Future Of Self Driving Cars Research Papers Essay

In the technology world, the latest advancement is only as good as the next thing coming down the line. The auto industry is constantly bringing us new technologies, whether it be for safety, entertainment, usefulness or simply for pure innovation (Neiger,C.). Unless you’re an inveterate walker or a mass-transit rider, you probably spend more time in your car each week than anywhere except your workplace and your home. It’s not always pleasant. Highway gridlock, a fruitless search for a parking space or a brush with a thundering tractor-trailer can rattle all but the most Zen drivers. Things are about to get better. A new wave of innovation, led by carmakers and automotive-tech companies, is transforming the driving experience. Thanks largely to on-board computers, our vehicles are becoming smarter, nimbler, and safer and more fun. (Human drivers, unfortunately, will remain as erratic as ever.)Fully self-driving cars remain some years away. But new technology in the nex t five to 10 years will help Cars Park themselves, monitor the alertness of the driver and even communicate with each other to avoid collisions. Tomorrow’s cars may have self-parking cars, self-driving cars, long-range headlights, external airbags, learning system, connecting cars, and driver’s health (Brandon,G.). For decades, car infotainment meant just a radio. Then tape decks began appearing, eventually being joined by CD players. Now, Tape decks have disappeared as a factory option (the last car to come with a tape player was sold in 2010), and the CD is entering a slow but inexorable decline. They’re being replaced by smartphones and streaming media. Compared to even a few years ago, new cars are far more connected to the outside world. It’s a trend that’s only going to continue. The always-updating consumer electronics industry and the rapid rise of the smartphone have combined to condition consumers to an incredibly rapid pace  of development. People expect new devices every couple of years that are faster and more powerful, and they’re bringing those expectations out of the Apple or Android or Microsoft store and into the car dealership. As we covered recently, this has created a new set of challenges and opportunities for the automakers. First Parking may be the most tedious thing about driving. Parallel parking is an ordeal for many drivers, but with parking space limited in big cities, squeezing your car into a tiny space is a vital skill (Grabianowski,E.) Even for veteran urban dwellers, parallel parking can be a challenge. And nobody enjoys circling a crowded shopping-center parking lot, jockeying with other irritated drivers for the few open spaces. Fortunately, technology has an answer – cars that park themselves. Imagine finding the perfect parking spot, but instead of struggling to maneuver your car back and forth, you simply press a button, sit back, and relax. The same technology used in self-parking cars can be used for collision avoidance systems and ultimately, self-driving cars. Self-parking cars can also help to solve some of the parking and traffic problems in dense urban areas. Cameras and sensors mounted in car bumpers measure the distance between the car and surrounding obstacles, allowing a semi-automated system to turn the steering wheel, move and brake to navigate into spaces (Brandon,G.). Sometimes parking a car in a space is restricted by the driver’s skill at parallel parking. A self-parking car can fit into smaller spaces than most drivers can manage on their own. This makes it easier for people to find parking spaces, and allows the same number of cars to take up fewer spaces. When someone parallel parks, they often block a lane of traffic for at least a few seconds. If they have problems getting into the spot, this can last for several minutes and seriously disrupt traffic. Self-parking technology would prevent many of these mishaps. It can also save money, since you won’t have to worry about insurance claims for parking-related damage (Grabianowski,E.). Next up are cars that can park themselves at the push of a button. If you believe the hype, it would seem that self-driving cars are right around the corner. Google has been testing them for several years, and states like California and Nevada have authorized them for use on roads – although only with a human behind the wheel. Autonomous-driving features, such as systems that recognize hazards and brake on their own to avoid collisions, are already on the market. But the fantasy of a car that  automatically steers you to work while you read the morning paper or catch a few extras is still many years away. â€Å"Autonomous driving is not going to mean jump in the car, push a button, say ‘Take me to grandma’s house’ and go to sleep,’ † said James Bell, head of consumer affairs for GM. â€Å"That may come someday, but not soon.† For decades, most automobile headlights were fairly uncomplicated. They pointed fixedly ahead, with separate high beams for greater visibility on dark roads. Then came the more energy-efficient halogen and xenon lights and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Now, automakers are pioneering a generation of â€Å"smart† headlights that can automatically adjust their brightness or direction depending on conditions. And a coming wave of laser high beams promises to illuminate the road ahead for a third of a mile – twice the range of LED high-beam headlights – while using less energy. Audi and BMW are racing to be the first carmakers to offer laser lights in a production car: BMW in its i8 plug-in hybrid and Audi in a yet-to-be-named model (maybe the Quattro) by 2015. â€Å"We’ll be able to extend the range of headlights to (a distance of) six football fields,† said Filip Brabec, director of product management for Audi. That’s 600 yards, or more than thr ee north-south blocks in New York. Meanwhile, next-generation LEDs have sensors that can detect oncoming traffic and redirect the beams in such a way as not to blind other drivers. An onboard computer, linked with cameras, controls each of them to mask glare onto other vehicles while flooding the road with light. With such a system, drivers can keep their high beams on all the time instead of having to toggle back and forth. For decades, inflatable airbags have been protecting people in cars from the devastating jolt of collisions. There are airbags mounted in the dash, steering wheel, side panels, seats and even seat belt. Despite their varied locations, these airbags all have one thing in common: They’re inside the vehicle. But what if someone made airbags that inflated on the outside to help protect the car — and pedestrians — before the moment of impact? TRW Automotive, a maker of safety technologies, is developing a large airbag that would fit into rocker panels on the side of the vehicle, on the beam below the doors. A system of cameras and radar on  the car would detect when a collision was imminent and send a signal to the airbag, which would inflate outward and upward within 30 milliseconds. In this way, the side airbag would absorb some of the energy of the collision before the vehicle’s frame was struck. Crash tests have shown that the external airbags can reduce the impact on a vehicle’s interior – the inward crumpling of a car’s frame and doors – by up to 35%, said Emiliano Core, who is developing the airbag system along with Lothar Zink and other TRW engineers. http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ We humans are flawed drivers. We sometimes get behind the wheel while sleepy or even drunk, and we’re easily distracted, whether by our electronic devices or something pretty outside our window. In the gravest circumstances, we can even have a stroke or heart attack behind the wheel (Kelly,H). This is why researchers, app developers and car companies are developing technology to monitor flesh-and-blood drivers and help them avoid accidents. Advanced sensors in the passenger cabin can monitor a driver’s vitals such as heart rate, eye movements and brain activity to detect everything from sleepiness to a heart attack. Nissan is experimenting with an array of technology that detects drunken driving. A sensor in the transmission shift knob can measure the level of alcohol in a driver’s sweat, while the car’s navigation system can sound an alarm if it detects erratic driving, such as weaving a cross lanes (Kelly,H). http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ For several years now, we’ve been hearing about a near future in which all of our digital devices communicate with each other. Your fridge notices that you’re at the grocery store, for example, and sends a message to your phone saying you’re out of milk. Or your oven texts you when the pot roast is done. Now this so-called â€Å"Internet of things† is coming to the highway (Brandon Griggs). As cars grow more and more computerized, they will be able to trade messages about traffic, weather and road conditions. More urgently, they can broadcast their speed and direction and warn each other about potential safety hazards, such as when a nearby vehicle is drifting into your lane.†If I can get information from the car next to me that  they’re going to turn right, that would be great,† explains Maarten Sierhuis, director of Nissan’s research center in Silicon Valley. He imagines a day when information about almost all vehicles is stored in the cloud and accessible by all. â€Å"It would be like crowdsourcing the driving experience.† This technology is called vehicle-to-vehicle communications, or V2V for short, and it’s not far off. In the first test of its kind, almost 3,000 cars and trucks equipped with prototype V2V devices have been driving around Ann Arbor, Michigan, over the past year-and-a-half as part of a pilot program by the University of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Transportation (Brandon Griggs). Thanks to on-board computers that operate everything from the stereo and navigation to the brakes and accelerator, the era of â€Å"big data† is coming to the automobile (Peter Valdes-Dapena). Mercedes-Benz is developing a system that over time promises to learn your schedule, tastes and even your moods. For example, it knows that you leave the house every weekday at 7:30 a.m. to take your kids to school and that you like the cabin a toasty 75 degrees. Based on GPS and satellite data, it quickly learns your preferred routes and tracks real-time traffic problems, so it can suggest detours to help you save time (Peter Valdes-Dapena). http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ Here are some of my favorite implications. Reduced deaths, reduced accidents. Saving LOTS of Money and Time. Massive Fuel Savings. No New Roads, Less Traffic. No Ownership – Just â€Å"On-Demand† Usage. No Garages, No Driveways, No Parking. No Mandatory Car Insurance. At last, if self-driving cars are available in the market everyone will be exited and there will be lot of advantages. Some people may enjoy and love driving cars by themselves, for them this technology may or may not help. But lots of people will be beneficial. Old people and some handicapped people may definitely like this. By this future cars we can save time, money and accidents as well. This technology cars are going to be with us within next 5-10 years. References: Brandon,G. (n.d.). The CNN 10: Future of driving. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ Diamandis,P. (10-13-2014). Self-Driving cars are coming. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdiamandis/2014/10/13/self-driving-cars-are-coming/ Grabianowski,E. (n.d.). How self-parking cars work. Retrieved from: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/self-parking-car.htm Jonathan,m. (06-3-2014). The past, present, and future of in-car infotainment. Retrieved from: http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/06/the-past-present-and-future-of-in-car-infotainment/ Kelly,H. (n.d.). The CNN 10: Future of driving. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ Neiger,C. (n.d.). 5 Future car technologies that truly have a chance. Retrieved from: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/5-future-car-technologies.htm Valdes-Dapena,P. (n.d.). The CNN 10: Future of driving. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/

Hitler

Adolf Hitler and The National Socialists: A Case Study in Political Constructivism ABSTRACT Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party gained and maintained power by adopting the philosophy of constructivism and applying it to political leadership. The Nazi leader took advantage of every situation which made his approach to morals and politics dependent on the climate of public, national, and international opinion at the time. This situational relativist approach can be considered constructivist in nature. Therefore, by selectively exploring the coups of Hitler and his henchmen the constructivist, unstructured nature of National Socialism will become apparent. By Mark Mraz Mark Mraz is an assistant professor of education at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He holds a PhD in C& I Social Studies Education from The Pennsylvania State University. Mark teaches social studies methods and foundations courses at Slippery Rock. Prior to coming to the University, He taught history and social studies for 29 years at the St Marys Area School District in St. Marys, Pennsylvania. Assistant Professor of Education Slippery Rock University Secondary Education Department 208D McKay Hall Slippery Rock, PA 16057 Email:mark. [email  protected] edu Phone: 724-738-2288 0 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1126363 Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists: A Case Study in Political Constructivism Introduction Adolf Hitler and his national socialist movement gained and maintained power by adopting the philosophy of constructivism and applying it to political leadership. The Nazi leader took advantage of every situation which made his approach to morals and politics dependent on the climate of public, national, and international opinion at the time. An example of this contrived policy can be seen in the Nazi’s attempt to create a religion, the Reich Church. However, the general German public adhered to their Christianity and Hitler was forced back down when faced with severe prevalent resistance, thereby allowing the people to keep their religious beliefs (Goldenhagen). Undoubtedly, this situational relativist approach can be considered Constructivist. Therefore, by exploring a selective array of the major coups of Hitler and his henchmen; the constructivist unstructured nature of National Socialism is apparent. According to Hitler, in one of his many private diatribes to his inner circle of disciples, the ultimate goal of his whole policy was quite clear. Hitler’s employment of Machiavellian tactics can be seen as implied constructivism. Hitler stated: Always I am concerned only that I do not take a step from which I will perhaps have to retreat, and not take a step that will harm us. I tell you that I always go to the outermost limits of risk, but never beyond. For this you need to have a nose more or less to smell out; â€Å"What can I still do? † †¦ In a struggle against an enemy, I do not summon an enemy with force of fight. I don’t say: â€Å"Fight! † because I want to fight. Instead I say , â€Å"I will destroy you! And now. Wisdom, help me to maneuver you into a corner that you cannot fight back, and then you get the blow to the heart. (Rosenbaum, 382). This passage suggests that Hitler had a goal in mind but the means to the end 1 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1126363 involved a series of constructed scenarios to back his opponents into a position of weakness by giving them no room to maneuver. This is exactly what he did when he took over Austria, the Rhineland, and Czechoslovakia. Hitler harangued, browbeat, and got a vast territory without firing a shot. This weaving and bobbing like a prize fighter on the world stage of geo-politics is dangerous for both the winner and loser. Because the relativity of the circumstances can be misconstrued as vital to the national interest.. This situational contrived metaphysics of the whole history of the National Socialist Workingmans Party’s rise to power can be interpreted as Machiavellian. Machiavellianism, is by its very â€Å"Realpolitik-politics void of ethics† nature is a process that is constructivist due to the solipsistic beliefs of its adherents always laboring for the welfare of one’s state at the cost of others countries. This ultimately leads to means that are built to real goals by situational circumstance and contrived ethics. According to Claudia Koonz, Professor of History at Duke Univesity: Hitler was a keen judge of his constituency’s desires and needs, which allowed him to fashion his state around principles of secular racism which were void of religion. Basing their notions of ethical behavior on the civic virtues of the ethnic Germanic community and hatred of outsiders, the national socialists; had an amoral compass (Koonz). This moral construction, based on underlyin g prejudices was seen by the majority of Germans as being proper and ethical, are another example of the constructivist philosophy of the Third Reich. Hitler and his disciples gave the masses what they wanted security from outsiders. Many Germans were xenophobic about Bolshevism and other alien ideologies; that if adopted would destroy the socio-political cultural fiber of Germanic Teutonic society. All 2 ideas counter to the Nazi Utopia of Aryan supremacy in all socio-cultural-geo-political spheres were perceived by the masses as a threat or a wart on the body politic which had to be removed. Thus creating a surgical mind set about the elimination of undesirable Non-German elements in society. This whole outlook of the reign was conditioned by this contrived metaphysics which made murders out of learned people who under normal circumstances would be humane. Constructivism as a Philosophy in Theory and Practice Constructivism is a philosophical perspective that contends that all truths or facts are â€Å"constructed. † Therefore, truth is contingent on situational, social experience and individual perception. Constructivist philosophy in education holds that pupils are not passive vessels of knowledge, but actively involved in the creation of knowledge through their experiences. The adherents to this philosophy believe that truth is made or invented, not discovered or learned (Ozmon). So if one would take this philosophy to the extreme, it would be easy to extrapolate that truth can be contrived to fit the need of the moment. Indeed a tactic, employed by the national socialists, was to learn from their experiences and invent the truth to fit the circumstances. This certainly was the case during the unsuccessful beer hall putsch of November 8-9, 1923. During the Nazi’s failed attempt to take over the government of Bavaria by force, Hitler gave several speeches to his followers acting like they had effectively made a coup and won the day. When in reality, they had lost, some were killed and Hitler and his entourage went to prison (Hitler). Out of this experience, Hitler stipulated that his goal was the same, to gain control of the government, but the means were different. The unsuccessful attempt to take over by brute force was replaced with legal constitutional 3 means to gain control. Hitler from then on used democracy to destroy the representative government in Germany. He would work the system to his advantage (Gordon). According to the British Historian, Bevin Alexander, even though Hitler was not aware of Sun Tzu, he subscribed to his axiom: â€Å"The way to avoid what is strong is to strike what is weak (Alexander, ix). † Between 1933 and 1940, the Fuehrer avoided the strong and attacked the weak with great triumph. Hitler and the Nazi’s had the uncanny ability to become protean when the circumstances called for it. He also had a huge talent for spotting and taking advantage of the insecurities and vulnerabilities of his opponents. Using these abilities, which might be called Machiavellian logic or simply constructivism, Hitler gained the upper hand in every situation beginning with his elevation to chancellor in January of 1933, and ending with the capitulation of France in July of 1940. However, after the invasion of Russia in July of 1941, he abandoned his constructivist geo–politics in favor of all out pursuit of a policy detrimental to his own country. Because of his hatred of Bolshevism and Jews, Hitler invaded Russia. He had been allied with Stalin and had gotten enormous amounts of oil as well as other raw materials needed for war from the Russians. The invasion put an end to these supplies. The Nazi’s gravely miscalculated the extent to which the Russians were fanatical about their land and not Communism. This â€Å"love of mother Russia† led to the most tenacious fighting in human history. Hitler was on the cusp of ultimate victory when in late 1940 and 1941 he changed that policy, and began to strike at the major powers of Britain, Russia, and eventually the United States. Hitler’s constructivist theory of â€Å"kicking in the 4 oor and the whole thing will collapse,† was a grave misinterpretation from which there was no retreat and deadly consequences (Alexander). Nazi Geo-Political and Socio-Cultural Coups as case studies in Constructivist Leadership During every phase of the development of the Nazi Reich, Hitler would ally with potential enemies to get what he wa nted. When Hitler was appointed chancellor, he was the head of a coalition government that contained people he did not like from both the left and the right politically. However, in a constructivist style all his own he embraced the arrangement to get to power (Evans 2005). Once Hitler became chancellor, he derailed all efforts for any opposition to gain a majority in parliament and on that pretext argued the demise of Reichstag representation. His own party had lost the majority so he was arguing to dissolve his own government. Hitler’s persuasive opinions caused President Hindenburg to acquiesce to the chancellor’s wishes and he dissolved the legislature. New elections were scheduled for early March, but before that could take place, the Reichstag building or the German Parliament burned down (Bullock). It is believed that Hitler’s confederates started the fire and blamed it on Communists. Once there was a perceived threat, the Nazi’s evoked Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution which enabled the chancellor to do away with the civic liberties of the people to protect the nation from fanatical threats from either the left or right. By doing this, the Nazi’s gave the impression that they were the stable element in society and not reactionary radicals, which they actually were. Then as the prize fighter metaphor suggests he simply weaved, bobbed, and counterpunched his way to the Enabling Act. This act fused the office of chancellor and president together giving Hitler dictatorial control of Germany by legal means (Evans 2005). Another episode of Machiavellian constructivist philosophy would be the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. Hitler hated the Soviet Union and Communism. But he hated the thoughts of a two front war more. In chameleon-like fashion Hitl er courts his most hated enemy in friendship to get what he wants, no counter-attack by the Soviet Union to save Poland. Once he consolidates his Eastern frontier by agreement with the Russians, he hits the Western Democracies (Bullock). Where constructivism really becomes apparent is when one looks at the â€Å"Final Solution. † The Nazi leader stated that if there were no Jews it would be necessary to invent them because the masses need a tangible, concrete enemy and not an abstraction (Fuchs). Since the war many historians have developed various historiographic theories for the policies that led to the Holocaust. Two historical schools of thought have developed: the functionalists and intentionalists. The intentionalists hypothesized that there was a plan for the genocide of the Jews since 1924 (Dawidowicz). Functionalists, also known as structuralists believe that the holocaust was the product of the structural rivalry within the Nazi government and it was functional circumstances that lead the Third Reich from deportation to destruction of the Jews (Browning). Hitler’s actions from 1933 to 1941 involved a policy for forced deportation and exile of Jews. This seems at odds with the planned extermination theory. If he had that plan in mind why would he allow them to leave? One would think he would keep them locked up till he could get the death camps functioning (Framer). 6 Accordingly, a clarification of lexicon may be in order. The functionalist and structuralist schools contend that: 1) Hitler was actually a weak leader who was dependent on governmental and party organizations. 2) Rivalry between four power groups: army, economy, state administration, and Nazi Party/SS lead to constructivist policy making (Browning). The opposite school of thought is the intentionalist which believes that: 1) Hitler was a strong leader and implemented his will. 2) Hitler had a long term plan primarily driven by ideology which he carried out (Marrus). Both interpretations have obvious flaws. The functionalists-structuralists paradigm overlooks the popularity of Hitler, as well as deliberate policy and put too much emphasis on the power and independence of various governmental agencies. The intentionalists ideas put too much emphasis on Hitler’ leadership and his development of a precise plan on paper which he ollowed from the 1920s onward. In recent years, there has been a synthesis of ideas on the Holocaust and a merging of the intentionalitists and functionalists interpretations which suggests that the policy that became the â€Å"Final Solution† was both a top down and bottom up structural construct that involved no master plan (Kenshaw). Clearly the functionalists and the synthesizers are in esse nce saying that the National Socialist policies can be seen as constructivist in that they developed more as a function of the state rather than from coherent plan devised in 1924. Hans Mommsen and Martin Broszat, historians, believe that the National Socialist State was not a modern government but a feudal state with under lords vying for power against others for Hitler’s approval. Accordingly, they contend that Hitler was a reactionary responding to situations rather than taking the lead in formulating policy. 7 Hitler had basic knee jerk reactions to problems that arose and this lead to the development of policy in a piecemeal approach. In addition, Hitler hated paper work so he formulated an idea and let an underling run with it to see what would happen. This constructivist, open ended approach permitted him to leave the minutiae of administrative paper work to others (Framer). His leadership style of constructivism caused a monumental degree of latitude for underlings from different institutions and different paradigms to develop policy. This leeway caused the innate conflicts to emerge within competitive governmental structures which lead to confusion and overlapping authority within the political system (Goldhagen). One can make a case that Hitler and his party developed situational ethics and along with it situational politics. These politics involved ideological ends with no means in place. So the function of the state was to develop the means to give them the end they had in mind as conceived by Hitler. Therefore by combining various historiographical schools of thought, functionalism, structuralism, intentionalism it is plausible that one gets constructivism. Lastly, there are the synthesizers who contend that both interpretations are correct but have flaws. It is my contention as an historian that Hitler was in total control but used a Machiavellian form of leadership that called for bold unches on the world stage. He had an overall goal in mind but no means to reach the goal. So using Machiavellian tactics and applying a constructivist philosophy he was able to successfully get what he wanted by a piecemeal approach, while letting underlings fight out the details at lower levels. This allowed him to take all the credit when things went right and to spread all the blame when things went wrong. 8 Works C ited Alexander, B. (2001). How Hitler could have won the world war II; The fatal errors that led to nazi defeat. New York: Three Rivers Press. Browning, C. R. (2000) Nazi policy, jewish workers, and german killers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bullock, A. (1962) Hitler: A study in tyranny. New York: Penguin Books. Dawidowicz, L. S. (1975) The war against the jews. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Dobry, M. (June 2006) â€Å"Hitler, charisma and structure: Reflections on historical methodology. † Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions. 157-171. Draper, R. (February 8-22, 1999) â€Å"Decoding the holocaust. † The New Leader, 14-15. Evans, R. J. (2003) The coming of the third reich. New York: Penguin Books. Evans R. J. (2005) The third reich in power. New York: Penguin Books. Farmer, A. (September 2007) â€Å"The unpredictable past, hitler and the holocaust. † History Review, p 4-9. Flew, A. (1979) A dictionary of philosophy. New York: Gremacy Books Fest. J. C. (1973) Hitler. New York; Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich. Fuchs, T. (2000) A concise biography of adolf hitler. New York :Berkley Books. Goldhagen, D. J. (1997) Hitler’s willing exceutioners: Ordinary germans and the holocaust. New York: Vintage Books. Gordon, H. J. (1972) Hitler and the beer hall putsch. Cambridge: Princeton University Press, 1972 Hitler. A. (1975). Mein kampf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Kenshaw, I. (2000) The nazi dictatorship: problems and perspectives of interpretation New York:Oxford University Press Koonz, C. (2003) The nazi conscience. Cambridge: Bleknap Press of Harvard University Press. Marrus, M. R. (1987) The holocaust in history. London: University Press of England. 9 Ozmon. H. A. (2003) Philosophical foundations of education. Columbus: Prentice-Hall. Rosenbaum, R. (1998) Explaining hitler: The search for the origins of his evil. New York: Basic Books. 10

Which the Language Used Shows the Closeness

Discuss the ways in which the language used shows the closeness of the relationships between participants. In this essay, I am going to explore how the language used shows the closeness of the relationships between the participants, and how their friendship is shown. In the friendship context, speech is more relaxed and casual and there is more use of dialect and colloquialisms than if it were a formal situation.There is also the use of words and phrases which could only be understood in this context, like idiolect and words that a particular age group use. In a formal situation there wouldn’t be as much interruption or slang words, as it wouldn’t be appropriate. In the transcript, there is a lot of interruption which shows they know each other quite well and wouldn’t get offended by it. This is shown when speaker A says â€Å"on //Saturday//† and speaker B overlaps by saying â€Å"//The Aviator//†, which shows they are both on the same wavelength a nd speaking quite quickly.Also the fact that they continue talking when another speaker interrupts like when speaker A continues after speaker C interrupts her shows they are both comfortable with each other and aren’t worried about being innapropriate as they are good friends. Additionally, the way they share their personal thoughts and crushes shows they are comfortable with each other and know each other well enough that it is appropriate. By saying that â€Å"he’s a real hottie† and â€Å"I wouldn’t turn down Clive Owen either†, they are showing how they aren’t afraid to say this to each other as they both share mutual feelings, which portrays that they are friends.Also the use of idiolect is present in the transcript when speaker A says â€Å"dead interesting†, with the word dead meaning really instead of having died. This is the way the individual talks so they would use this with friends, rather than in a more formal situation where Standard English would be expected to be used. When speaker A does an impression when saying â€Å"shu shu†, it shows she isn’t afraid of embarrassing herself as her friends would find it funny rather than weird. This shows they are friends because nobody would do this except with people they know and have fun with.

South Florida Incomes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

South Florida Incomes - Essay Example It is reported that the top 1% of the social strata receives as much as the bottom 57% (Income Inequality 1). Economic reforms have been targeted to mitigate income inequality by the provision of aids to the poor, better job opportunities, and higher salaries. However, amidst the ardent effort of the government to curb income inequality, their efforts remain futile as figures indicate that income inequality has worsened over time. Economists have long struggled to curb income inequality through various measures. In some cases, subsidies are given to the poor that adds up as additional income to them. Governments also pursue projects that aim to improve the livelihood of the poor like the provision of farm to market roads for farmers. Some develop the quality of education that the poor receive in order for them to qualify for higher paying job opportunities. Still others mandate a compulsory rise in salary level. Amidst the effort of economists to promote income equality among citizens, there has been some debate regarding the relationship between income equality and economic progress.

Health Care Delivery System As One of Vital Component of Public Welfar Essay

Health Care Delivery System As One of Vital Component of Public Welfare Schemes of the Government - Essay Example The needed reforms, therefore, require not only a comprehensive feedback of delivery system as a whole but a careful consideration to all the various pros and cons of the developing situations in the concerned areas of the public health care, has become the need of the hour.   The NHS1 facing multi-pronged problems needs to introduce some radical organizational changes to improve the health delivery systems. â€Å"Organizations must change because their environments change† (Bateman, 1990). They implement necessary changes in the organization to not only survive but also to improve their overall performance. But it is equally true that people tend to resist any kind of change and therefore it is important that changes are implemented in a manner that mitigates the resistance of the employees and instils confidence in them. A good leadership ensures effective communication with the employees with the shared vision of the new technology and methods of administration, thus promoting better understanding among the employees for easy changeover. The NHS, in one of its trust hospital, had tried to introduce the concept of multi-skilled working in the wards on a pilot basis. We would be analyzing the particular case study with reference to the implementation of the generic model of working. The trust hospital provides the full range of acute and midwifery services to roughly quarter of a million population. It has a strength of 2800 staff, 62% of who are part-time workers. 43% of the staff is female. The hospital is plagued with the increasingly low number of staff presence which is adversely affecting the quality of its health delivery system which resulted in a long waiting list and low quality of healthcare services. To cope up with the increasing ‘absenteeism’ and improve the quality of services which could reduce the waiting list while complying with the government initiatives, a concept of multi-skilled working was introduced. It involved about 250 people, in ward-based teams of support workers. On the pilot basis, this multi-skilled concept was launched with porters and domestic staff who were required to provide services in different areas like cleaning, transporting patients, moving types of equipment and serving food, on ‘as and when’ required basis.  Ã‚  

Internal weaknesses of Walt Disney company- only THEME PARKS part Research Paper

Internal weaknesses of Walt Disney company- only THEME PARKS part - Research Paper Example rough the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix and SWOT that’s a tool that strategically studies the functions of an organization be they weak or strong. One main internal weakness includes the high overhead expenditures that the company accrues. First, the company targets top talent employees and this is done through attractive offers that beat other competitors. They are given inflated bonuses and exorbitant salaries. The frequent refreshment of the company’s work force especially in top management leads to huge costs. Other costs include the setting up of theme parks, repair and maintenance, technology and construction of vacation units which cost billions together with the expenditure for publicity and promotions that are done. Dissatisfaction of employees is another weakness. Such discriminated payments bring other tensions like disputes from the labor people who cause unrest and tension and this causes internal weaknesses. Those who work on the theme parks including the writers, actors and network operators may complain through their unions as their pays are meagre compared to those of the management. A contrasting weakness is the cost cutting measures that may be may be caused by the situation of over the roof costs that the company would incur. Sometimes, the management may introduce new structures, systems and designs for its theme parks and this would in the end sabotage the upward growth of the company. Without quality investments, the services and experiences of their customers would go down and later their reputation might be harmed. The lack of enough developmental property or assets like land is another internal weakness. Although the company is big, matters like the acquisition of new pieces of land require a lot of hierarchy involvement and consultations and this has led to the fact that the Walt Disney Company land for resorts has been landlocked to Florida and the speculative front in California and this means that there are no new

Discuss the view that, due to the phonological and orthographical Coursework

Discuss the view that, due to the phonological and orthographical assimilation they undergo, borrowings into French are often difficult to distinguish from native words - Coursework Example There are two aspects of history that can explain the phonological and orthographical assimilation that the French language underwent. Firstly, the ethnic, technological, political and other factors that affected the language.Secondly, the grammatical and phonological changes that the French language had to undergo. French orthography is composed of the punctuation and spelling of the French language. It is a combination of historical and phonemic principles. Most of the spellings are based on the pronunciation of Old French and this has stayed the same for a long time. However,there were enormous changes that took place regarding the pronunciation of this language. This resulted in a sophisticated relationship between sound and spelling2. This was evident in the vowels, an array of the silent letters and many homophones. For example, ceint/sein/sain/cent. There were attempts to respell some of the words using the Latin etymologies which further increased the silent words for example tens instead f temps. This is compared to the English word â€Å"tense† that was originally spelled as vint. Nonetheless, there are a set of rules that are used to govern French orthography that will create room for accuracy when producing French words. One imperative way of handling nomination is to borrow word, more specifically when it is borrowed to the referent at he same time. However, native mormphemes can be substituted with a foreign word, and we get a calque or a loan translation which is semantic borrowing only. There are various types of loan translation that can be distinguished however,the essence is clearly anological: French arriver and English arrive can be matched more or less in their semantic range however, the French Verb meant also to attain success. Hybridization plays an important part loanwording. Evidence of the strong effect of the French on Middle English is

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management accounting - Essay Example The BASE formula helps in determining what caused the actual ending balances of all working capital accounts. Budgeted Balance Additions Subtractions (use to get back to actual balance) Ending Balance (actual) To understand what happened with everything else we must first understand the impact of the Raw Material Stocks. Raw Material Stocks Budgeted Balance 150,000 Additions 36,000 Subtractions 0 Ending Balance (actual) 186,000 By viewing the BASE formula we can see that the Raw Material Stocks balance was greater than the budgeted balance by 36,000 and based on the knowledge that production levels were about the same, this means that the materials would only increase not decrease because the balance was planned to be 150,000 based on production and with a 36,000 increase with the same production. A purchase of Raw Material Stocks equaling 36,000 must have been made. The issue that caused this was probably due to decreased efficiency in using materials. When Raw Materials must be pur chased beyond what is budgeted this means there is an unfavorable variance of 36,000. In order to correct this issue the company must come up with a standard of how much Raw Material stocks to use and then if costs allow, use a supervisor to ensure this standard is upheld. Creditors Budgeted Balance 66,000 Additions 36,000 Subtractions 51,000 Ending Balance (actual) 51,000 We can assume based on these numbers that the company added more debt from creditors of about 36,000 since inventory had been bought through creditors the balance increased by the amount of increase in the Raw Material Stock balance. Therefore since the ending balance of creditors was less than the beginning we can see that the company must have paid off creditors in excess of the added debt. That excess is equal to the beginning balance of 66,000 plus added debt of 26,000 minus the ending actual balance of 51,000, which means the company paid toward what was owed creditors, which was 51,000. The issue that may ha ve occurred is that current debts might have become due and therefore these debts had to be satisfied. Thus payment was made to the creditor decreasing working capital. In order to prevent this from happening again debt should be kept to a low amount, paid in a timely manner and cash should be kept in order to satisfy debt. Bank Budgeted Balance 4,500 Additions 7,500 Subtractions 51,000 Ending Balance (actual) (39,000) Due to the fact that the company paid creditors 51,000, that amount must come out of the Bank balance since there is no cash on hand. The beginning balance was only 4,500 and the ending balance was negative 39,000 therefore the company must have added 7,500 to the bank account. Where did that 7,500 come from? The issue is that there is an overdraft of the bank account. This has happened due to the purchases of Raw Material Stocks of 36,000 but the company did not generate enough cash in order to meet its burdens. To prevent this from happening again the company must i ncrease its liquidity by keeping inventory levels low, and the bank/cash balance high. Debtors Budgeted Balance 60,000 Additions 37,500 Subtractions 7,500 Ending Balance (actual) 90000 The debtors actual balance was 30,000 greater than the budgeted balance but what specifically happened was that debtors purchased the same amount of products that was involved in sales but 30,000 of these sales were credit sales. The issue is that there are more creditors that projected. This is a big problem because its likely that some of these debtors will become

Qualitative Research in Educational Processes Essay

Qualitative Research in Educational Processes - Essay Example The benefits of the use of qualitative research are also highlighted. The key social processes in educational environments are thinking, understanding, learning, studying, teaching, and interrelating. With respect to studying gender related issues in the primary school setting, all of these can show that there exist gender differences i.e. between boys and girls expressing their gender roles warranting a closer study of these social phenomena. The justification could be to prevent gender bias, stereotypes, discrimination, and so on. A study of these social processes especially requires a close examination of the phenomena of relationships within it. These relationships involve interactions mainly between students, teachers, the school management and parents. But the nature of these relationships is shaped by the context or environment and ethos within which they function i.e. the classroom and school atmosphere. For example, there are particular school rules that define these relationships, and children tend to behave differently at school than they do at home. In the latter, student behaviour is the phenomenon and the context is the classroom and school. ... The justification could be to prevent gender bias, stereotypes, discrimination, and so on. A study of these social processes especially requires a close examination of the phenomena of relationships within it. These relationships involve interactions mainly between students, teachers, the school management and parents. But the nature of these relationships is shaped by the context or environment and ethos within which they function i.e. the classroom and school atmosphere. For example, there are particular school rules that define these relationships, and children tend to behave differently at school than they do at home. In the latter, student behaviour is the phenomenon and the context is the classroom and school. If we distinguish between two sets of relations on the basis of gender, behavioural differences can be noted between boys and girls. These would typify behaviour associated with that gender although there could also be observed differences due to variations of the social context. In the process of learning too, there are observed gender differences. Qualitative research can help to understand these processes so that we can deal with the issues better. There is also a prevalence of stereotypes in the way boys and girls perceive different subjects and their contrasting attitudes towards them. A study of the role of gender can help to understand why certain subjects are regarded as masculine and others as feminine. Attitudes and study patterns differ between the sexes. The perceptions and attitudes formed early on can later impinge on their academic choices later in life. Gender differences and other gender related issues in a school could manifest not only whilst studying in

Pre-Attack Techniques Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pre-Attack Techniques - Coursework Example Unnecessary software and daemons should be deactivated and disabled given that they are most vulnerable for attack. Constant patching to system application and software should be done in order to eliminate the gaps and security holes that exist. Installation of new updates and new versions of existing application will ensure heighten and improved security. Constant updates ensure that al the patches are fixed thus eliminating system vulnerabilities (Scambray, 2009). Both hardware and software application forms of firewall such Symantec-Axents Firewall/VPN 100 Appliance and Zone Alarm can be installed in an organization’s system and network. Firewall installation discriminate against access request from unknown and unauthorized sources that may be of potential threat to computer systems and network. Network security assessment is done in order to see and expose the vulnerability that exists within a network and a system. Port scanning an organizations network will reveal the exposed services. Running a vulnerability scanner against an organization’s servers ensures that all the vulnerabilities are exposed and necessary actions taken to eliminate them in order to secure servers. Most of these pre-attack techniques and method for preventing hack attack against an organization are controllable from an organizations perspective. It is up to an organization to put up measures and install the necessary application in order to ensure the security of its systems and information including the network.

Samsung Going Global Essay Example for Free

Samsung Going Global Essay Almost one in five televisions shipped during the third quarter of 2009 had a Samsung label on it. Thats according to DisplaySearch, a market research company that tracks sales of TVs. As The Wall Street Journal noted on Wednesday, Samsungs 17. 2 percentand growingshare of the worldwide TV market is a big deal. No company has had a 20 percent share of televisions since TVs were first sold. The speed with which Samsung has overtaken its competitors is fairly remarkable as well. Just four years ago, the company lagged behind Sony, who was then the king of the new flat-panel scene. Since passing Sony in sales, Samsung has doubled the number of TVs it ships every year. Samsung shipped 38 million TVs last year, according to DisplaySearch, and a goal for 2010 is to sell 45 million TVs. Sony, meanwhile, has floundered in the market it once dominated. Its worldwide market share of flat-panel TVs is 5. 9 percent, according to Display Search. Thats behind LG (14. 8 percent), Panasonic (6. 9 percent), and TCL Electronics/RCA/Thomson/Alcatel (6. 6 percent). For Samsung, broad consumer acceptance of flat-panel technology has been a boon, and it appears that the company plans to milk it. Of the 38 million TVs the company shipped last year, 27. 5 million were liquid crystal displays, or LCDs, and 3. 5 million were plasma displays. An executive told the Journal that Samsung wants its total number of flat-panel sets to increase to 39 million this year. Samsung has been one of the major manufacturers pushing LCD technology with light-emitting diode, or LED, backlighting, as well as Web-connected sets, and focusing less on new display technologies such as organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, technology.

Wikis as Education Tool Essay Example for Free

Wikis as Education Tool Essay With the development of today’s technology, it has allowed the creation and proliferation of information in a more convenient manner. Due to this, individuals have used this towards achieving competency and gaining the necessary foundation for learning that paves the way for improvement. Seeing this, instruments such as â€Å"wikis† have allowed the creation and further expansion of data. By taking into consideration the advantages of this mechanism in education, it can further harness the way educational goals are administered and achieved. The development of the term ‘wiki’ in education started in 2006. It is composed of information that is subject for changes and improvement on a particular subject given. â€Å"Wikis are more versatile than a class blog, because blogs are typically one way communication and Wikis are updated by teachers and students† (Wetzel, 2008, p. 1). Since this idea is powered by the internet, it allows people to actively collaborate and contribute both information and insights on a subject, thus widening the horizons for change (Baird and Nye, 2009). Its creation originates from a posting of a particular topic of interest. Under this, the user then allows his/her work to be subject to editing and updating on areas that need further expansion. â€Å"Wikis improve upon more traditional modes of writing collaboration like sharing paper and document files since a wiki page is shared on the Internet and easily accessed and edited online† (Baird and Nye, 2009, p. 1). At the same time, since its creation, it has adopted new approaches that have made this process more user-friendly and applicable to all. â€Å"The use of hyperlinks, tables, images, media, as well as incorporating the customized layout that we see with carefully designed web sites is present in wikis† (Baird and Nye, 2009, p. 1). Looking closely at the content associated with ‘wikis’, the topics offer a myriad of information that students can deem to contribute. It can look into areas of Natural Sciences such as Biology, Physics, Chemsitry, etc. or other topics such as History, Mathematics, Religion, and Sociology. The presence of this diverse subject matter exemplifies its potential in creating an active environment for learning and enhances educational goals and objectives (Elgort, 2007). That is why continuing strategies should be explored to actively tap on its strengths and capability as an instrument for teaching and facilitation. Realizing the relevance of such approach in education, I feel that it can be an essential device for intensifying training and facilitate learning. In doing this, I need to understand the parameters and scope of what my subject of interest would be. After this, I have to actively link this on how I wish to use ‘wikis’ to encourage cooperation among my target students. â€Å"Decisions need to be made not only about how information is structured but also what navigational support is provided to the reader, and these decisions are crucial to the ways in which the reader interacts with the wiki† (Elgrot, 2007, p. 234). I feel that this is an initial step in making sure that the initiative is in-line with the objective, needs and standards mandated. After this, the next step involves the creation of an active system wherein students can explore the meaning of the subject and point out their relative inputs and understanding based on the information provided. This means that communication and interaction via the website is an important agenda to consider. By highlighting areas wherein changes or modifications can happen, it can increase the likelihood of participation and further acquisition of knowledge and information. To conclude, the creation of wikis is one instrument that technology has provided to humans today. By actively exploring its capabilities, it can be seen that this setup can be applied to intensify and increase learning objectives. At the same time, as people realize the relevance of such practice, it can be an alternative approach in education which can make it adaptive to 21st century trends. References Baird, R. and Nye, M. (2009) Beyond Wikepedia: Wikis as Learning Tools in CITES EdTech.Retrieved May 11, 2009 from http://www. cites. illinois. edu/edtech/newsletters_articles/articles/baird/beyond_wikipedia-spr09. html Elgort, I. (2007) Using wikis as a learning tool in higher education in ascilite. [online] Retrieved May 11, 2009. 233-238. Wetzel, D. R. (2008) Using Wiki Technology to Engage Students: Educational Technology Strategies for Creativity and Collaboration. Retrieved May 11, 2009 from, http://teachertipstraining. suite101. com/article. cfm/using_wiki_technology_to_engage_students

CBN and FDI Outflows to China

CBN and FDI Outflows to China Introduction and Research Problem Since its economic opening in 1979, China has become one of the worlds largest recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2007, inflows to China totalled over US$82 billion, bringing Chinas cumulative FDI to almost US$700 billion for the period 1979 to 2007 (CSB 2007). But what has particularly captured both academic and popular attention is the extent to which Chinas massive levels of FDI may be attributable to diasporic ethnic Chinese capital, what Harvard academic John Kao famously termed the Chinese commonwealth (Kao 1993: 24). It has often been asserted that some two-thirds of all the foreign investment that has poured into China originated from ethnic Chinese living outside of China (e.g., Wolf 2002: 134). This unprecedented level of intra-ethnic investment presents something of a headache to mainstream FDI theories, which, at the level of the firm, tend to explain internationalisation as an incremental process resulting from, variously, the pursuit of market power, an internalising of technological improvements, and the accumulation of foreign market knowledge and experience. Protesting against this type of theorizing as under-socialised and Western-centric, many Asia scholars (who are frequently also Asian) developed an alternative account drawn upon insights from network theory and some sociological studies of Chinese firms done in the 1990s. Their account—which in this dissertation is referred to as the Chinese Capitalism corpus—spans a variety of disciplinary frameworks including anthropology, economic geography and sociology, development economics, management, and Southeast Asia Regional studies, but has at its heart the premise that ethnic Chinese enterprises domin ate the economic activity of East Asia and FDI flows into China in large part because of their ability to draw upon dense, interlinked networks of social/family/political relationships that span national boundaries. These linkages are commonly known as Chinese business networks (CBN). The assertion that ethnic Chinese engage in pervasive networking on an international scale has become so ubiquitous in popular and academic literature that it is usually considered a stylized fact. But is it true that—despite citizenship in countries with differing social structures, political economies, and histories—the Chinese diaspora is linked by transnational webs of strong personalistic ties? And have these webs actuated and facilitated massive flows of FDI to China? If so, this would suggest that ethnic Chinese business operates in a distinctive manner, that it is proper to speak of a Chinese Capitalism in which flexibly linked Chinese enterprises might even form a competitive substitute for formally structured Western and Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the concept of CBN might simply be a cultural myth which obscures, possibly exaggerates and distorts, the internationalisation of ethnic Chinese enterprises (Mackie 2000). If so—if intra-ethnic networking is ill-defined, over-stated and under-researched—what should we make of the prevalence of the CBN discourse in economics-based discipline s? And, if they are not advantaged by networks, how should mainstream FDI theories be amended to account for the fact that at the turn of the 21st century we find so many Singaporean enterprises in China? The main purpose of my research was to move this debate forward. I did so by investigating claims of extensive intra-ethnic networking among the ethnic Chinese with an eye toward enhancing mainstream internationalisation theorising. More specifically, I tested whether evidence of CBN could be found in the transnational expansion into China of randomly-selected Chinese-Singaporean small-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This chapter has two main objectives. The first is to present my dissertations research question and to explain why it is important. The second is to provide an overview of how and why I investigated it as I did. To this end, the following section discusses the general context of my research problem and reviews the conventional theoretical frameworks that address the phenomenon of internationalisation. Section 1.1.2 explains why it is important that claims of extensive intra-ethnic networking be investigated. Next, the focus is narrowed to the specific research question that was tested. The concept of CBN is carefully defined in Section 1.1.3, and it is conceptually operationalised into testable sub-hypotheses in Section 1.1.4. Background of CBN Claims With some US$30 billion cumulative FDI invested in China between 1979 and 2006, Singapore ranked as Chinas seventh largest source of foreign investment, after Hong Kong, Japan, the Virgin Islands, the United States, Taiwan, and South Korea (CSB, 2007). In 2006, about 70% of the Association for East Asian Nations (ASEAN) FDI originated in Singapore, and between 1990 and 2006, over 15,000 Singaporean projects were set up in China. These figures are all the more remarkable given Singapores small size. Furthermore, as significant as Singapore now is as an investor to China, it is likewise true that China has become important to Singapore as an investment market. Since 1997, China—a vacuum cleaner for foreign direct investment, as Lee Kuan Yew has frequently called it—has each year received the largest share of FDI by Singaporean entities, replacing Malaysia as Singapores top investment destination (Hamlin 2002). In 2002, FDI to China accounted for over 17% of total Singaporean investment abroad (Department of Statistics 2002). It is clear from these figures that not only are Singaporean transnational enterprises (TNEs) a significant force in the rearticulation of China into the global economy, but that China has become an important factor in the regionalisation of Singaporean firms. How can we account for this tremendous and unprecedented diasporic transnational investment? Two corpuses of literature that purportedly shed light on this phenomenon are critically examined in this dissertation: the mainstream internationalisation construct and what I refer to as the Chinese Capitalism perspective. Three strands within the mainstream internationalisation literature are highlighted in this dissertation. The first is theories of the MNE, which grew out of Stephen Hymers seminal work on post-war multinational investment in Europe and has its roots in the utilitarian tradition of classical and neo-classical economics. This corpus of literature has expanded over the decades to encompass a range of views, but at its core is some version of the argument that MNEs are enterprises which, in response to market imperfection and a desire to exploit proprietary advantages, have internalised activities by investing abroad. A distinctive sub-group of these theories has arisen in response to the spectacular increase in developing-country MNEs since the 1970s. Within Developing-Country MNE theories, the leading argument is that emerging MNEs from developing countries follow an incremental internationalisation process driven by gradual internal technological accumulation. Internationalisation Process Models is the second important strand within the mainstream approach. With its roots in behavioural theories of the firm, it offers a more explicitly dynamic approach to understanding the process by which firms engage in FDI. Though there is some variation in the explanation employed in the models—for instance, some stress learning and others focus on technological accumulation—and though the process is variously described as cyclic, stage-based, or evolutionary, a key premise is that internationalisation is incremental by nature, as the firm acquires knowledge necessary for further internationalisation. A third major strand within the mainstream approach has explicitly incorporated the concept of network into internationalisation theorisations. It is important to note the schism in the network literature between viewing networks as a form of governance structure versus focusing on networks as social relationships. This has caused a number of definitional problems and contributed to a seemingly irreconcilable divergence between mainstream economics/business theories and an approach that has grown out of the sociology discipline. Of the former, perhaps the most important for this thesis is the Late Industrialisation framework, which treats the concept of networks as a distinctive mode of organisation through which learning and the adaptation of borrowed technology were combined to promote economic development in a number of late industrialising countries in the 20th century. These three strands within the mainstream internationalisation construct dominate much of the research on MNEs and FDI but they have their shortcomings. In particularly, many Asia scholars (who were frequently Chinese-speaking Asians) have objected that mainstream internationalisation theories, with their under-socialised and Western roots, cannot adequately explain the phenomenon of ethnic Chinese investment in the motherland (Yeung 2000: 10). These scholars have instead drawn upon the insights of network theory and several sociological studies of ethnic Chinese enterprises (that were done in the 1990s) to develop an alternative account—the Chinese Capitalism perspective—to elucidate the specific case of ethnic Chinese transnational expansion. As its name suggests, this large corpus of literature is exclusively concerned with ethnic Chinese enterprises because it is argued that they differ in important respects not only from Japanese and Western firms, but from other d eveloping-country enterprises (Kao 1993). Central to the Chinese Capitalism perspective is the premise that ethnic Chinese firms dominate FDI flows into China, and indeed much of the economic activity of East Asia, because of their ability to form and draw upon dense, interlinked webs of social/family/political relationships that span national boundaries and rest on trust and reciprocation (Hamilton 1996a: 17). These relationships—Chinese business networks (CBN)—are variously ascribed to cultural and/or institutional factors and ostensibly give ethnic Chinese TNEs a strong advantage, especially when entering culturally Chinese markets such as China, while non-ethnic Chinese businesses meet with less success (EAAU 1995). As Hamilton-Hart wrote: Investment and trade flows linking Southeast and Northeast Asia have been promoted by network-like relationships among firms and individuals. These relationships have fostered regionalization by reducing the costs and risks of transnational investment (Hamilton-Hart 2002: 1). Describing this advantage in an especially enthusiastic manner, Redding wrote that ethnic Chinese capitalism is essentially an economic culture characterized by a unique capacity to co-operate (emphasis added: Redding 1990: 79). And Hamilton, concluding that the Chinese diaspora will elbow out non-Chinese entrants in the China market, wrote: Many Westerners honestly believe that they have a real chance to sell to the one billion plus Chinese consumers, but I do not believe it will work out this way (Hamilton 1996a: 19). Journalists and management gurus have similarly embraced the concept of Chinese business networks (e.g., Seagrave 1996; Backman 1999; and Drucker 1994). The concept of CBN has historical roots in the centuries of mass migration that have fostered transnational ethnic Chinese communities which span the world. Many historians have argued that commercial and financial networks based on fictive and agnatic familism, pang or speech-group solidarities, and regionalism, were historically important social channels in some settings, such as for those emigrating to Southeast Asia from southern China. But the Chinese Capitalism literature, taking new life from the treatment of networks within the sociology discipline, extended this historical observation further. It not only asserted that CBN remained important at the turn of the 21st century, but it emphasized CBN as a distinctive characteristic or skill of the ethnic Chinese. Research Significance The skill or special ability to combine a firms resources with the complementary resources of its partners can no doubt be an important organisational capability. Among the benefits, networks lower business transaction costs, provide for better risk assessment, and lead to prompt decision-making. But is there evidence that networking has been a primary factor in ethnic Chinese transnational expansion? Does it explain why Singaporean FDI has flowed so far afield to China? My research contributes to academic understanding in a number of ways. It adds to the scarce academic research that has been published to date on Southeast Asian SMEs, and it contributes to a more rigorous definition of CBN and some of the terms associated with it, such as guanxi. But its most significant contributions are to the following three areas: 1) theorizing on internationalisation and FDI in general, and ethnic Chinese businesses in particular; 2) assessments of whether Singaporean FDI outflows to China represent actual or faux economic development, and what that implies for evaluations of Singaporean state developmentalism; and 3) the use of CBN as a small state strategy to facilitate economic development and to accommodate an ascendant China. Chinese Capitalism and Internationalisation Theorising Further research into CBN is necessary to enhance theorising in both the Chinese Capitalism and mainstream internationalisation corpuses. As discussed in detail in Chapter 3, the Chinese Capitalism literature has to date suffered from a serious lack of empirical evidence. Articles that discuss CBN do often reference prior academic works, but when checked these references typically are revealed to be rather insubstantial. There is also a marked tendency to repeat, mantra-like, the same three or four original works on the subject, but because these studies were largely descriptive and based on a tiny sample size, they do not provide an adequate buttressing for the claim of extensive intra-ethnic business networking. Moreover, there have been virtually no rigorous cross-cultural comparative studies, and little consideration has been given to the drawbacks and costs of operating through networks. My investigation into CBN also speaks to the appropriateness of the academic niche that has developed for Chinese Business. A virtual phalanx of Chinese business experts has popped up since the late 1990s, and it is common to find universities that have dedicated a Chair—or even a department—to the business practices of this specific ethnic group. In contrast, one is less likely to find similar attention to Russian or Indian business studies. Of course, this is due in part to the staggering market potential represented by Chinas 1.3 billion population, but it can also be traced to the essentially culturalist assumption that ethnic Chinese have unique business practices such as CBN. In fact, CBN has become so widely accepted that much of the academic discussion has shifted away from directly considering ethnic Chinese ties towards as pseudo cross-comparative approach that is problematic because it contrasts the fact of CBN with the lack of networking in other cultures. Research into how, for example, Nordic or Indian networks are not as strong as CBN have become common. In short, though some of the details of CBN may be contested, the general premise of the Chinese Capitalism literature has largely been accepted and is influential. This has been especially true in the international business rubric, but references to CBN abound in economics-based disciplines as well. For example, in an Institute for International Economics special report describing the lessons South Korea should learn from CBN, Young argued: In the 1990s, they [the Chinese diaspora] formulated an international strategy to form a global network of overseas ChineseThe experiences of overseas Chines e networks would be good models for Korea (Young 2003: 50). And how did Young define CBN? They are led by the unique Chinese personal network, guanxi, which links individuals, hometown associations, business associations in the same industry, and associations of people with the same family name (Young 2003: 53). Mainstream internationalisation theories also have significant shortcomings. The economics discipline has a long history of neglecting—often completely omitting—the social, political, and historical context in which firms are embedded. A large gulf between mainstream economics and other social sciences has developed, making each seem increasingly irrelevant to the other. Economics many insights and strengths are too often viewed as inapplicable to other disciplines, and disciplinary cross-fertilisation has been hampered. Sloppy theorisations arise and thrive in such an environment. One of the most significant ways that evidence for CBN affects mainstream theorising lies in its suggestion that informally-linked enterprises might serve as functional substitutes for Western and Japanese MNEs. Large firms, especially multinationals, enjoy significant benefits of scale and scope as well as learning and productivity advantages that are unavailable to smaller, isolated firms (Nolan 2001). In contrast, the relatively small size of ethnic Chinese firms, which tend to be family-owned and -controlled, is considered by mainstream theorists to limit their competitiveness in international business. But perhaps the 21st century will indeed be a network age in which the economies of scale that dominated in the previous period seem to have given way to network economies (Young 2003: 33). If so, then the concept of CBN suggests that ethnic Chinese firms are informally bound together in such a way that they can duplicate, and maybe exceed, the benefits derived from the larger sco pe of MNEs (Borrus 1997). This intriguing possibility—that the limitations on competitiveness inherent in a family-controlled firm may be overcome by networking—provides a further reason for why my research into claims of extensive CBN is significant. Moreover, as my results demonstrate in Chapter 5, irrespective of whether extensive intra-ethnic networking is taking the place, the effects of the CBN discourse are profound and have affected FDI decision-making. Mainstream economic theory would be improved if economists took a more open-minded and sophisticated approach to appreciating, understanding, and incorporating such social dimensions. Singaporean Development(alism): Actual or Faux? My research contributes in another key way. Empirical evidence (or its absence) of CBN should factor into evaluations of Singapores level of economic development and, hence, assessments of the states developmental policies. FDI from Singapore to China has not only been large but it continues to grow. Though this transnational expansion has been actively promoted by the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) through various policies, programmes, and an official discourse on creating an external economic wing, the state would have us interpret Singaporean investment in China as growing economic maturation, a sign that Singapore is moving away from MNE-led development to a stage in which home-grown capitalists diversify into new areas. Outward direct investments are beneficial to both firms and the home country as they provide access to strategic assets, technology, skills, natural resources, and markets. It is especially important for a small state with limited market size and resources to be able to access international markets and connect with global production/knowledge systems. The degree to which Singapore has experienced the social and technological progress associated with economic development has been a contentious subject for the PAP-state (e.g., Krugman 1994), and it is perennially anxious to demonstrate its effectiveness. As discussed in Chapter 8, signs of declining popular support for the PAP in election results since 1988, in conjunction with a series of accumulation crises over the past two decades, have the state very worried. Though recognized as highly intrusive, the state has largely been given credit for developing Singapore from a sleepy entrepà ´t into a major communications hub with a population that enjoys one of the worlds highest per capita incomes. Since the 1990s, the Singaporean state has to a striking degree officially embraced and propagated a (selectively Confucian) culturalist discourse alongside calls for the development of an external sector to help insulate the country from downturns in the world economy. Is this yet another sign of an enduring comprehensive developmental state (Pereira 2007) cheerleading the march towards the next stage in Singapores economic development, this time, in part, by encouraging latent networking capabilities in its ethnic Chinese population? This might imply that after years of neglect, the PAP-developmental state has reached a stage where it is prioritising the engagement of local capitalists in its economic strategies (Haggard and Cheng 1987). For while the developmental state is expected to be the most powerful political and economic player during much of development, at some point state strategies should pay off and produce a vigorous and competitive domestic capitalist class (Periera 2007: 3). But what should we make of Singaporean FDI to China, and the states insistence that these flows are rooted in Chinese exceptionalism, if evidence suggests that CBN claims are over-stated? Justifications for Singapores domineering one-party state have always pointed to the Republics strong economic performance. If public proclamations about Chinese business networking turn out to be rather more wishful thinking than actual practice, then the government may be judged to have taken a serious mis-step, especially considering its own massive investments in China and the problems associated with some of them (, The New Frontier, Far Eastern Economic Review, December 6, 2001, BY Ben Dolven e.g., the Suzhou Industrial Park). The implication would be that Singaporean investment in China represents, at least in part, something other than the cool, independent economic rationalism upon which PAP political legitimacy rests; concerns might be raised about the optimum use of resources and the degr ee to which political considerations have lead the state to invest heavily in China itself, push its GLC sector to do so as well, and create a discourse in which local capitalists are encouraged to make the risky move to China. More importantly, high levels of Singaporean FDI to China might not represent maturation out of the MNE-dependency that is widely recognized to now seriously limit economic growth and make the island-state exceptionally vulnerable to fluctuations in a world economy beyond its control. And it may hint that the hither-to developmental PAP-state is losing some of the political insulation, technocratic skills, and discipline it needs to continue to lead Singapore. In summary, my research contributes to assessments of the PAP-developmental state. Should Singaporean FDI to China be interpreted as a sign of economic development, with all the benefits this implies for a small state that has to date been extremely exposed to world economic conditions? Or, alternatively, is it at heart a sort of faux development that does not bring the social and technological progress that accompanies actual development? This important topic—the role of the PAP-states CBN discourse in FDI decision-making—is discussed at length in conjunction with the results of my research in Chapter 8. CBN as a Small State Strategy My research also contributes to an understanding of how CBN and the discourse surrounding can be used by a small state wishing to punch above its weight in its engagement with the international environment, especially an ascendant China. By this I am referring to Singapores strategic use of culture and ethnicity to further its economic and national security/foreign policy goals. Chinas growing economic and military strength is increasingly presenting a dramatic challenge to world, particularly East Asian, power relations. Tapping into (or manufacturing) the Chinese-ness of a states population or subgroup may be an excellent strategy for accommodating a rising China, especially for small states such as Singapore which are looking for ways to compensate for their power deficit. A small state faces an integration dilemma when it considers Chinas growing markets and reach (Goetschel 1998: 28). It can insist on economic and security independence but risk being abandoned or isolated, with the disadvantages this would like cause. Or it can accept a constraint on its freedom to act in ways that are contrary to Chinas economic and security goals and instead try to accommodate, identify with, even in some sense integrate with, China. Stressing as it does not just civilisational fluency but actual networks with China, the CBN discourse functions as a novel way of enabl ing Singapore to do the latter. Whether Singapores strategy might successfully be imitated by other small states remains to be seen. It is interesting to speculate how, for example, Africas over 7 million ethnic Chinese and Perus 1.3 million, might factor into their states strategic possibilities for engaging China (e.g., Mung 2008). Singapore has tried to modify the international environment through its cultural discourse in another sense. As discussed in Chapter 8, this former British colony has for the two decades heavily marketed itself as the Gateway to the East. Its stated goal since Singapores regionalisation drive was announced in 1993 has been to be the regional hub, a place where MNEs locate their headquarters and higher value-added operations (such as research and development), while situating lower value-added parts in China and other areas of East Asia where labour is cheaper. The clear implication of the self-orientalising discourse of CBN is that Western firms are unlikely to be successful if they invest directly in China. They need instead to engage a mediating force, such as Singaporean firms, in order to become part of the transnational networks in which Chinese business is accomplished, or so the story goes. As a Singaporean government minister put it: Those who have knowledge of the culture and cultural nuances are able to lower business risks [for foreigners]. The Chinese overseas understand Chinese culture because they are ethnically Chinese themselves, but they also understand the world outsideThey are like modems. They modulate and demodulate and add value in the process. (George Yeo, quoted in Crovitz 1993: 18). With its middleman familiarity with both East and West and its purportedly dense transnational networks with China, the CBN discourse therefore places Singapore in the enviable niche position of knowledge arbitrageur (Tan, K.B. Eugene 2006). It is a striking example of the claiming of territoriality over knowledge (Brown and Menkhoff 2006), in both a conceptual and quite literal sense. Defining the Concept of CBN Unfortunately, a clear-cut definition of the concept of Chinese business networking does not currently exist. Much of the Chinese Capitalism literature is largely descriptive rather than theoretically precise, and to the degree that a definition is specified it varies significantly from author to author. Some scholars discussing networks have stressed their origin in qiaoxiang (usually defined as ancestral homeland ties), kinship, religious, and/or school ties (Hamilton 1996; Liu 1998, 1999; Yeung 2000d). Other scholars have used a broader definition that characterises Chinese business networks as long-term, but extensible, personalized networks, based on trust and upheld by the indispensability of reputation within such a system (Tracy et al. 2001: 262). These are contrasted with what are characterised as the generally weak, situational, and non-enduring ties of the West (Zahra et al. 1999: 45). A particular problem with the fuzziness surrounding CBN is that this concept is often—and unhelpfully—confused with guanxi. Like CBN, the latter term suffers from a lack of definitional rigor. Guanxi has commonly been translated as both connections and relationships, but neither of these terms adequately gives a sense of how this multi-faceted concept is commonly understood by Chinese. A more sophisticated definition is, the concept of drawing on connections in order to secure favors in personal relations (Luo 2007: 2). There are obvious similarities between the concepts of CBN and guanxi, but closer scrutiny of the academic literature as well as the results of my fieldwork led me to a conclusion, shared with a few researchers (e.g., Fan 2002), that guanxi is not identical to CBN. For example, it is not generally considered to be something that is exchanged between family members or childhood friends, nor is it usually described as having any sense of qiaoxiang or ancestral homeland sentiment. Also, unlike CBN, guanxi has on occasion been described quite negatively by a few researchers. Fan, for example, argued that guanxi and corruption are inextricably intertwined in 21st century China (2002). This assessment was supported by my fieldwork, as most of the SME owners I interviewed ascribed negative qualities to the practice of guanxi. Some of them described guanxi as a payment—on occasion they used the term bribe—that must be paid to local government officials as a cost of doing busine ss in China. Others equated it with an obligation to pay for lavish dinners and parties for customers or suppliers in the (frequently forlorn) hope of receiving enough business in return to justify these outlays. When one of my interviewees was asked to define guanxi, he summed it up as, If you want to do business in China, you must pay to play (Interviewee #6). In summary, though any attempt to definitively delineate these two unwieldy and messy terms (Luo 2007) is beyond the scope of this dissertation, the results of my research, combined with a close scrutiny of the academic literature, led me to the conclusion that they are not identical. While creating guanxi with someone may lead to a close networking relationship, it should not be confused with the networking relationship itself. So, though these concepts overlap, it is important to carefully define and distinguish between them. Yet in many accounts of Chinese business practices these two terms—guanxi and CBN—are used as though they were interchangeable. As discussed further in Chapter 5, the frequent conflation of what are actually two separate concepts adds to the confusion surrounding intra-ethnic networking and has important ramifications for my research conclusions. In light of the definitional jumble surrounding CBN, it was important in this thesis that the concept be defined in such as way as to convey the general intent of the Chinese Capitalism literature, yet be specific enough to be rigorously tested. To this end, I chose to draw upon the definition of Chinese business networking suggested by Gomez and Hsiao (2001). They argued that the Chinese Capitalism literature is characterised by an emphasis on Chinese exclusivity, a special conception of trust, and an explicit challenge to existing theories of transnational expansion. Thus, contrary to the very broad definitions typically put forth or assumed, the concept of CBN must necessarily imply a precise, strong connection among businessmen that goes beyond the common, and casual, use in the West of the term business networking (Gomez and Hsiao 2001). More specifically, Gomez and Hsiao claimed that the concept should be reserved for: The e

Michael Moore´s Bowling For Columbine Essay -- Film Movies

Michael Moore ´s Bowling For Columbine Bowling For Columbine is a well-directed documentary that informs people about gun violence in America. Michael Moore is successful in showing that America has been going through many gun tragedies; and portrays the sense that America’s problems are out of control. He conveys this through informative facts, images, and comparisons. Throughout the film Michael Moore throws many cold facts on the screen that makes it obvious that the strong nation of America is unruly. One of the facts that stand out the most is the number of deaths caused by guns in America per year. In comparison to the other countries, America has an outstanding of 11,127 gun related deaths a year. This is ten times more than all the countries together that are mentioned in the documentary. With this extreme comparison it shows that there is something in America that is making people turn on their fellow man and shoot them in the head. On April 19, 1999 two boys Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went to school and killed 12 students and one teacher. Michael Moore does not really need to go further than just stating these few words to show how incredibly devastating this day was. How have the social standards reduced themselves to a world where two high school students feel that they have the right to bring firearms to school and open fire? O ne is reminded of an old saying, â€Å"like father like son.† The American government can be seen as the father to all the ...

Animal Abuse Essay examples -- essays research papers

Animal Abuse Animals are sometimes treated as friends but are also treated as enemies. We keep them as pets, but if it suits us, we slaughter them in their own habitats and in slaughterhouses. If we could kill them in a quick and pain-free way, like a special injection, which is not harmful to us, it would be a lot nicer to the animals being killed. However, the scenes in slaughterhouses are ones of bullying and torture. The people hurt the animals in the most horrific ways possible, for example, slitting their throats while they are still alive and dropping them from great heights to break their legs and necks and other bones. These are just two of the many ways of slaughter that are used today. Meat is needed for a good healthy diet. We should not hunt animals for sport ...

Can You Hear Me Now? :: Analysis, Sherry Turkle, Rocler-Gladen

Are technology and the media shedding the very fabric of the existence we have known? As technology and the media spread their influence, the debate over the inherent advantages and disadvantages intensifies. Although opinions vary widely on the subject, two writers offer similar views: Professor Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, in her article â€Å"Can You Hear Me Now† and Naomi Rockler-Gladen, who formerly taught media studies at Colorado State University, with her article â€Å"Me Against the Media: From the Trenches of a Media Lit Class.† Turkle asserts that technology has changed how people develop and view themselves, while at the same time affecting their concepts of time management and focus (270). Similarly, Rockler-Gladen believes media and its inherent advertising have had a profound effect on the values and thinking of the public (284). I could not agree more with Professor Turkle and Ms. Rockler-Gladen; the effects tech nology and media have worried and annoyed me for quite so time. The benefits of technology and media are undeniable, but so then are the flaws. People are beginning to shift their focus away from the physical world to the virtual world as they find it easier and more comfortable. The intended purpose of technology and media was to be a tool to improve the quality of life, not shackles to tie people to their devices. I no longer recognize this changed world and long for the simple world of my youth. Turkle argues that technology has fundamentally changed how people view themselves and their lives (271). She reports that, â€Å"BlackBerry users describe that sense of encroachment of the device on their time. One says, ‘I don’t have enough time alone with my mind’; another, ‘I artificially make time to think†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (274). Her point is that people have to make a deliberate choice to disconnect, to exist in their own mind rather than the virtual world (Turkle 274). Another point Turkle brings up is that in this technologic age children are not learning to be self- reliant. Without having the experience of being truly alone and making their own decisions, children are not developing the skills they once did (Turkle 274). As Turkle reports, â€Å"There used to be a moment in the life of an urban child, usually between 12 and 14, when there was a first time to navigate the city alone. It was a rite of passage that communicated, ‘you a re on your own and responsible.

Apple Supplier Foxconn Employs 14-Year-Olds

The eclectic paradigm is a theory in economics and is also known as the OLI-Model or OLI-Framework. [1][2] It is a further development of the theory of internalization and published by John H. Dunning in 1980. [3] The theory of internalization itself is based on the transaction cost theory. [3] This theory says that transactions are made within an institution if the transaction costs on the free market are higher than the internal costs. This process is called internalization. [3] For Dunning, not only the structure of organization is important. 3] He added 3 more factors to the theory:[3] Ownership advantages[1] (trademark, production technique, entrepreneurial skills, returns to scale)[2] Ownership specific advantages refer to the competitive advantages of the enterprises seeking to engage in Foreign direct investment (FDI). The greater the competitive advantages of the investing firms, the more they are likely to engage in their foreign production. [4] Location advantages [5](exis tence of raw materials, low wages, special taxes or tariffs)[2] Locational attractions refer to the alternative countries or regions, for undertaking the value adding activities of MNEs.The more the immobile, natural or created resources, which firms need to use jointly with their own competitive advantages, favor a presence in a foreign location, the more firms will choose to augment or exploit their O specific advantages by engaging in FDI. [4] Internalization advantages (advantages by own production rather than producing through a partnership arrangement such as licensing or a joint venture)[2] Firms may organize the creation and exploitation of their core competencies.The greater the net benefits of internalizing cross-border intermediate product markets, the more likely a firm will prefer to engage in foreign production itself rather than license the right to do so. [4] Source: Dunning (1981)[6]Categories of advantages Ownership advantagesInternalization advantagesLocation adva ntages Form of market entry Licensing[1] YesNoNo Export YesYesNo FDI YesYesYes [edit]Theory The idea behind the Eclectic Paradigm is to merge several isolated theories of international economics in one approach. 1] Three basic forms of international activities of companies can be distinguished: Export, FDI and Licensing. [1] The so-called OLI-factors are three categories of advantages, namely the ownership advantages, locational advantages and internalization advantages. [1] A precondition for international activities of a company are the availability of net ownership advantages. These advantages can both be material and immaterial. The term net ownership advantages is used to express the advantages that a company has in foreign and unknown markets. 1] According to Dunning two different types of FDI can be distinguished. While resource seeking investments are made in order to establish access to basic material like raw materials or other input factors, market seeking investments are made to enter an existing market or establish a new market. [1] A closer distinction is made by Dunning with the terms efficiency seeking investments, strategic seeking investments and support investments. [1] Trade and FDI patterns for industries and countries. [7]Location advantages StrongWeak Ownership advantagesStrongExportsOutward FDI WeakInward FDIImportsThe eclectic paradigm also contrasts a country's resource endowment and geographical position (providing locational advantages) with firms resources (ownership advantages). [7] In the model, countries can be shown to face one of the four outcomes shown in the figure above. [7] In the top, right hand box in the figure above firms possess competitive advantages, but the home domicile has higher factor and transport costs than foreign locations. [7] The firms therefore make a FDI abroad in order to capture the rents from their advantages. [7] But if the country has locational advantages, strong local firms are more likely to emp hasize exporting. 7] The possibilities when the nation has only weak firms, as in most developing countries, leads to the opposite outcomes. [7] These conditions are similar to those suggested by Porter's diamond model of national competitiveness. [7] [edit]Application in practice In dependence of the categories of advantage there can be chosen the form of the international activity. If a company has ownership advantages like having knowledge about the target market abroad, for example staff with language skills, information about import permissions, appropriate products, contacts and so on, it can do a licensing.The licensing is less cost-intensive than the other forms of internalization. If there are internalization advantages, the company can invest more capital abroad. This can be achieved by export in form of an export subsidiary. The FDI is the most capital intensive activity that a company can choose. According to Dunning, it is considered that locational advantages are neces sary for FDI. This can be realized by factories which are either bought or completely constructed abroad. FDI is the most capital intensive form of internalization activity.

The Iks

The Iks by Lewis Thomas In the essay â€Å"The Iks†, author Lewis Thomas tells the story about the small tribe of hunters in Uganda who had to struggle to live with others after they were forced by the government to give up their living and working area and move to the poor hills and become farmers. Because of this, the Iks did not know how to live together, and they made each other’s lives very miserable. The individual Ik was selfish and heartless and cared for no one but himself.They didn’t share things with each other and found joy in the other’s misfortunes. They even went as far as to let their children go on their own and take food from the elders. To make things worse, an anthropologist, who hated the Iks, decided to study them for two years to write a book about them. Thomas thought the behavior of the Iks was unmoral and animalistic. He then went on to say that he now sees their behavior as being similar to small groups such as a gang and large g roups such as cities and nations.I find that Thomas’ comparison of the Iks’ behavior to some small groups to be unreasonable, whereas I can see the similarities between their behavior and that of larger groups like cities and nations. I didn’t think the comparison of the Iks’ behavior and that of all small groups was accurate. Now, I have seen some small groups, such as gangs, express the same type of selfish and heartless behavior as Iks, like when they kill innocent people as an initiation and their joy when another gang is broken up.But I have also seen some small groups, such as social clubs, come together to raise money for other organizations and to supply needs to needy communities. Therefore, I can’t see the comparison of all small groups as being fair. As for the comparison of the Iks and larger groups, such as cities, I can agree with that to a certain extent. I could never forget what happened in this city on August 29, 2005. Our familie s, homes, jobs and schools was taken from us. The city decided to save one part of the city, and flooded out the poor part.Sure there was help from other cities and nations, but the help only went to certain areas of the city. The poor areas was left to fend for themselves, and that caused those citizens to make their own laws and they became very defensive and offensive to each other during this time. They broke into the neighbors’ homes and stole whatever was salvageable and they actually raped the women who was stranded with them. There was elderly people who was dead in there for days and no one knew because they was too busy trying to stay alive.So I can agree with the comparison of the Iks and larger cities after being put in a bad situation. I wonder what it would be like if we was put in a situation like the Iks†¦ again? Would we be able to get along in order to help each other out of the bind we’re in, or would we carry on like selfish, savage beasts and destroy the little that we have? Although I can understand Thomas’ point about all humans having the ability to act out like the Iks did, I think that we have come so far in our society that we would not want to act like that, because we know that behaving in such a manner will not help us make the situation better.