Barriers to Communication

Sender-oriented †¢Receiver-oriented Sender oriented barriers: It can be either voluntary or involuntary. At any cost, efforts should be made on the part of the sender to identify and remove them. Some of the barriers that are sender oriented are: ? Badly expressed message: concrete ideas and well structures message ? Loss in transmission: correct choice of medium or channel ?Semantic problem: simple words and accurate understanding of intension ? Over/under communication: quantum of information should be right ? I’ Attitude: avoid I attitude ?Prejudices: mind free of bias Rules to overcome the sender oriented barriers: ?Plan and clarify ideas ?Create a climate of trust and confidence ?Time your mind carefully ?Reinforce words with action ?Communicate efficiently Receiver-oriented barriers: ?Poor retention: jot down points ?Inattentive listening: improve concentration ?Tendency to evaluate: delay evaluation ?Interest and attitudes: develop interest ?Conflicting information : confirm with feedback, clarify Differing status and position: encourage juniors to come up with ideas and listen ? Resistance to change: be flexible ?Refutations and arguments: enter into healthy discussions Communication noise In any communication model, noise is interference with the decoding of messages sent over a channel by an encoder. There are many examples of noise: Environmental Noise: Noise that physically disrupts communication, such as standing next to loud speakers at a party, or the noise from a construction site next to a classroom making it difficult to hear the professor.Physiological-Impairment Noise: Physical maladies that prevent effective communication, such as actual deafness or blindness preventing messages from being received as they were intended. Semantic Noise: Different interpretations of the meanings of certain words. For example, the word â€Å"weed† can be interpreted as an undesirable plant in your yard, or as a euphemism for marijuana. Synta ctical Noise: Mistakes in grammar can disrupt communication, such as abrupt changes in verb tense during a sentence.Organizational Noise: Poorly structured communication can prevent the receiver from accurate interpretation. For example, unclear and badly stated directions can make the receiver even more lost. Cultural Noise: Stereotypical assumptions can cause misunderstandings, such as unintentionally offending a non-Christian person by wishing them a â€Å"Merry Christmas. † Psychological Noise: Certain attitudes can also make communication difficult. For instance, great anger or sadness may cause someone to lose focus on the present moment. Disorders such as Autism may also severely hamper effective communication. [11] Barriers to Communication Barriers to communication I Ways to overcome the barrier I A person could be deaf, so obviously they cannot hear what any body is saying to them, they wouldn't be able to hear somebody calling them over and they wont know If people are talking about them which could also lower their self esteem. I This person could still be communicated with by others that know sign language, people could learn sign language so they can interact and communicate with this person, or written communication could be used so people are still able to talk to this person.I People from different cultures may not speak the same language which is a barrier to communication, because they will not be able to understand what you are saying and you will not be able to understand them. I This can be solved by having a translator to help you communicate, you could also try to understand their language by having someone teach you. Pictures and signs could be used to communicate visually making It easier to communicat e.I Having a lack of confidence could be a barrier to communication because the person wont feel confident enough to speak to you, be reverse, shy and scared, and lack of confidence could prevent communication skills from developing. I Ways to overcome this could be to make the person feel comfortable, start off the conversation, make the person feel like you are interested and make them feel better about them selves. I If a person is blind they could feel uncomfortable speaking to people because they wont be able to see who they're talking too, feel vulnerable, scared and unsafe.I Having a person that they know and feel comfortable around with them, would help because they then would feel safe ND secure having somebody they trust with them I Speech difficulties. A person may not be able to speak due to damage to the brain or vocal cords or any other problems they may have which doesn't allow them to speak. I Electronic speech synthesizers could solve this problem. It allows people who have problems with speaking, to communicate with others although they can't actually speak themselves.I Having parent's who are deaf/have speech difficulties could be a problem,it could prevent communication skills developing because their parent's can't speak to hem, teaching them communication skills as they grow up. I Being at nursery, and schools will help this situation. The child will be around others who will speak and communicate in other ways with them. Teaching them communication skills. Having a family member, friend or helper who has no speech difficulties, around the child as he or she grows up would make a difference because he or she can pick up the communication skills they need from that person. Barriers to Communication Sender-oriented †¢Receiver-oriented Sender oriented barriers: It can be either voluntary or involuntary. At any cost, efforts should be made on the part of the sender to identify and remove them. Some of the barriers that are sender oriented are: ? Badly expressed message: concrete ideas and well structures message ? Loss in transmission: correct choice of medium or channel ?Semantic problem: simple words and accurate understanding of intension ? Over/under communication: quantum of information should be right ? I’ Attitude: avoid I attitude ?Prejudices: mind free of bias Rules to overcome the sender oriented barriers: ?Plan and clarify ideas ?Create a climate of trust and confidence ?Time your mind carefully ?Reinforce words with action ?Communicate efficiently Receiver-oriented barriers: ?Poor retention: jot down points ?Inattentive listening: improve concentration ?Tendency to evaluate: delay evaluation ?Interest and attitudes: develop interest ?Conflicting information : confirm with feedback, clarify Differing status and position: encourage juniors to come up with ideas and listen ? Resistance to change: be flexible ?Refutations and arguments: enter into healthy discussions Communication noise In any communication model, noise is interference with the decoding of messages sent over a channel by an encoder. There are many examples of noise: Environmental Noise: Noise that physically disrupts communication, such as standing next to loud speakers at a party, or the noise from a construction site next to a classroom making it difficult to hear the professor.Physiological-Impairment Noise: Physical maladies that prevent effective communication, such as actual deafness or blindness preventing messages from being received as they were intended. Semantic Noise: Different interpretations of the meanings of certain words. For example, the word â€Å"weed† can be interpreted as an undesirable plant in your yard, or as a euphemism for marijuana. Synta ctical Noise: Mistakes in grammar can disrupt communication, such as abrupt changes in verb tense during a sentence.Organizational Noise: Poorly structured communication can prevent the receiver from accurate interpretation. For example, unclear and badly stated directions can make the receiver even more lost. Cultural Noise: Stereotypical assumptions can cause misunderstandings, such as unintentionally offending a non-Christian person by wishing them a â€Å"Merry Christmas. † Psychological Noise: Certain attitudes can also make communication difficult. For instance, great anger or sadness may cause someone to lose focus on the present moment. Disorders such as Autism may also severely hamper effective communication. [11]

Misogyny in Theogony Essay

In Theogony, Hesiod expresses misogynistic notions and shows the triviality of the creation of women. Hesiod portrays the insignificant role for women. He uses marriage as a light-hearted yet serious judgment and stereotypes against all women. Hesiod explains the most misogynistic attitudes in the story of Pandora. He works misogyny into female monsters and goddesses that use their tricks on men. Hesiod displays the dominance of the male sex in his poem, Theogony. Hesiod touches on his feelings toward the idea of marriage. Referring to Theogony, he states that the man who avoids marriage arrives at an old age with no one to look after him and distant relatives share out his living. The man who finds a good wife spends a life, â€Å"that is balanced between evil and good, / A constant struggle.†(393-394) While the man who gets an awful wife lives with, â€Å"He lives with pain in the heart all down the line, / Pain in spirit and mind, incurable evil.†(395-396) Hesiod’s idea of marriage is more of a teaching process with the man as dominant and the woman is to be controlled. The very creation of women was a punishment to mankind. Out of Zeus’ anger toward Prometheus, came Pandora, the first woman. Hesiod explains the thoughts of immortal gods and mortal men as they first glanced at the beautiful creation as â€Å"sheer deception, irresistible to men. / From her is the race of female women, / The deadly race and population of women, / A great infestation among mortal men.† (373-376) The only reason women live in this world is because of the sins of one male figure. Women have no other purpose in Hesiod’s words than to be the bad that upsets the good in the world. In Theogony, Hesiod mentions the monster Echidna stern of heart, â€Å"who was half nymph with fair cheeks and curling lashes, and half a monstrous serpent, terrible and huge, glinting and ravening, down in the hidden depths of the numinous earth.† This monster that Hesiod describes seems to parallel with his image of women: beautiful but deceiving. Theogony also describes Aphrodite as a modest and beautiful goddess. Although she is the goddess of intimacy, tenderness, and pleasure, she is also the goddess of deceptions. Aphrodite claims she is the most powerful because she can influence all other gods. Hesiod wrote this poem with a lot of misogynistic thoughts in mind. The idea of marriage is irrelevant except for the matter of reproduction of strong and courageous men in Theogony. The creation of women was originally a punishment to Prometheus but Hesiod shows that this is a punishment to all mankind. Women are also often compared to monsters and evil creatures. Hesiod states throughout his poem that women are often insignificant and trivial to the lives of men.

Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Analysis of Robert Frost Stopping at the snow covered night It stops at the night covered in the snow It is a poem that works at many levels. This poem uses various literary tools to convey the deeper meaning. Instruments such as fables and images are used in a very simple way so as not to confuse the reader, but they also have a deeper meaning. For these reasons and beyond, I think that stopping Woods on a snowy night is an eternal classic, I think it is my favorite poem. One thing that Robert Frost was among all his poems was that he wrote in a way that he did not work so hard for the readers. The aim of this paper is to analyze Robert Frost's poem Stop the forest at night covered with snow from a stylistic analysis point of view. Analysis was done in graph mode, grammar mode, syntax mode and phonological mode. I also discovered the metaphor and solution that existed in this poem. This article will help you analyze Robert Frost's poetry structure and style, his theme, perspective a nd nature handling. Style is a word derived from the Latin elocution, which means Greek style and vocabulary. Style is a wider term. There are several meanings inside and outside of sentences. The specific procedure for achieving something in a certain way or method is style. In a broad sense, everything is style. The style of things and lifestyle is also a style. Style is also related to person's personality. The style reflects the idea of ​​my mind. It explains how to write and read people Robert Frost's poetry is lyrics. In the forest I stopped on a snowy night to concentrate on where there is time and draw a feeling. Many lines represent discomfort, and when he needs to go home he dislikes being pulled to the end. Frost used Murray to strengthen this uneasiness. Peace and peace are also portrayed in this poem. In addition, the lyrics usually concentrate on one thing, Robert Frost's poetry concentrates in the forest. The story poem conveys a story that includes the beginning, the middle, and the end, not focusing on a moment like lyrics. The role of Robert Frost (an unnamed person) was stopped by Woods when it stopped in the woods and was shocked by the beauty of the winter night. Robert Frost and Edward Thomas' s Chalk Pit and Stop at Snowy Night poems communicate meanings in a sense. Sense of location. The forest stopped on a night covered with snow is for the narrator to stop outside the forest covered with snow and admire the scenery and the horse. The narrator does not stay for a long time because he promises to defend. White crater involves two people talking about a nearby choke pit. - Investigate the factors that affect the pendulum pendulum - Our goal is to investigate whether the pendulum pendulum variables affect speed. Preliminary Work To find variables that affect the swing of the pendulum, I need to test all available variables. Analysis of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Analysis of Robert Frost Stopping at the snow covered night It stops at the night covered in the snow It is a poem that works at many levels. This poem uses various literary tools to convey the deeper meaning. Instruments such as fables and images are used in a very simple way so as not to confuse the reader, but they also have a deeper meaning. For these reasons and beyond, I think that stopping Woods on a snowy night is an eternal classic, I think it is my favorite poem. One thing that Robert Frost was among all his poems was that he wrote in a way that he did not work so hard for the readers. The aim of this paper is to analyze Robert Frost's poem Stop the forest at night covered with snow from a stylistic analysis point of view. Analysis was done in graph mode, grammar mode, syntax mode and phonological mode. I also discovered the metaphor and solution that existed in this poem. This article will help you analyze Robert Frost's poetry structure and style, his theme, perspective a nd nature handling. Style is a word derived from the Latin elocution, which means Greek style and vocabulary. Style is a wider term. There are several meanings inside and outside of sentences. The specific procedure for achieving something in a certain way or method is style. In a broad sense, everything is style. The style of things and lifestyle is also a style. Style is also related to person's personality. The style reflects the idea of ​​my mind. It explains how to write and read people Robert Frost's poetry is lyrics. In the forest I stopped on a snowy night to concentrate on where there is time and draw a feeling. Many lines represent discomfort, and when he needs to go home he dislikes being pulled to the end. Frost used Murray to strengthen this uneasiness. Peace and peace are also portrayed in this poem. In addition, the lyrics usually concentrate on one thing, Robert Frost's poetry concentrates in the forest. The story poem conveys a story that includes the beginning, the middle, and the end, not focusing on a moment like lyrics. The role of Robert Frost (an unnamed person) was stopped by Woods when it stopped in the woods and was shocked by the beauty of the winter night. Robert Frost and Edward Thomas' s Chalk Pit and Stop at Snowy Night poems communicate meanings in a sense. Sense of location. The forest stopped on a night covered with snow is for the narrator to stop outside the forest covered with snow and admire the scenery and the horse. The narrator does not stay for a long time because he promises to defend. White crater involves two people talking about a nearby choke pit. - Investigate the factors that affect the pendulum pendulum - Our goal is to investigate whether the pendulum pendulum variables affect speed. Preliminary Work To find variables that affect the swing of the pendulum, I need to test all available variables.

Describe the research methods and findings of one sociolinguistic Essay

Describe the research methods and findings of one sociolinguistic research project undertaken by Labov.( NOT the New York Department store study) - Essay Example The aim of descriptive research is to verify formulated hypotheses that refer to the present situation in order to elucidate it. Descriptive research is thus a type of research that is primarily concerned with describing the nature or conditions and degree in detail of the present situation (Landman 1988. p. 59). Descriptive Research also aims to show what already exists in a population or group of people. For example, an opinion poll that is conducted to determine the most popular Presidential candidate in an upcoming election, or the type of research used in this paper. Here are the results of an interview carried out in a New York City school. During the interview, a black boy enters a room where there is a big, friendly white interviewer. The interviewer puts a fire engine or a block on the table between them, and asks the boy to describe what he can about the object. In the conversation below, the remarks in parentheses are the interviewer's Here we can see the same kind of monosyllabic and defensive behavior and way of speech which produces a situation in which the child is in an asymmetrical situation where anything he says can, literally, be held against him, as Bereiter reported in his work. The child has seems to have acquired a number of devices to avoid saying much in a situation like this, and he strives quite hard to achieve this end. If one takes this interview as a measure of the verbal capacity of the child, it must be as his capacity to defend himself in a hostile and threatening situation. But unfortunately, thousands of such interviews are used as evidence of the child's total verbal capacity, or more simply his verbality: it is argued that this lack of "verbality" explains his poor performance in school. (Labov, W 1972 p. 8) The verbal behavior that is shown by the child in the interview above is not as a result of ineptness on the part of the interviewer. Rather, this is the result of regular sociolinguistic factors that are in operation both on the child and the adult in this asymmetrical situation. In urban ghetto areas, it is usual to encounter such behavior. Clarence Robins has worked with a group of boys ten to twelve years old, known as the Thunderbirds, and who dominated the preadolescent group in a low-income project in Harlem. In an interview involving a few younger brothers of the Thunderbirds aged between eight and nine years old, the question and answer approach was utilized, but this old approach did not work. Below is an extract from the interview between Clarence and Leon, an eight year old boy. CLARENCE: What if you saw somebody kickin' somebody else on the ground, or was using a stick, what would you do if you saw that LEON: Mmmm. CLARENCE: If it was supposed to be a fair fight-- LEON: I don'

What cultural, political and economic forces encouraged the nations of Essay

What cultural, political and economic forces encouraged the nations of Europe to create overseas empires in the late 19th century - Essay Example During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the European civilization experienced a marvelous imperial expansion and, there have been plenty of efforts made by the European navigators to cross the sea to different other regions of the world for various reasons. European powers like England, France, Portugal, and Spain supported the search for new colonies and their objectives were economic exploitation, the spread of Christianity and the strengthening of their empires and England succeeded in establishing its power over the colonies even from the beginning of the nineteenth century. Europeans were focusing on the shores of Africa, Asia and Latin America and various social, political and cultural factors have motivated them in this widening of imperialism. Cultural factors: The desire to preserve the cultural values, identity and improvement of the society as a whole was an important driving force behind colonization. For instance, it was the British who introduced secondary ed ucation system in India which helped Indians to advance to the frontline of administration. These statements explain the impact of imperialism in carrying out modifications in the social and cultural set up of European colonies (Baker 184). The role of missionaries in the process of colonization is another important factor to be discussed. Their mission was to popularize the teachings of Bible and propagate Christ’s preaching; however, Christianity was employed by the missionaries as an ideology used to convince people to accept the domination of the white. Missionaries provided information regarding social political and economic structure of particular regions to the imperialists so that they could plan appropriate strategies for colonization. Political factors: One can never undermine the political motivations behind colonization during the nineteenth century. During the war of Sedan in1870, the political situation was disturbing and conflicts were there among European nati on. The French nationalism became deep rooted after the war and colonial imperialism turned to be a means of revenge for France. Other European nations used colonialism as an instrument to divert the attention from their internal issues. National prestige was another key factor which compelled the Europeans to concentrate more on the division of existing colonies and occupying power over new colonies (Mathias & Todorov 68). Modern systems of communication and transportation have been introduced as a result of the technological development. These innovations eventually restructured European colonies. Economic factors: The nineteenth century industrialization could be connected with the colonization. As a result of the industrial expansion, Europeans went in search of raw materials and new markets for their products. According to Lenin’s theory, an enlargement of scale of production would result in a decline of profit in capitalist economies and as a result of the accumulation of capital the production will increase and the excessive production would result in the accumulation of unsold products (Mathias & Todorov 68). Industrial revolution resulted in the generation of such a situation. Imperialist policy and an overseas expansion became necessary to overcome this difficulty. It became an important objective of the statesmen to improve on the participation and share in the world trade so as to increase the national wealth and thereby national power (Mathias & Todorov 68). Impact on the international relationship: Most of the Asian and African countries were European colonies and their influence played a major role in shaping the social and educational institutions and the economic structur

Irresponsible drinking - is it getting worse Essay

Irresponsible drinking - is it getting worse - Essay Example More than one fifth of women and one third of men consume more than the daily recommended alcohol levels (OCR 2011, p. 2). People are also more concerned about irresponsible drinking because young adults and children are beginning to drink at a much younger age than ever before. Statistics further indicate that out of every secondary school student, one drinks alcohol more than once a week. Even the government is concerned that the drinking rates, especially among minors, have reached worrying levels. Parents, friends, and licensed premises have been largely blamed for contributing to irresponsible drinking among children (OCR 2011, p. 2). One proposal that has been made to deal with irresponsible drinking entails appointing auditors to examine how the alcohol industry abides by the codes of practice that check on responsible retailing. Change of laws has also been proposed to force alcohol suppliers into line. Increasing taxes on alcohol prices so as to discourage irresponsible drinking has also been proposed. There have been campaigns about the dangers of abusing alcohol, aimed at discouraging irresponsible drinking (OCR 2011, p.

Finance and Investment assignemnt 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance and Investment assignemnt 1 - Assignment Example FV W/ Cont. Compounding =PV*e^rt Where: PV= Present Value R= Rate T= Time (i) Annually FV= $ 1,000*e^(.45)(1) $ 1,046.00 (ii) 6 monthly FV= $ 1,000*e^(.45/2)(1*2) $1,046.00 (iii) Quarterly FV= $ 1,000*e^(.45/4)(1*4) $1,046.00 (iv) Monthly FV= $ 1,000*e^(.45/12)(1*12) $1,046.00 (v) Daily FV= $ 1,000*e^(.45/365)(1*365) $1,046.00 (vi) Hourly FV= $ 1,000*e^(.45/8760)(1*8760) $1,046 (c) Effective interest rate tries to determine the entire cost of borrowing. It accounts for the effect compounding interest which is excluded from the stated or nominal interest rate. For instance, a loan with 10% interest compounded monthly will actually have a rate greater than 10% since the rate is accumulated on monthly basis. Effective Rate, R=(1+I/N)^N Where: R- Effective Rate I= Stated Interest Rate N=Number of compounding periods per year (i) Annually The effective annual interest rate is similar to compounded rate since number of compounding period is one. (ii) 6 monthly R=(1+0.045/2)^2 1.0225% 2.250 0% (iii) quarterly R=(1+0.045/4)^4 1.0341% 3.4100% (iv) Monthly R=(1+0.045/12)^12 1.0420% 4.2000% (v) Daily R=(1+0.045/365)^365 1.0459 4.5900% (vi) Hourly R=(1+0.045/8,760)^8,760 1.0460 4.6000% (d) R=e^n R=2.718^0.045 = 4.6000% Question 4 (a) F.V = P.V (((1+r))^n-1)/r) Where: FV – Future Value PV-Present Value R- Interest Rate N= Time taken 2,000= 1000(((1+2%)^n-1))/.02) 2,000=1,000(1.02)^n-1/.02 (1.02)^n-1=(2000/1000)*.02 (1.02)^n-1=0.04 (1.02)^n=0.04 Nlog 1.02=1.04 N=1.04/In1.02 N=1.04/0.0198 N=52.5 Years (b) 2,000= 1000(((1+5%)^n-1))/.05) 2,000=1,000(1.05)^n-1/.05 (1.05)^n-1=(2000/1000)*.05 (1.05)^n-1=0.1 (1.05)^n=0.1 Nlog 1.05=1.1 N=1.1/In1.05 N=1.1/0.0488 N=22.54 Years (c) 2,000= 1000(((1+7%)^n-1))/.07) 2,000=1,000(1.07)^n-1/.07 (1.07)^n-1=(2000/1000)*.057 (1.07)^n-1=0.14 (1.07)^n=0.14 Nlog 1.07=1.14 N=1.14/In1.07 N=1.14/0.0677 n-16.85 (d) i=2, i=5 and i=7. (5 marks) F.V = P.V (((1+i/2))^0.5d-1)/i*2) (1+0.5i)^0.5d-1=(FV/PV)i*2 (1+0.5i)^0.5d = (FV/PV)i*2+1 d *0.5e^(1+0.5i )=(FV/PV)i*2+1 d = (FV/PV)i*2+1 0.5e(1+0.5i) Illustration: D= (2000/1000)*2*2+1 (0.5*2.718*(1+0.5*0.02) =9/2.269 =3.967 or 4% D= (2000/1000)*2*5+1 (0.5*2.718*(1+0.5*0.05) =21/2.09 =10.05 or 10% D= (2000/1000)*2*7+1 (0.5*2.718*(1+0.5*0.07) =29/2.07 =14% (e) F.V = P.V (((1+i/2))^0.25d-1)/i*4) (1+0.25i)^0.25d-1=(FV/PV)i*4 (1+0.25i)^0.25d = (FV/PV)i*4+1 d *0.25e^(1+0.25i)=(FV/PV)i*4+1 d = (FV/PV)i*4+1 0.25e(1+0.25i) Question 5 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) with explanation of securitization and discussion on the role it played in the beginning of the GFC. Global financial crisis is about the failure of global major financial institutions. The global financial crisis originated form in the United States (US) when investors lost confidence in mortgages

Ned Kelly and Nations Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ned Kelly and Nations Culture - Essay Example His main distinction seems to have been the trouble the police experienced in capturing him. A question that comes to mind, however, is whether the Ned Kelly syndrome of contempt for legality and the law is still a force in modern bourgeois Australia. There is rationale to believe that the Australia which created the Ned Kelly myth might not now be so compassionate to it. Not only does Australia have around twice the average personal throwaway income than the Britain which sent out the convicts now has, but Australians now distinguish themselves as overwhelmingly middle class. Martin elaborates facts to demonstrate that while only one-third of the British see themselves as middle class (or better), roughly two-thirds of Australians fall into the same category. Times have changed. In spite of this, though, Laurie reports findings that imply that the Ned Kelly morality may be very much alive and kicking-- at least among our young people. In his work he found that 99% had at some time stolen and that 75% said they would give up again in at least one of a set of imaginary temptation scenarios. One of the set of scenarios was that of shoplifting. Ned Kelly would certainly feel at home today given these results. (Laurie, 67) Nevertheless, children have not learnt the restraints and more "responsible" attitudes that are expected of adults so the problem of attitude to crime among the population in general remains an open one. It is the objective of this paper to supply data which might help expound the question either way. Understandably, sympathy for Ned Kelly in contemporary Australia would be much less than it once was. A certain respect for the criminal is no longer characteristically Australian. Australians have become entirely bourgeois in their attitudes to crime as in their attitudes to other things. Sympathy for small crime such as shoplifting is now as indicative of estrangement from Australian society as it would be in other countries. As observed by Laurie, the existing culture has also been valuable for the number of commonsense hypotheses about inter-group differences that they prove to be sham. (Laurie, 110) Particularly they are at some discrepancy with the results reported by Martin (Martin, 91). This difference could barely be accounted for by age as the two samples would seem to have been very similar in this respect. It is more possibly to be accounted for by the diverse type of questions asked on the two occasions. The existing sample revealed that schoolboys disapproved of shoplifting. Martin showed that on some occasions they might engage in small crime and deceit. That attitudes and behavior may be at dissent is well-known -- the well-known "Do as I say, not as I do" syndrome. In such situations the incongruity between the present results and the Martin results is only evident. What has been revealed is that there is very little social support for shoplifting in modern-day Australia. Mythical thinking, Laurie tells us, is a rational form of bricolage (Laurie, 89) the bricoleur is a man who makes as well as he can what is required from what he finds to hand. He casts about,

Topic in Cultural Studies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Topic in Cultural Studies - Assignment Example Greek philosophy had many school of thoughts, which were advanced by philosophers such as Socrates and Plato. Greek philosophy was influenced by old literature and myths (Hanson-Harding, 2000). The roman government was made up of three branches, the senate, the consul, and the assembly. It was characterized by monarchy, democracy and aristocracy. Greece had a parliamentary republic headed by a president and a prime minister. It was dominated by socialists and conservatives. Greece was mountainous and a number of islands. Rome was established on a flat plains made up of fertile soils. On the other hand, Romans were farmers. According to Hanson-Harding (2000), the Greeks were mainly sailors. The Greeks mainly imported goods due to poor soils. They used retail markets to sell their own wares. The Greeks had merchants organized in groups called the guilds. They practiced pottery and metalworking. Romans cultivated grapes and olive trees. Rome was endowed with natural and human resources. They imported grains and exported olive oil and grapes (Thomas,

Politics in turkey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Politics in turkey - Research Paper Example Turkey is a parliamentary democracy with 551 seats from 81 provinces. The secular democratic process of the nation was evolved from the war of independence, led by Mustafa Kemal. After the disintegration of Ottoman Empire, the modern nation of Turkey was born in 1924 (kwintessential). Mustafa was popularly known as Ataturk or ‘the father of the nation’. He has been the most popular and influential leader of Turkey who had brought the country on the world map and had laid the foundation of secular democracy of the modern Turkey. He was also the founder member of Republic People’s Party, the first political party of independent Turkey. Democratic process is renowned for its freedom of expression and the power of the people. Turkey too has undergone tremendous upheavals and seen frequent leadership changes since its inception in 1924 but the basic democratic foundation has remained intact against the so called rigid Islamic religiosity. Democratic Party, Republic People’s Party and Justice Party were three major parties that have been in the forefront of Turkish politics. The two military coups of 1960 and 1980 have had short span with elections that had reinstated democratic rule. The ‘harsh restrictions imposed on political rights by military interventions’ are still visible (countryside) but the subsequent democratic governments have diluted their effects. The election of 1983 saw the emergence of new political party by the name of Motherland party under the dynamic leadership of Turgut Ozal who was an economist in the World Bank. Turgut Ozal brought in economic reforms through radically liberal economic policies. Under his reign, turkey was transformed from the small relatively conservative state to modern republic with investment coming from across the globe and making it one of the most attractive venues for investment.

Life in the Slums Essay Example for Free

Life in the Slums Essay Life In The Slums Plan Intro: Life is tough living in the slums, but Im used to it now so its not as hard as it was when we first moved here. Especially considering we were looking to come to the city for a better lifestyle, and to have a better chance for my parents to get a job, and for my siblings and I to go to school. My name is Anikal and Im 13, I have 3 older brothers, and one younger sister. Para 1: living conditions and hygiene and population density Moved to Mumbai 4 years ago looking for a better life- ended up in slums It is basically a tip where we live Its so crowded- 56% of residences have 3 or more people living in a single room Its so dirty, it smells (although we are used to it now) People evacuating their bowls in the middle of the streets- 5 million residents dont have access to toilets We dont have showers we have to find little pools to clean off in- theyre generally dirty water It is a tough life to get used to- nothing is easy We were playing cricket on a big stretch of concrete and the police came chasing after us- we had to run and weave through the slums Para 2: work and employment opportunities and school and exploitation of children We originally moved to the city for the reasons of work and schooling My siblings and I get to go to school twice a week as thats all we can afford We all have to work to get enough money for our family to eat, and to go to school It can be tough labor a lot of the time for little amounts of money We are working towards starting a business selling stuff- we arent sure what yet There arent many opportunities in the slums for work, so you have to take anything you can get We thought there would be a lot of opportunities in Mumbai There are in the main city, but very few in the slums We have to go around asking everyone if theres anything we can do for them to earn a little bit of money We dont get to keep that money for ourselves, we give it to mum and dad, and they use it for all the things we need Para 3: buildings and structures and infrastructure and police and security There are so many buildings in a small area in our slum Over half the population lives on 12% of the land When you are walking around there is only a small gap for sunlight to get through All the buildings are right together and the roofs hang over the footpath- if you can even call it a foot path There are some buildings that are more than one story, but they arent very safe For some people it doesnt matter how unsafe it is, they just need somewhere to live The security isnt all that great in the slums The police are sort of against us, when ever we go places we arent supposed to theyre straight onto us and will chase us for ages With people in the main city, they will politely tell them off, but us, straight into a full chase. Our house is substandard When it rains torrentially it sometimes leak We have hardly any access to hospitals and medical attention Conclusion: Life in the slums is tough. We moved to the city with the intention of starting fresh, and having more opportunities but we ended up in the slums. Weve been here for four years and its been hard. Im used to it now though. It is very unhygienic and packed. The population density is ridiculous. Its been a hard run in terms of work and school, we only get a small education, and dont have a job, we just have to try help out with same labor work for some money. There are so many buildings in such a small area, and we dont have any security, and the police are just out to catch us doing the wrong thing. Our house is very small and squishy, but its the life Im now used to, whether I like it or not, its how it is. Essay Life is tough living in the slums, but Im used to it now so its not as hard as it was when we first moved here. Especially considering we were looking to come to the city for a better lifestyle, a chance for my parents to get a job, and for my siblings and I to get an education. My name is Anikal, Im 13, I have 3 older brothers, and one younger sister. Im live in the slums of Mumbai. My family and I moved to Mumbai looking for a better lifestyle, but ended up in the slums pretty quickly. It is basically like a tip where we live, its terrible. It is so crowded, people everywhere, and in 56% of the residences there are three or more people living in just one room! It is all so dirty, and smells (although we are used to the smell now). People just go to the toilet in the streets, 5 million people dont have access to toilets, and in Dharavi there is one toilet per 1440 people. We dont have access to showers- not many people do, but we have to use the water we have, or find pools of water we can clean off in. Its a tough life to get used to in the slums, nothing comes easy. We were just playing cricket out the back of the slums on the concrete on someone elses land, but no one was there, we werent affecting anyone, and the police just chased us on motorbikes with sticks and all, and we had to run back into the slums, on the roofs trying to get away. We eventually got away then ran back the other way passed them on the roof, we saw them though the gap in between two houses. We originally moved to the city of Mumbai in search of better work and schooling opportunities. My siblings and I only get to go to school twice a week, and get a small education as thats all we can afford on our very small budget. My whole family has to work as much as we can helping people out, doing laboring work just to get enough money for the things we need. We are working towards trying to start up our own small business, and hopefully then have a steady income that we can live off. There arent many opportunities in the slums of Mumbai, so we have to take any work we can get. There are many opportunities if youre in the main part of Mumbai, but unfortunately were in the slums. My siblings and I dont get any pocket money, any money we go out and earn goes straight to our parents so that they can buy all the things we need, like food. There are so many buildings and other structures in our small area of the slums. It is packed, over half of the population lives on only 12% of the land. When you are walking around through the slums, there is only a small gap for any sunlight to get through between the roofs of buildings, over the footpaths- if you can even call it a footpath. There are some buildings in our slum that are more than one story, they arent very safe though, but for some people, thats their only option. We dont really have any security in our slums, and the police are just out to catch us, whenever we are doing anything wrong, even the smallest thing that would normally just be a warning for others, they chase us all through our slums trying to catch us. Theyre just constantly out to get us. Our house is very substandard, its just like a little hut, with two rooms that were all squished into. When there is torrential rain it can sometimes get in, but its usually pretty good. We have hardly any access to any sort of medical care, and hospitals, so when we get sick or injured, we just have to hope its not too bad and that we can get through and come out better in time. Life in the slums is tough. We moved to the city with the intention of starting fresh, and having more opportunities but we ended up in the slums. Weve been here for four years and its been hard. Im used to it now though. It is very unhygienic and packed. The population density is ridiculous. Its been a hard run in terms of work and school, we only get a small education, and dont have a job, we just have to try help out with same labor work for some money. There are so many buildings in such a small area, and we dont have any security, and the police are just out to catch us doing the wrong thing. Our house is very small and squishy, but its the life Im now used to, whether I like it or not, its how it is. Bibliography: Living conditions in the slums. Sites.google. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. . Marotta, Stephen. Slums mumbaiindias jimdo page!. Introduction mumbaiindias jimdo page!. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Aug. 2013. . Slumdog millionaire. Dir. Danny Boyle. Perf. Jamal Malik. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2009. DVD. hallam, james. Dharavi Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Aug. 2013. .

Overseas M&A of Chinese Enterprises Essay Example for Free

Overseas MA of Chinese Enterprises Essay The purpose of this article is to summarize the problems related to the overseas MA of Chinese firms and to propose suggestions on its corresponding improvements. It firstly describes the brief history of China’s overseas MA in three phases and its current status including the growth trend, the location preference and the sector distribution ; iand illustrates one succesussfulrvived case of Lenovo and two failed cases of Chinalco and SAIC. Then Seondly it analyzes the factors contributing to the success: economy growth, exchange rate, foreign currency reserve and proper management; points out the reasons of failure: political resistance, strategy error, integration difficulty and cultural difference. After that it refers to the practice of Japanese enterprises on image making, strategy selection, management localization and relation maintaining. Finally it provideoffers recommendations to improvebetter the execution of China’s overseas MA including regarding public relationship, strategic thinking, management enhancement and cultural communication and ; draws a conclusion that whether the overseas MA is ‘cake’ or ‘trap’ depends on what we choose to do. Overseas MA of Chinese Companies: Cake or Trap? Introduction On 26th February 2013, China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) announced in Beijing that it successfully completed the 15. 1 billion US$ acquisition of a Canadian oil and gas company Nexen Inc NXY. TO, which was Chinas largest-ever foreign takeover. This was exactly the epitome of the ‘Great Leap Forward’ of overseas MA of Chinese companies. Along with the economic boom in more thanof 30 years, encouraged by the ‘go-out’ strategy of the government, Chinese companies have madeseen robust strides in international investment markets. However, wereas most MA cases closed as successfully as the case of CNOOC’s acquisition of Nexon? The answer must be negative should you pay attention to many failures such as Chinalco1’s acquisition of Rio Tinto2. Did every successful starting reach a happy ending? Neveror the answer would be affirmative since the bloody costs Chinese companies have paid in overseasabroad m markets. The aim of this article is to raise a critical question to the overheated enthusiasm on international acquisitions of Chinese enterprises: would it bring a worthy return or rather a bottomless pit? Serving this purpose, the article will firstly draw a brief portrait of the history and the present situation of China’s overseas MA and summarize its characters, experiences and lessons. Then it will analyze the reasons for the successes and failures and compare China’s performance with the practice of its international peers. FinallyIn the end, t, he authorit would like to propose some recommendation on the improvement of the MA operation of Chinese enterprises. Status quo The overseas MA of Chinese enterprises started in the 1990s and could be roughly divided into three phases. The first phase was from the 1990s to the year 2001, when Chinese enterprises just entered the international market and tried to ‘cross the river by feeling the stones’ and to discover acquisition opportunities. The annual amount figure of transactions at that time was below 0. 1 billion US$. The second stage was after China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 when the volume of overseas purchase takeovers reached 1 billion for the first time and till 2005 when the amount climbed to about 5 billions. The third period was fromafter 2006 till now especially after 2009 afterwards when global financial crisis seriously grilled struck the world’s major economies. During this period, the scale of China’s abroad overseas acquisitions exploded and each year it saw a total deal of tens of billions of dollars. In 2010, it was up to the height of 38 billion dollars, occupying 11% of the world’s transactions amount of that year3. There were some trends underlying the wavesis of overseas acquisitions waves. In terms of the quantity of deals, it was climbing climbed constantly with a number of 27 in 2003, 45 in 2005, 61 in 2007, 97 in 2009 and arrived at the record-breaking 147 in 20104. Meanwhile, the size of one transaction increased remarkably and the significant example was the abovementioned takeover of NEXON by CNOOC in 2013, a single deal of 15. 1 billion US$, overpassing exceeding the annual total of many previous years. With regard to the areas where China’s enterprises invested, American,USA Europe and Asia were their top 3 priorities, making up 27%, 21% and 15%5 respectively of the abroad acquisition volumes in 2010. About the sectors where they were interested in, the energy and mining fields were undoubtedly their first choice since 65%6 of the transactions occurred in this industry in 2010. Nonetheless, compared with the general traits, the individual cases are worth researching more carefully. A perfect example is the caseTake the story of China’s giant PC producer Lenovo7 as example, i. In December 2004 Lenovo acquired the PC department sector of IBM at the price of 1. 75 billion US dollars. After almost 10 years’ development, it was impressive that IBM became a super brand of business laptops and PCs and Lenovo had successfully enhanced its brand value and market share during the integration of two firms. It was this deal that made Lenovo a world PC giant. Conversely, the majority of Chinese buyers tasted the bitter flavor of defeats. According to the statistics of Mckinsey8 published in 2010, in the past 20 years, the success rate of international MA was less than 50% while the failure rate of China’s overseas acquisitions was more that 67%9. In 2008, the total loss of China’s multi-national deals was nearly 35 billion US$10. For instance, in June 2009, Rio Tinto Group unexpectedly announced to breach the acquisition agreement with Chinalco and although Rio Tinto paid 0. 195 billion US$ break-up fee to Chinalco, the latter had to must pay multifold btimes of breaching compensation to China’s state-owned commercial banks and assume tremendous losses resulted from the dropping share price of Rio Tinto. Another perfect example is the case SAIC Motor11 took over SsangYong Motor12 which illustrated a failing integration after a triumphant acquisition. SAIC invested 0. 5 billion US$ to buy 48. 92% shares of SsangYong Motor in 2004 and increased its to 51. 33% in 2005. However, a smooth deal did not forecast a disaster of cultural integration. Neither SAIC achieved the aim of technology importation nor the new management team solved the annoying strikes and salary disputes so that the new enterprise staggered till 2009 when the local court approved the bankruptcy protection of SSangYong Motor, indicating the death of this acquisition. Analysis Based on the facts and cases revealed in previous chapter, we could can not help wondering that what was inside the box? In other words, what experiencepoints we can summarizecould summarize from the successful cases and what lessons we should learn from the failed ones? On one hand, the significant development of China’s overseas MA might be generated by the following contributing factors. Firstly, the rapid economy growth drove solid requests forof the raw materials such as oil, gas or mining but subject to the limited domestic resources, Chinese enterprises turned their attention to global markets by active merging and acquiring. Secondly, since the exchange rate reform starting from 2005, the Chinese Currency RMB was appreciating gradually, for example the rate of US$ to RMB was 1: 8. 2 in 2005 but is 1: 6. 1 in 2014. In addition, the global financial crisis resulted from the subordinated debts storm in the USA remarkably dropped the share prices of listed companies in global capital markets. Both factorsThis change considerably lowered the costs of international acquisitions in recent years and created realistic opportunities for Chinese companies. Thirdly, holding the massive foreign currency reserve, for instance, 3820 billion US$ in the end of 201313, the central government of China broadened the control of foreign exchange and launched a ‘go-out’ policy to stimulate the internationalization of domestic enterprises, creating a relatively loose macro surroundings for Chinese companies. Fourthly, some Chinese companies were playing games in global markets more and more expertly. They adopted correct strategy to obtain global assets and products, executed it in accordance with international conventions, gained the advanced technology and sales networks, expanded the market share, established competitive edge and moved forward to the aim of multi-nationalization. On the other hand, it is indeed necessary to figure find out what caused the noticeable failure of Chinese acquirers. From my point of view, the reasons could be explained in four aspects. Political resistance:Political factors bear the brunt of the failure of China’s overseas acquisitions. Most Chinese enterprises engaging in international MA were state-owned enterprises, which in the westerners eyes were regarded as the representatives of Chinese government. Although they emphasized the independence status and commercial orientation when doing business in other countries, the host governments were as prone to link them to the Communist Party of ChinaChinese government. Even if they were not state-owned, the public media often mislabeled them as Chinese SOEs because it was hard for the foreigners to distinguish the nature of one Chinese firm from the other. This was truly an extra risk of Chinese firms and constituted one fundamental obstacle toof China’s overseas acquisitions. Unfortunately, in most cases, Chinese firms had no say and did not know how to communicate with the local government or the public, only to accept the destiny of defeat. For example, the government of USA denied the 18. 5-billion-dollars acquisition of UNOCAL14 by CNOOC for the reason of state security. The failure of Chinalco’ acquisition of Rio Tinto was also attributed to the concern of economic safety of Australia. Strategic error:The core value of enterprise MA probably is increasing the critical competitive advantage and sustainable development capacity thorough obtaining the essential resources of acquired firms, which requires thorough and appropriate strategies. Nevertheless, most Chinese enterprises, when operating international MA, did not have a complete and clear strategiesy or did have a strategiesy but lost control of the operation and could not survive the ever-changing global markets. Some of them failed to properly evaluate their overall strengths and to completely understand the rules of international acquisitions therefore executed rush transactions blindly just catering for the individual preference of the boss or following the ‘going-out’ fashion of ‘going-out’. TheA lack of strategiesy must not realize an anticipated results. After a series of losses in international acquisitions, TCL15 admitted that the insufficient strategic preparation was the major reason contributed to its failure16. Another relevant case is the bidding for Hummer17 by Tengzhong18. Although had published an official industrial planning aiming at developing new energy vehicles in 2009, Tengzhong announced a bid for Hummer, the producer of large displacement vehicles, which completely contradicted its strategy of energy saving and emission reduction. Integration difficulty:After applause, flowers, champagnes and wines in the signature ceremony, the real challenge just starts because of the integration or management difficulties of Chinese firms. Though more and more Chinese enterprises enlarged tremendously in recent years, for example, 100 Chinese firms were listed on the Fortune Global 500 Rankings 201419, taking up one fifth of the world’s biggest companies. But compared with international giants such as Exxon Mobile, BP or Shell, Chinese firms are weak on management issues such as corporate governance, business operations, management communication skills, international reputation and marketing channels and internal integration etc. Multi-national acquisition and integration is so complicated that Chinese companies are short of not only managers who could communicate professionally with their counter-parts and standardize the operation with global horizon but also experts who are familiar with international market operations from legal, financial or managerial background20. Take TCL’s acquisition of Thomson21 for instance, after the deal was done, in less than three years, all the former executives of Thomson left the ‘new’ company22 and it fell into a crisis of management resulting in huge profit losses in the following fiscal years. It was truly a failure of team integration due to managerial incompetence. Even worse, Chinese firms were used to manage the integration after acquisitions with domestic management styles and most of them were caught in serious internal frictions, causing which caused productivity declining and profit dropping. Moreover, Chinese firms were merely accustomed to employ Chinese workers no matter where they were doing business, which exerted extensive concerns in the host country. For example, when Chinese firms acquired a local mining, a railway or harbor construction project in Africa, thousands of Chinese workers were hired to work there. It maybe impressive for many when we watched TV that more than 30,000 Chinese workers retreated from Libya after the civil war following the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in 2010. In the countries with tight policies on foreign labors, the employment patterns of Chinese acquisitions were controversial. Culture difference:Cultural is an indispensible influential factor in international MA yet ignoring its significance is a common failing of Chinese acquirers. Many host countries complained that Chinese firms were mining robots or money machines, developing business simply on their own without incorporating themselves into the local communities and respecting the unique cultural backgrounds. The failure of SAIC’s acquisition of SsangYong, discussed mentioned in previous episode, could cast light on how the culture conflict ruined a takeover. It seems that the primary reason was SAIC’s insufficient acknowledgement of culture difference. Korea is an island country and its people have tremendous national pride therefore when SsangYong was acquired by SCIA which is from an undeveloped country of China, its employees were reluctant to accept the reality of control change and to co-operate well with the new boss. That was why they behaved negatively in the integration and apparently SAIC failed to figure out a proper strategy to deal with this issue. Moreover, SAIC underestimated the power of Labor Union and the complexity of labor disputes while paid more attention to enhance the relationship with the governmental authorities, which is anan exact reflection of Chinese culture, not suitable in Korea. The result of ignoring it was remarkable. Comparison After the analysis of what caused Chinese firms’ poor performance, before giving advice on how to improve it, it seems necessary to catch a glance at how the international peers did their MA deals. Japan, one neighbor of China, is a perfect model we could refer to. Similar as today’s China, Japan is a country short of natural resources, from the 1960s when Japanese economy began to soar, Japanese enterprises invested massively in overseas markets to pursue a steady resource supplies. In the 1970s and 1980s, they also encountered various barriers and obstacles but Japanese firms gradually diminished the hostility and cautiousness and successfully took initiatives in global investment sectors23. Image-making:Japanese firms laid emphasis on image-polishing via the ‘think tank’ and the news media. In the 1980s, in response to the increasing hostility, Japanese firms implemented diverse strategies to turn them acceptable to the American society. Since most official critics were from the Congress, major Japanese companies established or enlarged the representative offices in Washington, DC. They tried to create the mainstream opinion via the cooperation with the think tanks, journalists orand former governmental officials and in return the think tanks held periodically forums on Japanese investments and published reports arguing that Japanese investments were beneficial to the USA economy. In most cases, Japanese firms sponsored or funded the researches or cooperated with the scholars in this field. Sustainable strategy: Japanese firms focused on a long-term effect of investments, pursued a resource-preferred acquisition strategy and did not deviate from the aim easily even if confronting temporary losses or missing profitable opportunities. As a result, the investment terms of Japanese firms were longer than those of Chinese firms. In addition, Japanese companies coordinated well with each other and avoided internal malicious competitions (which often happened among their Chinese peers) to maximize their coalition strength. Differing from Chinese acquirers in Australian market, Japanese companies were used to form an acquisition group of 3-4 firms to optimize the bargaining potential and profit margin. Local management: Unlike Chinese companies which preferred to appoint Chinese executives in overseas subordinates, Japanese investors trusted localAmerican managers and appointed them as executives. Besides, they tried to localize material supplies as much as possible. According to the report published in 2002 by the Bureau of Economics Analysis24, USA, from 1982 to 2002, the number of American suppliers of Honda25had climbed from 40 to 55026. Likewise, when negotiating with partners for acquisition deals, Japanese companies seldom requested to participated in the business operation so that they could avoid the employment, salary or land disputes, which considerably reduced the management risk and integration failure. Community relation: When investing in overseas countries, Japanese firms endeavored to integrate themselves to local culture and contribute to the construction of local communities. For example, sponsoring a baseball team or funding a cancer research center, Japanese firm had donated millions of dollars for local charity. All of these merits of goodness conveyed the information that Japanese firms respected local culture and put high value on local development. This is a sharp contrast to Chinese firms’ behavior in that they were only keen on making money but were indifferent to the lives of local residents. Recommendation Corresponding to the problems figured out discussed and the comparisons analyzed above, I would like to share my view on how to improve the overseas MA operations of Chinese enterprises. Firstly, we should reduce the role the state plays in international acquisitions and create effective communications with stakeholders. To be honest, many overseas MA cases illustrated the economic targets of Chinese government, which is the most controversial issue and the biggest concern in foreign markets. As the government, it must be aware of its duty and the boundary of public power, decrease the interference to micro economic operation and liberate the creativities of Chinese enterprises in overseas markets. On the other hand, Chinese government should provide necessary supervision and guidance of overseas acquisitions, reform improper and complicated formalities of abroad transaction and facilitate the currency flow by loosing strict exchange control. However, to eliminate political obstacles, the majority of the tasks are at the shoulder of Chinese enterprises themselves. It shouldmay be necessary for them to put public relationship management top of their agenda. For example, learn to communicate with the public media and the local communities in the language and style they could understand, find spokesmen in think tanks and sponsor local research academies or educational institutions are all constructive measures to enhance the soft powerimage of Chinese enterprises. In principle, we must try to let the host country, the local public, the local staff and other stakeholders believe that Chinese acquisitions are not only a business but also a kindness, not a threatens but an opportunitiesy, to all of them. Secondly, it is essential to break the spell of speculation and to adopt strategic thinking. Acquisition is not gambling but rather implementation of strategy, hence before initiating offers Chinese buyers must set up definite targets and strategies. In short, what do we exactly want? Every overseas acquisition case must have a clear strategic demand: to enhance the buyer’s weight in the value chain; to extend the brand reputation; to expand the production line or to extend the market share? We should not launch an acquisition merely because the target company is cheap or the acquisition is an eye-catching advertisement. Nothing would be more surprising than the news that a Chinese Millionaire Chen Guangbiao, whose business is recycle resourcing, announced a plan to buy New York Times. After the aim is set up, Chinese enterprise should establish and hold a firm strategy, draw an feasible plan in details to implement the strategy step by step and unless the market surroundings changes fundamentally, do not give up the fixed strategy easily. Thirdly, it could be urgent for Chinese firms to substantially enhance their management strength to survive the integration difficulties after takeovers. It is desirable for the acquirer to keep the previous management team of the acquired firm as much as possible and to pursue a ‘win-win’ target by satisfying both the requirements of the buyer and the demands of the seller as well asand its employees. Plus, they also should build a thorough management systems in accordance with international convention, enhance overall managerial strengthability, perfect internal corporate governance and establish rational incentive mechanism, to achieve a smooth integration and a sustainable development. Fourthly, it is not exaggerating to say that the failure of an overseas acquisition is actually the failure of cultural communication, which reminds Chinese buyers to take care of the cultural difference. Currently, most of the targeted firms are matured western enterprises which have built their own tradition and culture and hope to maintain rather than change it. In the contrary, Chinese firms have not developed a systematic and matured cultures. That is, China buyers have to absorb the advanced elements of the existing cultures and mix them in the formation of a new culture. Under some unique circumstances it is necessary to give up or reform the unreasonable parts in our own cultures that iare s unacceptable to the host country. Conclusion To summarize, overseas MA is an effective way for Chinese enterprises to realize the hyper-normal development in global markets. But every opportunity could also be seen as a crisis and vice versa. It is a cake or a trap merely depends on what areis our choices. Friendly market, clear strategy, efficient management and proper communication may bring you a bright perspectives while hostile surrounding, blind expansion, poor administration and cultural conflict could catch usyou in a deep traps. For the better preparation to survive international MA competitions, it is high time for Chinese enterprises to sum up the successful experiences and to learn from the costly lessons. If this article could provide some advisable suggestions on this topic, it would be my greatest pleasure.

The Orthodox Approach To Development Politics Essay

The Orthodox Approach To Development Politics Essay Poverty does not have one clear definition. It is a complicated, multi-faceted concept. For this essay the term poverty will be used to mean a lack of access to basic resources including food, clean water, sanitation, education and capital. The term absolute poverty signifies a population that is living below $1 (U.S) a day; therefore over 1.2 billion people on Earth are living in absolute poverty. Relative poverty is poverty within a country. Although New Zealand has a high human development, there are still people within the country who are relatively poor, compared with richer people in the country. These relatively poor people are not living in absolute poverty but can be considered poor and are therefore living in relative poverty. The orthodox approach to development sees poverty as a situation suffered by people who do not have the money to buy food and satisfy other basic material needs. The alternative view of development sees poverty as a situation suffered by people who are not able to meet their material and non-material needs through their own effort. This alternative places much more emphasis on community and non-material needs, like self-reliance and a sense of community. There are many causes and effects of poverty. The most obvious effect of poverty is hunger, however hunger can also be a cause of poverty. This is because hunger deprives those living in absolute poverty of the skill and strength to carry out productive work. The latest estimates suggest that about eight hundred and forty million people were undernourished between 1998 and 2000. Millions of people, including over six million children under the age of five, die each year as a result of hunger. One in seven children born in countries where hunger, and therefore poverty, is most common will die before reaching the age of five. Hunger affects mental and physical growth, causing undernourished smaller and slighter body frames, which in turn earn less in jobs involving physical labour, contributing to the overall poverty of a country and community. Voicelessness/powerlessness is a cause and effect of poverty because people living in absolute poverty often have no political power and are subjected to exploitation by the state. They lack protection, and report widespread corruption within state education and health care systems. Poor people in many countries speak of being kept waiting endlessly while the rich of the country go to the head of the queue. Situations like these create more problems for those already in absolute poverty, and continue to divide the rich from the poor without providing any help. The problem with a lack of voice and power as a cause of poverty is that it enforces a lack of voice and power as an effect of poverty, creating a continuous cycle that deliberately separates the poor of a country from the rich. The last major cause and effect of poverty that is covered in this essay is vulnerability. Natural disasters, economic crises, and conflict leave the poor very vulnerable, with nobody to help and a lack of resources to use to help themselves. This idea is best expressed through the story of a poor villager from Benin, in the World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty. Three years ago was a very bad year. The flood washed away all our crops, and there was a lot of hunger around here, to the point that many people actually died of hunger. They must have been at least a dozen, mostly children and old people. Nobody could help them. Their relatives in the village had no food either; nobody had enough food for his own children, let alone the food for the children of his brother or cousin. And few had a richer relative somewhere else who could help. This is a perfect example of the vulnerability that is both a cause and effect of poverty. The relatively poor can become absolutel y poor through disasters, both economic and natural, and conflict, which causes more vulnerability that affects their ability to escape poverty. Poverty and conflict are often closely linked. In many developing countries there are huge contrasts in access to power and control of resources, leading to a sense of voicelessness/powerlessness within the poor of the country. This unfair distribution of wealth, power and often land creates conflict, as those with the advantage battle the disadvantaged in order to maintain their advantages. In El Salvador, during the 1980s, Oxfam worked to alleviate poverty and suffering intensified by years of armed conflict. The roots of this conflict lay in the unequal distribution of power, wealth and resources. Poverty causes, and is effected by, many different other global issues. A set of international development goals were created by the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, to address inequities in income, education, access to health care and the inequalities between men and women. In 2000 these goals were updated and the United Nations Millennium Declaration committed all countries to doing everything possible to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality, and achieve peace, environmental sustainability, and democracy. At this time approximately 1.2 billion people were living on less than $1 (U.S) a day, with an additional 1.6 billion living on less that $2 (U.S) a day. The goal to reduce poverty was seen as an essential part of the way forward. It is crucial to understand why this is seen as a fundamental step and to do this one should look into some of the arguments aga inst helping the poor that philosophers and political theorists pose. The basic lifeboat ethics argument against helping the poor, argued by Garrett Hardin, states that the world is like a lifeboat. In a lifeboat there is a limit to how many people can be carried, and there is no fair way to choose from among those who need to come aboard. Therefore the only fair alternative is to let everyone who needs to come aboard drown. What Hardin is getting at is that we, the developed world, can not save every person, and therefore how can we fairly choose those that we do save and those that we do not. He argues that it would be much fairer to let everyone in absolute poverty die. Other arguments against helping the poor include Friedrich von Hayeks Game of Catalaxy. Hayeks theory stems from a liberal laissez-faire view of the global economy. He believed that the global market should characterized by a spontaneous order that happens when individuals pursue their own ends within a framework set by law and tradition. Hayek goes on to argue that his Game of Catalaxy is a game of skill and all players within the global market are different and therefore not all can win. The winners, he believed, won because they took certain chances and therefore deserved to win, while the losers deserved to lose. Therefore, according to Hayek, countries that have problems with absolute poverty have played the Game of Catalaxy and lost, and deserve to lose. Theoretically these countries will continue to play the game and if they take certain chances they may eventually win. This theory may work but meanwhile the problem of absolute poverty is affecting the rest of the world and therefore we cannot ignore it, or let the Game of Catalaxy sort it out. As Ambassador Jams head Marker, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, says, We are all now in the same lifeboat. The continued health of the North [developed, rich countries] depends on the survival and sustainable development of the South [less developed, poorer countries]. Beyond this argument is a belief that food is a basic human right. If hunger is a cause and effect of poverty and food is a basic human right, then theoretically every country should be doing everything within their power to reduce poverty and create a well-nourished world. This argument is reflected in the Millennium Development Goals. The United Nations believes that food is a basic human right. On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration is the only human rights declaration with universal in its name, and most countries have agreed on it. It can therefore be argued as a legitimate international agreement on the rights of all human beings. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services. Therefore, since the declaration is argued to be a legitimate international agreement on the rights of humans, it can be argued that food, along with other basic necessities, are basic human rights. The orthodox approach to development is the view held by many international regimes like the World Bank and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The basic concepts behind it are the ideas that the free-market system can create unlimited economic growth, that the Western liberal model and knowledge are superior to anything else, and the belief that the process of free-markets would benefit everyone. Theoretically economies would slowly take-off because of the free-market and from there on the wealth would work its way down to the people actually living in absolute poverty. To do this there would be a production of surplus, with individuals selling their lab our for money, as opposed to producing to meet their family and community needs. This orthodox method is known as the top-down liberal method and relies on external expert knowledge, technology, an expansion of privatization, and large capital investments. As already stated, the orthodox approach is based almost entirely on a monetary and material concept of poverty. In 2000: A Better World For All, the World Bank, United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) state that it is possible to cut poverty rates in half by 2015 if countries follow policies that both reduce social and gender inequalities and, most importantly, create income-earning opportunities for the poor. This is the key for, and a perfect example of, the orthodox approach to development. The UNDP Human Development Report 2003 states that there are six basic policies that should be implemented in order to help the countries reduce poverty. Firstly countries should invest early and ambitiously in basic education and health while fostering gender equality. These are preconditions to sustained economic growth. Second, countries should increase the productivity of small farmers in unfavorable environments [environments where hunger and famine are a problem]. Thirdly countries should improve basic infrastructu resto reduce the costs of doing business and overcome geographic barriers. The last three policies involve developing an industrial development policy, working on promoting democracy, and ensuring environmental sustainability. The World Bank concurs with these ideas, as does the World Trade Organization who state that poor people within a country generally gain from trade liberalization. The orthodox approach to development, portrayed by international regimes including the World Trade Organization, World Bank and United Nations involves liberalizing trade and creating empowerment in order to create faster economic growth, which in turn helps to alleviate poverty. This approach is both valid and sound, and has been proven to work in some countries, although not as quickly as the international regimes would like. As this approach is the dominant view, it is seen as more likely to work. However a number of development theorists have discovered problems within this dominant view. The idea that the free market can end hunger, if governments just get out of the way, is seen by some theorists as a myth. These theorists believe that the free-market-is-good/ government-is-bad view is far too simplistic and can never help address poverty and hunger. The top-down approach is seen as unlikely to work in most situations due to corrupt governments who will not let the wealth trickle down to those actually living in poverty. The theory of comparative advantage holds that nations should produce and export those goods and services in which they hold a comparative advantage and import those items that other nations could produce at a lower cost. The problem with this theory, which is also promoted by the World Bank, UN and IMF as a method for alleviating and reducing poverty, is that it falls apart when applied to the real world. Many countries living in absolute poverty can produce large amounts of coffee at a low cost to themselves, however since there are many producing, the price of coffee on the global market is forced downwards and these countries are producing more coffee for less money. These are just two examples of the kind of problems that make the orthodox method for development less viable. The alternative approach to development is argued by many NGOs like World Vision and the World Development Movement. The core concepts of this approach are the ideas that humans should learn to be self-reliant, that nature, cultural diversity and community-controlled commons (water, air, land, and forest) should be valued, and that democratic participation will help to reduce poverty. This approach relies on participation at the community level, working with local knowledge and technology to create a bottom-up approach to community development. It is a grassroots approach, focusing on helping individuals and communities become self-reliant. This approach is often argued by dependency theorists who believe that the structure of the global political economy essentially enslaves the less developed countries by making them dependent on the capitalist, liberal nations. The alternative approach to development is therefore seen by dependency theorists as one of the only ways to develop less developed countries. Much of the anti-globalist campaign is directed at organizations like the World Bank and IMF because their policies encourage less developed countries to become dependent on foreign aid and investment which continues the poverty and hunger within the less developed countries. Although the alternative approach to development also seems sound and viable, it lacks monetary value and places too much emphasis on the power of communities to change governments. Neither approach is perfect in its methods for the alleviation and reduction of poverty. I believe it is a combination of the orthodox and alternative approaches that really has the ability to help reduce poverty in todays world. The orthodox approach focuses too narrowly on money and capital, while the alternative approach believe too heavily in the power of communities to affect change at a national level. I therefore believe that international regimes, like the World Bank and United Nations, should attempt to affect changes at the state level, working to create democratic governments. Non-Governmental Organizations should continue to work at the grass roots level, affecting changes for the individuals and communities while helping them to become self-reliant. This approach is not without problems and cannot be called easy, but I believe it deals with both the individuals and the state at the levels needed and could help to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015. Ther e are no perfect answers for development. Poverty is a complex issue. The key is that we do not ignore those living in poverty but help, in whatever way we believe is best. We are obliged to try our hardest to make circumstances better for them. http://www.vuwcu.orconhosting.net.nz/warp/poverty.htm

Urban Legend of Humans Licking Essay -- Urban Legends

Humans Can Lick Too I collected the story on Saturday, October 9th in my dorm. It was late at night, which added to the effect of the story. The storyteller is a student at the University. He is 17 years old, is from Rockville, Maryland, and is Methodist. He is half Sri Lankan and a quarter Irish and Palestinian. His father is a diplomat and works for the state department, and his mother is a homemaker. The story, as told by the student, is as follows: There once was a girl who lived with her parents in a nice little town. Her parents went out for the night, leaving the girl home alone. She did have her dog with her though, which was a big dog that made her feel safe. She was fairly young, around 13 years old, so her parents told her to make sure all the doors and windows were locked so no one could get in. She did as she was told, but for some reason a window in the basement was stuck, and she could not close it. Because of this the girl simply decided to do the next best thing and locked the basement door so in case someone got in, they could not get to her. After a few hours the girl went to bed, sleeping with the dog next to her bed to make her feel comfortable. However, the girl woke up during the night to a dripping sound. She figured she had left the water on or that there was a leak in a pipe, but she was too tired to go see what the problem was. Being home alone made her a little nervous though, so she put her hand next to the bed to let the dog lick it. She went back to sleep only to wake up again in an hour to the same dripping. She became annoyed but still went back to sleep, letting the dog lick her hand once again. She woke up again in the morning just as her parents were getting h... .... If the story was told in a monotone or was obtained in transcript, it would not be nearly as effective. Due to the fact that the teller of the story was a 17-year-old male, it can be inferred that all of society has an underlying fear of people who can cause them harm. I do not believe that this story actually occurred, but the performance made it seem somewhat believable. However, because of the lack of details, such as where the incident occurred, names of the characters, and when it took place, the story seemed fictional. Regardless of whether this story has factual basis or not, as I listened, I was very disturbed and I cringed at the end. In my opinion, the performance was extremely effective because hearing someone talk about something that seems as if it could actually happen is more affecting than someone telling a story that involves the supernatural.

Short Summary and Quote Analysis in To Kill a Mockingbird :: essays research papers

Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property. Summer rolls around again and Dill comes back to visit. A sence of discrimination develops towards the Radley’s because of their race. Scout forms a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie, whose house is later burnt down. She tells Scout to respect Boo Radley and treat him like a person. Treasures keep appearing in the knothole until it is filled with cement to prevent decay. As winter comes it snows for the first time in a century. Boo gives scout a blanket and she finally understands her father’s and M iss Maudie’s point of view and treats him respectfully. Scout and Jem receive air guns for Christmas, and promise Atticus never to shoot a mockingbird, for they are peaceful and don’t deserve to die in that manner. Atticus then takes a case defending a black man accused of rape. He knows that such a case will bring trouble for his family but he takes it anyways. This is the sense of courage he tries to instill in his son Jem. Atticus defines courage to Jem. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (112). A man with a gun, in his eyes, is not a man, but a coward. It takes little character to point a gun and pull a trigger, but it takes mountains of courage to accept a challenge in which you are already defeated. Nothing to do but reverse fate, overturn the thoughts and predictions which stands looking down with a grin upon its face. This feat maybe impossible, but not totally forsaken, for courage prevails over cowardice. Courage, bravery, selflessness, all attributes necessary for winners to possess. Short Summary and Quote Analysis in To Kill a Mockingbird :: essays research papers Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property. Summer rolls around again and Dill comes back to visit. A sence of discrimination develops towards the Radley’s because of their race. Scout forms a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie, whose house is later burnt down. She tells Scout to respect Boo Radley and treat him like a person. Treasures keep appearing in the knothole until it is filled with cement to prevent decay. As winter comes it snows for the first time in a century. Boo gives scout a blanket and she finally understands her father’s and M iss Maudie’s point of view and treats him respectfully. Scout and Jem receive air guns for Christmas, and promise Atticus never to shoot a mockingbird, for they are peaceful and don’t deserve to die in that manner. Atticus then takes a case defending a black man accused of rape. He knows that such a case will bring trouble for his family but he takes it anyways. This is the sense of courage he tries to instill in his son Jem. Atticus defines courage to Jem. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (112). A man with a gun, in his eyes, is not a man, but a coward. It takes little character to point a gun and pull a trigger, but it takes mountains of courage to accept a challenge in which you are already defeated. Nothing to do but reverse fate, overturn the thoughts and predictions which stands looking down with a grin upon its face. This feat maybe impossible, but not totally forsaken, for courage prevails over cowardice. Courage, bravery, selflessness, all attributes necessary for winners to possess.

Essay --

Thus â€Å"in the thinking about post-conflict reconstruction it is that policy oriented work, which primarily reflects an institutional capacity approach to state development†¦this state will have a monopoly over the legitimate use of violence, maintain public order, generate employment, stabilize the economy, and provide essential services†( Krasner 2010:6). This gives insight that institutions in their premises posses legitimate and authoritative power to govern. Imposed in proper way, trained and informed, this state settlement is licensed to implement new political agenda. Solely they consist tools and methods to implemented new codes of conduct and make civil society more effective. Economic growth mainly depends on their accuracy and effectiveness. Recapitulate, indeed institutions should be taken as primary concern in state building process before any upcoming change. Arguing about democracy, it is seen as exogenous phenomena which certainly deems most appropriate political settlement for the country but according to above mentioned, it cannot operate without beforehand installation of good endogenous components-institutions. Recommendation that strikes from above mentioned is that at most basic level democracies and capitalism presuppose a functioning of state apparatus but in state building agenda which is oriented solely toward promotion of democratization and marketization in intuitionally weak post-conflict environments is counterproductive.(Paris 2004:205). Paris in this regard proposes strategy IBL that addresses to phenomenon of institutionalization, hence advantages of installing proper institutions before liberalizing the field. The dilemma of IBL (Institutionalization before Liberalization) IBL solution and its p... ...nce, on one side the actions taken by UN peace mission come up to $19.9 billion and on the other side during same period costs up to $6.9 trillion were used for military enforcement in different parts of the world, which when it comes to costs and values of human lives neglects the fact of lavish international assistance in terms of state building process.(Paris 2004: 211). From this derives that all this dangers could be easily maneuvered with patient and prioritized actions. Ultimately by promoting† gradual controlled liberalization combined with the immediate construction of domestic institutions that are capable of managing destabilizing effects of democratization and marketization†, IBL strategy seems more compatible and harmless for state building process.(Paris 2004:211). As such prioritization of actions encountered under its umbrella should be considered.

Has technology shaped our society? Essay

When we look back to the mid 1930s, we’ll see that the US was facing a very difficult time. After the gigantic losses on the New York Stock Markets, the economy was on its way to an all time low. The unemployment rates were astronomically high, leading to even worse conditions. ‘But why did this happen?’, we may wonder. Well, there is a very simple answer to that question. Just before the economical downfall, many people worked on the land, in the agraric sectors. But technology had, as it always has, a cheaper answer to the quest for lower costs. Many people were replaced by machines, making the land-owner able to provide the same amount of products with fewer workers on the land. This lead to the gigantically high unemployment rates, which on its turn lead to an extremely high amount of overproduction (after all, people with no jobs could hardly spend much money on primary and secondary needs, let alone tertiary needs). This had a great impact on society back then. Because of the great poverty, people had to change their lives. And so many people did, leading to a different kind of society, with different kinds of relations. However, not only then, but also nowadays technology has its impact on society. At present many countries in the world face a hard economic time. With large gaps in the consumers confidence in the United States and Europe the short-term prospect does not look very colorful. This, evidently, changes the way society works. Especially when one considers that we currently live in a consumer society, and when consumers lack faith, so does society. But how did we come to live in a consumers society? Let’s look back a while. After World War II, there began to evolve a large need for machines that make life easier. Cars, airplanes, household-machines (such as vacuum cleaners, ovens, microwaves), televisions, you name it and it was produced. It began to become a hype, to always have better material possesions than the people in society around you. Having the maniest, newest material possesions stated that you were wealthy. And wealthyness made people respect you. And even today, when we look at cars, cellular phones and computers we still want the  best to make an impression on the people around us. If this advancement in technology hadn’t been here society would simply have looked completely different. We would not have tried to squeeze out every cent of our incomes to pay for a vacation trip that is better and longer than last years. We would not massively have ran to our banks for even larger loanes, for which we ‘only’ have to pay 11% interest, in order to buy that all-important house on Martha’s Vineyard. If we would not have been so hungry for wealth there wouldn’t be so many poor people existent as today. In the US alone, over 17 per cent of the population lives life below the poverty line. And why? Because they didn’t realize that when they lost their jobs they wouldn’t be able to pay for their huge debts they had from their loanes. By the way, would it be a coinsidence that the US contributes the most to the technology sector, and also has the largest consumers society in the world? Surely, we realize these facts, but still we remain in the same pattern, seeking life happiness in material possesions. This pattern is all caused by the technology sector, making people want more than they can have. It has shaped our society into a consumers society.

Waiting for the phone call

The room is stuffy. It has a bald-faced lino floor with pattern rubbed aside in front of the sofa and hertz the table the walls be damp and clutter with oer-the-hill calendars and reads torn from magazines. There is a rotten stench. The mantelpiece by the fireplace is filled with china ornaments big-eyed flop-eared rabbits and beribboned kittens and flowery milkmaids and a porcelain doll wearing a blue(a) dress and her long, golden hair in two neat plaits. The room is mute except for the steady paced tick-tock from the ancient Grand-father clock.It is Dorothys birth twenty-four hours, twelfth August. She is hunched up on her old meretricious sofa on an un periodly August morning. Dorothy is wizardrytled by yell echoing across the garden exterior and, for a long time, she stares in upturned remembrance towards where the swelling orange temperateness is burning the faded floral cover across from her old-fashioned table.Its my natal day, she finally realises. Im cardi nal today. Where did it go?Climbing painfully from a lumpy sofa, standing in a striped nighttime dress by the window, Dorothy stares asideside in her back garden. Theres much too be done. Later. Much later. These eld its all weed killing, backache and terrible bones.Its my birthday.Dorothys guy wire slithers past a glass shrill wall and drops beside its shadow under an apple tree, stalking anxious sparrows. Under the tough bird sumh a mouse plays with a assemble of yesterdays bread. Shadows shrink in bright coldness against all the garden fences and the last star melts into dawn rise. Theres heat in the blown August day already.Dorothy sits in her kitchen. Silent. The house, retention its breath close to her, the roof leaden and oven baked. Dorothys thick veined transfer scrub toast crumbs from the plastic tabletop and when she moves her faded straight-laced feet dust dances giddily on the sunniness patched carpet. She listens to the awakening of the new day the clock on the dresser ticks hastily and the letter box snaps awake.Dorothy walks to the hall and picks up bills and ads that promise discounts and holidays abroad, Dorothy has never been out of England, never been on a plane. Her tired look examine the envelopes at arms length. There are no birthday cards to take a breath over Not so far from her family returning to the familiar kitchen she slides a knife on her letters, slitting out the folded information. Its better than nothing. Even if the electrical energy is red and overdue At least, they abide by in touch. No longer draped in her letter undefendeding designate Dorothy looks at the sunlight shining blindly on her glazed, brown teapot and then(prenominal) she pours about lukewarm tea. She sits and thinks about birthdays back then Cakes and drinks, songs and celebrations and her precious beloved family members spending time with her on her special day. Back when. sentence flies, she says.Shes talking to herself most days who else allow for listen? Up in the lull shadowed parlour a clock chimes the hour and Dorothy rises tiredly and prepares to face the day. She stumbles into the subsisting room and looks up to the mantelpiece. No birthday cards Only a picture of her and her adorable grandchildren, Steven and Carol. Her eyes close. She be cums delirious with aspirationCarol skipping up the lawn with a pop(p) straw basket, picking up bittie daisies and carefully placing them in the basket. Steven, being 2 years old, filling the bird house with crunchy treats awaiting the magpies to glide in. Dorothy is stood under the apple tree, tip-toeing up and grabbing fresh, ripe apples for her relatives. Carol and Steven run over to Dorothy and wrap their arms tightly around her as if they were to never let goDorothy smiles and wishes she could still feel their small hands around her waist, grabbing securely.She dresses and walks to the front door and checks the windows and the bolts and alls secu re. When the night time house creaks with its own age, Dorothy thinks of burglars and imagined violations and trembles in case they invade her.Dorothy swings open the front door and sees Carol and Steven stands in that location, make a face like sunlight.Happy birthday grannieNo longer astonished, Dorothy smiles back and sighs because they arent in reality there.Her head sinks and she wonders back to living room. She notices the sound on the table. She slides over to it. Gently picks it up to check if the dial tone is there she is reassured and drops it down. No phone strains. No phone messages. No birthday cards.She collapses into her tacky sofa. When she turns on the television the news assaults her soul. The serviceman is littered with dead children and pain. The world has done for(p) mad with cruelty and nobody seems to aim noticed. It was different back in her day, when children could go out and play happily on the street without anybody worrying that someone would come abruptly attack them. Back when.She is galvanise by the sharp ringing of the phone. Her heart is pounding could this be the phone visit she has been waiting for all day? Is this her prize family? She reaches over and clasps the phone. Hello? she asks waiting desperately for answer. Hello. My name is Abigail Taylor calling on behalf of the cleaning lady replied. Dorothy slowly lowers the handset and replaces it back in the holder. She stands there paralysed. A tiny draw drop trickles down her wrinkly skin. She snarl so much pain it was as if someone had stabbed her millions of times in the heart. What is the academic degree of living if there is nobody who even knows you exist?The Grandfather clock strikes sextuplet in the evening. She strolls back to the photo of her with her grandchildren. Dorothy bursts out in tears her eyes sore and red and waterfalls of tears flowing down her face. She picks up the photo and holds it against her broken heart. Dorothy still hopes to get that special phone call from her much-loved grandchildren.