to the Actionists is that of Anacreon, ruled by Prince Regent Wienis and his nephew, the teenaged King Lepold I. Wienis plans to overthrow the Foundations power by launching a direct military assault against Terminus, making use of an abandoned Imperial space cruiser redesigned by Foundation experts to fit the needs of the elite Anacreonian navy. However, Hardin orders several secret technological devices to be incorporated into the ships design prior to its completion. Wienis plans to launch his offensive on the night of his nephews coronation as king and sole ruler of Anacreon. Hardin attends the coronation ceremony and is arrested, but has arranged with Anacreonian High Priest Poly Verisof, who is aware of the true nature of Scientism, to foster a popular uprising against Wienis. Convincing the Anacreonian populace that an assault against the Foundation and Terminus is blasphemous, Verisof leads an infuriated mob to the royal palace and surrounds it, demanding Hardins release. Meanwhile, the crew of the space cruiser mutinies against its commander, Admiral Prince Lefkin, Wieniss son. Lefkin confronts the mutineers and, captured, is forced to broadcast a message to Anacreon demanding Wieniss arrest and threatening a bombardment of the royal palace if that and other demands are not met. Wienis, maddened by his failure, orders Hardins execution, but his royal guardsmen refuse to obey him. Attempting and failing, due to a protective energy field, to kill Hardin personally, Wienis commits suicide. Hardin is proven correct again upon his return to Terminus City by another Seldon recording, set to play at this date. Though Actionists continue to hold a significant amount of power, an attempt to impeach the mayor fails and his popularity is renewed among the citys residents. It is also confirmed by Hari Seldon that the Foundations immediate neighbors, the Four Kingdoms, will now be virtually powerless and incapable of resisting Scientisms advance. The Traders (About 135 F.E.) (published October 1944 as The Wedge) The events of The Traders are set around 135 F.E., at a time during which the Foundation has expanded greatly and has sent out officially sanctioned Traders to exchange technology with neighboring planets for what amounts to greater political and economic power. Master Trader Eskel Gorov, also an agent of the Foundation government, has traveled to the worlds of Askone, where he hopes to trade nucleics. Gorov, however, is met with resistance by Askones governing Elders due to traditional taboos that effectively ban advanced technology. Gorov is imprisoned and sentenced to death; the Elders refuse Foundation requests for clemency. Trader Linmar Ponyets is ordered by the Foundation to try and negotiate with the Elders, and travels to the central Askonian planet. Ponyets meets with the Elders Grand Master and deduces that, though he is determined to have Gorov executed, he may be willing to exchange the captive for a suitable bribe, which Ponyets realizes would be a sum of gold. Ponyets clumsily fashions a transmuter that will convert iron into gold. The Grand Master informs Ponyets that others who have attempted this have failed and have been punished with execution for both their attempt and for their failure; Ponyets succeeds and convinces the Grand Master that the gold is appropriate for Askonian religious decoration, which pleases the Elders. Councilor Pherl, the Grand Masters protà ©gà ©, appears to be wary of Ponyets. Meeting with the Councilor, Ponyets discovers that Pherl is instead quite willing to work with him, if only due to the chances of eventually attaining the Grand Mastership himself. Pherl, from a different ethnic background than traditional Grand Masters and a young man, believes that a stable supply of gold will be able to dramatically increase his power, and Ponyets provides him with the transmuter. It appears that the friendly Pherl will ascend to the Grand Mastership, while Gorov is released quickly. Ponyets discusses his success with Gorov, who criticizes his techniques due to what he perceives as Ponyetss lack of morality. Ponyets replies by reminding Gorov of an alleged statement made by Salvor Hardin: Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right! The Merchant Princes (About 155 F.E.) (published August 1944 as The Big and the Little) Set around 155 F.E., The Merchant Princes takes places against the backdrop of a powerful Foundation, which has subjugated the neighboring Four Kingdoms and expanded its commercial and technological empire throughout numerous stellar systems. However, it continues to meet resistance, and three Foundation vessels have vanished near the planets of the Republic of Korell, a nation suspected of independent technological development. Master Trader Hober Mallow is assigned to deal with Korell and also to investigate their technological developments and find the missing ships. Those who have assigned this mission to Mallow, Foreign Secretary Publius Manlio and the Mayors secretary, Jorane Sutt, believe that a Seldon Crisis is underway; they fear that domestic tensions caused by the great autonomy given to Traders and shaky foreign relations may give rise to a nuclear conflict involving the Foundation. Sutt and Manlio, believ ing that they can weaken the Traders by staging an embarrassing diplomatic incident, plant an agent aboard Mallows ship. The agent, a respected Trader, invites a Foundation missionary onto the ship once it reaches Korell. Such missionaries are forbidden to enter Korell, and an angry mob immediately surrounds the ship, demanding the missionary. This rapid response in a remote location arouses Mallows suspicions, and Mallow gives the missionary to the mob, despite the frantic intervention of the agent. Later, Mallow meets with Korells authoritarian ruler, Commdor Asper Argo, who appears friendly and welcomes Foundation technological gifts. Argo refuses to allow Scientism on Korell, and Mallow agrees not to encourage missionary work in the Republic. Mallow is invited to tour a steel foundry belonging to Korells government, where he notes guards carrying atomic handguns. He is surprised to discover that these weapons bear the markings of the Galactic Empire, which the Foundation assumes has fallen by this time. Mallows discoveries lead him to believe that the Empire may be attempting to expand into the Periphery again, and has been providing weapons to client states such as Korell. Leaving the Republic and his ship, he journeys alone to the planet Siwenna, which he believes may be the capital of an Imperial province. He finds Siwenna a desolate and sad place, and meets the impoverished patrician Onum Barr in the latters isolated mansion, which is slowly crumbling. Barr, a former provincial senator and a leading citizen, had served in the Imperial government on Siwenna during a fairly stable time several decades earlier, before a series of corrupt and ambitious viceroys who each harbored dreams of becoming Emperor. After the previous viceroy rebelled against the Emperor, Barr participated in a revolution that overthrew the viceroy. However, the Imperial fleet also sent to remove the viceroy wanted to conquer a rebellious province even if it was no longer in rebellion, and began a massacre that claimed the lives of all but one of Barrs children. Mallow is tried for murder upon his return to Terminus, due to turning over the Foundation missionary to the mob. However, he is able to convince the court that the missionary was in fact a Korellian secret policeman who played a part in the conspiracy against the Traders manufactured by Sutt and Manlio. Acquitted, Mallow is received with delight by the population of Terminus, which will almost undoubtedly select him as Mayor in the elections scheduled to take place in the following year. To prepare for the election, Mallow engineers the arrest of Sutt and Manlio, and eventually takes office. However, he is soon faced with tensions between the Foundation and Korell, which declares war on the Foundation, using its powerful Imperial flotilla to attack Foundation ships. Instead of counterattacking, Mallow takes no action, waiting until the lack of Foundation goods forces Korell to surrender.

Impact of FDI Flows Outflow on the Indian Economy

Impact of FDI Flows Outflow on the Indian Economy Abstract This paper discusses the trends in Indias outward FDI over the last decade and attempts to identify the factors for the same. The main aim is to help policy makers with insights regarding levers which will help in improving FDI outflows and to stimulate further research in foreign investment from emerging economies. 287 conditions of investment from India by Indian companies in 17 sectors have been taken for the analysis. The paper elaborates on the concept of studying the impact of ownership, location and internalization variables on Indias foreign investment. An analysis of sector wise of entry strategy, reason of entry and geographical analysis has been performed. Overall, it has been found that acquisitions was the major way of entry for Indian firms who are investing abroad and seeking new markets. The paper also describes the policy changes which had impacted FDI flow from India and the relation of outward FDI with macro-economic indicators like Fischer Open Differential and GD P. Objective of the study We would like to study outward FDI flows from the emerging economies, specifically to the Indian context. An analysis of FDI flows from different sectors of the Indian Economy will be done To see what is the intent of investment, the mode of entry, and the macroeconomic factors that affect FDI flow. To find out the impact of the Fischer Open Differential due to the FDI flow. Introduction The first overseas Indian venture was a textile mill set up in Ethiopia in 1959 by the Birla Group of companies, Indias second largest business conglomerate at the time (kudaisya 2003). The following year, the Birla Group set up an engineering unit in Kenya. Sustained growth in Indian overseas investment could be seen starting around the late 1970s when the industrial licensing system became much more stringent as part of the governments move to control big businesses. By 1983, there were 140 foreign investment projects in operation and another 88 in various stages of implementation (lall 1986). The total number of approved projects had reached 229 by 1990 (kumar 2007). Most of the foreign affiliates set up during this period were small- or medium-scale ventures; total approved equity during the period 1975-1990/1991 amounted to only $220 million. The second wave of internationalization of Indian firms began from about 1995 and gathered momentum as foreign exchange restrictions on ca pital transfers for overseas acquisitions liberalized in successive stages from 2000 (nagaraj 2006). There was a surge in outward investment from 2005. The number of approved projects increased from 220 in 1990/1991 to 395 in 1999/2000 and to 1,595 in 2007/2008 (kumar 2008). Total FDI outflow from India increased from about $25 million in the early 1990s to nearly $14 billion in 2007. Indias share in total developing economy FDI outflows remained below 0.5 percent throughout the 1990s, but increased continuously since, reaching nearly 6.0% in 2007 (see table 1 and Figure 1). India remains a net FDI recipient, even though the gap between outflows and inflows has been sharply narrowing over the past few years. In 1990, annual outflows, on average, amounted to 7 percent of inflows. This increased from about 30 percent to 60 percent between 2000-2005 and 2005-2007. The data in table 1 help in understanding Indias relative position in the world as a source country of FDI. In the early 1990s, Indias share in FDI outflows from developing economies was the lowest compared to the four large emerging market economies used as comparators (Brazil, Peoples Republic of china [PRC], Mexico, and South Africa). Over the ensuing years, Indias share has grown faster than those of the comparators. In 2004-2005, it surpassed that of South Africa and in 2006-2007, it surpassed that of Mexico. The share of FDI outflows in gross domestic capital formation (GDCF) in India has likewise increased much faster than the other four economies and the average for all developing economies during the period 1994-2007. Figure 2 compares the outward FDI from the PRC and India in terms of the percentage contribution to total developing economy outward FDI and relative to GDCF in each economy. During 2006-2007, on average, the PRC accounted for 7.3 percent of the total outward FDI from developing countries compared to 3.2 percent for India, although the gap has been narrowing over the years. By contrast, relative to GDCF, outward FDI from India on average is larger compared to that from the PRC. The difference widened sharply following the significant liberalization of the outward FDI regime in India during 2004-2005. During 2005-2006, the contribution of outward FDI to GDCF in India (4.4 percent) was more than twice as large as that of the PRC (1.7 percent). Theories of FDI flows The paper on FDI outflows by John Dunning in which he explains the same through the OLI (Ownership, Location and Internalization) framework. DUNNINGS Concept OWNERSHIP An MNC faces several disadvantages them moment they entrench the domestic firm when it enters a external market different from its country of origin. However, a firm chooses to enter a foreign market if it has advantages which outweigh the disadvantages outlined above. These include access to natural resources, intellectual property, strong domestic / global brand which become a competitive advantage for the companies. LOCATION The location specific concept involves the attractiveness of the foreign market as a destination for entry by a firm. There are 3 ways how a foreign market can differentiate itself- 1. Economic Size of the foreign market, market concentration, growth rate, availability of talent, infrastructure, competitive cost structures etc. 2. Political These include the political risk of the country, the judicial mechanisms and their transparency, ease of doing business, labour laws etc. 3. Social These include similarities of culture, ways of doing business, social structure between the country of origin of the firm and the foreign country etc. INTERNALIZATION A firm has to choose between various entries modes into foreign markets starting from marketing alliances, licensing and greenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ field ventures and to full blown acquisitions. The decisions are made keeping in view the tradeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ off of transaction costs versus internalization costs. In poorly operating markets firms prefer to avoid high costs of external transactions. The intensity of the regulation of the foreign market is another parameter which determines the internalization decision. HYMERS THEORY Hymers theory explains that MNEs are elements of market imperfections. There are two causes for imperfections removal of competition and monopolistic powers. Hymer states that investment made abroad gives them the ability to use its worldwide operations to separate markets and reduce competition. MNEs control assets to minimize risks and increase their monopolistic power by creating entry barriers. Hymers analysis is based on structural imperfections which are caused by large scale economies, having knowledge, wide distribution networks, product diversification and credit advantages ALIBERS MODEL Alibers theory says that MNCs invest in foreign assets as the MNCs have the ability to hold assets in different currencies and thus take advantage of structural and transactional imperfections in foreign exchange markets. He also outlines that the firm will face the same operational problems abroad as in the domestic market and that is not a decision making criterion for firms. VERNERS THEORY Vernons location theory says that a MNEs often acquire low cost resources than that of nations company as the cost to a MNE is just the marginal cost to the system This helps the NEs acquire factor inputs and resources at a cost prevailing in the home country while MNEs acquire them at the best price worldwide having lower labor and input costs. This difference between national cost and marginal cost will be a key driver of FDI worldwide. Literature Review We have come across various articles and research papers related to our topic: The papers explore the uneven beginnings of FDI in India and examine the developments (economic and political) relating to the trends in two sectors: Industry and Infrastructure and sub sector Telecom. The papers laid the relation between institutions in emerging markets and the entry strategies chosen by foreign direct investors. The merits of alternative strategies from investors perspective as well as the impact on the host country were investigated. For this purpose FDI strategies were investigated and were compared with four important emerging markets India, Egypt, South Africa and Vietnam. The papers also enlightened the sector wise FDI inflows in India and the reasons for industrial sectors attracting the highest FDI inflows. The best part of the analysis was in its specific focus on the implications of changes in trade and investment policy regimes and the overall investment climate for internationalization of domestic companies and the nature of their global operations. The findings cast doubt on the popular perception of the recent surge in outward foreign direct investment from India as an unmixed economic blessing, given the remaining distortion in the domestic investment climate. Foreign Direct Investment in India: A Critical Analysis of FDI from 1995-2005 by Kulwindar Singh (Center for Civil Society, New Delhi Research Internship Programme, 2005) Survey of FDI in India by Sumon K. Bhaumik (London Business School, 2003). Foreign Direct Investment Inflows in India- Opportunities and Benefits by Syed Khaja Safiuddin (Assistant Professor, Department of Management and Commerce, 2010) Outward Foreign Direct Investment from India by Prema- Chandra Athukorala (Asian Development Bank, 2009) Scope of the study The scope of the study was restricted to analyzing the dependence of foreign investment on ownership variables only .The scope of the study was further restricted owing to the lack of availability of data on foreign investment by Indian firms. There was, 287 data of foreign investment from India were collected. The data spans across 17 sectors as will be discussed later. The lack of data posed several restrictions on the scope of the study such as: It was not possible to do trend analysis for foreign investment from India The data was available for only 99 records. The size of the investment could be found for 65 records. Indias Outbound Data: Trends and Empirical Data A majority FDI outflows has been for quest for raw materials as India is a raw material scarce country. For instance, Tata Steel was more into securing coal assets in Indonesia with better quality coal which was not available in the country where private players are not allowed and there was too much of regulation. The Pharmaceutical sector has gone on an acquisition spree mainly for IP and access to markets including distribution networks. In recent times Indias FDI have been in acquisitions in the IT and IT services sectors. Indian enterprises have developed expertise and capabilities in IT services which they leverage and enter global markets. This gives them the opportunity to find newer clients at lower costs as a consequence of a booming local stock market and low P/Es in economies abroad. For example HCL Technologies acquired Axon for 440 million pounds. Indias FDI flows in recent times has been to acquire crude oil assets in a bid to secure the energy needs of the country through ONGC Videsh Ltd. Figure I: FDI outflows are expected to double over the next 5 years with a CAGR of 16.7% Source: EIU Country Data    Actual Figures Projected Figures Values Row Labels Sum of Inward FDI Sum of Outward FDI 1996 2125 119 1997 2525 240 1998 3619 113 1999 2633 47 2000 2168 80 2001 3585 509 2002 5472 1397 2003 5627 1669 2004 4323 1879 2005 5771 2179 2006 7606 2978 2007 19622 12842 2008 22950 13649 Grand Total 88026 37701 Indias FDI Inflows and Outflows (US $ Millions) Source: UNCTAD 2008 Figure II: Graph showing the FDI outflow in the next 5 years. Research Methodology A large number of data on the FDI outflows have been gathered (about 300) using press releases from the firms websites and annual reports, news articles and clippings, databases such as Thompson Reuters and Capitaline, industry forums and various other sources. The variables of ownership, location and internalization were further elaborated in detail later. These have been filtered by virtue of their sales, with those having sales greater than 100 crores making it to the final list of firms. This data has been gathered from Center for Monitoring of Indian Economy (CMIE). For this study, number of sectors was limited to 17 as shown in Table I below. Number of instances IT 36 Pharmaceuticals 37 Auto Components 20 Construction 32 Telecom 28 Petroleum Products 7 Oil Gas Mining 24 Steel 20 Dyes 4 Paints 3 Machinery/Capital Goods 14 Non Ferrous Metals 2 Auto 30 Cosmetics, toiletries, etc. 8 Tyres Tubes 6 Diversified 1 Food Products 15 TOTAL 287 Table I: Total foreign investment by each sector We have restricted the research to determining the impact of ownership variables on FDI outflows from India. Two types of research were qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research includes the trend of FDI flows, which has been shown through different modes of entry and further was analyzed for specific trends within sectors. This shows why different sectors use different routes for entering into foreign markets for example, pharmaceutical companies enter through alliances while manufacturing firms go for acquisitions and IT firms go for both routes depending on the objectives. For quantitative analysis, this is done in the broad section of determining whether there is an outward flow of foreign direct investment from India. Another analysis has been done on the lifecycle of the firm. The mode of entry might also depend on the risk taking ability of the management. The research objectives were translated into the following questions, which were then tested using statistical analysis: Q1: Whether FDI is the preferred mode of entry for foreign investment by Indian companies? Q2: Whether the intent of foreign investment by Indian companies is market seeking, product, brand or resource seeking or technology seeking? Q3: Whether foreign investment by Indian companies is more towards less income countries as well as in certain cases where FDI by Indian companies is attributed towards certain geographical aspect? Q 4: Whether FDI is related to other macroeconomic indicators such as GDP (non agricultural)? Q 1: MODE OF ENTRY In total 287 instances of FDI outflow was classified into the following categories: Greenfield: It refers to the opening up of a new branch, office or setting up of a new wholly owned subsidiary in the target country Alliance: Alliances are arrangements such as Memorandum of Understanding signed with the universities for technological research Joint Venture Expansion: This refers to the instance which is related to the expansion of its existing operations such as opening up of a new office. Acquisition: Acquisition if the Indian company refers to acquiring a majority stake in the equity of the foreign company or acquiring assets of a foreign company or acquired. Minority Stake Here we can see that, the main entry mode for India firms has been acquisitions accounting for 33.80% of the total Indian outward investment from the instances studied. This is closely followed by joint ventures, Greenfield operations and expansion for 19.86%, 17.07% and 16.03% respectively. Table II presents a detailed sectoral picture of the instances based on the way of entry. Figure III: Indias outward direct investment based on mode of entry Table  II:  Sectoral break up of foreign investment depending on the mode of entry Due to limited amount of data, a sector wise analysis to identify trends within each sector in the case of the mode of entry could not be done. However, based on the data available following trends (see Table 3) were discovered: Acquisitions were the most common modes of foreign investment in case of automobile components, pharmaceuticals, capital goods, cosmetics food products and tyres tubes. Greenfield investments are selected mode of investment in case of IT, Petroleum Products and Oil Gas Mining. Joint ventures accounting for around 60.71% of the entire foreign investment of telecom companies Construction companies resorted to expansion of existing foreign operations Sectors most likely show foreign direct investment include auto auto components, fast moving consumer goods, technology based companies such as pharmaceuticals, IT, and capital goods. Table  III:  Sectoral distribution of mode of entry Q 2: INTENT OF INVESTMENT The main reason for investing abroad was identified as follows: Market Seeking: This is driven by gaining access to local or regional market which would help prevent some operational costs eg: distribution cost. Technology or Brand Seeking: Companies also invest in order to gain access to new technology or acquisition of some brands or products. Resource Seeking: This is driven by gaining access to natural resources. In each of the 287 instances of investment was evaluated based on available information. In certain cases, investment was found out to have multiple characteristics or intents. For instance, a foreign investment could be made to both get access to a new market as well as to a new technology. Same weight age was given to each of the elements: therefore, in this case both market seeking and technology seeking will get a score of 0.5. The results, are given below Table  IV:  Foreign investment based on investment Figure 4 below summarizes the intent of entry for the instances studied. It can be seen, the foreign investments made by Indian companies have been mainly market seeking. Over 52% of the total investments made abroad were for market seeking while 32% of the investments are made to seek new technologies, brands or products. Resource seeking investments form only 16% of the total investments made by Indian companies as a whole. Figure IV: Foreign investment based on investment A sector wise analysis of the foreign investment offers more insights as follows (see Table 5): Market seeking foreign investment is the driving force in case of IT, pharmaceuticals, auto components, construction, telecom, and tyres tubes. Technology or brand or new product seeking kind of foreign investment intent is predominant in case of capital goods, auto and toiletries and food products. As expected, oil and gas mining, petroleum products and non ferrous metals exhibit resource seeking as their predominant intent of foreign investment. Table V: Sectoral distribution for investment Q 3: TARGET COUNTRY The target countries of investment were classified based on two parameters: Income Continent INCOME OF COUNTRY Based on income, the target countries were classified into three categories (based on United Nations Human Development Report 2007à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 08): High Income: The high income countries are those with GNI per capita of USD 10,726 or more in 2005. Middle Income: These are countries with GNI per capita of USD 876 to USD 10,275 in 2005 Low Income: These are countries with GNI per capita of USD 875 or less in 2005 Based on the above classification; India is categorized as a low income country. The target country of the 287 conditions of foreign investment was determined. The data is as shown in Table VI. The overall results are also summarized in Figure V. Table VI: Investment based on country Figure V: Foreign Investment based on income Figure V show that most of the foreign investment from India has been to countries with high income. As seen in Table VI, high income countries account for 61.32% of the total foreign investment from India. Table VII helps us analyze the sector wise trends in terms of target country of investment. The following inferences can be drawn based on the data available: The IT, pharmaceuticals, auto auto components, toiletries food products, capital goods and construction sector had most of the foreign investment is made to high income countries include. The sectors where majority of the investment has been made to middle income countries include oil gas mining. Petroleum products have invested mainly in low income countries For metals (ferrous nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ferrous) sectors, the investment has been equally distributed between high income countries on one side and middle low income countries on the other. Table VII: Table showing foreign investment based on the countrys income TARGET COUNTRY CONTINENT A geographical analysis of the collated data was also done. The target countries were identified into 6 major geographies as follows: North America South America Asia Europe Middle East Africa Table VIII and Figure VI summarize the inferences drawn from this data. In certain instances, the target country could not be singularly identified for instance if a JV is formed among three countries. As a result, the total no of instances is 290 instead of 287 (See Table VII) Table VIII: Foreign investment based on geography Figure VI shows that Europe and Asia together account for about 54.48% of the instances of foreign investment, while North America accounts for another 20.69%. Figure VI: Foreign investment based on geography Table IX shows the sector wise percentage distribution of geography of investment. From the table it is apparent that: Sectors like non ferrous metals, IT, cosmetics toiletries and pharmaceuticals have major investments in North America. South American investments largely have oil gas mining In Asia, paints, metals (steel and nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ferrous metals), telecom and tyres tubes predominant sectors from India Europe is a preferred destination for companies in sectors such as capital goods, auto and auto components Construction companies target their foreign investment in Middle East. Foreign investment from Indian companies in petroleum products occurs in Africa Table IX: Sectoral distribution of foreign investment depending upon geography Q4: CORRELATION WITH OTHER MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS Indias outward FDI was correlated against Indias non agricultural GDP and portfolio investments out of India to assess the impact of growth in the economy on Indias outward FDI. Indias outward FDI and Non agricultural GDP The results are summarized in the table below. From the correlation results, it can be concluded that Indias outward FDI has a positive relation with the Indias non agricultural GDP. However, the negative coefficient in the equation implies that FDI out of India starts only after a certain threshold of INR 3, 59, 468 crores is crossed. Table X: Indias outward FDI vs. GDP (Non-Agricultural) IMPACT OF POLICY CHANGE Changes in the regulation policies in India have also been a major contributor to the observed increase in investment outflow from India, especially the year 2000 onwards. Some of the key policy changes which have impacted investment outflow from India are: Reserve Bank of India Notification No. FEMA.40/2001 ­RB; 2 March 2001 Overseas investments are allowed to be funded up to 100% by American The three years profitability condition requirement has been removed for Indian companies making overseas investments under the automatic route Overseas investments are opened to registered partnership firms and companies that provide professional services. The minimum net worth of Rs. 150 million for Indian companies engaged in financial sector activities in India has been removed for investment abroad in financial sector Depository Receipt/General Depository Receipt proceeds; up from the previous ceiling of 50%. Reserve Bank of India Notification No. FEMA.49/2002 ­RB; 19 January 2002 Indian companies in Special Economic Zones can freely make overseas investment up to any amount without the restriction of the $100 million ceiling under the automatic route, provided the funding is done out of the Exchange Earners Foreign Currency Account balances Reserve Bank of India Notification No. FEMA.53/2002 ­RB; 1 March 2002 and FEMA.79/2002 ­RB;10 December 2002 The annual limit on overseas investment has been raised to $100 million (up from $50 million) and the limit for direct investments in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries (excluding Pakistan) and Myanmar has been raised to $150 million (up from $75 million); for Rupee investments in Nepal and Bhutan the limit has been raised to Rs. 700 crores (up from Rs. 350 crores) under the automatic route Reserve Bank of India Notification No. FEMA.49/2002 ­RB; 2 March 2001 An Indian party which has exhausted the limit of $100 million in a year may apply to the Reserve Bank of India for a block allocation of foreign exchange subject to such terms and conditions as may be necessary Reserve Bank of India Notification No. 83/RB 2003; 1 March 2003 Indian companies can make overseas investments by market purchases of foreign exchange without prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India up to 100% of their net worth; up from the previous limit of 50% An Indian company with a proven trackà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ record is allowed to invest up to 100% of its net worth within the overall limit of $100 million by way of market purchases for investment in a foreign entity engaged in any bona fide business activity starting fiscal year 2003à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 2004. The provision restricting overseas investments in the same activity as its core activity at home of the Indian company are removed. Listed Indian companies, residents and mutual funds are permitted to invest abroad in companies listed on a recognized stock exchange and in company which has the shareholding of at least 10% in an Indian company listed on a recognized stock exchange in India. Changes brought about in fiscal year 2003 ­2004 Indian firms are allowed to undertake agricultural activities, which was previously restricted, either directly or through an overseas branch Investments in joint venture or whollyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ owned subsidiary abroad by way of share swap are permitted under the automatic route; In January 2004, the Reserve Bank of India further relaxed the monetary ceiling on Indian companies investment abroad. With effect from fiscal year 2003-2004, Indian companies can invest up to 100% of their net worth without any separate monetary ceiling even if the investment exceeds the $100 million ceiling previously imposed. Furthermore, Indian companies can now invest or make acquisitions abroad in areas unrelated to their business at home. In 2005, banks were permitted to lend money to Indian companies for acquisition of equity in overseas joint ventures, wholly owned subsidiaries or in other overseas companies as strategic investment. In 2006, the automatic route of disinvestments was further liberalized. Indian companies are now permitted to disinvest without prior approval of the RBI in select categories. To encourage large and important exporters, proprietary/unregistered partnership firms have been allowed to set up a JV/WOS outside Indian with the prior approval of RBI. In 2007, the ceiling of investment by Indian entities was revised from 100 per cent of the net worth to 200 per cent of the net worth of the investing company under the automatic route of overseas investment. The limit of 200 per cent of the net worth of the Indian party was enhanced to 300 per cent of the net worth in June 2007 under automatic route (200 per cent in case of revisited partnership firms). In September 2007, this was further enhanced to 400 per cent of the net worth of the Indian party. The Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) for Resident individuals was further liberalized by enhancing the existing limit of US$ 100.00 per financial year to US$ 200.00 per financial year (Aprilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ March) in September 2007. The limit of portfolio investment by listed Indian companies in the equity of listed foreign companies was raised in September 2007 from 35 per cent to 50 per cent of the net worth of the investing company as on the date of its last audited balance sheet. Furthermore, the requirement of reciprocal 10 per cent shareholding in Indian companies has been dispensed with. The aggregate ceiling for overseas investment by mutual funds, registered with SEBI, was enhanced from US$ 4 billion to US$ 5 billion in September 2007. This was further raised to US$ 7 billion in April 2008. The existing facility to allow a limited number of qualified Indian mutual funds to invest cumulatively up to US$ 1 billion in overseas Exchange Traded Funds, as may be permitted by the SEBI would continue. The investments would be subject to the terms and conditions and operational guidelines as issued by SEBI. Registered Trusts and Societies engaged in manufacturing/educational sector have been allowed in June 2008 to make investment in the same sector(s) in a Joint Venture or Wholly Owned Subsidiary outside India, with the prior approval of the Reserve Bank. Registered Trusts and Societies which have set up hospital(s) in India have been allowed in August 2008 to make investment in the same sector(s) in a JV/WOS outside India, with the prior approval of the Reserve Bank. As can been seen from the above chart, the outward FDI in India really picked up after Q1 2006. CONCLUSIONS The major mode of entry for India firms in the last 5 years has been acquisitions which are around 33.80% of the total Indian outward investment from the instances studied; this is closely followed by joint ventures. This shows that Indian firms have the confidence to venture abroad and maintain operational control of the acquired company Most foreign investments made by Indian companies have been market seeking. Over 50% of the total investments made abroad are for market seeking while 33.78% of the investments are into seeking new technologies, brands or products. This is seen mainly towards the service sector showing that the required competencies are being built at home while small forei

A Description of My Room: The Comfortable Chill Room :: descriptive essay, personal narrative,

My room is what everyone calls â€Å"The Chill Room†. In this room there are all kinds of items that been collected throughout the years. There are several black lights, posters, and a bumping stereo. And even though my room is small it easily holds everything to make it comfortable and chill. At night the black lights engulf the whole ceiling with light. The light includes a tinge of blue which emitted by one of the black lights. This light is a 42 inch double fixture which was painted fluorescent blue. The light from the two tubes hits the blue coloring, giving the blue to everything in the room. The other black light has an all black fixture that emits no color except the color it all ready produces and measured the same as the other black light (42†). There are few items in this room that are black light sensitive; from posters to glass material the room has many highlight glowing. The black light gives a lot of character to the room in the sense of whoever enters the room, suddenly changes color. Clothes go from white to light purple and the color of the clothes sometimes changes. Different lighting effects are also used to help give the room more of a relaxing and chill environment. A small light covered in blue plastic wrap sit in place inside my closet. Thi s light is bright enough only to light just the closet, yet it does not impede on the acquired blue tinge. A dark blue lava lamp which is on day and night is placed near my television, which also gives the room a unique look to it. A large variety of posters fill every wall that represents few interests. The majority of the posters consist of ICP (Insane Clown Posse). These posters were collected through the internet, and some were given by friends. Anyone who walks into the room can tell what type of music is preferred by looking at some the posters on the walls. Such artists as SPM (South Park Mexicans) from Huston, Tx. the whole crew from Metallica, and an almost life size picture of a pit-bull, it all gives the room a nice touch of style. You can see a few pictures of cars on the walls: Ferraris, BMW, racing cars and customized cars. Last but not least the stereo system. This SONY three disk CD player is capable of producing 500watts of sound.

MacBeth :: Character Analysis, Classics

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead, they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first apparition, a floating head warns Macbeth to beware Macduff. The apparition confirms Macbeth’s own fears saying he has already guessed as much. In the second apparition, a bloody child tells Macbeth, â€Å"None a woman born shall harm Macbeth† (4.1, p. 96). Believing everyone is born of woman, Macbeth takes relief in the idea that he will never be harmed. Although, the apparition does provide a truth, but unbeknownst to Macbeth, Macduff was not of â€Å"woman born† rather â€Å"from his mother’s womb / untimely ripped† (5.9 p. 349). Macduff was born through cesarean section after his mother died hence the bloody child in the apparition. In the third apparition, a crowned child holding a tree, tells Macbeth he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Again, the apparition deceives Macbeth the way he perceives it thinking Birnam Wood cannot move to Dunsinane Hill. Later, a messenger tells Macbeth the trees of Birnam wood are advancing toward Dunsinane. Malcolm’s soldiers carry the tree branches to Dunsinane making the apparition truthful. The crowned child in the apparition is Malcolm—the future king after Macbeth. Finally in the last apparition, a procession of eight crowned kings walks by, the last one carrying a mirror. Banquo’s ghost walks at the end of the line. The witches vanish before Macbeth could get a meaning behind the apparition.

Psychological Skills Training Essay -- Sports PST Training Athletics E

Psychological Skills Training What exactly is Psychological Skills Training and for a coach or instructor, what advantage is gained by its implementation? In other words, why bother? Psychological Skills Training (PST) is typically more comprehensive than a few short sessions with a few simple interventions that a coach or instructor might suggest. PST usually integrates cognitive and relaxation techniques in a more encompassing approach to mental training and as a complement to physical training. Individualism is a hallmark of most PST programs. (Gill, 2000) The Importance of Mental Skills Why are mental skills so important to performance and why are they often neglected by coaches and athletes? Yogi Berra has been quoted as saying, "sport is 90% mental and 50% physical." You can question his mathematical savvy, but if you're an athlete, coach or fan, you can't question his wisdom. (Hacker, 2000) Many athletes understand that while developing oneself to their physical potential is a critical element in performance potential, it is often a deficit in our psychological game rather than errors in our physical performance that keep us from performing at optimum levels in practice, games or matches. Spud McKenzie, the Budweiser poster puppy, suggested that it is important to say when, but also emphasized the critical element of knowing â€Å"when to say when†. It is often the successful athlete has recognized what needed to be done and the unsuccessful athlete was unable to do so. As a consequence, it is not the physical talents or abilities that separate athletes an d teams, or successful versus less successful performance, rather, the psychological dimension that most frequently explains a given sport outcome or individual performance. For this reason games are played. Prior to each contest, judgment could be made with regard to which team or individual is the â€Å"more highly skilled†. If games were decided on who is the most physically gifted and/or talented individuals or teams, it would prove to be an exercise in futility to compete. As a result, whether you are an athlete or a coach, mastering the mental game of sport will allow you to achieve a level of success as a competitor than you could otherwise not achieve by focusing exclusively on the physical side of sport. PST - The Initial Learning Phase The four commonly used PST techniques are: arou... ...file becomes increasingly significant in terms of achieving desired performance levels. The margins for success and failure as a world-class athlete can be miniscule. Skiers go wide on the third gate of a downhill race to find they have not only lost the gold medal, but any medal. Members of the PGA, after playing 72 holes, find themselves losing the tournament by one stroke, as a result of the missed three-foot putt on the second day of competition. Works Cited Gill, D. L., (2000), Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise, Champaign, IL, 2nd Ed., p197, Human Kinetics. Hacker, C., (February 2000), Introduction to Psychological Skills, Eteamz, http://www.eteamz.com/baseball/instruction/psych/index.cfm?m=1,2,3,4,5 Rushall, B. S., (1995). Mental Skills Training for Sports, Sports Science Associates, Spring Valley, CA., 8.1- 8.3, White, S. A., Psychological Skills: Differences between Volleyball Players on the Youth National Team and Those Involved in the 14’s High-Performance Camp, Unpublished Thesis, Illinois State University, Normal, IL. Weinberg, R.S. & Gould, D. {1995} Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Ch.15

Gothic Satire Essay

The subject of homework is cause for much debate between teachers, students, and parents. However, it is obvious that homework is not necessary every day. Homework should not be assigned to students on a daily basis because of health issues, the level of difficulty and the problem with time management. So I suggest the teacher can assign the homework twice a week, it is a way more easy to let students done their work. To begin, daily homework is unnecessary because of health issues. Students who have too much homework can develop poor sleep habits; many students pull â€Å"all-nighters† in an attempt to keep up. Another health issue is the lack of fresh air. Students show simple exposure to sunlight can provide bodies with neccessay vitamins, but there is no sunlight at your desk in your bedroom! Lastly, stress levels go through the roof when faced with too much work; in countries like China, overworked students have a high suicide rate. Evidently, too much homework can seriously damage your health. In addition, daily homework presents an unrealistic level of difficulty. If all teachers support daily homework, a student will have a heavy workload, with homework from four classes! Some homework is simply too difficult to be completed alone; a parent is not a teacher and should not be expected to know all the answers. Finally, struggling students who face failure at school and at home might choose to give up on school completely. A student who did not understand all day will fell even more discouraged when left alone to complete the work. Obviously, daily homework is simply too difficult. Finally, daily homework causes major problems when it comes to time. Many students need to work to supplement their family income or for posr=secondary education; there is no time for a student to manage a part-time job and homework. Valuable leisure time with family and friends also suffers when daily homework is assigned. Students need connections with the people who care about them in order to be emotionally and mentally healthy. With no time to simply unwind with those we love, we cannot form healthy relationships. Last but not least, students who have homework every day cannot join extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs. The educational system constantly stresses that a successful student is an active part of the school community, but a student with no free time has no time to join and make new friends. Thus, daily homework seriously compromises a student’s free time. In conclusion, due to problems such as good health, increased level of difficulty and lack of time, daily homework should not be assigned; it is, quite simply, unrealistic. Teachers should keep in mind that they are developing future people, and people require a healthy mind, body and spirit.

Research: Retailing and Online Shopping Essay

1.1 Introduction: According to Forouzan (2003), the Internet can be defined as a collaboration of more than hundreds of thousands of interconnected networks. More specifically, the Internet is a collection of local, regional and national computer networks that are linked together to exchange data and distribute processing tasks through common language and protocols. Interent shopping refers to any form of shopping that takes place via the Internet where electronic means are used to make purchases at virtual stores. 1.2 Background of study The Internet in current from is primarily a source of communication, information and entertainment but increasingly the Internet is also a vehicle for commercial transaction. With the development of technology, the characteristics of consumers are changing gradually. This new type of shopping mode has been called online shopping. Therefore, online shopping is one of the most important online activities in the current. The advent of online shopping gave retailers one more way to classify consumer with similarities and provide apparent differences from earlier shoppers. Internet and World Wide Web have made it easier, simpler, cheaper and more accessible for businesses and consumers to interact and conduct commercial transaction electronically. This is practically the case when online shopping is compared to the traditional approach of visiting retail stores. Traditional retailers and existing and potential direct marketers acknowledge that the Internet is increasingly used to facilitate online business transactions. The Internet has altered the nature of customer shopping behavior, personal-customer shopping relationships, has many advantages over traditional shopping relationships, has many advantages over traditional shopping delivery channels, and is a major threat to traditional retail store outlets. 1.3 Statement of the Problem The statement of problem could be researched in this thesis as followed: 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: a) Name b) Sex c) National 2. What are the factors that the influence customers online shopping. a) More impulsive in purchases b) Convenience oriented c) Less price 1.4 Significance of Study Online shopping has been a growing phenomenon around the world, especially in countries where well-developed infrastructure exists for marketing activities over the Interent. The Internet has been developing for three decades eventually during the mid-nineties, the commercial use of the internet triggered high expectations in both executives and investors. Online shopping is broadly defined as an activity that includes finding online retailers and products, searching for product information, selecting payment options and communicating with other consumers and retailer as well as purchasing products or services. Consumers today have many categories of shopping choice, they can choose one of category for themselves which is they like and suit for them. The significance of the research is to explore ways in which people converse about and make meaning of online shopping and how this entices them to shop online in a China and Indonesia. I aim to investigate people’s motives for pr eferring to shopping online, as well as their reasons for doing so. 1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study Because the Internet is a fast-changing environment, and consumers’ attitudes and behavior will likewise change, it is with caution that factors influencing the preference to shopping online are identified among online shoppers. This research primarily examines consumer satisfaction, behavior and industry status. The outcome of this study is limited only to the data gathered from books and journals and from the primary data fathered from the result of the questionnaire survey conducted by the researcher. As the research was completed in a relatively short period of time other factors and variable are not considered. This might have an impact on the results of the study.