Socrates and his theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Socrates and his theories - Essay Example Contrary to other philosophers, Socrates devoted his life to serve his people without charging fees (Plato 34). Therefore, to state that Socrates had no or little participation of democracy in Athenian government is entirely true. Socrates perceived democratic form of governance as corrupt, unjust, and he profoundly differed with its ideologies. As a philosopher, Socrates believed in practicality and critical thinking in order for one to improve his or her life. He opposed the idea of the majority being in government, which is one of the fundamentals that form a democratic government. According to Pericles, Socrates lack of recognition in equality through participation of the majority makes him less a democratic citizen (Plato 40). Cleon as portrayed by Thucydides was a diligent supporter of the democratic system of government. In his speech Cleon, upholds the negative aspects of the Athenian rules. Cleon strongly believed that anyone who opposed the Athenian government is subject to punishment (Thucydides 25). Cleon delivered his speech opposing the Mytilenian revolt against Athens. In his speech, Cleon emphasized on certain aspects of democracy discussed by Pericles in his famous funeral oration. These aspects include the implementation of the death row sentence. It is my opinion that as much as Cleon convinced Athenians through his speech that democracy is the answer to peace, order and equality. However, it is vital to consider the opinion of the minority for democracy to be effective and sufficient. Socrates did not support Athenian democratic government because of its ignorance of the minority. In fact, he considered it a tool of oppression. Socrates would highly disagree with Cleon’s speech full of egotistical claims in favor of democratic government. This is because in his speech Cleon does not mention the installation of moral values among the citizens to ensure orderliness. Rather, he emphasizes on the execution of the law whether it is just or bias (Thucydides 30). His speech contrasts Socrates belief in the power of knowledge and critical thinking as opposed to following and serving the law blindly (Plato 56). In his speech Diodotus, stressed on the importance of reasoning before implementing a rule. Diodotus urges the Athenian parliament to reason and strategize before passing a judgment on the Mytilenian revolution. Diodotus opposed Cleon who stood by the rules of law. It is my understanding that Diodotus realized that strategy and tact are essential in implementation of power or rules. As in the case of Athens, they faced a challenge in integrating the other states in their system of governance. This was result of lack of strategy and tact (Thucydides 50). Diodotus in his speech argued that by wise reasoning Athenians would subtly subdue the other states without the use of force. Diodotus argument concurs with Socrates principles of governance and power. Just like Diodotus, Socrates believed in rational conflict solv ing methods. Moreover, in his theories Socrates states that, through critical reasoning, a state can achieve anything it intends to acquire without the use of force. Socrates also believed in knowledge as a tool for personal development. However, Diodotus and Socrates differed in terms of participation in politics. Diodotus was an active figure in policy making while Socrates concerned himself with acquisition of knowledge (Kamtekar 80). In the case of the Mytilenian debate, Diodotus

A Commentary on An Astrologers Day Essay Example for Free

A Commentary on An Astrologers Day Essay The writers description of the astrologer leaves us in no doubt that he is a charlatan his equipment, costume and appearance all have a deliberate, theatrical quality designed to convey the impression of a mystic power which he does not possess. Notice the authors wryly ironic comment that the abnormal gleam in his eye is really an outcome of a continual searching for customers and his dry observation that even a half wits eyes would sparkle between such a painted forehead and dark whiskers. The deliberate artifice of the astrologer is further underlined by the authors use of phrases such as To crown the effect and This color scheme. The illusion is enhanced by the fact that the astrologer works in the eerie glow of a smoky flare which adds to the enchantment of the place. The astrologers customers are depicted as gullible creatures who are irresistibly attracted to him like bees. But although the author portrays the astrologer as a fraud, his innocent customers are not shown in the light of hapless victims. The writer does not condemn or deride the astrologer as a parasite but sees him as a businessman who gives his customers value for money: he said things which pleased and astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice and shrewd guesswork. All the same, it was as much an honest mans labor as any other, and he deserved the wages he carried home at the end of the day. We are told that the astrologer has not chosen his profession by design. Intriguingly, the author informs us that he was once a simple farmer who had to leave home without telling anyone. Although the fact that he had to depart hurriedly and travel far suggests that something dire occurred, the actual reason for his flight is not given, thus arousing our curiosity and conferring upon the exiled stranger a sense of mystery, more real than he could possibly create for himself in his bogus role of astrologer. Whilst he has no mystical powers, the astrologer is a shrewd psychologist. He diagnoses his customers problems by listening to their troubles and supplies them with solace and reassurance. Notice how he is careful to either blame his clients woes on other people, or attribute their troubles to elements beyond their control. In this way, they all depart as satisfied customers. Our expectation is aroused by the suitably dramatic entrance of the astrologers antagonist. For reasons which become apparent later, the author has cleverly contrived the scene so that the man is initially no more than a dark shape who blots out the solitary shaft of light which remains after the nut vendors departure. Our initial impression of the stranger is unsympathetic he grumbles and truculently challenges the astrologer to prove his worth in the form of a bet. It is only after the bet has been agreed that the astrologer glimpses the mans face whilst the latter is lighting a charoot. The sight of the mans face seems to shock the astrologer but again we are purposely given no explanation why. The astrologer is so dismayed that he tries to retract the wager and hurriedly leave but the man is ruthlessly insistent and becomes threatening. Surprisingly, the astrologer agrees to speak but only if the wager is increased to one rupee. Both the reader and the man are surprised to hear the astrologers seemingly miraculous divinations as he accurately describes the mans grisly past. The man is dismayed to learn that his thirst for revenge cannot be quenched since his enemy is already dead. He is further stunned to discover that the astrologer knows his name and accepts his admonition to return home and never travel southward again. The astrologer leaves the man with one consolation: he tells him that his enemy received his just deserts by dying a deservedly painful death. Our curiosity is finally satisfied at the end of the story when the astrologer goes home and reveals to his wife that the man in question was in fact the reason why he fled his village. Unbeknown to the man, he had ironically been consulting the very person he had been relentlessly searching for all these years! For the astrologer, meeting his old enemy has been doubly rewarding: firstly, the knowledge that he is not a murderer has lifted a great burden of guilt from his mind; secondly, he has assured his future safety by tricking his antagonist into believing that he is dead. The story fittingly ends with the astrologer sleeping contentedly, having finally laid to rest the ghost of his guilt and successfully warded off the menacing specter of revenge. The authors technique in this story is more subtle than it first appears. Although we are just as surprised as the client when we first hear the astrologers uncannily accurate comments, our surprise is of a different nature since we know what Guru Nayak does not that the astrologer is a definite fraud. Hence, there is an ironic distancing between the reader and the astrologers antagonist which is further stretched by the fact that he is portrayed as an unsympathetic character. Whereas the initially skeptical Guru Nayak becomes increasingly convinced of the astrologers mystic power, the reader becomes increasingly suspicious, especially when the astrologer correctly gives his clients name. Unlike Guru Nayak, the reader has not become increasingly mystified and overawed by the astrologers knowledge, but gradually realises that a connection must exist between Guru Nayaks story and the secret of the astrologers past. Hence, whilst the ending satisfies our curiosity, it does not come as a total surprise. We also share the astrologers final sense of relief, partly because we find Guru Nayak unpleasant but mainly because we admire the way in which he skilfully and successfully handles such a crisis of circumstance and manages to extricate himself from an extremely dangerous situation. Rising to the occasion, he uses his professional acting skills and sharp wits to turn the tables on his overawed antagonist and transform a perilous predicament into godsend. Finally, the authors effective use of irony is worth commenting. Near the beginning of the story, he writes that the astrologer knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute. Given what is about to occur, these words become prophetically ironic. Note also the wry irony of the astrologers final complaint to his wife (The swine has cheated me!) when he himself had perpetrated the greater deception and cleverly cheated Guru Nayak of his revenge . Lastly, the matter-of-fact title is a masterpiece of ironic understatement. An Astrologers Day implies that the story will describe an average or typical day in the astrologer life whereas the event related is both extraordinary and fateful.

An analysis of Globalization

An analysis of Globalization Introduction Globalization is defined to be the dynamic process of growth of all national linkages due to the enlargement and deepening of transnational linkages increasing due to the diversification of economic, political, social and even cultural rights. However, it is important to highlight that problems associated can become global as well, rather than just within the nation. Some people condemn globalization while others are all praise for it. It is a mixed fare that has brought riches to some and misery to others. Countries like Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and India and Pakistan to some extent have had to get a severe jolt because of globalization. Addressing the economic and financial point of view, globalization is defined to be strengthening the links between national economies on the global markets for goods, services and especially due to their capitals. A similar definition was presented in a report in 1997 of the International Monetary Fund, that:the phenomenon of globalization is the integration of world economy in strong growth both with the markets for goods and services and the capital. Globalization has thrown a new challenge before all the countries of the world. Now, even the companies in developing countries have to compete with the powerful giants of the western world. As a result of this, companies which could not withstand the effect of globalization, had either been completely wiped out or suffered heavy losses. It was once stated that, globalization would increase avenues of employment. While such avenues have increased in certain fields like information technology, dramatics, media, services, etc. They have drastically decreased in other fields like agriculture, manufacturing, and engineering etc. Regarding the global nature of technology, it has had its major sources of technical progress that it is concentrated in the developed world, the scientific research is based on global resources, and implementation of technology is focusing on global concerns just like media, services. Global marketing deals with the marketing strategy of companies that meet the requirements of globalization and promote this process. Economic globalization is the gradual integration of national economies in a process that continues to diminish the importance of boundaries for the development of economic activities. Expanding to the world level of economic relations and creating an international business environment, which stimulates the globalization process. In this report we will be discussing the impact of globalization on India as a whole, the economy and how it has helped India in attaining its goal of becoming a developed country in the near future. History and background India is a nation of extraordinary diversity, the second largest in Asia and the seventh largest country on Earth, with a total land area of 2,973,190 sq km. It is the giant of the Indian subcontinent, which comprises fully one third of Asia. India supports one seventh of humanity and this population is continuing to increase at an astonishing rate. India had one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Like China, it is known to be one of the founding civilizations of human history. Since 2500 B.C, the people of India have had a continuous civilization and influenced by many invasions. Indus Valley Civilization was the first major civilization in India which spread and flourished in the north western part of the Indian subcontinent from 3300 to 1300 BCE. India had the first ever urban civilization. Several ideas, philosophies and movements which have shaped the destiny of mankind today, originated in India. Pre-History of India Around 9,000 years ago, Indias first settlement began, and throughout those years, India had been a mysterious land with several strong civilizations, which were able to beat both the Mongols and Alexander the Great during their history period. During the third century BC the country was united under Asoka the Great, this period was known as Indias Golden Age. This is the time India was developing through its advances in mathematics, arts, language, astronomy and religion. Moreover, the religion of Hinduism and Buddhism was developed around this time. Europe Arrives India is one country that kept itself independent nation for a long time, but around the 16th century, countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Portugal began to establish themselves around India, greatly disturbing the country. By the year 1856, India was a part of the British East Company, essentially making it a part of the British Empire. For more than 100 years India was ruled under the British Empire. The country tried to fight against Britain in Indias First War of Independence, but they were not successful. Independence It was a long journey till India received its independence. They always tried to push the British Empire out but without success. However, they continued to fight for their independence. It was not until the legendary Mahatma Gandhi came along and led India in the move towards independence through non-violent civil disobedience. Under his guidance, India gained its independence on August 15, 1947, along with the region of Pakistan. In 1950, the country became a republic and created its own constitution. The people of India later split into Pakistan and India. This arose from differences in culture and religion. The Growing Giant Once India received its independence, it was having some problems with its neighbors. It also got into a dispute with China in 1962 that resulted in the Sino-India War, and the country has gone to war with Pakistan in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. On the other hand, India became a member of the United Nations and it is also one of the few nuclear nations in the world. In addition, the country has transformed itself through economic reforms and is now becoming a superpower along with China. Currently, India is known to be one of the worlds fastest growing economies and so it is expected that India will be one of the major countries of the 21st century, similar to Russia and the United States. One thing that can be seen from this is that India, which has been around in one form or another for thousands of years, shows to it is ready to face all the challenges it is placed with and has no plans of slowing down its growth. Primeval Globalization Globalization can be traced back to the roots of India, ever since the start of its first civilization. India has always been famous for its trade for as back as history can remember. Since ancient times till the start of the British Raj, India has been known for its wealth and fortunes. During the medieval period, roughly from the 12th to the 16th centuries, the country was prosperous despite its political instability. The growth of towns throughout the country was a key element of this period. The impact of political and economic policies practiced by Muslim rulers of the time had led to the development of several towns. This eventually turned into trade and industrial hubs of the country, leading to its prosperity. The economy boomed further as a stable currency system was implemented, using the silver tanka and copper dirham during the Sultanate period which was from the 13th to 16th century. Major trading cities including Delhi, Bombay, Lahore and Ahmedabad. These coastal towns began growing with large populations. Under the Mughal era, from the 16th to 18th century, the urbanisation of India gained further momentum. The formation of a stable and uniform government let to peace and security in the country that inevitably led to the boom of commerce and trade. The escalating foreign trade led to the establishment of markets not only in towns but in villages as well. The production of handicrafts increased as the demand for them in foreign countries increased. The main town centres during the Mughal era were Ahmedabad and Bombay. Farming was a major industry as farmers grew rice, wheat and cotton. Coastal towns were responsible for producing salt. The history of globalization suggests that India had many transnational business relations with the world, with their major trading partner being Mesopotamia, now Iraq. Strong commerce and trade relations with neighbouring countries and Europe are all aspects of the ancient Indian economy. The ancient economy was always looking to expand its operations worldwide in search of new business locations and opportunities. Products There was a large variety of exquisite goods sold in the Indian markets. India was famous for their textile that was one of its main exports. Textiles were traded to Arab nations and South-east Asia. The textile products included quilts of cotton or silk, and colored or printed cloth material. Kasimbazaar in Bengal was a major trade centre for silk and cotton goods. Indian textiles were highly appreciated for their fine and elaborate design consisting luminous colours. Major trading articles included materials such as silk and cotton, metals such as silver and gold, gems, potteries and foods such as cinnamon, honey and pepper. Hardwood furniture, embroidered with inlay work was also very popular. The furniture was based on European designs; however the luxurious inlays and carvings were influenced by Mughal style. Maine markets for furniture were in Sindh and Gujarat. During the 16th century, carpet weaving touched new heights and became an important profession for trade. The carpets produced during the Mughal era depicted either animals in combat or flowers. South India became famous for its fishing industry, pearl, ornamental work in cut stones, ivory and tortoise shells. Diamonds also became a major trading good once they were mined from the Deccan Plateau. Calicut was a major centre for cutting and polishing stones. Indian arts and crafts were popular in European countries due to their beauty. Foreign Trade Indias exports were greater than its imports. Some of the main imports were horses from Kabul and Arabia, European glassware and Chinese raw silk, including porcelain were also imported. Luxury goods such as stones, corals, precious wines, dry fruits, scented oils, wool, bronze, wax, perfumes and velvets were also very popular imports. Goods that were commonly exported included gold-embroidered cloth caps, guns, elegantly designed clay pans and pots, scissors, silk and knives. Goods such as oils, sugar, sandalwood, salt, coconuts, diamonds and other precious gems and spices were also mainly exported. Arab traders shipped Indian goods as far of to European countries via the Mediterranean and Red Sea. Indian products were also sent to East Africa and the Far East. An average of 300 ships docked at Indian ports per year, this magnitude of trade promoted the shipbuilding industry in coastal towns. Eventually there were over 300 ports to accommodate the huge number of ships visiting. These facts can give a good idea of a what scale trade was during the medieval era. Therefore, as it can be seen India has always enjoyed a positive balance in trade relations with other countries. The income from export of indigo, spices, textiles and sugar alone were in millions of rupees, thus having the state treasury abundantly filled with gold and silver. The Decline in Prosperity Political conditions in India during the 18th century such as the decline of the Mughal government led to the downfall of mercantile community. As a result trade downscaled and then the Maratha invasion of India also reduced commerce and trade. During the 18th century, the invasion of the British Empire deteriorated the prosperity of India. The defeat at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 started the declined of the country. The British implemented heavy duties on exports and imports to the country, which hurt trade relations. After taking over, the British prevented other nationals from entering the country for trading purposes. Also the export of Indian textiles was banned. The British monopolised the foreign trade of India, crippling it. They started importing goods only from England, forcing Indian traders to other professions. A once great trading country had been handicapped to its death by the end of the eighteenth century. (Kumar) Globalization and liberalization Both globalization and liberation are interrelated to each other. The first wave of globalization emerged in India, when economic liberalization policies were implemented in the 1990s by Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Finance Minister of the country at that time. From then on, the economy has improved vastly in many aspects and has drastically increased the standard of living of the citizens. Pre liberalization period and globalization Post-independence till the end of the 1980s, Indias economic strategy was primarily based on government control and a centrally run market. India did not have a proper consumer based marketplace and thus, foreign investments were not coming in. During the 1980s, there was an increase of stress on globalization and liberalization of the economy by the Congress government. In 1991, Rajiv Gandhi-led Indian government imposed limits on office holders regarding expansion of capacity, brought down corporate taxes, and abolished price controls. The main objective of the government was then to help boost the GDP of India and to increase exports. Even though the economic liberalization policies were implemented, they did not do much in improving the economic state of the country. The imports eventually exceeded exports and thus the country started to have severe balance of payments. The downfall of the Soviet Union, a key trading partner of India, also provoked the problem against India. The country was in a desperate state for economic reforms in order to improve its situation. Liberalization in the 1990s Under the guidance of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister of India, the first steps towards liberalization were taken, with the aim towards embracing globalization. This was considered a milestone in Indian history and ever since, the economy has been steadily improving. Today the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing in the world with a growth of 7% per year. The Indian Economy: The Effect of Liberalization Globalization and liberalization have greatly affected the Indian economy and converted it in to a multi-billion dollar consumer market. Today, most of the economic changes in the country are based on the demand supply cycle and other economic factors. Today, India is the worlds 11th largest economy in the world with a nominal GPD of US$1.243 trillion and 4th largest in terms of the Purchasing Power Parity at US$3.561 trillion. The business and economic environment is evolving towards constant improvement. The Indian economy has transformed into a vibrant, rapidly growing consumer market, containing a strong middle class with over 300 million people. India provides a large market for consumer goods, on one hand, and imports capital goods and technology to modernize its manufacturing base, on the other. Revolution in the field of manufactured goods coupled with opening up the economy to the globalized market forces, has led to the inflow of various consumer goods into the Indian marke t to cater to the needs of consumers and a variety of services such as banking, financing, insurance, transport, housing construction, entertainment are being made available to consumers. Liberalization and privatization have paved the way for a number of market players to enter into the Indian economy ensuring greater choice and better quality of goods and services to the consumers. Greater reliance on market forces have been felt in the last two decades. However, it has also been widely recognized that fate of the consumers cannot be left to sheer market forces. Government intervention is required to ensure protection of consumers. According to a report by the World Bank, the Indian market is expected to grow at around 8% in the year 2010 and become the largest economy in the world by 2020. However due to its large population size, India has a low per capita income of $3,100. India ranks 139th with its nominal GDP capita and 128th with its GDP per capita at PP Globalization and liberalization have positively impacted various important economic segments. Today, the service sectors, industrial sectors and the agriculture sector have grown drastically. 54% of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India is part of the service industry while the industrial and agriculture sector contributes around 29% and 17%. With the improvement of the economy, more and more new sectors are starting up and drawing profits such as IT services, cement, textiles, and chemical industry. With the boost in the supply level, the rate of employment is also increasing accordingly. Several improvements in the manufacturing sector have helped it grow from 8.98% in 2005 to around 12% in 2010. The communication sector has grown up to 16.64%. The annual growth of the industrial sector has been 6.8 %, which will rise further in the future. India is one of the largest industrial markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Globalization and foreign investment One of the key aspects of globalization is foreign investment. India has emerged as one of the ideal markets for foreign investors due to its vast market size. Several foreign companies are investing in the Indian market to get higher profits. The foreign institutional investments (FII) amounts to around US$ 10 billion in FY 2008-09, while the rate of Foreign direct investments (FDI) has grown around 85.1% in 2009 to US$ 46.5 billion from US$ 25.1 billion (2008). Indias economic growth has been hindered in past by a variety of factors. For example in 2002, deficit in expenditures for areas such as power, telecommunications, construction, real estate and transportation prevented growth of the Indian economy. This led to permission and promotion of foreign investment, which has contributed to a continuous rate of development in last five years. Being the least hit of all economies, the Indian economy has really survived the storm of global financial crisis. Rating agencies like, Moodys, have stated that the strong performance is a resultant factor of renewed growth between India and China. Growth figures of Indian economy: * Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at factor cost 6.7% in 2008-09 * Growth of GDP in agriculture, forestry and fishing 1.6% in 2008-09 * Growth of GDP in industry 3.9% in 2008-09 The Government of India is undertaking every possible means to restore the India economic growth. Some other Indian economy growth projections are World Bank has forecasted an 8% growth for India in 2010 Economists predicted a 6.5% growth for 2009-2010 Goldman Sachs predicts a 5.8% for 2010 The Government has raised the GDP growth forecast to 8.5% for FY11. India Economy statistics The foreign exchange reserve of India stood at US $285.5 billion on October 2009. Indias GDP was US $1.217 trillion in 2008. India economys GDP growth was 7.09% in 2008. Exports contributed to the Indian GDP in 2008 with a growth rate of 24.0%. Imports contributed to the Indian GDP in 2008 with a growth rate of 30.34%. Indias wholesale based annual inflation rate increased to 1.51% as on October 17, 2009. Impact of Globalization on Employment in India Globalization has played an important role in the generation of employment in India. Due to the economic liberation policies in 1990s, the employment scenario in the country has seen to be significantly improved. The following will provide a study of the impact of globalization on employment in India that will bring out a number of factors. Market liberalization policies and employment The awareness and awakening of globalization took place in India during the early 1990s, when the Finance Minister Manmohan Singh initiated the open market policies. This initiated a critical change and improvement in the gross domestic product of the country and the exports increased significantly. There was a sudden increase in the customer base and it led to slowly giving rise to the consumer market where the market was changing and was dependent on the demand supply chains. In fact, the growth in demand led to the certain changes and the supply to start increasing. Once the supply starts, it would be directly linked to the employment; moreover the supply leads to an increase of production which leads to more employment over the years. Growth of new segments in the market Due to globalization and the growth of the consumer market, a number of segments in various sectors of the industry have grown over the years. This has led to the significant rise in the rate of demand and supply. During the recent years, there are a number of industry segments like the information technology, agro products, personal and beauty care, health care and other sectors that have come into the market. According to the studies and experts it says that there are a wide range of sectors that have led to the positive growth of the economy in the country. Due to the upcoming of more and more industries, there has been a high demand for quality workforce. For example, there are a number of young people who are interested in working and so take up jobs in all segments for a new start. In the unorganized sector as well, there has been an increase in various sectors which has improved the rate of employment in the country. As per the recent surveys, and data collected- there has been a significant increase in the number of people working in the unorganized and allied sectors. The pay package in all these unorganized sectors have also increased to a great extent. Improvement in the standard of living Due to the globalization it has left a major impact in the economy of India, and so there has been an improvement in the standard of living of the people. These improved changes and the approving economic growth has led to the development of infrastructure, health care facilities and services, per capita income and other factors which have really led to the high growth rate. It has been predicted that the economy in India will be growing around 6-7% yearly. This growth rate is expected to improve the overall employment situation more and the per capita income will tend to increase significantly. Development of other sectors Globalization has positively affected the growth of various sectors in India. Based on the effect of globalization, it has opened new markets along with new employment opportunities for the people. The service industry has a share of around 54% of the yearly Gross Domestic Product (GDP). From this figure itself, it explains how the service industries are doing in the market and as such, there are plenty of employment opportunities. Meanwhile, in the other sectors, industry and agriculture the rate of employment has gone up. The industrial sector contributes around 29 % while the agricultural sector contributes around 17 % to the gross domestic product. Additionally, there are other exports in the country that consist of tea, cotton, jute, wheat, sugarcane and so on. Due to the growth of customer base in all these sectors, more and more employment opportunities are opening up. Moreover, actually a number of young people and freshers are getting jobs in all types of industry. For example, in the manufacturing sector, there has been a growth of around 12% whereas; the communication and storage sector has also grown up by around 16.64%. Government Initiatives To deal with the encouraging effects of globalization, the government has taken a number of initiatives. There are a number of employment opportunities such as former Prime Minister Rojgar Yojna and the former Chief Minister Rojgar Yojna initiated programs to improve the employment situation in rural areas. The Minimum Wages scheme has been set up and tends to be successfully. To learn more about the improving the quality of workforce, a lot of effort has been given to the impact of education. Under these schemes, new schools are being opened up and attention is also being given to the welfare of the students. Similarly in the urban sector too, more and more employment opportunities are being opened up for the youth in a number of government sectors, banks and so on. Sequentially, to promote communication and migration of workforce to various parts of the country to cater to the needs, the government has also developed communications to a great extent. New roads and highways are being constructed to increase connectivity. Impact of Globalization on Poverty in India The impact of globalization on the poverty level in India has always been an ongoing issue. While some scholars agree that globalization has led to high economic growth in the country, leading to positive economic conditions and a better standard of living for the people. Others contend that globalization barley had any positive impact on the country as a whole. The economic growth after liberalization of 1990 led to rapid progress of public facilities all over the country. The standard of living increased as the per capita income increased, which inevitably improved the poverty level of masses. In general, if the economy of a country improves, the poverty level reduces. As India became a consumer based marketplace it created more job opportunities, which also helped improved the poverty level. Also with the growth of globalization throughout India, the agriculture sector grew tremendously, which helped reduce poverty mainly in rural areas. The introduction of technologically advanced equipment changed the way farmers worked. Tools such as tractors and rowers increased the produce in terms of quality and quantity. As such, farmers have started earning more and have improved their per capita income and the standard of living. Globalization has also positively impacted the health care of India. As several medical advances came into the country, they improved the overall health situation of India. This led to the increase of morality rates and reduced the malnutrition rates. We as a group feel that globalization helped improve the poverty level of India and the factors listed above are proof of that. Challenges India is facing It is predicted by Goldman Sachs and the Global Investment Bank that by 2035 India will have the third largest economy of the world after US and China. India has a booming economy and by 2035 it will grow to 60% of the US economy. To keep its status and to achieve GDP of 10% for the financial year India has to overcome many challenges. According to the CIA world fact book India has a population of 1.15 billion people and is growing at a rate of 2.11% approximately. Indias population is causing trouble for India to succeed. The population puts a lot of pressure on the economic infrastructure of the nation. Therefore, India needs to control its growing population. The World Bank has estimated that 41% of India lives in poverty. This means that 41% lives below US $ 1.25 a day. India needs to take some major steps to decrease this figure. It is crucial for a country to first eliminate poverty in order to succeed. The increasing population of India puts pressure on the economic resources and job opportunities. For the growth of the country the Indian government has started various schemes such as Jawahar Rozgar Yojna and Self Employment Scheme for Educated Unemployed Youth (SEEUY). However, these schemes are not as successful as they were planned. The growing population would cause unemployment in the country and become a problem. The labor force is growing at about 2.5% a year but employment only grows at 2.3% a year. India is also struggling to complete the pending investment projects. These investment projects are essential for long term development of the country and therefore need to be in progress. Indias debt is 58% of GDP according to the CIA World Fact book; this is another issue that India is struggling with. Another challenge India is facing due to globalization is the divide between the Rural and Urban Areas. It is said that even though India has progressed so much, at least 70% of the population still lives in villages. There is a very severe difference in the rural and urban growth. This is causing a wide gap between the two. As a result, India needs to work on the gap between the rural and urban areas. There should be a balance between both the societies. To work better towards the countrys growth and success India needs to work on maintaining fiscal discipline and introducing financial reforms such as privatization of the public sector. The budget for the expenditure over a certain period should be matched by its revenues. Davesh Kapur, director of the Centre for Advanced Study of India and an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania explains, police forces, land rights, education, and health, are not in a good condition. Kapur stresses that the link between education and social justice in India is increasingly significant, as social inequalities limit access to severely limited educational resources. India needs overcome its challenges by planned economic reforms, such as its labor laws from which there are more employment opportunities for the growing population. Reorganizing the agriculture sector, introducing new technology and reducing the dependence on monsoon will not only create more job opportunities but will help India advance. Opportunities in India Globalization has provided many opportunities for the growing population of India. It has allowed many companies to be introduced in India. Due to globalization, companies have had the opportunity to increase their base of operations and expand their workforce to a broad range of customers. Globalization is playing a major role in the growth of the country and enlarging opportunities that are available. Many companies are taking advantage of Indias lower cost yet English speaking work force. One of the major forces that have expanded its growth is the outsourcing of IT and business. This gives better options for the local work force and utilizes the global communications technology such as the email and internet (Economy Watch). Multinational companies have the advantage of establishing low cost outsource work force in India. This has also helped many organizations in India to gain confidence which can play roles in globalization through expansion. Since the liberalization of 1990, there has been positive growth, which resulted in an significant improvement in the job markets and employment. Standards of living have been better and improved significantly in India. Development of the infrastructure and health care has become better and it is known that India will grow around 6-7% yearly (Business Maps of India). This growth rate is expected to improve the overall employment situation more. In order to have faster communication and migration of workforce to various parts of the country, the government has developed infrastructure to a grea

Concepts of Resources and Scarcity

Concepts of Resources and Scarcity Resources and scarcity, resources means to provide or equipment that is needed. Scarcity means limited or short supply. The definition by Lionel Robbins says that our resources are limited but humans need is unlimited. As a human we never get enough of things. For example, now i own a proton car but later, will wish to have other bigger car. As we all know humans have unlimited desire. And also its very hard to satisfy their wants. Economics is defined as a study of resources to satisfy humans unlimited wants. Economics plays an important role in our daily life. For example, if a price of a product increases it will affect the economics of the country and also the people there. It is important to have or maintain a stable economics in the country. Economics plays an important role in every individual. Besides this, resources are important elements. There are few important elements which are known as the factors of production which are capital, land, labor and entrepreneur. Each element plays an important role in the country economics and also to satisfy humans unlimited needs and wants. The factors of production are divided to 3 main parts which is Humans Resources, Natural Resources and also Manufactured Resources. Firstly, about Human resources, human resources is known as labor. Labor is known as employees who work to made or produce. It is important to know about the abilities of the labor or workers. We should understand their level of abilities and use their skills wisely. Labor help to improve the standard of the country and the satisfy of humans unlimited needs and wants. For example, there will be engineers with a lot of potential, so the employer should understand and use the employee skill wisely to improve and also maintain the production of the country and the economics too. Secondly, i will discuss about land. Land is also an important element in the resources, without land there is nothing. Land is a place where we can get timber, minerals and also natural resources to continue living. By having land we can get all the natural resources. It also knows that in our country Malaysia we are rich in natural resoures, such as minerals and timber. Furthermore capital is also one of the factors of production. Capital is known as a good or services. Example of capital is machines, tools and etc. It is important to have this machines and tools to further with production. Capital is to have a better produced of goods or services. And entrepreneur an entrepreneur is an organize an also an entrepreneur is a person who introduces to new product, and techniques and also entrepreneur must be a person who willing to take risk. These are the four main and important factors, but to fulfill humans needs and wants this is not enough cause humans always have unlimited wants and needs to be fulfill their needs. Moreover by the help of the three questions, it will be much easier to solve this problem. The questions are how to produce, to whom to produces and what to produce. By following this question human can make a choice of what they want. For example, humans have to identify the wants and make a choice. Making a choice may be hard but humans have to make a choice, based on how much they have. How much can their afford. Choice is an important decision that humans have to make. Choice in the food, goods and etc. By making a choice humans tend to satisfy their needs and wants. Capital is define as a good that be used in a business to generate the income of the business. Capital is an important element in a business. Capital is also known as money or property that used in a business. Capital is a money that humans use to develop their business. Without capital there will be no way to develop or invest the business. Capital used to produce either goods or services. For example Capital refers to machines or tools in an company. Without the machines or tools cannot produce or create. For examples cars, there are machines and tools that had been created to make cars, without the machines the car cannot be created or made. Just with machines job is done faster and easily. Capital also depends on what kind of capital that humans refers either in a form of money or machines. Money is also known as capital. To produce or start a business, we need capital in which in the form of money. To start a small or big business firstly we need capital, without a capital we cannot start the business. Even it is a small amount of money it is still considered as a capital. To start the business we have to have enough of money. Capital also can be property. If property that you own can be a capital. It can be a small piece of land which we can use to start a business. Capital is always refers to something that you put in to get the output, as you can say by putting the input which is capital and you get a output. Without input there will not be any output. The input plays a major role in getting a good output. Capital is a strong and important element to start a business or to produce. We should have a enough of capital before we start to produce or starting a business. Capital is money or machines that have a value to get a good output in the process. Capital also can be identity as a income. For example capital is something that has a value by its own. Income is important in starting a business or doing any production. Furthermore, land is defined as then surface of earth. Land is a beautiful nature resource. Land has its own advantages such as soil, land, and also minerals and timber. Land is important to start a business because without having a land its hard to start a business. Land does not only refer to the upper part but land has its own minerals rivers and etc. In the four factor of production, land is known as one of the factor. The soil in the land has a high quality. Land is depending on which kind of land is it and also where it is located. Some land is really very rich with the minerals, which can be used to produce minerals and etc. Land of ground as be known as property, estate. Business man who wants to open a factory of company will be looking for a land. For example a business man wants to open a shopping mall. The business man will be looking for a invest land or a land where is located in the centre or the town, it also will be a place to attract customers. For example the land owner can be use the land as a invest in it. Land is need for building or known as a property. Land is also can be say as a investments. Land in a good area will be a good investments place for business. Labor is define as a employees or a worker. Labor is an important elements for work to be done. To identify labor the employer has to understand the workers skills and their liabilities and their knowledge of the job. It is important to known employees physical and mental effort on the job there has. Employer has to know his or her employee liabilities before a task. Entrepreneur is define as business man who is willing to take risk in the business they are doing to have either profit of loss. As a entrepreneur he or she has to face the problem. A entrepreneur have to be a person who is very organizes person and also should have the creative in introduces new product. In the business world an entrepreneur has to be fast and also smart in handing problem. These are all the resources that we have in our Malaysia. All this factors are limited. And cannot produce more. But the needs and the wants of the humans are unlimited. As the say of Lionel Robbins which is true that humans always have unlimited of wants which is hard to satisfy. To solve this problem, by using the 3 question which is what to produces, how to produces and to whom to produces. Humans have to make a choice on what they really want and what is really very necessary in their life. Humans have to make the right choice and be happy with it. Opportunity cost plays an important role here. Opportunity cost for example in choosing the right this in food or clothes. Make a decision whether can afford it or not. Make a choice based on the money have and it also must fulfill the needs and wants as well. And also have to do sacrifice one of the needs to fulfill the needs. Opportunity plays a role in our daily life. For example in everything we have to make choice. From what we want to eat to what we want to wear we make a choice. Opportunity choice is made from what we can afford. To solve this economics problem humans have to make the choice cause its hard to satisfy everyone needs and wants with the limited resources. QUESTION2 INTRODUCTION Malaysia is mixed economy country. Mixed economy is known as government intervention in the country. Government intervention means governments interfere in the activities in the production and also distribution. Mixed economics is also known as a balanced economy. Mixed economy is government and markets take the decisions. Mixed economy is a good plan cause by the help of the government price mechanism is control. Price mechanism is define as its a generally between the supply and demand. For example went there is more demand the price of that product will go up. And went the demand goes down the price also goes down too. Price is define as the market value, the price of purchase. Price mechanism is a change according to the demand and supply. For example during raining season the price of vegetables will increase because there will be demand for the vegetables cause during raining season its hard to get vegetables. And the seller will try to sell at the higher price here where government interfere and control the price. Price is divided to two parts which is price floor and price ceilings. A Price floor is the lowest price. Price floor is done by government. Government will control so that the price of the product will not go very low. This is the way how government controls the price mechanism. Price ceilings are government puts a stop for the price of the product go too high and cannot be control. Government tends to control or put a limit to the price or the product. Examples of price floor and price ceilings are (rice, flour. petrol, sugar and etc.) The ways governments interfere. Government intervention by controlling the price of the product in the country. Each product have a standard price and government help that the product are not sell in higher price. If the product is sell in a higher price, the buyers will feel hard to buy it, by the government intervention it will help to control the price of the products. For example the price of rice, if the price of the rice increase the people who have a normal salary will feel hard to buy the rice. It will affect the country economy as well. In other ways government intervention is by giving pension to the employees after they at reach age of 60. Pension helps the employees who are retired. Besides this, government intervention by involves in social activity such as helping the (float victim) by giving them shelter and also basic needs such as food and drinks. Government also helps the poor. Government helps by giving them education. In Malaysia government gives education from standard 1 to right up to form 5. Government also gives important to environmental issues such as reduced of plastic. For example in Malaysia government has introduces not to use plastics bags on Saturday. Besides this, government encourages to use recycle bags. Government plays an important role to control the price mechanism by using the price floor and price ceilings. The price of goods rises because of the demand on the product. And also this will create a shortage in the market. To overcome this problem government has to control the price the goods every time. Government has to put a price list to solve this problem. By controlling the price government also controls the waste. As Malaysia is a mixed economy the control of price is important. By the government interfere it will help the country to have a stable economy. And the people have a control economy in the country. To solve this problem government has to control the price mechanism.

Discussing Web Use Especially for Educational Purposes :: Internet Cyberspace Education Essays

Discussing Web Use Especially for Educational Purposes Abstract The purpose of my paper is to define the web, discuss its educational value, and review some of the ongoing debate regarding its educational use. "And Robert L. Heath says ‘[It is a] means by which any organization - no matter how financially limited - can sustain its messages over time and reach people around the world’ " (as cited by Cooley, 1999, p.1). What is the Web? The Web or WWW or World Wide Web is an informational venue, as well as a communications medium that serves many purposes, namely, to advertise businesses, people, products, services; in other words, to facilitate marketing and public relations. "The World Wide Web’s accessibility and ease of use have encouraged a proliferation of Web resources on almost every imaginable topic. Due to the wealth of information available, the Web is becoming a widely used research tool" (Tate and Alexander, 1996, p.1). The Web is also an educational and news delivery system. The Web began with the birth of the internet. According to Sutherland and Stewart (1999), "[t]he Internet, developed in the 1960s to facilitate military research, had expanded to other research uses by the end of the 1970s." Starr (1997) states, that " [by 1981], the Internet had grown to comprise 213 host computers, linked in an unorganized collection of networks that included local area networks, dedicated computer lines, telephone lines and satellite links" (as cited by Sutherland and Stewart, p.1). "Barely a decade later, the Internet had come to include more than 2 million host computers, a growth largely driven by the popularity of the Web, which only became available in 1990" (Sutherland and Stewart, p.1). "Lehnert (1998) stated that this rapid growth of the Web stemmed from the increased availability of inexpensive, powerful computers, widespread access to the Internet, the combination of the easy to use HTML and graphics, readily available Web browsers, and significant a ttention given to the Web by the mass media" (as cited by Sutherland and Stewart, p.1). Starr said that "[T]he Web, with its innovations in the areas of hypertext, multimedia, and interactivity, has had a profound impact on higher education" (as cited by Sutherland and Stewart, p.1). According to Barnard (1997), "[U]niversity administrators, partially driven by market forces, value the Web as a vehicle to market their institution as well as to deliver distance learning" (as cited by Sutherland and Stewart, p.

Carrie and Columbine: American Gothic :: essays research papers fc

Carrie, by Stephen King, and the Columbine High School Incident; looked at separately, they are to things that have nothing to do with each other. Carrie was Stephen King’s first major novel and a New York Times bestseller. Columbine was and incident in Colorado that happened in 1999, where two high school seniors orchestrated a bloody massacre at their high school. The two events occurred over twenty-five years apart, but when juxtaposed we can see many similarities between the book ant the incident, the fact that they are gothic in nature in particular. Gothic Literature is a literary style made popular during the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th . This style usually portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other "dark" subjects. Gothic literature was named for the apparent influence of the dark gothic architecture of the period on the genre. Also, many of these Gothic tales took places in such "gothic" surroundings, sometimes a dark and stormy castle as shown in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, or Bram Stoker's infamous Dracula. These stories were romances, due to their love of the imaginary over the logical. Gothic literature gave birth to many other forms, such as suspense, ghost stories, horror, mystery, and also detective stories. Gothic literature wasn't so different from other genres in form as it was in content and its focus on the "weird" aspects of life. This movement began to slowly open may people's eyes to the possible uses of the supern atural in literature. This brings us to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here we see the emergence of writers such as Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. These writers used the gothic format in their writing but tweaked the traditional form to start a new style with an American twist, hence, â€Å"American Gothic†. These stories of darkness occur in a more everyday setting, such as the quaint house where the man goes mad from the "beating" of his guilt in Edgar Allan Poe's â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and the quaint little village in Shirley Jackson‘s â€Å"The Lottery†. The stories often involved farms and farmers and besides having a surprise twist at the end, usually some form of mass murder or death, they also used dark humor had and underlying theme, such as religion and social order. As we move even further down the timeline, we come across â€Å"new-age† gothic writers.

American Airlines Essay

1. Issues 2. American Airlines’ objectives 3. The airline industry 4. Market 5. Consumer needs 6. Brand image 7. Distribution system 8. Pricing 9. Marketing related strategies 10. Assumptions and risks 1- Issues The main issue of this case is the lack of profits of the airline industry, an industry that should be more than profitable due to the large amount of customers, the necessity of using airlines’ services and the high prices charged by most of these airlines. What we are going to deal with is, why is this happening? And how is American airlines dealing with this problem?. To be able to discuss how American airlines wants to regain profitability, we must identify and analyse different issues such as, the company’s background, the airline industry as a whole, the demand for air travel, the marketing strategies, the distribution systems, pricing policies etc. 2- American Airlines’ objectives American Airlines’ prime objective is to bring back value to air travel, through stimulating business travel, lowering prices etc. So in other words American Airlines’ main objective is to become as profitable as possible. To understand better the company’s objectives we first have to focus on the company’s background, this way we will find out why the airline is not as profitable as it should, and what kind of a change is needed. American Airlines had been the largest airline in the United States for a long time. In 1990 and 1991 due to a recession and the Gulf War, demand for air travel dropped drastically, for this reason, fare wars started and all the airlines incurred massive losses. 3- The Airline industry and the market The airline industry is large, specially in the United States, mainly due to the † Deregulation† of the industry. In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Board was created to control the growth of the air transportation industry. This board had the authority to control entry, exit, prices and methods of competition. In the late 1970 this structure was found inefficient and in 1978 deregulation took place. Due to the deregulation of the industry competition intensified, prices dropped, and the number of people travelling increased. Many new companies  emerged and regional airlines saw deregulation as an opportunity to expand. Due to the rise in competition, by 1986 mergers started to take place and in 1987 64.8% of the market was controlled by the four largest airlines. The demand for air travel is determined mainly by price, studies revealed that half of the leisure travellers and on quarter of business travellers did not have a preference for a particular airline, which means that prices determined the preference. So the strategy to compete for customers consisted mainly in pricing and flight schedules. The demand for flights varies depending on the season or the business cycle therefore airlines have to develop different pricing strategies and offers depending on the season or the business cycle period. An other determinant for demand is technology, the new telecommunication possibilities have made air travelling unnecessary in some cases, which of course has affected airlines revenues. 4- Consumer needs. Consumer needs are clear, what airline consumers need is basically god prices and good flight schedules. These are the basic needs, apart from these ones we could also point out other needs such as big, comfortable seats for long flights, good service on board, good food, punctual departures, check-in facilities, movie channels, etc. All these are consumer needs, but studies have shown that demand is mainly determined by price and a flight schedules, the rest just add value to these two, therefore companies must focus on ways to lower prices and provide good flight timetables. There are two types of travellers, business travellers and leisure travellers, these two of course have different needs, for the first ones price is not so important because usually the company pays for it on the other hand punctuality and flight schedules are very important to them. For leisure travellers the most important thing is usually price, and the rest comes after that. But as I said before consumer needs can be summarised in these to price and schedules. 5- Brand image American Airlines’ brand image is good, due to its successful background and its new marketing strategies. In 1991 American Airlines was the biggest airline in the United States, and the reason for it is that this airline was pioneer in many fields gaining competitive advantage over the other airlines. When deregulation took part in 1978, American transformed in  such a way that it became the industry’s market share leader. American had also pioneered several policies that affected the industry’s structure and standard practices. In the late 1960’s, American introduced the first computerised airline reservation system, which revolutionised the marketing and distribution of the travel industry. American also introduced â€Å"the super saver† fares in 1977, which was the first programme of deep discounts for leisure travellers, and in 1981, American launched the first frequent-flier programme, which created brand loyalty towards the airline. American Airlines is constantly developing new strategies, and introducing new technologies, and this is why its brand image is so high. Some of the new innovations that American Airlines is introducing are, the any time fares for business, new plan ahead for leisure, lower first class fares, etc. 6- The distribution system The main distribution system for air travel is the travel agent, which provides not only the flight ticket, but also supplementary services such as car rentals, hotels, excursions, etc. Airlines ask the agents to make reservations and deliver tickets. There is a difference in the distribution of tickets for business travellers and leisure travellers. Leisure travellers deal always with the agent, but for business travellers sometimes the airlines make deals directly with the companies. Airlines also make special offers to large corporate buyers, like price discount for frequent flier travellers, or quantity discounts. Nowadays there are other distribution systems, such as on line booking, and airlines’ home delivery tickets. 7- Pricing After the deregulation, pricing policies changed drastically, airlines started to offer a wide variety of fares discounted below the regular price. These discount were accompanied by several restrictions such as advanced booking, no refund, no changing dates, etc. Therefore people unwilling to meet these restrictions paid a higher price. At American Airlines management was viewed as selling the right seat to the right person, this means that they search for ways to find out who is willing to pay a higher price, and how can they make him pay a higher price. By 1991, the industry’s pricing structure had become enormously complex. American’s flights involved maintaining 500,000 fares. By late 1991 93% of the tickets  were sold at one kind of a discount or another. And the average discount was 63%. Due to the complex pricing structure American developed the â€Å"value pricing† plan. This plan consisted in: First for any given flight there would be only four different fares. Second, all fares would be mileage-related, and finally, the new fares were set below the levels of comparable existing fares so lower prices would be available to more business and leisure travellers. 8- Marketing related strategies Some the marketing strategies carried out by American Airlines have been: -Computerised reservation Systems: This system changed the industry’s marketing and distribution systems. This system stored information about, flights, seats availability and fares. Which made the booking and distribution a lot easier. CRS systems gave American Airlines a great competitive advantage over the other airlines, as booking fees by CRS enabled American to earn substantial amounts from its competitors. -Hubbing: With hubbing, flights from various origins on spokes of the network are channelled through an intermediate location, where they change planes and are re-routed to their final destination. This way the airline can serve more locations with fewer planes. -Frequent Flyer programmes: These programmes provide discounts or bonuses to frequent travellers. The value of the bonuses increase as the mileage flown increase, the bonuses can take various forms such as, fare reductions, upgrades to better classes or even free tickets. 9- Assumptions and risks In my opinion all of this strategies are brilliant, the only risk I see is in hubbing, customers sometimes don’t want spend additional time changing planes, there is the risk of missing connecting planes, luggage may get lost, etc. In the rest of the strategies I don’t see any risks what so ever.