Process Approach to Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Process Approach to Project Management - Essay Example More and more executives realise that project management provides significant benefits for their businesses, for example such as those mentioned by Kerzner (2006: p.47): (1) â€Å"accomplishment of more work in less time, with fewer people†; (2) providing â€Å"better control of scope changes†; (3) making the organisation â€Å"more efficient and effective through better organisational behaviour principles†; (4) allowing â€Å"to work more closely with customers†; (5) providing â€Å"a means for solving problems†, (6) making â€Å"good company decisions† and (7) â€Å"delivering right solutions†. One can say that today project management is increasingly becoming one of the major organisational approaches in the government of enterprises. Numerous methods and managerial concepts have been proposed by PM researchers and practitioners in order to ensure effective management of projects. This paper is aimed to give an overview of the proce ss approach to project management, which represents one of the key methodologies of modern theory of project management. The remaining content of the paper is organised as follows. Section 3 introduces the main definitions and conceptions of project management theory and process approach in PM, among which the concepts of project life cycle, project stakeholders and project success are of a special importance. Section 4 discusses several issues related to the process approach in project management; the discussion is made on the basis of research of the state-of-the-art literature and real case studies analysis. The findings presented in section 4 are evaluated and the recommendations, made on the basis of evaluation, are offered in the section 5. The final section 6 provides a conclusion drawn from the study. 3.0 Introduction In 1959 Harvard Business Review published the article of Gaddis â€Å"The Project Manager†, in which a project was defined at the first time as â€Å"a n organization unit dedicated to the attainment of a goal — generally the successful completion of a developmental product on time, within budget, and in conformance with predetermined performance specifications† (Gaddis 1959: p.89). Since that, a project has been defined many times by many other scholars and organisations, for example: â€Å"A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products or services† (PMI 1996: p.4). â€Å"A project is an organised endeavour aimed at accomplishing a specific, non-routine or low-volume task† (Salvendy 2001: p.1242). All definitions emphasise a project as a unique activity that has three distinctive characteristics: time (schedule, well-defined duration), cost (resources dedicated to achievement of goal s) and quality (desired outcome) defined by specification – â€Å"the nature and scope of what has to be achieved† (Harrison & Lock 2004: p.5). Demeulemeester and Herroelen (2002) mention another common element – a goal or objective of a project. Schwalbe (2010) makes an important addition that a project is always temporary and it always involves uncertainty. Soderlund (2004) agrees that the universal elements of a project are â€Å"uniqueness, task complexity and time-limitedness† (p.185). In addition, Gido & Clements (2009: p.6) assert that any project has a customer, which is â€Å"

Grade school book report Essay Example for Free

Grade school book report Essay Tom Sawyer The young protagonist of the novel. Living with his aunt St. Petersburg, Missouri, Tom has a penchant for adventure and showing off. Constantly getting into mischief, he plays hooky from school and would rather go swimming than tend to his Sunday school lessons. Blessed with an active imagination, Tom dreams to be a noble robber such as Robin Hood or a pirate. Hungry for attention, Tom is obsessed with appearing noble and obtaining the envy of his peers. However, Tom is extremely clever and possesses an incredible insight on human nature. Throughout the novel, Tom must learn to listen to his conscience and become accountable for his actions. Huckleberry Finn The towns social pariah. Son of an abusive and drunkard father who left town, Huck has failed to have been raised with any parental guidance or authority figures. Because he can smoke a pipe and never has to attend church or school, he is the envy of every schoolboy and the nightmare of every mother in town. Huck and Tom often have adventures and both believe in various superstitions. Although disregarded by the sociables, Huck possesses a kind spirit and consideration for others. Aunt Polly Toms somewhat elderly aunt and guardian. Religious, simple-mannered, and kind-hearted, Aunt Polly is respected among the citizens of St. Petersburg. Responsible for Toms discipline and upbringing, Aunt Polly is constantly torn between expressing her exasperation and showing her lover for Tom. Every time he causes trouble, another hair on her head turns gray; she often wishes Tom would behave properly like his brother, Sid. Sid Sawyer Toms younger half-brother. Always trying to tattle on Tom, Sid keeps a close on eye his brothers wrongdoings. A goody-two-shoes, he is a punctual and studious pupil. Mary Toms older cousin who resides with Aunt Polly. Mary is depicted as a sweet and good-hearted young lady who sees the good qualities in Toms character. Religious and pious, Mary was an exceptional student  ¬ the opposite of Tom. Becky Thatcher The daughter of Judge Thatcher. Becky is Toms age and has recently moved into town. Prim and proper, Becky is the opposite of Tom: she has never been in trouble and is used to obeying her mothers words. With blonde hair and dressy frocks, she quickly wins Toms affection and attention. Injun Joe The antagonist of the novel. Guilty of several murders, Injun Joe possess a violent temperament is set on seeking revenge on those who have treated him harshly in the past. He attempts to frame Muff Potter for one of his own crimes and is pursued by the village authorities. Muff Potter The town drunk who is framed for the murder of Dr. Robinson. Although his kind nature and drunken state make him harmless, Potter is persecuted by the entire town that believes that he is a murderer. Mr. Jones/Old Welshman The old Welshman who lives with his two strong sons in the vicinity of Widow Douglass house. With Hucks help, the Welshman is able to come to the widows aide. Widow Douglas A rich, upper-class widow. With a kind spirit and a devotion to the Christian faith, the widow Douglas is known for her open hospitality and good nature. She also appears as a major character in Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Dr. Robinson The young doctor, guilty of grave robbing, whose murder instigates the chaotic happenings in St. Petersburg. Joe Harper Toms bosom friend. One of Toms gang of pirates, Joe accompanies Tom on some of his adventures. Mrs. Harper Joes mother Amy Lawrence Tom Sawyers former girlfriend, whom he occasionally flirts with and was previously engaged to. Minor Characters: Judge Thatcher Beckys father. A proud and well-respected man of justice, whose family has recently moved into town. Mrs. Thatcher Beckys mother, wife of the Judge. Alfred Temple A well-dressed boy whom Tom thinks is snobby. Alfred also vies for Becky Thatchers attention. Mr. Dobbins The schoolmaster. Hated by all the children, Mr. Dobbins is depicted as a stern and pathetic man who uses lashings as a method of discipline. Mr. Walter The Sunday School Superintendent who issues Bibles to the top students. Mr. Sprague The long-winded minister. Ben Rogers A young boy who is Toms friend. Setting The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is set in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, some time around the middle of the nineteenth century Biography of the Author Born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri, Samuel L. Clemens wrote under the pen name Mark Twain and went on to pen several novels, including two major classics of American literature, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He was also a riverboat pilot, journalist, lecturer, entrepreneur and inventor. Twain died in Redding, Connecticut on April 21, 1910, having survived his children Langdon, Susan and Jean as well as his wife, Olivia. In his lifetime, he became a distinguished member of the literati, and was honored by Yale, the University of Missouri, and Oxford with literary degrees. Conflict Man vs. man Tom and Huck perceive their biggest struggle to be between themselves and Injun Joe, whose gold they want and whom they believe is out to kill them. Conflict also exists between Tom and his imaginative world and the expectations and rules of adult society. Moral of the Story Moral and Social Maturity When the novel opens, Tom is engaged in and often the organizer of childhood pranks and make-believe games. As the novel progresses, these initially consequence-free childish games take on more and more gravity. Tom leads himself, Joe Harper, Huck, and, in the cave, Becky Thatcher into increasingly dangerous situations. He also finds himself in tight spots in which he must put his concern for others above his concern for himself, such as when he takes Becky’s punishment and when he testifies at Injun Joe’s trial. As Tom begins to take initiative to help others instead of himself, he shows his increasing maturity, competence, and moral integrity. Tom’s adventures to Jackson’s Island and McDougal’s Cave take him away from society. These symbolic removals help to prepare him to return to the village with a new, more adult outlook on his relationship to the community. Though early on Tom looks up to Huck as much older and wiser, by the end of the novel, Tom’s maturity has surpassed Huck’s. Tom’s personal growth is evident in his insistence, in the face of Huck’s desire to flee all social constraints, that Huck stay with the Widow Douglas and become civilized. Point of View Third Person (Omniscient) the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. As a narrator, Twain cannot only see what his characters are seeing and thinking, but he is able to channel their personalities.

Vascular Plants and Coal Age Flora

Vascular Plants and Coal Age Flora The Rhyniophyta is the most primitive group of vascular plants and appears to be the first one to most of the major divisions of vascular plants. These plants date from the Silurian about 425 million years ago and became extinct in the Devonian about 380 million years ago. Rhyniophyta relatively is one of the simplest vascular plants in structure and is seedless and leafless. The Rhyniophyta had the specialized conducting tissues xylem and phloem as modern higher plants do. Rhynia is probably most important plant in this classification. Rhynia grew from branched rhizome, was inhabitant of marshes, had numerous lateral branches (to 18 cm) and stomata, and its specimens showed first indication of wounding by insects in the form of penetrating wounds, likely by arthropods. I am not very sure about how they became extinct, but by the end of the Devonian, the first seed-forming plants had appeared rapidly. This rapid appearance of so many seed plant groups (called the Devonian Explosion) may have caused the extinction of primitive vascular plants, Rhyniophyta. Also there were climate change and asteroid impact that may affect the extinction in the Devonian. The Coal Age Flora is replaced by cone-bearing gymnosperms (the first true seed plants) and by the first true mosses. Pteridophytes, lyciphytes, and progymnosperms-these more complex groups dated from the late Devonian through the Carboniferous, from about 375 to about 290 million years ago. The Coal Age plants include Lycophyte trees, Calamites, ferns and seed plants. For the important plant in this flora, I would say Lycophyte tree which is the dominant tropical coal swamp plants. It grew to heights of 10 to 35 meters and was sparsely branched. As the swamplands began to dry up and the climate began to change toward the end of Carboniferous, it vanished almost overnight. Question 2 Gymnosperms are primitive seed plants. They are pollinated by wind, and their seeds are exposed, rather than being enclosed within fruits. The word gymnosperm refers to naked seed. The earliest gymnosperms appeared in the Paleozoic and became the dominant plants worldwide throughout most of the Mesozoic until about 100 million years ago. Mesozoic period consists of the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous. Early characteristics of gymnosperms were evident in fossil progymnosperms of the time around 380 million years ago. The important fact of gymnosperms is their seed. All seeds consist of an embryo, stored food, and a seed coat covered by the integuments. Living gymnosperms comprise 4 phyla: the Pinophyta, or the Coniferophyta (Conifers), the Ginkgophyta (Ginkgo), the Cycadophyta (Cycads), the Anthophyta, and the Gnetophyta (Gnetum, Ephedra, Welwitschia). Conifer is the most abundant group of gymnosperms that is still living with about 7 families and about 600 species. Conifer is a woody plant and most are evergreens. The leaves of conifer are long, thin and needle-like such as pine. The seed ferns (Pteridospermales), the Cordaitales (primitive coniferlike plants) and the cycdeoids, or Bennettitales are groups of extinct Gymnosperms. Bennettitales consisted of plants with palmlike leaves and resembles the living cycads. Bennettitales are an enigmatic group of Mesozoic gymnosperms that disappeared during the Cretaceous. During the mid-Mesozoic, pollination of some extinct groups of gymnosperms was by extinct species of scorpionflies that had specialized proboscis for feeding on pollination drops. In the Cretaceous, gymnosperms decline became peak and then extinct at the same time there was the rise of angiosperms, also known as flowering plants. Question 3 Angiosperms, known as flowering plants, appeared at least 125 million years ago in the Cretaceous period, Mesozoic era. The phylum became abundant in most plants of the world within 30 to 40 million years and has remained dominant ever since. Angiosperms constitute the phylum Anthophyta. Two largest classes of Anthophyta are the Monocotyledones and the Eudicotyledones. Flowering plants differ from other seed plants in some unique characteristics such as the presence of endosperm in the seeds. Other distinctive characteristics of Angiosperms are closed carpels, double fertilization leading to endosperm formation, stamens with two pairs of pollen sacs, and the presence of sieve tubes and companinon cells in the phloem. Possible reasons for their success may be various adaptations for drought resistance, including the evolution of the deciduous habit, and the evolution of efficient and specialized mechanisms for pollination and seed dispersal. Other factors that may have influenced its distribution and success can include the pollination interactions with more specialized groups of insects and animals. Angiosperms are pollinated by many kinds of pollinators such as bees, beetles, butterflies, and wasps. The bees especially have the greatest effect on evolution of angiosperms flowers. Bees are the most specialized and constant of flower visiting insects. Hummingbirds, hawkmoths, and bats are also groups of animals that visit and pollinate the plants, but eat lots of nectar of the flowers so that plants have to produce more nectar. Whereas insects and animals can carry pollen greater distances from plant to plant, wind pollination is the best way for individual plants to grow together in a large group. The earliest well known flowering plant is Archaefructus, recently discovered in China. It has slender roots, dissected leaves, and floral axes with closed carpels above, and closed stamens below, as the characteristics of ang iosperms. Question 4 Typical ferns have Haplodiplontic in their life cycle. Mature ferns have sori underside of their leaves. By meiosis, spores are produced in the sporangia. Each spore germinates by itself and becomes gametophyte. In the lower surface, mature gametophyte makes immature antheridium which produces a sperm, and immature archegonium which produces a egg. When there is enough water and the sperm is mature, the antheridium bursts and releases the sperm into archegonium where the sperm and the egg fertilize. By fertilization, zygote begins to divide immediately, becoming a young embryo. The young embryo grows and differentiates by itself into the adult sporophyte, soon obtaining nutrition by photpsynthesis. Once the young sporophyte sprouts in the soil, the gametophyte collapses. Pine trees have two kinds of branch: one with pollen-bearing cones (male) and one with aged ovulate cones (female). Each scale of the male cone bears a microsporangium which later produces microspore mother cells. By meiosis, microspore mother cells produce tetrad of microspores that develop into pollen grains which are made by prothallial cells, tube cells, and generative cells. Pollen grains germinate to produce sperm. Female cone has two denuded ovules in ovuliferous scales, but has no ovary. There is megaspore mother cell in the ovule and by meiosis it is divided into 4 megaspores. Each megaspore grows and becomes archegonia with two egg cells. When the pollen grains are transferred by wind to the female gametophyte, the sperm swims into pollen tube and reaches to the egg. After fertilization, the ovule matures and becomes the seed. While the embryo is developed, the suspensor which connects the endosperm to an embryo disintegrates. The pine seed, made up of an embryo, seed coat, and stored food, is completed. The significant similarity of fern and conifer is that they reproduce spores and they both experience fertilization and meiosis. The significant difference is that conifers are heterosporous, whereas ferns are homosporous. Also conifers have the gametophyte in life cycle whereas ferns have the sporophyte. The significant asset of life cycle with seeds is that pollen needs no special condition to reach the egg since insects, animals or weather (natural pollinators) can help pollination, while seedless plants need moist condition since they are unable to fertilize in dry area. The significant asset of life cycle without seeds is that they can reproduce by themselves, not depending on others. Plants with seeds cannot fertilize if there is a shortage of pollinators. Work Cited Rhyniophyta. (2010, May 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:30, July 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhyniophytaoldid=360330161 Geologic time scale. (2010, July 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:31, July 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geologic_time_scaleoldid=374824571 Gymnosperm. (2010, July 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:32, July 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gymnospermoldid=373096484 Conrad, Jim. Last updated 09.8.29. 7:54:52 . Page title: Gymnosperms. Retrieved from The Backyard Nature Website at http://www.backyardnature.net/gymnos.htm. Flowering plant. (2010, July 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13:35, July 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flowering_plantoldid=374748990 angiosperm. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (July 25, 2010). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-angiospe.html

Roselily :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alice Walker’s â€Å"Roselily†, when first read considered why she decided to use third person. Especially when the story is in such a private line of thought, but then after my second time reading the story I decided that Roselily would not be a strong enough woman to speak about the social injustices that have happened to her. One key part of the story is her new life she will be facing after she is married in Chicago, while comparing it with her old life she is leaving in Mississippi. In Chicago she will no longer have a job, but instead be a homemaker where she will be responsible for the children and home. Also, in Chicago she will become a Muslim because it is what her new husband will want her to be, but back in Mississippi she was of the Christian faith. One of the more positive outcomes of her marriage is that she will go from extreme poverty, to not having to worry about money on a day to day basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, consider the text trying to express her frustration with life: â€Å"She wants to live for once. But doesn’t quite know what that means. Wonders if she has ever done it. If she ever will.† (1130) You can sense her need and wanting to be independent of everything and everyone, to be truly a woman on her own free of any shackles of burden that this life has thrown upon her. Also, there is an impression that her family does not really care that she is leaving from her sisters to her disinterested father. â€Å"Roselily†, the name is quite perplexing considering a rose stands for passion, love, life; while the lily has associations with death, and purity. Still at the same time the name aptly applies to her because the reader knows she is ultimately doomed to wilt away in a loveless marriage in Chicago. Even though she is convincing herself that she loves things about him it is all just a ploy to trick herself into believing that this marria ge could be the answer to all her problems. Now on to the men of Roselily’s past most of which are dead- beat dads that could not care about what happens to their children, or where they go.

Middle Childhood Development Essay

Middle childhood development is a big time in a child life. They begin to become more independent and rely more on themselves without the help of their parents. This is also a great time to still create solid bonds with your child before they enter the adolescence stage which begins at 13 (Dr.Laura Markham, 2013). With the peer pressure from friends and associates having a good foundation with your child early can save you a ton of stress. During middle childhood stage, children develop more independence from parents and family. They understand more and can differentiate between right and wrong. Children at this age give more attention to friendship and teamwork, but continue to be strongly influence by their parents’ judgment. At this age children have the ability to experience and describe feelings and thoughts with parents and friends. Middle childhood is a time when children develop social relationships. The social skills learned through family and peers give them ability to participate in meaningful communication that later provide foundation for challenges as adolescence. This improves their relationship and encourages them to be successful in future. According to Piagets theory of Cognitive Development between the ages of 6-11 children are at the stage of concrete operational thought. This involves a growing ability for children to use logic and thought. For example, a child age 8 will understand that it is wrong to steal even if they only did it because they were hungry. A toddler may take the food and eat it while knowing that it was wrong but not feel bad because in their mind they only did it because they were hungry. Same situation but different thought processes because of the age and development of the child. Stable and supportive families are crucial during middle childhood development  stage. Supportive family members and friends improve social development and children’s self-concept is basically shaped by relationships with parents, teachers and peers. Often they have little concern about their physical appearance though certain pressure during the later years 9-11 to look like the traditional boy and girls’ body image declines, especially with puberty. At this stage lower self-control and emotional stability may be observed. At this stage parents should be very careful about how they say and do things because children especially look to their parents at this age for confirmation on how to act as such. Culture also plays a major role in child self esteem because if influence your children to be strong and independent as children they take that into adolescence and early adulthood. In conclusion, middle childhood is an important stage in a person’s development in life. These are the crucial years that you start to see a change in your child and you can either change with them or have a hard time adjusting to them. I myself have a child that is 11, and I can honestly say that she has grown so much over years both physic al and emotionally. References Berk, L. E. (2012) Infants, Children, and Adolescents. (7th Ed). Boston, MA: Pearson. www.health.gov.sk.ca/middle-childhood

Gun Control Essay

Under federal law people with felony convictions, fugitives from justice, dishonorably discharged from the military, illegal aliens in the United States, or convicted of domestic violence, and restraining orders are permitted from purchasing firearms. This also includes the purchase of firearms using false statements. According to (May, 2005) â€Å"a police officer found guilty of domestic violence was reissued his firearm, because the judge stated the conviction created a manifest injustice†. This illustrates how judges in certain situations overrule the domestic violence laws, which are federally regulated. This reasoning can avoid police officers in this case from losing their firearms and their employment. This can also lead to a judge’s decision to continue to put citizens in danger. Restricting gun access can decrease homicides by firearms. Some private dealers legally sell guns at gun shows, and do business from their homes without proper background checks. This result can lead to convicted felons and suspected terrorists purchasing firearms without a background checks. Imposing harsher sentencing on illegal gun dealers, who distribute firearms without background checks, can impact they way firearms are being distributed. This would also provide for safer streets. Prior to transferring a firearm for purchase, The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) does a background check on all person(s) prior to purchase. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accesses the (NICS), which determine if a person(s) who are prohibited from purchasing a firearms. The effect of illegally purchasing firearms is that, the firearms end up in the hands of criminals. This subsequently leads to firearms used in serious crimes, which causes harm and ultimately resulting in the death of a person(s) and at times innocent bystanders. This also affects the way law enforcement does their jobs to protect the public. The National Rifle Association (NRA) opposes gun control. The (NRA) views gun control as a violation of the Second Amendment, which state, â€Å"A militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed†. Firearms protect citizens from harm and even life threatening situations. The firearms purchased legally by honest American citizens, to protect themselves and their properties can deter crime and save lives. As a deterrent to violent crimes, American citizens who have purchased firearms legally have deterred crime against themselves, and their property. This has also prevented citizens, who carry firearms legally from becoming victims of serious violent crime and saving their lives thwarting of attacks. Gun control provides safety to citizens. Communities are safer places knowing that responsible American citizens are purchasing firearms legally. Not all people who purchase firearms use them to protect themselves and their property. Some people legally use firearms for the sport of hunting during certain times of the year, which is legal. Hunting related deaths by firearms are statistically are lower, than firearm related homicides each year. The people who purchase firearms legally provide positive reinforcement to public safety. The benefit of having safety features on firearms is that safety features save lives, and prevent accidental deaths. In regard to children who stay in homes where firearms are located, there are immediate dangers that present themselves. One of the dangers is that young children do not know the difference between a real firearm, and a fake firearm. Some young children are strong enough to pull a trigger. According to the (CDC, 2004) â€Å"accidental shooting deaths are most commonly associated with one or more children playing with a gun they found in the home†. Safety is very necessary, for those people who have firearms around young children to teach, and practice safety precautions. There is the need to teach safety precautions even if people do not own a firearm. Young children may need to know the dangers of firearms where ever they go. There is a possibility that they may encounter a firearm at someone else’s home. To ensure the protection of children, certain safety measures need to be under consideration. All firearms should be safely secured, and locked up. Firearms should not be accessible to children or other unauthorized personnel. The ammunition needs to be stored, and securely locked up properly. The use of trigger locks can also provided for safety. Some gun manufacturers, such as Smith and Wesson are providing safety features on their firearms. The additional safety feature would include childproof trigger locks on firearms. This is an additional form of safety for gun owners with children in their homes. This can also lead to a decrease in injuries and accidental deaths amongst children. The National Rifle Association (NRA) opposes additional safety features on firearms. The (NRA) argues new legislation laws on additional safety features, means the federal government will add more restrictions, and regulations for safety features. This would ultimately put some gun manufacturers out of business. This would also cause extra burdens for law-abiding citizens who seek to buy and sell firearms. The (NRA) also argues the new legislation laws would infringe on the â€Å"Second Amendment†, and the right for law-abiding citizens to bear arms. The impact on the homicide rate from firearms, can attest to the dangers caused by firearms being illegally purchased. The illegal use of firearms can increase the homicide rate. When criminal minded individuals can access guns illegally, the outcome of that purchase usually results in someone getting injured or being killed by that firearm. The deaths from firearms are rear in some countries compared to the United States. This can be a result of the population in other countries or the gun laws. However, the United States has seen a decrease in homicides by firearms. This can attest to new legislation laws being passed, strict regulations on gun manufacturers, and gun being kept from criminals by way of proper screening through database in which The Federal Bureau of Investigations, State police, and local authorities have access to. The rate of suicides and accidental deaths from the use of firearms attribute to gun not being securely stored in house-holds. There were over 31,000 firearm deaths in the United States in 2005. Firearms deaths were at an all time high in 2005. [pic] The (CDC, 2005) concludes that â€Å"suicide remains the highest cause of death by firearms†. According to (Hemenway, 2007) â€Å"One of the strategies for reducing firearms suicides is the removal of the firearm from the home, where there adolescents, and young adults. Children are also victims of accidental gun deaths. This can also be attributed to excessive guns in the communities and areas where children frequent such as schools, and playgrounds. The impact of firearm safety and training is also important in reference to saving lives. There are numerous gun training and safety organizations to help the law abiding citizens, with gun safety or self defense. Some organizations include the National Rifle Association (NRA), and Front Site Firearm Training Institute. Since firearms injuries affect children and teenagers classes are taught to children. This would help the children learn the dangers of guns and to stay away from guns. This would also help children identify and report any guns found or not safely secured. The increase in firearm deaths amongst children is on the rise. The lack of awareness can be fatal to children not aware of the dangers of gunplay. Volunteer training can also can decrease firearm incidents. Firearm related incidents have an impact on health care. According to (Beasley, Theodore March 2006) â€Å"firearms injuries are a major public health issue, with a significant impact on society in both economic and human terms†. The medical cost of gun violence put a burden on health service providers. The effect factors in mental health, rehabilitation, legal, and judicial cost. The cost of gun violence in the United States can range from 100 billion dollars annually. Gun control provides for safer schools and communities. In the wake of the Columbine shooting, and the shooting at Virginia Tech laws are being passed to make sure schools are safe for students to attend, and communities are safe for people to live in. To ensure communities and schools are safe, communities have to be a part of the process. This may include groups such as neighborhood watch, to report any illegal activity observed in the community or around schools especially where children frequent. Illegal activity such as drug dealing poses a high risk to children. This can attest the gun being involved which are used to protect drug dealers and their turf, which is ultimately the community the children play in. There are also gangs that factor into illegal activities. These gangs also protect the neighborhoods or turfs with guns. The dangers involved result in drive by shootings, which can injury or kill innocent individuals. They also recruit young children to participate in these gangs. This also exposes children to illegal activities, which include giving young adolescents firearms to protect themselves from rival gang members and to protect their turf. These high crime areas continue to involve individuals who obtain firearms illegally. Some poverty stricken neighborhoods see an increase in firearm violence, due to the environmental surroundings. This would include public housing projects, and other low income housing areas surrounded by drugs, prostitution, gangs, and illegal gun activity. These neighborhoods see an increase in violent crimes by firearms, such as assaults, robbery, and murder. This can also attest to the young adolescents that bring firearms to school. The men and women of law enforcement are also at risk against legally obtained firearms. This is because suspected criminals can be armed and dangerous. The dealers, who sell firearms without proper screening, put the public’s safety at risk. Law enforcement officers are not equipped for the type of gun power these criminals’ possess. Some criminals possess assault weapons, which are military style weapons. If the weapons get into the wrong hands of criminals, these weapons can impose at grave risk to law enforcement, often putting law enforcement in grave danger trying to protect the public. There are law enforcement officers that have die at the hands of firearms. This is a result of handguns and assault weapons being purchased by criminals. Law Enforcement deaths by firearms since 2005 [pic] National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund (2008) The law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty has declined since 2007. Law enforcement agencies adopted new safety measures to assure law Enforcement were better equipped to apprehend suspected criminals who carry deadly firearms. Do Americans citizens want guns illegally circulating in their community? Individuals and criminals purchase guns illegally every day.

Gap Labor Problems Essays

Gap Labor Problems Essays Gap Labor Problems Essay Gap Labor Problems Essay Major ethical issues: Gap Inc. is a multinational casual apparel chain retail store with â€Å"3000 supplier in 50 different countries†. The manufacturing environment, human right treatment and labour policy vary substantially among suppliers from substandard to appalling. Gap Inc. ’s customer were deceived to assume the products were â€Å"Made in USA†, under United States labour standards and human right policies; whilst, manufacturing factories were located in Saipan –a U. S. protectorate in Southeast Asia. Although Saipan conformed to majority of U. S labour laws, it was exempt from federal minimum wage laws. Furthermore, the majority of the manufacturing factories located in Saipan are foreign companies from such countries as china and Thailand. Workers’ rights have been systematically violated in supplier factories in other localities such as Central America, Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Mexico. Workers were misled into entering contracts, advertised as a well-paying job in USA. In fact the jobs were located in Saipan and paid $3 an hour, moreover, the contract required workers to pay a hefty recruiting fee. Significant human right violation has been committed by suppliers contracted by Gap and other major retailer. Basic human right violation occurred ranging from subjection to sexual harassment, lack of clean water, not being able to use bathrooms and harsh and cruel punishment as a method of discipline. Furthermore, employees were forced into consenting to a contract prohibiting marital arrangements and political or religious activities. Fair labour policy violation came to light upon the employment of minors to fulltime positions. : Additionally, employees failed to pay for overtime. Rampant harassment used as anti-union initiatives. Pregnancy test was required prior to employment. Underage teens have been hired as young as 13 with full time schedule and minimum pay. In one instance a 14 years old girl died of exhaustion after working several 14 hours a day shifts. As a part of their employment contract, employees were forbidden to ask for salary increase, nor participate in union activity or look for alternative jobs. In some instances, workers were given high quota of production and if they failed to meet the demand they wouldn’t receive payment or were forced to perform â€Å"volunteer unpaid time†. Safety was a major issue in the working environment. For instant, teenage workers in China worked in a room that reeked of toxic fumes; some factories had more than a 1000 citations. Dwelling provided for workers was insanitary with exposed electrical wiring. American union of apparel worker claimed, they weren’t able to compete with these foreign suppliers due to these low cost sweatshops. Gap denied such accusations by shifting the accountability to the suppliers, and insisting that resolution of worker plight is the responsibility of their employers who employed them and not of Gap. Utilitarianism Perspective Utilitarianism is a consequence based theory which suggests; those actions are permissible that create the most overall good (utility) for the greatest number of people ( audience). Utilitarianism is the greatest advocate of free market and globalization. Free market encourages efficiency in the market, which pave the way to optimal distribution of cost and benefit in a society. Issues arising from unfair labour policies, human right conditions and hazardous working environment provided in the case is argued in such way that society in these underdeveloped –sometime developing- countries would benefit greatly from employment, economic prosperity and increase standard of livings in the long run. Concurrently, multinational companies in societies in which such products are marketed will benefit from lower costs, attaining competitive advantage in the global market. The ripple effects of their competitive advantage will reach their employees, community in which they operate, government and shareholders. Moreover, lower cost leads to more efficiency which translates into lower prices for consumers. Based on this argument, the complete chain of stakeholders including employees, employers and end users would benefit overall. Conversely, many would object to the notion emphasized by utilitarianism, based on the fact that the pursuit of self-interest tends to lead to injustice. The utility of higher bottom line for Gap Inc. will adversely affect workers and their society by subjecting them to inhumane treatments. There is also first generation problem that arise from such practices. By the time market correct itself and provide better and safer working condition for these workers, a whole generation of worker’s human and labour rights have been sacrificed. Many of these businesses have tremendous lobbying power that could slow down or prevent any initiative targeted to correct aforementioned conditions. The objective and tangible aspect of positive views of utilitarianism such as higher employment and bottom line are measurable as oppose to endangering human lives and impairment of their fundamental rights. Deontological Perspective Deontological ethics identifies the ethical duty to treat everyone with respect for their autonomy and rationality. People have fundamental interest that overrides the collective will and overall utility. Such interest is protected under Deontological ethics, hence, others have the duty to comply and respect these individual rights. Deontological theory also promotes free market. The Gap Inc. ’s corporate executive, Mr. Drexler has a duty to stockholders to conduct business in accordance with their interest. The Gap Inc. is a private entity, thus free to pursue the best interest of The Gap Inc. Contracting suppliers in Saipan leads to drastically lower cost of goods sold which in turn maximizes profit and attains higher return on investment. This is fundamentally, the best interest of for-profit organizations. Deontological argument fails to notice that property rights are not unconditional; centuries of legal precedent transpired from case laws and regulatory legislations. Oversee regulations serve to expound wide range of managerial obligations to safeguard rights of employees. Gap owners’ property right shall not be used in a way that will infringe the basic rights of the workers. Such argument will allow employers to treat the workers as mean to the end of stockholders. Treating workers as rational autonomous beings is at the cornerstone of demonological theory. Current conditions bear a resemblance to treating workers as objects, merely a manufacturing machine with no rights. Furthermore, in a democratic and sensible society mangers take â€Å"positive rights† into considerations. Positive rights are those that managers have the duty to provide like safe working condition, fair treatment, respect and intention to provide better living standards. Gap Response Assessment According the piece Gap was one of the first companies to adapt a code of ethics for its factories. In response to rising criticism and precedents facing the company and its industry competitors, Gap updated its code of conduct. This was a pre-emptive initiative to battle sweatshops conditions in the factories. There were also guidelines for safety and labour practices. According to the article codes of conduct adopted by Gap, suppliers must avoid discriminatory conducts, forced labour, prison labour, child employment bellow the age of 14, and promote respect for union efforts, provide safe working environment and pay legal minimum wages. Additionally, the code of conducts promoted respect for local environment regulation and obedience of the local laws and regulations. These guidelines resemble a minimalism approach. According to Tom Donaldson, business is set to follow economic interests to the extent as to follow minimum moral rights set forth by UN declaration of universal human rights. Hence, the Gap should merely acknowledge the negative duties not to cause harm. Many of the aforementioned nations have proper laws and regulation in placed. However, there is the lack of administrative enforcement. Another aspect of Gap’s response is how they handled criticism and litigations. First criticism arrived from an article published in The New York Times by columnist Bob Herbert. The article illustrated the plight of hundreds of thousands of young workers in Central America who made apparel for Gap under conditions which violated their human rights, rights of collective bargaining and furthermore, subjection to torture, cruel and unreasonable punishments. In several other instances labour activists staged demonstration that illustrated the conditions of workers in Saipan and other locations. The activists demanded Gap stand responsible for the remorseful working conditions and to intervene in creating better working environment in those factories. Additionally, they requested an independent audit report to be conducted of the factories to portray an accurate picture of the employment conditions. Initially, Gap resisted such demands and criticism by relying upon their own monitory reports and account from supplier owners. Furthermore, since the workers employed by such factories are not direct labor of Gap, responsibility, if any, rests with the subcontractors. Gap also repelled the call for independent inquiry in order to control the flow of information to their consumers. On January 1999, a lawsuit was brought against the Gap Inc. on behalf of 50,000 factory workers at Saipan. The lawsuit accused Gap and 25 other retailer of violation of workers’ human rights. Moreover, the lawsuit accused Gap of deception of consumers into believing the products offered by the company were â€Å"Made in USA† under United States labour and minimum wage laws, even though they were made in Saipan under inhumane, unsafe conditions with total lack of regulations. Additionally, the lawsuit revealed that the workers were misled into entering contracts that advertised a well-paying job in USA. In fact the jobs were in Saipan and paid $3 an hour and made employees promise to pay a hefty recruiting fee. Sadly, employees were further required to surrender their basic human and employee rights. Gap refused to settle the lawsuit outside the courtroom unlike the other defendant named in the lawsuit, on the basis that settlement would express admission to guilt. Finally, Gap updated their codes of conduct to address the issues brought up by the lawsuit regarding the foreign employment practices. They also agreed to pay $20 million to compensate the workers in Saipan factories. On May 2004, in face of all the criticism and lawsuits targeted towards the company, the Gap Inc. ’s new management accepted to publish a public report of the conditions and employment practices in their oversee supplier factories. The company’s decision was praised by many labour activists for being a step forward in ethical embracement. The company prioritized respect for union formation. Some argued workers lack the knowledge of their fundamental rights due to cultural and ethical relativism, so they become victims of a so called well-run prisons† Recommendations In terms of the Gap Inc. ’s appropriateness of responses to the aforementioned issues, it must be noted that creation of Gap’s code of ethical conduct was a proactive tool to battle sweatshop conditions. Especially for the fact that it wasn’t a defensive response, rather a pre-emptive move to avoid catastrophic precedents. Lack of proper monitoring and enforcement of such codes of conduct seemed rather peculiar. Gap should have conducted audits with more frequency and served to eliminate such adverse problems before they become to light. Employees are rational, autonomous individuals, and thus have certain basic needs and interests. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs, human beings basic needs rank from Physiological, Safety, Belonging, Esteem to self-actualization. Physiological needs are required for human survival. Assuming food, shelter and clothing were provided, humans need for sexual companionship and procreation is a part of such needs; in this case marriage was frowned upon by employer –suppliers- by means of contract. Safety needs is both most critical and lacking in this case. Harsh punishments abolished workers personal safety. Manipulative and deceitful contract terms endangered workers property rights and freedom. Health and safety is vital to human wellbeing and freedom. Such rights or needs should be protected from being infringed upon and traded away in the process of bargaining. Moving up any further in level of need is redundant since workers most basic need must be met before a higher level of needs is achieved. Without the attainment of lower level needs, sense of belongingness and self-esteem are inexistent and self-actualization will never be met. Corporation are held morally and socially accountable for their actions and how they fit into the fabric of a society. Diffusion of responsibility occurs when there are a number of participants in the arrangement and responsibility is not clearly assigned or enforced. Gap holds the supplier responsible for the affair of workers. Suppliers are regulated by government and laws, which in many cases are never upheld. Gap is the ultimate beneficiary of this supply chain and must be responsible for the conduct of suppliers. According to Carroll’s Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, there are four level of responsibility for Gap Inc. as a corporation. First it must be economical; this is the commercial vitality of any for-profit organization and is necessary to the survival of the company and is private property of the stockholders. Any initiative employed toward resolving these ethical issues seem to have economic significance. As mentioned in the case consumers are more likely to avoid shopping from a brand associated with sweatshops. Second level is the Legal responsibility. Gap must obey the law applied both in US and in the local laws in which these factories are located and operated. It must be noted that although many of the countries aforementioned have fairly appropriate regulation in place, lack of social development prevent such governments from enforcing these regulations. The Gap Inc. or any of its suppliers must not take advantage of weak administration. Third level is the ethical responsibility. As mentioned previously, Gap is the ultimate beneficiary of this supply chain. Although suppliers are directly in charge of these workers, Gap holds an immense power to prevent such unethical behaviour from occurring. Therefore, the company must resiliently monitor the conduct of its suppliers, given the high risk of non-compliance. Protection of human rights rank at the top of issues requiring urgent resolution. No physical or psychological trauma should be endured by workers. Subsequently, health and safety in factories must be provided as it is essential to the wellbeing of workers. Employment rights and regulation must be fully upheld and respected. Subjection to deceptive advertisement must be eliminated to both workers and end users. End users must know the condition of factories in which the merchandise is being manufactured. Workers must not be deceived into contract with dissipated terms. A fair wage should be paid to workers which is comparable not essentially equal to workers in United States. The aforementioned processors will to address apparel worker concern in US who are concerned with uncompetitive low wages paid in Saipan and or other developed countries. Forth and finally, the Gap Inc. has philanthropic social responsibilities. As aforesaid Gap uses minimalism approach in which it acknowledges only â€Å"negative duties† not to cause harm. They should alter their perception by seeking maximalist approach. The Gap Inc. holds tremendous influence, power, and resources which could be used towards providing positive benefits and promotes better conditions in the community where they directly or indirectly operate. The ripple effect of such practices will repair the company’s damaged identity and image.

French Exercise - Si Clause Threads, Second Conditional

French Exercise - Si Clause Threads, Second Conditional This practice exercise can be done as a class or in small groups. It requires familiarity with the second conditional (si clauses), including imperfect and conditional conjugations. What to Do Print out a table for each group (see below).Write the first part of a conditional sentence beginning with si (see suggestions below) in the first table cell. Since this is the second conditional, the si clause needs to be in the imperfect. Invent a result clause, using the conditional, for the second cell.For example: Next, transform the result clause into a si clause and write it in the first column of the second row. (Remember that the verb which was in the conditional now needs to be in the imperfect.) Then invent a corresponding result clause to continue the thread. If clause Result clause Si je gagnais au loto, jachterais une nouvelle voiture. Si je gagnais au loto, jachterais une nouvelle voiture. Si jachetais une nouvelle voiture, je la mnerais lcole. Transform the second result clause into a si clause, and so on, until you have completed the thread. Si je gagnais au loto, jachterais une nouvelle voiture. Si jachetais une nouvelle voiture, je la mnerais lcole. Si je la menais lcole, les autres tudiants madmireraient. Si les autres tudiants madmiraient, ils minviteraient djeuner. To make sure students understand the exercise, start by demonstrating on the board: write a si clause and call on students as you go through the entire thread collectively. Then divide the class into groups of 2 to 4 students and provide each group with an if clause, or have them come up with their own. After each group has completed their thread, either have students read them out loud, or - if there are likely to be a lot of mistakes, as in the case of weaker students - collect the papers and read the threads out loud yourself, either correcting them as you read, or writing the sentences on the board and going over them together. Variations To challenge students creativity, have each group start with the same si clause, and then compare how each one turned out at the end.Assign a different si clause to each group, and after they have each completed one row of the table, have them trade with another group. Each group will then complete the clause in the other groups tables, and then exchange once again with a third group.You can also use this exercise to practice the first conditional and the third conditional. Starter Clauses You and your students can of course invent your own if clauses,* but here are some ideas to get started: Si jallais la luneSi javais un souhaitSi je navais quune semaine vivreSi jà ©tais le prà ©sidentSi jà ©tais richeSi jà ©tais toiSi je faisais mes devoirs tous les joursSi je me cassais la jambeSi je me mariaisSi je pouvais faire la connaissance de nimporte qui dans le mondeSi je pouvais remonter dans le tempsSi je pouvais visiter nimporte quel paysSi je trouvais un portefeuille dans la rueSi je voyais un OVNI (objet volant non identifià ©)Sil y avait des formes de vie intelligente sur dautres planà ¨tesSi les chiens pouvaient parlerSi mon meilleur ami me mentaitSi notre professeur à ©tait en retardSi nous à ©tudiions ensembleSi nous savions le secret du bonheur *If you come up with a great starter clause, please share your ideas. Tables This exercise needs tables with two columns and four rows. Printable pages of tables are available in  Microsoft Word format; you can save and edit this if, for example, you want to type the starter if clause into the first cell of each table. Print enough copies so that you can cut them up and provide at least one table for each group of students. Si Clauses LessonFirst conditional practiceThird conditional practice

What were the rights and responsibilities of a citizen in the early Essay

What were the rights and responsibilities of a citizen in the early Greek polisHow did the idea of citizenship arise - Essay Example The citizens consisted of tribes which were further divided into phratries and gentes. Foreigners and slaves were considered to be outside the scope of citizenship. Descent was the criteria which determined the citizenship of individuals (Grant 56, 1990). The citizens were divided into three types. The first types of citizens were those with political rights. The second of type of citizens was those without any political rights. The third type consisted of foreigners and slaves who were not considered as citizens. Ancient Greece made many strides in the creation of organized and centralized nation. It was initially composed of warring states which fought against each other. These city states lacked any central administration or government. Athens would give birth to the concept of political participation and democracy. Solon was the first aristocrat who gave a comprehensive set of political rules and regulations. These reforms gave power and responsibility to moderately well off non aristocrats. It also protected the citizens from much of the repressive measures of governments. By 508 BC, an exile named Cleisthenes was instrumental in removing the Athenian tyrant Hippias from power. He offered a package of reforms to the Athenian citizens which would give them political power and representation in the government (Starr 91, 1986). The Archaic Greek period divided society on the basis of three economic groups. The aristocrats acquired power which was inherited from their fathers. They made significant profits by ruthlessly exploiting the poor farmers (Starr 100, 1977). The poor people represented the bottom of the three groups. They could be indebted or reduced as slaves by the powerful elite. A middle class was also present which had the largest degree of social and economic differences. Some of them had acquired prosperity while others were barely above the lower classes. The lower class had little

United States International Childrens Emergency Fund Research Paper

United States International Childrens Emergency Fund - Research Paper Example UNICEF served that purpose adequately. â€Å"For the postwar period 1946 to 1950, the "emergency needs approach" meant swift action to meet the food, clothing, and health needs of children, particularly in Europe† (Nobelprize.org). UNICEF spent $112000000 to provide as many as five million children with different clothing articles in twelve different countries along with vaccinating eight million children to fight tuberculosis. UNICEF also distributed various kinds of facilities among these countries. Children were provided with meals on daily basis. From 1951-1960, UNICEF adopted the approach of long-range benefit along with meeting the emergency needs. Several campaigns were carried out in order to improve the children’s health in general and reduce their susceptibility to yaws, tuberculosis, malaria, and leprosy. In the same decade, UNICEF also formulated several provisions for the improvement of environment, and devised programs for education of mothers. In the 1970 s, UNICEF had been working for children’s well-being for quite some time and was all set to advocate their rights. In the 1980s, UNICEF played an important role in the attempts of UN Commission on Human Rights to formulate the â€Å"Convention on the Rights of the Child† (History.com), which was readily approved as the most effective human rights treaty in the whole history in 1898, after it was introduced to the UN General Assembly. UNICEF had played a decisive role in the enforcement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Of all 184 member states of UN, United States and Somalia were the only two countries that did not approve the treaty. The two countries had different reasons for non-ratification of the treaty. Somalia’s government was not recognized internationally. Accordingly, it was not in a position to ratify the treaty. On the other hand, although US was an original signatory of this treaty, yet US had reservations on the effect of the treaty on the parent-child relationship and the national sovereignty. UNICEF – Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize: It was on 26 October 1965, when UNICEF received the Nobel Peace Prize (â€Å"UNICEF History†). Nineteen years after its establishment, UNICEF got this Prize for promoting brotherhood and unity among different nations of the world, which is essentially a fundamental condition of the Nobel's will as well as appearing on the stage of the world as â€Å"a peace-factor of great importance† (â€Å"UNICEF History†). Several events led UNICEF to this entitlement that include but are not limited to improved coalition among governments, various non-governmental agencies and private organizations and the people all over the world in general. This provided them with more opportunities that could be availed to upgrade the lifestyle of children everywhere in the world. Henry R. Labouisse, the Executive Director of UNICEF expressed what achieving the Nobel Peace Prize meant to the UNICEF in these words: To all of us in UNICEF the prize will be a wonderful incentive to greater efforts in the name of peace. You have given us new strength. You have reinforced our profound belief that each time UNICEF contributes...to giving today’s children a chance to grow into useful and happier citizens, it contributes to removing some of the seeds of world tension and future

Is leadership something that comes naturally Essay

Is leadership something that comes naturally - Essay Example (1999) are of the opinion that leaders are made since extensive training is needed in any case, therefore those who thinks that leaders are born will be unable to explain why then training and development sessions are held in order to make a leader more successful. Eric Garner (2005) is against the saying that leaders are born. It takes certain efforts in order to become a leader. Garner are of the opinion that it is not enough to be born with certain qualities, a person also has to be aware of how these could be used in order to produce results. Wally Bock (2006) adopted a balanced approach while expressing his views on the subject. He says leadership comes both naturally and with education and experience. He says that it cannot be just one of the two, otherwise we would have had leaders who have no educations at all and they would be very successful or in the other case we would have had leaders who are alike since they have received the same education and were trained to become a model leader. A vast majority of writers are agreeing with the opinion of Bock. They, however, argue about which qualities have to be inborn and which qualities should come with education and experience. They say that anyone can learn to become a leader. However, there are some qualities that cannot be taught, the so called intangible ones, and the ones that cannot be measured and explained, for instance, natural decision making, complex problem solving, and self-development and group development. On the other hand, there are many qualities that can be learned, for instance, time and task management, communication skills, negotiation skills, ways how information can be presented, debating and most importantly motivating. Without developing the abilities that are even inborn apart from learning new ones a leader will never become successful. Duggan and fellows (2007) suggest that for becoming successful in profession, leaders must focus on self-development, therefore, be quite

Why there may be greater potential for FDI activity in China rather Essay

Why there may be greater potential for FDI activity in China rather than India - Essay Example theories therefore inform that FDIs may be attracted to India as a result of its relatively lower labour costs, lower political risks and its closer proximity to developed OECD states. China on the other hand, may appeal to FDIs as a result of its large consumer market and its more impressive trade with developed OECD countries.3 This paper conducts a comparative analysis of FDI appeal in India and China with a view to demonstrating that there may be greater potential for FDI activity in China rather than India. In order to demonstrate the greater potential for FDI activity in China, this paper analyses TNC theories and the determinants of FDI inflows and outflows and examines these determinants in the context of India and China’s economy. This paper is therefore divided into three parts. The first part of this paper provides an analysis of TNC theories and the determinants of FDIs. The second part of this paper examines India’s economy and the final part of this paper examines China’s economy. Since the 1960s several theories of TNC have emerged helping to explain the factors that weigh in favour of or against TNCs investing abroad.4 Traditional neoclassical theory usually represented by eclectic or OLI theories (ownership, localization and internalization advantages) are typically used to explain and predict the â€Å"determinants of FDI†.5 The eclectic theory arose out of J. Markusen’s reconceptualization of John Dunning’s neoclassical theory of investment and trade. Dunning’s neoclassical theory takes the position that FDIs are selected by TNCs as a result of a â€Å"combinations of transport costs, factor endowments and country size.†6 Eclectic theory explains why a company would elect FDI as opposed to producing locally and exporting locally produced goods abroad and where the TNC would most likely direct its FDI. In this regard, Dunning’s eclectic theory identifies the â€Å"why, where and when/how decisions in terms of ownership,

Developing Successful Business Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Developing Successful Business Teams - Essay Example Characteristics of team and its contribution to the overall success of the organisation: Team can be defined as a group of people working together to achieve a common target for the welfare of the organisation. However, Dackert, et al. (2010) cited that in a team, the members complement the strengths and weakness of each other. The characteristics of an ideal team such as in Apple Inc., has been mentioned as under: A team leader: Each of the team operates under a team leader. Team leader directs the right path and motivates the members to achieve the targets. The success of effective teamwork in Apple Inc. depends primarily on the leadership quality of Steve Jobs. A common goal: Each of the team members’ work to meet a common short term and long term objectives that improves the business performance of the company. In Apple Inc., the staff are dedicated to provide unique and innovative technical solutions to the customers. Communication : An effective team work includes free communication among the team members. In Apple Inc., the employees can share the feelings and ideas with each other. Moreover, the staff of Apple Inc .are also allowed having an open communication with the leaders. Measurement of team performance: The teamwork of a particular department is being measured by the managers at a regular interval of time. In the company, the managers conduct a team meeting in every month with the team members to discuss the progress of the ongoing project.

CAD summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CAD summary - Essay Example When a person indulges more in physical activities, there is a recorded reduction in the danger of suffering from the coronary heart disease. Lack of exercise is currently considered to be the leading risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (WebMD, 2014). It is a powerful risk factor as compared to the other risk factors of this disease for example high blood pressure and smoking. Taking part in regular physical activities ensures that the arteries are frequently kept flexible (Krucik, 2012). This will be reflected in a normal blood pressure and a good flow of the blood to the heart. This therefore means that high blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors of the disease, is kept at bay and the development of the disease becomes difficult. At Lankenau Heart Institute, they carry out Angioscreen. Angioscreen is a heart and stroke screening program. Under this program a patient receives personal evaluation of their vascular and circulation health. In addition, the patients receive immediate and clear outcomes of Carotid Artery Ultrasound, Ankle Brachial Index, Blood Pressure, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Peak Systolic Velocity, Body Mass Index, and also Heart Rhythm Electrocardiogram. From the above test results, the local screening program that is entirely tied to the heart and stroke disease is Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening. The program tests for the expansion of abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta is a blood vessel that transports blood to the entire body. When the aneurysm widens and expands, it can easily burst and result to stroke or heart failure. On advance stages it can lead to death. The limitation of such illnesses is that they do not have symptoms, therefore, screening is very important. Research shows that an increase in the physical inactivity is closely connected to coronary artery disease as well as resulting death (Stahle & Cider, 2011).

Why there may be greater potential for FDI activity in China rather Essay

Why there may be greater potential for FDI activity in China rather than India - Essay Example theories therefore inform that FDIs may be attracted to India as a result of its relatively lower labour costs, lower political risks and its closer proximity to developed OECD states. China on the other hand, may appeal to FDIs as a result of its large consumer market and its more impressive trade with developed OECD countries.3 This paper conducts a comparative analysis of FDI appeal in India and China with a view to demonstrating that there may be greater potential for FDI activity in China rather than India. In order to demonstrate the greater potential for FDI activity in China, this paper analyses TNC theories and the determinants of FDI inflows and outflows and examines these determinants in the context of India and China’s economy. This paper is therefore divided into three parts. The first part of this paper provides an analysis of TNC theories and the determinants of FDIs. The second part of this paper examines India’s economy and the final part of this paper examines China’s economy. Since the 1960s several theories of TNC have emerged helping to explain the factors that weigh in favour of or against TNCs investing abroad.4 Traditional neoclassical theory usually represented by eclectic or OLI theories (ownership, localization and internalization advantages) are typically used to explain and predict the â€Å"determinants of FDI†.5 The eclectic theory arose out of J. Markusen’s reconceptualization of John Dunning’s neoclassical theory of investment and trade. Dunning’s neoclassical theory takes the position that FDIs are selected by TNCs as a result of a â€Å"combinations of transport costs, factor endowments and country size.†6 Eclectic theory explains why a company would elect FDI as opposed to producing locally and exporting locally produced goods abroad and where the TNC would most likely direct its FDI. In this regard, Dunning’s eclectic theory identifies the â€Å"why, where and when/how decisions in terms of ownership,

CAD summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CAD summary - Essay Example When a person indulges more in physical activities, there is a recorded reduction in the danger of suffering from the coronary heart disease. Lack of exercise is currently considered to be the leading risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (WebMD, 2014). It is a powerful risk factor as compared to the other risk factors of this disease for example high blood pressure and smoking. Taking part in regular physical activities ensures that the arteries are frequently kept flexible (Krucik, 2012). This will be reflected in a normal blood pressure and a good flow of the blood to the heart. This therefore means that high blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors of the disease, is kept at bay and the development of the disease becomes difficult. At Lankenau Heart Institute, they carry out Angioscreen. Angioscreen is a heart and stroke screening program. Under this program a patient receives personal evaluation of their vascular and circulation health. In addition, the patients receive immediate and clear outcomes of Carotid Artery Ultrasound, Ankle Brachial Index, Blood Pressure, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Peak Systolic Velocity, Body Mass Index, and also Heart Rhythm Electrocardiogram. From the above test results, the local screening program that is entirely tied to the heart and stroke disease is Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening. The program tests for the expansion of abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta is a blood vessel that transports blood to the entire body. When the aneurysm widens and expands, it can easily burst and result to stroke or heart failure. On advance stages it can lead to death. The limitation of such illnesses is that they do not have symptoms, therefore, screening is very important. Research shows that an increase in the physical inactivity is closely connected to coronary artery disease as well as resulting death (Stahle & Cider, 2011).

Principles for Implementing Duty of Care in Health Essay Example for Free

Principles for Implementing Duty of Care in Health Essay In my work I have a duty of care to the young people I work with. This means their health, safety, wellbeing and emotional development is my responsibility. For me to do this I follow company policies and procedures and when needed seek advice from the appropriate people. Ac3. Explain where to get additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas. While at work for any support I need I firstly will talk to the other member of staff I am on shift with. After that I may call a senior in the office or the out of hour’s duty manager. If problems are still not solved then for the safety of the young person I may need to call the police depending on the situation. 054.3 Ac1. Describe how to respond to complaints. If a yp wants to make a complaint about anything my first action would be to try and resolve the issue myself. After that it may need to go higher up to a senior or my manager, failing that I would assist the yp to fill in a complaint form and then hand it to the manager who would then take the appropriate action from thee. Ac2. Explain the main points of agreed procedures for handling complaints. †¢ Minor/informal complaints such as a yp complaining about the dà ©cor in their bedroom may be dealt with by staff verbally but it still must be recorded on a complaint form and handed to the operations manager. A record will be made in the complaints log. The complaint will be dealt with in 14 days and a written response will be given to the complainant regarding the outcome. †¢ Serious complaints must be written down within two working days and be fully responded to in writing. The complaint must be handed to the operations manager who then should notify the managing director of keys using a complaint referral form. All serious complaints must be resolved within 35 days. †¢ All serious/written complaints must be recorded briefly on a complaints form and in the central complaints file. They will be counted and audited on a monthly basis. The full investigation details will be filed in an individual investigation file. †¢ The operations manager must ensure all serious complaints are entered onto the weekly complaints report by the nominated office. †¢ Any complaint received externally must be logged in the homes central record and copies of any correspondence must also be held in the home. †¢ Copies of any correspondence and the fully completed appendix one must be sent to the complaints administrator at Rawtenstalll office who will ensure the checklist id fully completed.

Foreign Direct Investment in Singapore

Foreign Direct Investment in Singapore Chapter 1: Introduction Singapore was a commercial trading centre in the early 19th century and today it has since attained a remarkable transformation into one of the most globally integrated economies in the world, achieving total mechanism and service trading performing triple or more its gross national product and inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock index among the developing market. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has an exceptional and emerging role internationally. It acquired the primary role in both theoretically and practically, which can be observed in different economic, social, cultural, political, finance, and technological dimensions of the world. Objective of Study The objective of this project is to study into the national strategies adopted by Singapore, so far, focusing on their nature and outcomes. A critical assessment will be made on the current challenges ahead, and appropriate strategic options identified. Singapore, to a large extend has relied on foreign MNCs to drive its own industrialization and growth. What is beyond doubt is that Singapores unique ability to attract and retain FDI has undoubtedly been a key ingredient of its economic success. Therefore, it is worthwhile to investigate the determinants of Singapores FDI inflows. Scope of Study In this paper, we examine the interrelations among the variables FDI, the entry modes, the benefits and costs, government policies and the liberalization of FDI. The study of the relationship addresses a few points: Mainly, how dependent is Singapore on FDI? How are the imports and exports of MNCs affecting Singapores FDI inflows? What are the factors being driven by the shift of FDI towards services? What is the main driving force of FDI? Is there a contribution and/or positive link between higher GDP and FDI? Does trade liberalization foster FDI in emerging countries/markets? The overall objective of the study is to determine the efforts that Singapore makes to attract inward FDI, the successful and unsuccessful outcomes and the future developments of FDI in Singapore. The remainder of the study is organized as follows: In Chapter 2, the trends, source, patterns and forms of FDI is being introduced. Chapter 3 explains the reasons why firms choose foreign direct investment instead of exporting, the trade barriers involved and the other forms of entry modes. In Chapter 4, the connection between Singapore and FDI is being analyzed. Chapter 5 presents the benefits and costs of FDI while Chapter 6 briefly discusses the economic growth in the different industrial sectors and how the culture of Singapore affects inwards FDI. In Chapter 7, it describes government intervention and its policies. Chapter 8 involves the discussion of the liberalization of FDI and MAI. And lastly, Chapter 9 comprehends the findings of the future developments of FDI in Singapore and Chapter 10 ends the study with conclusions. Methodology This project is based on secondary research. Data were extracted and researched from various sources from the internet, report findings, ebooks, ejournals, newspapers, textbooks, and databases from the National Library. The actual figures of the FDI are applied to the project to act as evidence. The research is mainly focused in Singapore to highlight the attractiveness of this country and why is it a popular FDI destination. Limitation of study With respect to the analysis and data, there were some limitations that might affect the accuracy of the study The limited data on the impact of liberalization on Singapore, examples of recent FDI in Singapore, statistical information about the forms and type of entry strategies that FDI or local companies adopted, made this research time consuming and challenging. Chapter 2: Theories of FDI Forms of FDI In recent years, the internationalisation of firms has assumed two new features. First, firms increasingly enter foreign markets by acquiring a local producer also known as merger acquisition. Secondly, opening a new subsidiary also known as greenfield investment. Researches suggest that the majority of cross border investments take place in the form of mergers and acquisitions rather than greenfield investments. It is estimated that about 40- 80% of all FDI inflows were in the form of MAs simply because many firms prefer to acquire existing assets which are quicker to execute than Greenfield investments as they are an establishment of a wholly new operation. Also, the outstanding fact that the modern business worlds market evolves rapidly hence firms opt for the easier and perhaps the less risky option- to acquire desired assets than to build them from scratch. Desired assets could include brand name, customer loyalty, trademarks/patents, distribution systems, etc. Typically, firms adopt this approach as means of making a quick entry into a market or establishing a market presence. For instance, in 2000, cement manufacturer, CEMEX acquire Southland to enter the into U.S growing construction market. Lastly, firms believe that through MAs it enables an increase in the efficiency of an acquired unit by transferring capital, technology, management skills, etc. like how CEMEX transferred its technological know how to Southland after the acquisition. The shift towards Services FDI is increasing shifting away from manufacturing and extractive industries and towards services. As service industries were largely national, are becoming transnational recently. The shift to services is being driven by: the general move in many developed countries towards service as the composition of FDI in services have changed, it is mainly concentrated on trade and financial services. In addition, the fact that many services need to be produced where they are consumed. There is also a liberalization of policies governing FDI in services. Lastly, the rise of internet based global telecommunications networks. For instance, Dells call answering centres are located in India. The services sector has been the bulwark of the economy, providing stability and contributing significantly to GDP growth. Figure 2.1 shows that the services sector accounted for about two-thirds of real GDP growth in the 1990s. Further studies also showed that the global FDI stock in the services sector had more than quadrupled during the period 1990-2002. As a result of more rapid growth in this sector than in the other sectors, services accounted for about 60% of the global stock of inward FDI in 2002, compared to less than 50% a decade earlier. Services now account for the largest share of the inward FDI stock in many countries, and Foreign-affiliate service providers play an important role in a growing number of services. Most service FDI has been domestic-market seeking, in such traditional services as finance, tourism and trading, or in industries that have only recently opened up to the private sector, such as electricity, water or telecommunications. Employment in services has also been much less vulnerable to cyclical economic fluctuations than employment in manufacturing. During periods of economic slowdown as shown in Figure 2.2, manufacturing employment fell by an average of 5% in contrast to the employment growth of 3% in the services sector. While in 1996, employment in manufacturing grew only 2% as compared to 5% in services. Realizing the importance, the government takes measures to ensure world-class standards of service excellence and leadership, such as introducing schemes, activities, programmes and even institutes aimed at enhancing service levels, capabilities, mindsets and leadership. Examples include the Singapore Service Star, the Excellent Service Award (EXSA), Go The Extra Mile for Service (GEMS), Public Service for the 21st Century movement (PS21), The Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES) and Certified Service Professional programme by WDA. Gradual development over time has garnered its interdependence involving the manufacturing sector. In the long run, manufacturing and services group will replicate each other and allow firms to share the development of new knowledge-based products. However, many countries have difficulty quantifying FDI flows in services sectors. Determining trade in services is complicated given that services are not traded at a distinct entry or exit points, but rather across four modes of supply. While quantifying investment in services presents further challenges due to the complex nature of FDI definitions. While FDI in services remains more restricted, both developed and developing countries have taken steps to open up their service industries. In fact, starting from a higher level of restrictiveness, developing countries tended to liberalize their service industries at an even more rapid pace than developed countries over the past decade. The competitive impact of FDI entry on service supply conditions depend considerably on initial conditions in a host country, especially the level of economic and service development, market structure of service and the regulatory framework. Entry strategy and strategic alliances Any firm contemplating foreign expansion must first struggle with the issue of which foreign market to enter, when (late or early entry) and on what scale to enter (large or small scale entry) and lastly, which entry mode to use. Basic entry decisions are ultimately based on the assessment of a nations long run growth and profit potential. It is noted that the attractiveness of a country as a political market for an international business depends on balancing the benefits, costs and risks. Benefits include the ability to leverage products and competencies- both technological and management know-how, realizing location economies, and experience effects. Costs include trade barriers, transportation costs, import quotas, tariffs, etc. While the risks involve are political and economic risks. All of these are associated with doing business in that country. Other factors like the size of the market, the present wealth of consumers (purchasing power) and the likely future wealth of consumers are dependent upon economic growth rates. For example, India which is relatively poor is growing rapidly. Economies which are well developed, with relatively low inflation rates and private sector debts have an advantage over those without. Taking Singapores education system as an example- It is a big part of Singapores economic development strategy which attracted and encouraged many international educational establishments. Alternatively, weak economic growth in Indonesia is evidently a far less attractive market. Once firms have decided to enter a foreign market, they have to choose the best mode of entry. Firms can use six different modes to enter foreign markets: Exporting, being a temporary strategy is like a stepping stone in the international expansion process for most firms. In the past, Seagate was a well know example which concentrated its manufacturing operations in one location enables it to move down the experience curve and achieve location economies. However, Singapore has recently taken this approach to a higher level as the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) collaborates with Hangzhou Xihu (Westlake) to export Singapores expertise in Hospitality and Tourism. Turnkey projects, are popular because firms can continue with normal business operations while the contractor handle the time consuming and resource intensive projects for a foreign client. Singapore shipyard is reputable for handling sophisticated turnkey projects regardless of is complex requirements and other considerations. This industry is well known in the economic development for the last 40 years and will continue to play the critical role in our economy in order to achieve the goal for Singapore to become a leading international maritime link. Another example would be Sitra Holdings (International) Limited, the international producer of integrated wood based products and turnkey services, secured several turnkey design and build contracts in November 2009. Amongst these contracts, the single largest contract is worth S$3.24 million at the Marina Bay precinct. Licensing, enables a firm to gain access into new markets otherwise inaccessible, hence to facilitate the growth of licensing activities in Singapore with additional focus on brand licensing, character licensing and know-how licensing, the Franchising and Licensing Association (FLA) aims to encourage the adoption of licensing as a growth strategy by producing a report to raise the awareness of how licensing can translate to income stream for companies. Franchising, in Singapore has grown tremendously and is a preferred strategy for SMEs, as it involves minimal investment and staff, thus reducing costs. Local entrepreneurs have successfully made their mark internationally through franchising like BreadTalk, Charles Keith, and OSIM. Larger companies can also make use of the networks of their established franchise partners to grow globally. Joint ventures enable firms to share the benefit of the work process from a local subsidiarys knowledge of the host country such as the competitors, culture, political and business systems and access to greater resources including staff specialized in technology, finance, and so on. In November 2009, QATARQatar Petroleum International (QPI) and Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd have sealed agreements in which QPI takes stakes in two Shell Chemicals joint ventures in Singapore. The deal, to be completed in December, Shell will sell its existing shareholdings in two companies to a new joint venture called QPI and Shell Petrochemicals (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Establishing new wholly owned subsidiaries would be best adopted by firms pursuing the global and transnational strategies, for instance, Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited invested approximately S$900 million in Fraser Neave Limited (FN) through its wholly-owned subsidiary Seletar Investments Pte Ltd1 in December 2006. The investment would represent approximately 15 per cent of the total shares outstanding of FN on a fully-diluted basis. This investment marks Temaseks most substantial investment in the food and beverage space in recent years. Chapter 3: Country Focus political economy and cultural factors of Singapore Political and economic systems of Singapore The Government of Singapore (GOS) is substantially consigned to maintaining an open economy and taking a leadership role strategize Singapores future economic development. The government do so by adopting a free enterprise, open door policy to attract foreign investors from all types of services sector involving finance, business, tourism, telecommunication and consultancy services. As such, Singapore has exports hitting 186% of 2008 GDP. While Singapores stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) increased by 23.4% from $370.5 billion in 2006 to $457.0 billion in 2007. United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Japan were the top sources of FDI in Singapore. Evidently, the high FDI index reflects Singapores role as a manufacturing base for foreign multinationals (MNCs) and as a financial, transportation, logistics, and trading hub. Also, with high real growth rate and low inflation played a great role in shaping the Singapore economy. Singapore is one of the most enterprising and dynamic economies in the world. In this section, we compare Singapores recent trade performance with its performance in past crises, namely the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis where many countries and industries were affected by the deep fall of exports during the recession and the 2001-2002 Dot-Com Bust where IT industries around the world were affected by the large scale cancellation of electronic orders due to the over-investments by IT firms. In 2008 till present, Singapore is experiencing a slow down in the economy due to the US subprime crisis. The main issue is that the US Subprime Market is generating an extension of recessions in some economies and accelerating global recession in a way. Thus, Singapores total output of the country has decreased and the export of electronics goods has reduced significantly. Differences in culture The difference between international and domestic business is that countries are different. In this section, we will explore how differences in culture across and within countries can affect international business. The culture of a nation is the values that are shared among a group of people living together. While it is possible for a nation/state to have a uniform culture, this is not always the case. Multiple cultures can exist, and cultures can also cut across national borders. Taking Singapore as an example, where it is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society with the residential population in Singapore 75% are ethnic Chinese, 17% ethnic Malays, 7% ethnic Indians and a small category of `Others. Therefore foreign direct investors and managers need an understanding of the culture or cultures prevail in the countries where they do business in or intend to. Culture, society, and the nation state International business is different from national business because countries and societies are different. Societies differ because their cultures vary. Their cultures vary because of profound differences in social structure, religion, language, education, economic and political philosophies. 2 important implications flow from these differences: The first is the need to develop cross- cultural literacy. There is a need not only to appreciate that cultural difference exist, but also to appreciate what such difference mean for international business. Therefore, one of the biggest dangers comforting a company is the danger of being ill-informed. Being ill-informed about the practices of another culture, any business is likely to fail. Doing business in different cultures requires adaption to embrace all aspects of an international firms operations in a foreign country. For instance, the way in which discussions are organized, the welfare of employees, the structure of a firm, the manner in which is the product is being promoted, the tenor of relations between the management and labour, and so on, are all sensitive to cultural differences. To overcome the danger of being ill-informed, the solution is for international business to consider employing local citizens to help them do business in a particular culture, while ensuring h ome-country executives work along side and understand the differences in culture and how it affects their business. With the incorporation of large western MNCs, the Singapore work culture is a unique interaction of Asian and Western cultural exchanges. Where large western MNCs often exhibit predominantly western-style work culture, a greater influence of traditional Asian culture exists. Local firms are mainly influenced by cultural characteristics: collectivism, high power distance and high-uncertainty avoidance. Additionally, among the differences between US and Singapores working culture, local jargon is only one of the many. There are several other differences that are mainly caused by different circumstances and cultural values of the two nations. The bottom line is what works in one culture may not work in another. A simple example illustrates how important cross cultural literacy can be. According to my lecturer, Mr. Rowland Sam, with his many years of experiences has shared with us how the Chinese in China who tend to be informal in nature, does not mix business and pleasure. The Chinese perceives their lunch/ tea breaks as an important factor in the lives as when it is lunch/ tea time, they would stop all work for that. Initially, Mr. Sam was taken aback as they have not finished their respective jobs or meet the deadline, but they would still go for their breaks. He then finally concluded that the breaks were the only time workers get to drink, eat and enjoy themselves after a long days work. A second implication centres on the connection between culture and national competitive advantage. Fundamentally, the value systems and norms of a country influence the costs of doing business in that country which in turn influences the ability of firms to establish a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. For instance, the choice of countries in which to locate production facilities and do business; It makes little sense to base production facilities that require skilled expertise to operate, in a country where education is so poor, the pool of skilled and educated workers are unavailable, the degree of stratification of class is high and there are more than 2 linguistic groups. But as important as culture is, it is probably less important than economic, political and legal systems in explaining differential economic growth between nations. Cultural differences are significant, but we should not overemphasize their importance in the economic sphere. Other implications Besides transferring of management and technological know-how, FDI also has the capabilities to bring environmental and social benefits to host countrys economies. However, there is a danger or probability that foreign owned enterprises would use FDI to export productions or equipments that are prohibited in their home countries due to their regulations and policies. Host countries that are keen on attracting FDI are especially prone to fall into this trap where the government would risk lowering or freezing regulatory standards. For example, MNEs moving equipments that considered to be environmentally unsuitable in their home country, to their subsidiaries in developing countries. The sort of environmental risk associated with FDI is being reflected. Additionally, some micro-oriented problems such as the distributional changes and the need for industrial restructuring in the host economy, increases costs and inconveniences to the people. Fortunately, these problems can be salvaged when appropriate practices are pursued towards flexibility, couple with macroeconomic stability and the implementation on adequate legal and regulatory frameworks. Not to mention that using FDI, the presence of financially strong foreign enterprises may not be sufficient to assist economic development when domestic legal, competition and environmental frameworks are weak or weakly enforced. Finally, like official development aid, FDI cannot be the foundation for solving poor countries development problems. With an average of 15% of capital formation in developing countries, FDI acts a complement to domestic fixed capital rather than a primary source of finance. Likewise, while FDI may contribute significantly to human capital formation, the transfer of state-of-the-art technologies, enterprise restructuring and increased competition, it is the host country authorities that must undertake basic efforts to raise education levels, invest in infrastructure and improve the health of domestic business sectors. The link between FDI inflows and accessibility of government information In this section, we will find out to what extend does government information contribute to investors decision making and how does it influence FDI decision making. Firstly, with governments information, the quality of investors knowledge of the performance, operations and functions of companies in the target market can be further enhanced for better understanding, which enforces rules of equity and resource utilization, and promotes competition. Secondly, by providing information, the government contributes data and perspectives on how investment projects can be best commenced and managed as foreign investors are able to obtain sufficient information from host governments in order to make informed decisions and meet obligations and commitments. Generally, it also helps build the countrys image. However, it is still possible for a country to receive lower FDI than its potential if it has a generally negative image, despite having a good resource base and strong economic fundamentals, taking Indonesia for instance. Apparently, a countrys image does affect investors perception and investment inflows. Hence it is a legitimate practice to use specialized and general forms of government information in order to build an affirmative image of a country. Also, reduces uncertainty about changes in policies and administrative practices in the business environment in the near future. Finally, the accessibility of government information increases transparency of transactions, however there may be some concerns. Both the host country and investors may want to have access to information concerning each other as part of its policy-making processes and for regulatory purposes. The main objective of transparency with relation to FDI is to limit circumvention, boost the predictability and stability of the investment relationship, monitor performance and evasion of obligations by covert or indirect means. Certain country characteristics are quote as attracting FDI, including substantial macroeconomic policy management, political freedom and stability, physical security, reliable legal frameworks, an open trading environment, competent institutions, and no or low corruption. Regulatory regimes based on transparency, predictability, and fairness is also important. But the potency of these conditions is dependent of the accessibility of information, especially government information, because foreign direct investors are affected by market failures due to their lack of adequate information due partly to geographical asymmetry of information accessibility (Portes and Rey, 2000). Chapter 4: FDI strategy Background to Singapores FDI strategy Singapores assertive efforts to attain FDI for more support of its economic strategy have enabled the country to develop into a basis for multinational corporations (MNCs). Singapores investment promotion agency, the Economic Development Board (EDB), focuses on obtaining major investments in highly valued services and/or manufacturing activities, deepening its industrial and export structure, using selective interventions to capture cross-industry externalities and move away from labour intensive to capital-skill and technology-intensive activities, by acquiring and upgrading the modern technologies in highly internalized forms. This strategy allowed the country to concentrate in specific phases in the production process, depriving from the flow of innovation and investing lesser in its own innovative effort. Singapores FDI policies were based on liberal entry and ownership conditions, easy access to expatriate skills and generous incentives for the activities that it was seeking to promote. The EDB was mainly set up to synchronize policy, offer incentives to lead foreign investors into targeted activities, acquire and construct industrial estates to attract MNCs. The public sector played an important role in launching and promoting activities selected by the government, acting as a catalyst to private investment or entering areas that were to risky for the private sector. Often it was the efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility of government response that gave Singapore the edge over competing host countries. The importance of inward FDI to Singapore FDI has played a crucial role through the years in accelerating the economic development in Singapore. Being a small country with no natural resources, Singapore had depended on leading international companies not only in bringing in capital funds to broaden her economic base, but also in upgrading the technology and skill content of her industries. Since FDI is one way that Singapore can tap foreign technology, therefore a substantial amount of capital is required to help generate GDP. Furthermore, exchange rate will also play a role in determining GDP. A slow appreciation of the currency will increase the confidence of those who are investing in Singapore and help to attract more investment. The Singapore dollar appreciation will also curb imported inflation. The importance of FDI in Singapore is reflected in the countrys ratio of inward FDI stock to GDP: at 72%, the ratio is the highest in the world. That importance is also reflected in the fact that 90% of value added in Singapores electronics industry (remarkable growth in exports and income) is accounted for by foreign investors, and that FDI accounts for fully two-thirds of equity capital in the countrys manufacturing sector. In addition, Singapores productivity increased fastest in those industries in which FDI was concentrated. The rank correlation coefficients between increases in value added per worker and increases in FDI share and FDI level were .62 and .45. Moreover, because foreign direct investors profits and outward remittances have tended to move in close tandem with the general performance of Singapores economy and the health of its balance of payments, while the economic risk taking function is also borne by those investors, time and again Singapores exceptional reliance on FDI has effectively cushioned its economy from the balance of payments and debt crises that have hurt many other developing economies. Host Country policies FDI is attracted to Singapore mainly due to Singapores favourable investment climate and strategic geographical location. Some other reasons include non-fiscal advantages, Singapores small domestic market combined with no tariffs on most imports and low corporate tax rates have made Singapore into a popular low-risk high-return FDI destination. In general, corporate taxes, or taxes imposed on corporate income, is an important determinant of MNCs location decisions, just as individual income tax rates is an important determinant of where a person decides to work and live. Theoretically, other things equal, MNCs would prefer countries with lower corporate tax rates over countries with higher rates. Furthermore, a wide range of new incentives have been added over the years to promote FDI inflows. Burdensome regulations and performance requirements for FDI can offset a generous package of tax incentives. However, in Singapores case, the restrictions and regulations governing both the entry and operation of foreign enterprises and personnel are minimal. Overall, foreign investors are subject to the same government regulations as local investors, and both have a lot of freedom in pursuing their profit objectives. In addition to the general absence of performance requirements, Singapore has also signed a large number of avoidance of double taxation agreements, which mutually protect countries for a specific time against war and non-commercial risks of expropriation and nationalization. The four areas of Singapores government regulations in different areas relevant to foreign investors are the foreign exchange regime, equity ownership, performance requirements and human resources. First, the foreign exchange regime is highly liberal and freely allows repatriation of capital and remittance of profits, dividends, interests, royalty payments and technical licensing fees, as well as the free importation of goods and services for consumption, investment and production purposes. Second, foreign participation is permitted in most sectors of the economy except for some limitations in the monetary sector, areas of trained and skilled personnel. However, 100% foreign equity ownership is readily permitted. Third, there are no perform