Google Inc. in China Essay

PROBLEM Tom Maclean is in dilemma of identifying the possible appropriate course of action he would take, acknowledging all negative attention of Google, Inc. entering the Chinese territory through the development of Google.cn, a search engine residing in China. OBJECTIVES * To provide the best possible course of action that is appropriate for Tom Maclean to communicate in the meeting with supervisor and his peer group. * To assess thoroughly the factors and courses of action concerning Google.cn that may affect the company. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION 1. Google had adopted the informal corporate motto â€Å"Don’t be evil† from the founders’ letter and also developed an ethical code of conduct for both internal and external audiences. 2. Google’s mission is â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.† 3. China’s well-documented abuses of human rights are in violation of internationally recognized norms, stemming both from the authorities’ intolerance of dissent and the inadequacy of legal safeguards for basic freedoms. In 2005, China stepped up monitoring, harassment, intimidation, and arrest of journalists, Internet writers, defense lawyers, religious activists, and political dissidents. 4. China took a two-pronged approach to censoring the Internet. First, authorities restricted the production, development, and dissemination of improper content. Second, authorities monitored the perusal of content or receipt of information. â€Å"Harmful† content included material concerning democracy (e.g., freedom), religious cults (e.g., Falun Gong), or antigovernment protests (e.g., Tiananmen Square). 5. Google, Inc. first entered the Chinese market in early 2000 by creating a Chinese-language version of its home page. Google’s approach was to maintain a Chinese-language version of Google.com that was housed in the United States but could handle search requests originating within China. 6. In September 2002, Google.com was inaccessible for two weeks. When reinstated, it was slow and temperamental for all Chinese users and completely inaccessible for Chinese colleges and universities. According to Elliot Schrage, Google’s vice president of Global Communications and Public Affairs, â€Å"The average time to download a Google Web page was more than seven times slower than for Baidu, the leading Chinese search engine.† 7. In 2004, Google realized that its approach in China was not sustainable. Google was losing market share to Baidu, and others, including Yahoo! and Microsoft, were gaining ground through their local presence. 8. Tom MacLean, director of International Business at Google, Inc. managed the decision to physically enter Chinese territory through the development of Google.cn—a search engine residing in China. This product was â€Å"faster and more reliable, and provide more and better search results for all but a handful of politically sensitive subjects.† 9. The search results of Google.cn were subject to Chinese filtering and monitoring, which drew ire from nongovernmental organizations, academics, press, and the general public, culminating in a U.S. congressional hearing on February 15, 2005. Critics blamed Google for supporting a country with a totalitarian regime, known for its numerous human-rights violations. 10. Andrew McLaughlin, an attorney for Google, stated: â€Å"While removing search results is inconsistent with Google’s mission, providing no information †¦ is more inconsistent with our mission.† ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION 1. Remain in China through Google.cn and comply with Chinese laws and regulations that require the search results to be censored. Advantages * There will be more global connections. * The need for information across all borders. * They will expand their market share. Disadvantages * It does not conform to their mission. * Criticisms of the society will continue to arise. * Diminishing of free speech due to censorship. 2. Discontinue Google.cn and withdraw their stay in China Advantages * It would give good impression to the public by not supporting a country with a totalitarian regime. * Criticisms will diminish. Disadvantages * They would be missing out one of the largest economies. * Losing the Chinese market would hurt global strategy. * It would decrease their market share. * It will be more inconsistent to their mission. RECOMMENDATION After judging the internal and external factors, and considering Google’s stated commitment to organize and make information universally accessible and useful on the internet, I have come to the conclusion that Tom MacLean and Google, Inc. should choose to stay in China and respect the country’s custom and tradition. Google’s presence in China would undoubtedly have had  a liberalizing influence in the country, while being a huge investment for its shareholders. The company would make more money, and keep the business and employees. It will make meaningful contributions to the overall expansion of access to information in China, though imperfect. As what Andrew McLaughlin said, while removing search results is inconsistent with Google’s mission, providing no information is more inconsistent with our mission.

Casablanca †Hollywood Essay

It is certainly undeniable that â€Å"Casablanca† is one of the best known Hollywood classics of all time. But its illustrious reputation does not make it one of the best Hollywood classics in history. There are mainly two points to that claim, one is that Casablanca did not land a tasteful ending, and second is that the protagonist of the Richard â€Å"Rick† Blaine, considered as one of the greatest lovers in history, did not actually love Ilsa. The ending of Casablanca is obviously far from classic Hollywood endings, in which all the major conflicts are resolved. It is not that the ending was poorly written, as stated earlier, it is just lacking some elements of classic Hollywood endings. In the concluding part of the film, Rick and Ilsa had to part ways for second and final time. They had split up without the knowledge of what the other person truly feels. This particular aspect of the ending somehow creates a static noise in the readers because things remain unresolved, not to mention heart-wrenchingly tragic. Moreover, it is just ironic that event though Casablanca is one of the most loved love stories in film history, the protagonist of the story Richard â€Å"Rick† Blaine seems to be incapable of genuine love. There are several possible reasons why he had left Ilsa in the ending. One of which is that he had an insecurity that he cannot compete against someone like Laszlo for the affection of Ilsa. The second possible reason is much worse, he could have left Ilsa because he wanted to get back at her for leaving him in their first split up. Again, this paper does not state that Casablanca is bad film. It just does not fit the stereotypes of classic Hollywood films and love stories. Perhaps its unconventionality had made it one of the most popular films to be ever shown in the big screen. Moreover, the ending of the film and Rick’s inability to genuinely love makes the film realistic, thus less fictional.

Dutchman – Thematic Analysis Paper

Williams, Jae`da June 19, 2012 ENC 1102 Dutchman Thematic Analysis The phrase â€Å"racial tension† is a small description of the main theme in Dutchman by Amiri Baraka. While race is a vital part of the underlying messages in the play, it stems to a much broader term. In Dutchman Amiri Baraka attempts to grasp the attention of the African American society. Baraka uses Clay’s character to show readers that complete assimilation into another culture is wrong. He wants to awaken the African American men and women in a predominately Caucasian American culture to subconsciously kill the person that is portrayed by Clay in the play.Not only does Baraka want readers and audience members to kill their inner Clay, but refuse to conform to what is known as the â€Å"Average African American man /woman†. The post-thought process that takes place after reading or seeing the play is what triggers the desire to re-evaluate oneself in who they are and how they are portrayed in society. In the article Dutchman Reconsidered by Thaddeus Martin, it is said that Lula’s whimsical and formless personality is Baraka’s way of saying that the freedom of whites is boundless, and Clays â€Å"Puritanical and Victorian† ways shows how blacks are condemned to suffer the furies of that freedom. Martin 62) For example Clay and Lula’s dialogue in scene one: â€Å"Clay: Wow. All these people, so suddenly. They must all come from the same place. Lula:Right. That they do. Clay: Oh? You know about them too? Lula: Oh yeah. About them more than I know about you. Do they frighten you? Clay: Frighten me? Why should they frighten me? Lula: ‘Cause you’re an escaped nigger. Clay: Yeah? Lula: ‘Cause you crawled through the wire and made tracks to my side? Clay: Wire? Lula: Don’t they have wire around plantations? Clay: You must be Jewish. All you can think about is wire.Plantations didn’t have any wire. Plantations were bi g open whitewashed places like heaven, and everybody on ‘em was grooved to be there. Just strummin’ and hummin’ all day. Lula: Yes, yes. † (Baraka 2754) Lula refers to Clay as an escaped nigger because he crawled through the wire and made tracks to her side. Lula’s reason for saying such a statement shows the common assumption that all black people admire white style. With Clay giving such an apathetic response to Lula’s comment, it is an example of the suggested submissiveness to white authority from an African American.This kind of behavior from Clay is used as a reminder to African Americans to idolize the thoughts and ideas of Caucasians. (Martin 62) There is a power struggle between black and white in Dutchman. When Clay was the more dominant character as an African American man he had a sense of confidence and assurance about himself, but once he is killed, his character is seen as the person you don’t want to be. Baraka’s idea is that if you take on the ways of Clay eventually you will end up someone you’re not, losing your true self.On the contrary when Lula was the more dominant person she had a sense of esteem that overpowered Clays. Her overpowering attitude is to symbolize the dominating cultural presence white people have over blacks. Even with all of the sarcastic comments Clay made as comebacks to Lula, her ingenious way of insulting him still left her with the upper hand. Clays laid back attitude toward Lula is admirable, almost as if he looks up to her wanting to be her. Clay’s admiration for Lula did not begin when she stepped on the train but originated in his upbringing.His yearning to fit into the white culture that seemed to be much better off than he was is what established his appreciation for the white society. (Kumar 277-278) At first he tolerates her comments and attempts to take them lightheartedly, because he has hopes at being intimate with Lula. Willing to listen to a white woman strip him of his pride and manhood just for a night of pleasure, Clay is submitting to the dominant character of Lula. In scene two Lula’s insulting comments progress: â€Å"Lula: Uhh! Uhh! Clay! Clay! You middle-class black bastard.Forget your social-working mother for a few seconds and let’s knock stomachs. Clay, you liver-lipped white man. You would-be Christian. You ain’t no nigger, you’re just a dirty white man. Get up. Clay. Dance, with me, Clay. Clay: Lula! Sit down, now. Be cool. † Even through Lula insulted him and spoke badly about his mother clay still responded in an apprehensive way. Lula’s aggressiveness in her speech angers Clay to the point where he curses at her, that is after she calls him an Uncle Tom Wooly Head. (Martin 62)(Kumar 276) At the end of scene one Lula says â€Å"You’re a murderer, Clay, and you know it. (Baraka 2751)This quote could be thought of as a subliminal way of saying that Cla y killed the black man inside of him. All throughout the first scene Lula has the more aggressive and dominant role, but in scene two Clay takes on the more authoritative role, while Lula ends up being the actual murderer at the end of the play. Lula’s plot to kill Clay is in some way foreshadowed when the other passengers board the train and she says â€Å"we’ll pretend that people cannot see you†. (Baraka 2751) Clay tries to defend himself all throughout the play but doesn’t succeed because he can’t defend something that he is not.While Lula is insulting the stereotypes and behavior of black men, Clay cannot fully defend them because he himself isn’t truly â€Å"black†. (Klinkowitz 123-124) Baraka used a sense of satire because instead of directly inputting his opinion about Clay he played off of Lula’s character, which provoked Clay to portray through his actions the person readers don’t want to be. This kind of appro ach causes readers to think about whom they are and their role in society. Dutchman raises the attention of readers black or white and makes each think of who they really are.Even through the personalities of each character, any reader can apply themselves to the situation. With America becoming so diverse in the last decades assimilating ourselves into different cultures has become almost second nature, so adapting to other cultures has not caused us to loose who we really are but to accustom ourselves to change. Baraka didn’t want readers to internally kill the person they were inside, but to do away with the person that they weren’t. Complete and total assimilation into another culture is what Clay did to himself and is what Baraka wants Blacks to not do.Instead, he wants Blacks to never forget who they are, but to not be so narrow minded that they are blind to the world around them. Jae`da WilliamsAnnotated Bibilography Galens, David M. Dutchman-Amiri,Baraka. Drama For Students. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 141-59. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Cengage Learning. Web. 31 May 2012. Electronic Book. Drama for Students gives readers different outlooks on a variety of texts. The approach taken to analyze the piece Dutchman is unique, because instead of offering one theme there are multiple.This allows readers to take it upon themselves to decide what they think about the play. By providing plot summaries it allows readers to take what they thought about the text and apply it to a more condensed version. Drama for Students would work best in a classroom, considering it’s written for students. Since it is written in a form for students to learn and comprehend, it would be no challenge to grasp the concepts presented. This non-complex approach to the play will help the clearness of my research. The direct approach should help anyone who uses this resource.Understanding the background of the play is not difficult, because of the short author biography provided. This makes the Dutchman than just a piece of literature, but rather a piece of the author. Piggford, George. â€Å"Looking into Black Skulls : American Gothic, the Revolutionary Theatre, and Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman. †Ã‚  American Gothic: New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa: University of Iowa, 1998. 143-59. EBSCO Host. Web. 30 June 2012. Electronic Book. Piggfords approach in comparing Dutchman to African-American Gothic literature is different from the other resources that I have come across.The social and political events that were taking place while the play was written have a lot to do with Piggfords ideas on the underlying issues Baraka implemented into the play. It is aid that Dutchman marked the end of a certain type of theater, the kind that uses social structures as the gateway to examining the black psyche. This book is very helpful because it not only addresses the things that are usually looked for in a piece of work such as theme, characters motivation, outside influences and the authors influence.The title and the way the text makes others feel is a part of the meaning of the play in its entirety. Martin, Thaddeus. â€Å"Dutchman Reconsidered. †Ã‚  Black American Literature Forum  2nd ser. 11 (1977). Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. In this review Martin gives an analysis of the characters in Dutchman, mainly Clay and Lula. By using quotes from the text, his ideas about the play seem to have a great amount of relevance and validity. Although the article is short it brings much insight to my research because of its strong argument.It presents an idea, and then runs with it. Martin doesn't waver in what he believes is the message that is in Dutchman. Even though his ideas are similar to other journal reviews, Martin includes more of his opinion rather than relying on past events and political issues that were that were prominent in that time. It's almost as if Martin is taking into considerati on the feelings of the characters of this play. He relates the feelings of average Americans to the characters of the play; this gives a more personal feel to the research. Kumar, Nita. The Logic of Retribution: Amiri Baraka's â€Å"Dutchman†Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  African American Review  37. 2/3 (2003): 271-79. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Nita Kumar's response to the Dutchman is very useful in my research because its examples are from other reviews of the work. This type of literary construction gives Kumar’s work more versatility. It is able to suit different opinions without insulting anyone’s views. In Dutchman, the use of language plays an important role, and Kumar recognizes that. Examining the language used and how it helps the characters feed off of one another is important.This will help anyone who reads the review grasp an understanding on why some things were said and exactly what they mean. Putting her ideas into categories, Kumar’s' review is very well organized which makes it beneficial to my research. The organization of the article makes it a lot easier for readers to follow along and allow time for things to process, which is why it is so ideal for research. Klinkowitz, Jerome. â€Å"LeRoi Jones: Dutchman as Drama. †Ã‚  Negro American Literature Forum  7. 4 (1973): 123-26. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article.This text offers a great layout of information. Klinkowitz takes pages of text in the play and evaluates it, instead of the entire play as a whole. This approach literally breaks down the quotes and thoughts of the characters. This piece even analyzes the position that LeRoi Jones was in when he wrote the Dutchman. Not only does he break down the pages of the script, but still does not fail to incorporate other writers ideas and opinions in his work, Instead of taking away from the point that Klinkowitz is trying to make, the examples make his writing more relatable and personal.The continual flo w of criticism allows for the author to be very static in his opinions. Just as a teacher would teach their students a lesson, allowing room for opinions and ideas, Klinkowitz allows readers to input their own thoughts and ideas on the play. Works Cited Galens, David M. Dutchman-Amiri,Baraka. Drama For Students. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 141-59. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Cengage Learning. Web. 31 May 2012. Electronic Book. Piggford, George. â€Å"Looking into Black Skulls : American Gothic, the Revolutionary Theatre, and Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman.   American Gothic: New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa: University of Iowa, 1998. 143-59. EBSCO Host. Web. 30 June 2012. Electronic Book. Martin, Thaddeus. â€Å"Dutchman Reconsidered. †Ã‚  Black American Literature Forum  2nd ser. 11 (1977). Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Kumar, Nita. â€Å"The Logic of Retribution: Amiri Baraka's â€Å"Dutchman†Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  African American Review  37. 2/3 (2003): 271-79. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Klinkowitz, Jerome. â€Å"LeRoi Jones: Dutchman as Drama. †Ã‚  Negro American Literature Forum  7. 4 (1973): 123-26. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article.

Value Innovation at AMD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Value Innovation at AMD - Essay Example As of today, 99% of computers operate using 32-bits. As technology improves and software applications become more demanding there will be a transition to 64 bits. The K8 processor was a complete revamp of the x86 architecture for 64-bit processing, giving AMD a leadership position. Industry acceptance of the AMD64 standard has forced Intel to enter into an agreement with AMD to use the AMD64 standard on their own 64-bit based EMT64 processors. In their essay â€Å"Strategy, Value Innovation and the Knowledge Economy† Kim and Mauborgne characterize value innovators as ‘those who make their competition irrelevant by providing buyers with a quantum leap in value’. This description fits perfectly with AMD’s strategy for the K8. Until the release of the K7, AMD was a company that focused ‘on matching or beating’ Intel. They chose a ‘distinctive cost’ position and innovation was considered exogenous with cost and product performance trad eoffs. The new economics theory, which heralds the arrival of the knowledge economy, claims that ‘innovations are no longer exogenous and can be created with the ideas and knowledge within a system’. Again, a perfect match to AMD’s strategy of first giving the NexGen team their own building to develop the K6 and subsequently roping in a ‘world-class-enterprise-level processor design team’ for the K8. Admitted that Intel’s stumbles with their processor design and production yield have given AMD an opportunity window.

Why the Founders failed to address the question of slavery Essay

Why the Founders failed to address the question of slavery - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that according to the constitution of the America that was originally drafted, a slave was equivalent to three-fifths of a person; the relation was applied for ensuring proportional representation in the House of Representatives. The South States were slave-heavy states and wanted that each of the slaves to be counted as an equivalent for one full person, whereas the North States ‘ultimately abolitionist states’ also named ‘slave light states’ did not want to apply equivalent relationship between the slaves and independents. The slaves desired active representation and authority of House of Representatives, and in this manner, they were able to achieve their interests in a more aggressive and enthusiastic manner. The Three-Fifth compromise between both the divisions actually reduced the influence of slave states in the national government. According to the compromise accorded, slaves will receive three-fifths of en umeration i.e. tax distribution, and representation at government houses. The major impact of the three-fifth draft was to change and shift the basis for estimating the wealth of each state, and the tax reforms were applied and introduced accordingly.   The North desired that such amendments in the Articles of Confederation to be introduced, such that slaves were counted one, so that South was subject to more tax deduction, however later in the constitutional convention on the reason of representation, South desired more participation.  

Carl Lungs major accoplishments and how he influenced the New Thought Term Paper

Carl Lungs major accoplishments and how he influenced the New Thought Movement - Term Paper Example the environment around him was full of well-educated people and chances that would offer more opportunities to joy the absorption of knowledge, his childhood was not as cheerful as the other people’s: he did not care about school much, since he discovered the jealousy of other people at himself. Sometimes he skipped the class using sickness as an excuse, and such a solitary attitude later affected him to form his own introspective identity. After graduating the medicine school, he met Freud in 1907 and worked together for the development of psychoanalysis. However, their relationships cooled down in 1910, and Carl started creating his own theory that would clearly explain about the personalities. Basically, Jung’s theories are based upon the relationship between consciousness and unconsciousness, and he stated that the people’s minds are ingeniously controlled by unconsciousness, without the sense of it. After suggesting the new assumptions that can be summarized into several subdivisions such as archetype, introversion and extroversion, and synchronicity, Carl Jung died on June 6, 1961, in Zunich. (Stevens 1994) Carl Jung emphasized that the unconscious determines a person’s personality. He claimed that the unconscious had two layers. The first was the personal unconscious. This is where a person’s individual memories are stored. The Jung term for the personal unconscious is â€Å"a portion of the unconscious corresponding roughly to the Freudian id.† (Zimbardo Pg.391) This is where the important details are stored when they are repressed or forgotten about. The second layer is the collective unconscious. This is an inaccessible layer that contains all learned experiences. The collective unconscious â€Å"involves a reservoir for instinctive memories which exist in all living people. They bound together generations of human history.† (Zimbardo pg. 391) These bounds of history are called archetypes. Jung also said that the collective unconscious is

Supply Chain Class--Company analysis Case Study

Supply Chain Class--Company analysis - Case Study Example For the last 25 years, many companies have been negatively affected by the failure of their supply chain an aspect that has caused some of these companies to be acquired by their competitors at very low prices. Other failed companies have resulted to loss of a lot of investor’s funds thus resulting to their closure and court litigation as the investors seek for compensation. This paper will discuss common mistakes that are done by the company leading to supply chain disasters. One of the key mistakes that companies make is failure to do an extensive research on the suitability of the technology in improving their supply chains. For example, in its effort to improve production, Foxmeyer failed to research on how effective the new ERP system and the highly automated DC would be. Despite the efforts by the consultant to notify the company management that some areas of the new technology were not properly functioning, no step was taken. That ignorance has also greatly contributed to the supply chain disasters. Lack of undertaking feasibility studies that involves the evaluation of the benefits and costs associated with the supply chains is also a mistake that led to their failure. It is vital to note that before any company invests in new technology or a supply chain, it is essential to calculate the returns that are expected. For example, despite being an experienced manager, Robert Smith, the General Motors CEO failed to evaluate the performance of the robot technology leading to a supply chain problem that entailed loss of billion dollars in the investment (Supply Chain Digest, 2009). Lack of adequate market research is also another mistake that companies have made. Market research is crucial since it allows a company to initiate system that will provide products that will meet ready market. However, some companies such as Webvan, an online grocer invested in automated warehouses that reduced the company capital to a great extent yet the market demand for its products was very low. The same case applied to Cisco. On its part, Cisco, failed to initiate an inventory visibility study as well as adoption of poor market research leading to piles of products that were not demanded in the market. As a result, Cisco wrote down its inventory while the stock decreased by 50%. The company has yet to recover. During the planning stages of the management, most of the companies that faced the supply chain disasters did not skilled man power to undertake the task. As result, the managements were not aware of the repercussion of either adopting new system or even entering new markets. For instance, in its effort to move its production facility from Manila to low costs countries in 1994, Aris Isotoner resulted to reduction of costs by 50% while the Isotoner unit was sold to Totes. A mistake of poor estimation of the number of products and the delivery time is also a major cause of the supply chain disasters. For example, in 1999 Toys R Us.com compan y failed to realize that its system was not able to produce and deliver thousands of orders to its customers. This created a negative public image even though the company outsourced the supply to the Amazon.com. One of the companies that experienced a notable supply chain disaster was Apple Incorporation. Despite being a market leader in the production and selling of personal computers in 1990s, the company was faced with an issue that made it lose huge market share. In 1995,

Mobile devices in the workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mobile devices in the workplace - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to explore the use of mobile devices in the workplace. It aims at determining the level of use of mobile devices during office hours and the effects of such application on effectiveness and efficiency of employees’ output. This is because of the emerging trend in technology that increasingly develops the mobile devices. These devices are also technologically capacitated to offer services that were previously available on computers only. While low portability of computers would previously limit such application in the workplace, the current mobile devices allow employees, while on duty, to access recreational services. The problem promises a worse situation from the trend in manufacturing and sale of the mobile devices. There was for example an almost 90 percent increment in importation of mobile devices from the fourth quarter of the year 2009 to the same period in the year 2010. The increasing competition among the many manufactures of the devices also predic ts increase in utility that will attract more of employees’ time to the mobile devices. In the year 2010 for instance, more than 40 percent of employees used mobile devices for texting and this percentage is expected to have currently exceeded 50 percent (Notifycorp, 2010). Such trends pose both adverse and beneficial impacts on organizations. While they facilitate communication among members of the organization and may be used to facilitate official communications within organizations, the mobile devices, especially when used for personal applications, consumes a lot of organizations’ time, in quality and quantity (Notifycorp, 2010). The applications such as social networks and entertainment distract employees leading to loss of productivity time at personal levels. While cumulative employees’ application of the devices leads to a general lost time at the workplace, some employees’ applications may be a hindrance to other employees to adversely affect th eir output levels (Lussier, 2011). This research report therefore intends to change the trend in application of mobile devices in the workplace. It shall achieve this by statistically identifying the adverse impacts of application of the devices for adequate managerial decision making for controlling office use of mobile devices towards improved efficiency and effectiveness of employees. The developed ideas promise a deeper insight into human resource management through identifying significant inefficiencies due to application of mobile devices. This will lead to developed policies towards a more dedicated labor force. The research’s major limitation is, however, employees’ negative attitude on the research that may lead to dishonest responses. As a result, the true impacts of application of mobile devices may not be established. Proposed task The investigation proposes to employ a quantitative research approach. Under the method, the task will involve a series of step s that will begin with establishment of a theory, from reviewed literature. The proposed theory is that, application of mobile devices reduces productivity in the workplace. The theory will be followed by development of research hypothesis. This will be followed by designing the research before developing data collection instruments. Sampling will then be done followed by data collection and data analysis towards conclusion and a final documentation of the report (Bryman and Bell, 2007). The

URGENT 8 HOURS DEADLINE Brief Summary oF Macroeconomics chapters 5 and Essay

URGENT 8 HOURS DEADLINE Brief Summary oF Macroeconomics chapters 5 and 12 - Essay Example it is necessary to take note the total net export of goods and services which are also known as the Trade Balance given that a healthy economic activity should not have excessively large amount of total net import as compared with the net export. (p. 118) What happens when the total net import exceeds the total net export is that the country may eventually feel the negative economic consequences of not having sufficient money that flows within the domestic market. When this happen, there is a strong possibility that the normal domestic demand and supply for goods and services will be disrupted. In worst case scenario, it is possible for some domestic companies to implement massive lay-offs to ensure the business profitability and stability. Therefore, unemployment rate in the long-run is expected to increase. The same theory and economic consequences applies when a country’s net capital outflow of domestic lending abroad exceeds the total amount of foreign lending that enters the country. (pp. 118 – 119) Trade Balance uses the formula S – I and NX respectively (p. 118 – 119). In other words, a Trade Deficit and Trade Surplus occur in case the total Net Output and Trade Balance is negative and positive respectively (p. 119). Trade Balance occurs only when the total Net Capital Outflow and Trade Balance is equals to ZERO. It means that the total value of import is equal to the total value of export. A Bilateral Trade occurs when two countries agree to enter into a regular trading contract. However, it is not possible for a country to have experience a Bilateral Trade Balance. (p. 120) For instance: There is an agreement between China and U.S. to strengthen their import and export activities within one another. Even though both countries agreed to import and export goods and services, it is not possible for both countries to experience equal import and export. For this reason, it is possible to say that China has recently experienced Bilateral Trade

Role of Johnathan Edwards on First Great Awakening Essay

Role of Johnathan Edwards on First Great Awakening - Essay Example During his final years he was in charge of a boarding school where he preached the Indian boys. He died from smallpox in 1758, five weeks after he was inaugurated as the President of the College of New Jersey (â€Å"Jonathan Edwards†). The First Great Awakening Religious renewal The First Great Awakening was a movement that revitalized Christianity in the American colonies during the third and fourth decades of the eighteenth century. The impact was particularly felt in New England. The movement was caused by certain Christians who began to protest against the traditional mode of worship. It was generated by intense preaching from theologians like Jonathan Edwards which encouraged the avid listeners to disassociate from established rituals. They could feel a new sense of spiritual sincerity and their prayers were intensified by deep emotions (â€Å"Basic Concepts of the First Great Awakening†). Cause of the movement The glorious revolution of 1688 brought an end to the fights between different religious and political groups in England. The Church of England became the most important church of the country. People began to practice only one religion as the other religions like Catholicism, Judaism, and Puritanism were suppressed. Although this created religious stability but there was lack of fervor among the worshippers. Religion became a set of rituals to be followed without deep faith in the heart and soul. This state of complacency continued for several decades in England and American colonies before the First Great Awakening brought a religious renewal in the second quarter of the eighteenth century (â€Å"Basic Concepts of the First Great Awakening†). First Revivals in 1733-35 The roots of the First Great Awakening grew when a terrible earthquake struck on October 29, 1927 in New England. This led to wide-spread spiritual awakenings among the general people which paved the way for future revivals. The massive impact of the event and thi rty sermons regarding the earthquake that were published shook the spiritual complacency among the believers. As an immediate effect of the earthquake people began to crowd in churches to seek for salvation through Christ. The pastors began to preach the benefits of revival. Haverhill’s church became the largest center for revival after the earthquake where many fervent meetings were held with the churches of Bradford and Massachusetts. Pastor John Brown wrote in a letter that 154 people most of whom were youths came to him for â€Å"full membership, baptism, or renewal of their baptismal covenant† (Kidd, 10). Many people who had committed grave sins came to the church with deep faith to seek salvation. Brown however did not believe that the earthquake was the only cause of the start of revival, as he saw new interests for religion in his congregation in the spring of the same year. The next revival came in a â€Å"Time of great Security† with no external provoc ations like natural disasters. This was the revival generated by Jonathan Edwards in Northampton in 1734-35. Although George Whitefield was the most important preacher of that era, Edwards was the â€Å"greatest American articulator of the evangelical view of God, man and revival† (Kidd, 10-13). In April of 1734, a young man died within two days of being attacked by Pleurisy. Soon after that a young married woman died who seemed to have been blessed with God’

Pacifist Philosophy in Response to the Idea of War Essay Example for Free

Pacifist Philosophy in Response to the Idea of War Essay There are a variety of different philosophical interpretations of the idea of war, even what it means to be at war. Engaging in war is generally described as being the resort to violence in order to attain political ends. War is described by some as being a tyrannical crime, in that power hungry individuals lose sight of their morals and resort to unethical violence committed against others (Walzer, 2006). From this perspective, one notes the assertion that there is never a good reason to engage in such brutal behavior as to harm another individual. However, there are supposed potential weaknesses in this theory, due to the fact that nonviolence at all costs can be viewed as a complete lack of self defense (White, 2008). In any regard, the pacifist philosophy holds that there is never a good reason to engage in combat with other people, that true solutions are found solely through peaceful means. In light of the pacifist ideology, the idea of war has no place, even in the face impending and actual violence, and the best route in the face of danger is to resist participating in the cruelty. It is not always easy to attempt to manage a violent situation in peaceful ways, non-harmful ways, yet there are a myriad of creative ways to address the problem of violent people, ways which do not support aggressive thoughts and actions. In order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the pacifist position, it is essential to engage in comprehensive research and thought about the meaning of peace at all costs. Pacifism The principle ideas which serve as the conceptual framework of the pacifist movement center on the assertion that war is dictatorial cruelty derived from evil thoughts and actions and that peaceful behaviors are the only way in which to effectively diffuse this brutality. Practical pacifism affirms that resorting to violence is not the answer to the problem of violence in the world, that violence should be absolutely avoided and peaceful means of solution oriented action should be taken (Fiala, 2004). In other words, there is the example of the country who supports the death penalty as a means of supposed just punishment for people accused of the crime of murder. From a pacifist perspective, the idea of using violence as a means to eradicate violence is simply unreasonable and points to an illogical frame of thought and action. The pacifist would be likely to condone a means of arrest and rehabilitation rather than arrest and kill. The idea of peaceful interventions is paramount and supercedes all options deemed to be harmful to people. On a more personal level, one can take the interaction between and husband and wife or mother and child. When a person becomes angry enough to yell or hit, then the answer is not to yell or hit back in response, but rather to be calm and communicate with the other person in figuring out a solution. This kind of civilized action and communication can go a long way in ensuring that the violence does not continue, and this kind of civilized communication and action is able to be successfully translated to the public and political sphere as well. Strengths There are many strengths of the pacifist movement, in that the people who support peace at all costs are able to devise a great many solutions to violence which are centered on ensuring the absolute safety and wellbeing of all people. It is important to consider the ideas generated by pacifists, as they directly speak to the absolute moral concept of non-harm. Jesus Christ himself is quoted as saying, â€Å"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you, ‘Do not resist one who is evil; but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also’†, described as one of the most revolutionary sermons he ever gave (Ellens, 2007). This powerful commentary demands that people utilize the supremacy of restraint when faced with violence, even at a time, like today, when major religions condone the use of brutality. There is not one major religion in the world which absolutely forbids the use of violence, to the detriment of all people in the world. There is not one country which expressly forbids the act of war and supports the command for love, the command to offer one’s cheek to one’s aggressor. With all of the available options for peace, including communication, protest, boycotting, arrest, and rehabilitation, there is a known and certain positive effect which can be produced through the use of more gentle modes of action than violence. The media today is full of popular artists who tout violence as a masculine or commanding way of settling a score. However, when a person resorts to violence in an attempt to eradicate violence, the end result is simply another person who is drawn into the problem itself. The only way to end the violence in the world is by commitment to faith in the inherent goodness of humanity, to staunchly support the idea that solutions can be found which do not cause harm to other people. Criminality is basically defined as causing harm, and it makes no sense to become a criminal in the desire to ensure justice. Weaknesses There are those people who claim that there are weaknesses in the pacifist philosophy, that absolute peace defies the need to defend oneself from harm. People who do not support absolute pacifism claim that one of the only ways to address the problem of rogue states is to resort to war (Jacobson, 2007). Engaging in the violence of war is supposedly justified as an unfortunate effect of having no other option but to defend oneself and one’s country from the violent actions of others. To some people, pacifism may seem to be weak. In response to an event such as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, many people believed that the best solution was to violently enter into the home countries of the terrorists and to take over through the use of brutal force. To some people, there are terrorists, offenders, on one side of the war, and defenders on the other. From this perspective, there are two teams in the war game, certain people who are committing evil and need to be stopped at all costs, even through harm and loss of life, and people who are engaged in righteous self defense. This philosophical viewpoint stems from a bipolar system, where some people are engaging in violence for bad reasons and some people for good reasons. This simple yet convoluted way of thinking is highly selfish and negative, in that one person, or one team, is the victim, the oppressed, the suffering agent, the other person or team is the tyrant, the oppressor, the harmful agent. In this mode of judgment, there is only one guilty party, and the guilty are deserving of cruel punishment. However, the essential problem is always the same, in that there is supposedly never a good reason to cause harm to another person. Although the determination for war may be convenient, especially when people are actively engaged in the violent activity, there is still the basic problem of violence as a moral problem rather than a solution. Dividing couples, families, societies, countries, and political systems into warring teams of bad versus good does little to solve the core issues of the criminality of causing harm to others. Rebuttal Although some people believe that the pacifist ideology is weak and perhaps even a pathetic mode of political action, a powerful case can be made in support of peaceful decision making, decisions which are strong and influential while also being relatively calm and diplomatic. There is no government which has successfully demilitarized their country, no political system which has shifted to a purely diplomatic strategy for achieving peaceful end results (Djerejian, 2007). Due to the fact that all countries in the world are suffering from some form of violence, the case can certainly be made that policies which promote violence simply encourage the violent behaviors of citizens. What a different world this would be if the response to an attack was to demilitarize a region, to offer one’s cheek. What an interesting phenomena it would be to witness a region where guns were systematically removed from all persons, homes, and cars, even if it meant being shot in the process. Although an initial, primal, or habitual response to an attack is to harm one’s attacker, there is the ever present possibility of changing one’s response, to commit to the idea of peaceably reacting in the face of impending danger. When a child is hitting a parent, often the best reaction is to let a child hit until the child realizes that the parent is not going to hit back, to allow the child to realize that the parent is totally loving and totally dependable. Conclusion The political solution for all policy making is always going to be a peaceful solution, whether politicians realize it or not. The leaders of the world are going to be the ones who quietly offer their cheek, who are committed to helping their neighbors, even when these neighbors are seeking revenge. It takes a smart person to realize that one is participating in an immorally violent society, and it takes an even smarter person to realize that one is responsible for being an agent of change in support of pacifism. There are very few truly innocent people out there, if any, no countries which are politically perfect. From this perspective, people need to humble themselves in the face of their neighbors, to be aware of the shameful past and current atrocities being committed by governments across the globe, and to resolutely stand for the implementation of peaceful solutions. Policies can only be effectively changed by people who are committed activists in the name of peace, and these activists are the leaders of the world, pacifists in the name of the goodness of humanity. References Djerejian, E. (2007). Changing Minds, Winning Peace: A New Strategic Direction for U. S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab Muslim World. Lulu. com. Ellens, H. (2007). The destructive power of religion: violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Greenwood Publishing Group. Fiala, A. (2004). Practical pacifism. Algora Publishing. Jacobson, A. (2007). Nonviolence as a Way of Knowing in the Public School Classroom. In Factis Pax 1(1), 38-54. Walzer, M. (2006). Just and unjust wars: a moral argument with historical illustrations. Basic Books. White, J. (2008). Contemporary Moral Problems. Cengage Learning.

Personal experience Essay Example for Free

Personal experience Essay Few experiences in one’s lifetime have the capacity to transform. It takes an event of such immense magnitude to shake up ones’ frame of mind but when this occurs, one’s life never remains the same. Before the occurrence of such an event in my life, I was less concerned as the plight of refugees and I cared even less about the reasons behind their refugee status. However, I soon realized that these reasons were not as far fetched as I thought and that our country has a great role to play in these foreign nations. (Harries, 2004) The experience  During the month of July 2004, my family decided to visit some close relations at a neighboring districts; I had never been in that area before. Our intention was to stay there for two days. Our journey was uneventful but pleasant and we arrived there in one piece. Upon arrival, our hosts gave us a warm reception and asked us to feel at home. This was rather difficult owing to the fact that their house was much smaller than ours. I was beginning to ask myself just how long I could bear being so far away from home. These selfish feelings were quickly thrown aside when I noticed unusual family members joining us in the living room. Some young men probably in their mid twenties entered the living room and politely greeted us. I noticed that they had a foreign accent; one I had never heard before and this immediately sparked my curiosity. We began chatting with them and continued to so for one hour. They told us that they had been in the country for ten years and so they knew their way around our cousin’s neighborhood. Actually, I found out that my cousins (who are considerably older than I am) had adopted them seven years ago so we all shared second names. After a while, I got tired of staying indoors and asked the two guys to take me around; one was called Andrew and the other Gregory. I wanted to find out what had prompted Andrew and Gregory to leave their country that I assumed was in Africa. Andrew was more talkative than Gregory and the former began telling me the story of his life. He revealed that he was born and raised in Rwanda until the age of fifteen. Before coming to our country, he had been living a relatively normal life with his family and friends. However, in the year 1994, something happened in their country to change all this. Their prime minister who happened to come from the Hutu tribe was assassinated and all hell broke loose. Andrew told me that the political assassination was merely the straw that broke the camels back because there were ethnic tensions between the two Rwandese tribes from as far back as the colonial times. Andrew narrated that everything changed in a flash, the national radio was taken over by the Hutus (the majority tribe) and they used it to spread hate speech about the minorities who were the Tutsi. Andrew told me that he was a Tutsi and was therefore a potential victim of these extermination crimes. He explained that killings began in different parts of the country and they eventually reached his village. He had managed to hide from the exterminators because a member of the other tribe was protecting his family in a church. But the exterminators learned of this, and entered the church; they were armed with machetes and guns exclaimed ‘come out you little cockroaches! ’ Andrew watched as his family members were killed one after the other. He was lucky that the bullets never got to him since dead bodies covered him. The attackers went around to ensure that no one was left alive. When they got to Andrew, he had so much blood from other people that they assumed he was dead. The same thing had happened to Gregory. Andrew told me that he had remained under those piles of dead bodies for a whole week. What I learnt from the experienced Andrew and Gregory were one of the lucky Tutsi survivors who were enrolled in refugee programs with our country through an NGO. They stayed with this non-governmental organization until my cousins learnt about their story and volunteered to adopt them. I learnt many things from my experience with Andrew and Gregory. First of all, I learnt to appreciate the peace and freedom, that exists within our country because it gave hope to people who had lost it completely. These two young men had a chance to start their lives all over again because a country like ours was open to their experience. (Hamilton, 2000) However, I was deeply disturbed by the role that the rest of the world could have played in their country. Many people have suggested that had the world intervened in the Rwandan genocide much earlier, then the hundreds of thousands of lives lost would have been spared. This was a modern – day Holocaust and every government in the world; including ours turned a deaf year to their plight. The Rwandese killed themselves for four months without outside intervention even from the UN. This issue got me thinking about our government’s role in peace keeping missions around the world; especially those ones that have the danger of spiraling out of control. The citizens of this country may be living in relative peace but as international citizens, it is the duty of our government to protect the lives of innocent citizens such as Andrew and Gregory. I would never have thought of this issue, if my family had not taken that trip to visit our cousins. Through their kind actions, I began asking myself whether the government itself can demonstrate such good neighborliness today especially with regard to troubled countries. (DuBois, 2005) Political and social significance of the event This event was a revelation to me as I hope it will be to the rest of the class because I saw our government through different eyes. Andrew explained that if there had been outside help, then they would not have to deal with some of the problems that they were undergoing at the time. The world has become increasingly global; through information technology, we can now hear, watch and even analyze political and social issues in other countries. In contrast to the mid nineties, news of any nature can reach individuals in different parts of the world at the touch of a button. Consequently, our country and its citizens are firmly aware of the issues prevailing in almost all parts of the world. The government therefore has a platform for looking into the prevailing problems of the world. While our government has tried giving assistance, to certain countries, it would be nobler if the government extended their role in humanitarian crises of the world by participating in preventative initiatives. (Kissinger, 2001) One such illustration occurred earlier this year when an East African nation; Kenya began engaging in post election violence. The clashes and killings were as a result of ethnic and political tension prevailing in that country. The world did not watch as these people continued killing one another because the US government sent its secretary of state who strongly suggested a government of national unity; their interventions saved that nation. Other countries also intervened and the violence was immediately halted. Our government should adopt such a strategy its foreign policy. It is not responsible to simply turn a blind eye to other countries when there is something that our government can do. Arnold, 2001) Another example of a country at war is Sudan; this country has been undergoing a lot of turmoil especially in the Darfur region. Many western or foreign countries have taken a hands-off approach to the plight of the Sudanese because they have assumed that these problems have nothing to do with them. However, as citizens of the world and also as responsible citizens, it is the duty of the government to ta ke part in such initiatives a little more. We cannot operate in isolation because we all need one another. Had governments in the world been more vigilant about helping one another, the situation in Rwanda would not have catapulted into such magnanimous levels. Consequently, similar events in other countries can also be prevented if the government was keener with taking part in peacekeeping missions. Indeed our country’s foreign policy should be viewed a social work because we are our neighbor’s keepers. (Mandelbaum, 2002) Change starts from within and it then spreads to other parts of the world. If our government was to take up its international responsibility today, then the lives of many innocent people could be changed forever. Conclusion The event that changed my life occurred four years ago when I took a trip to my cousins’ place at a nearby district. During my stay there, I met some adopted nephews of Rwandese descent. They told me about their story and how they lost their lives. This meeting with them changed the way I perceived our government’s role in international affairs because I realized that it is not doing enough. Our government needs to exercise more corporate citizenry in order to prevent horrendous occurrences like Andrew’s and Gregory. If our government had been more participatory, then these Rwandese boys would still have relatives today. (Turner, 2001)

Poverty Ethiopia Growth

Poverty Ethiopia Growth Ethiopia has poor infrastructure, persistent food insecurity, and tough government bureaucracy, one of Africas worst AIDS epidemics, no stock market, weak entrepreneurial tradition, poor internet connections and uneasy labor relations. And it lives in tough neighborhood alongside countries such as war-torn Sudan, Somalia and Kenya. In the global race for investment dollars, conventional wisdom might place poverty-stricken Ethiopia among the worlds bleakest prospects. Its comparative advantage is poverty and cheap labor. Ethiopia is developing country. The level of growth is very poor and slow, and isnt improving nowadays. This poor country continues to face complex economic problems as one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its Economy is based chiefly on agriculture and weather plays major factor in success rates. The growth is not so much attractive and doesnt look very hopeful. Modern industry bears from under investment, shortages of raw material and poor management. Standard of Living: The GNP of Ethiopia is 113 per capita, being extremely low, and intolerable for any form of adequate survival. (Roberts, 2000) The level of living in turn is substantially low. Major cities tend to be slightly better than other areas, but not by much. The primary Industry of Ethiopia is Agriculture, employing roughly 85% of the countrys workers. The rest of the working population is broken down to 10% in service industries, and the final 5% in manufacturing. There are approximately 9 main natural resources and 1 raw material found in abundance in Ethiopia. Two fourth of the power is supplied through hydroelectricity, making Ethiopia one of modern and least dependent on outside sources of energy in Africa. Country has also narrow-gauge railways, seaports, and National highways that connect major population hub in the central plateau and Eritrea. This is only small portion of Ethiopias transportation systems. Many parts of this poor country are made up of unpaved or uncrossable tracks, making transportation slow and useless. The ratio of people to automobiles is 810:1. The labor involved is monotonous and backbreaking. Workers are being paid low for their work, and are typically situated in inadequate working facilities. Purchas ing markets are few and not good enough to buy cloth etc. Ethiopias capital is very low, and they do receive foreign aid and tariffs. Poverty and Domestic Issues Ethiopias chronic poverty is largely due to high population growth and poor economic performance, exacerbated by mismanagement, conflict and drought. During 1981-91, population grew at nearly 3 per cent per year as compared to economic growth of 1.7 per cent and increase in agricultural production of 0.9 per cent. Between 1978/9 and 1988/9, per-capita food grain production dropped from 200kg to about 150kg, while food imports increased from 178,200 tons to 1,460,400 tons, with relief aid amounting to 70 per cent of the total (ESRDF, 1995: 3). The causes included policy distortions; state grain monopolies and constraints on internal trade; land degradation; low use of agricultural technology; and recurrent drought. Domestic conflict and insecurity played key role, both directly and indirectly. The states huge military expenditure and lack of development assistance constrained development of water resources for irrigation and power essential components of increased food security and poverty reduction in the Ethiopian situation. The Effects Of Complex Economic Emergency And Interventions major cost of conflict and economic mismanagement under the Derg regime, was the exacerbation of chronic poverty and problems of drought and famine. By 1984, Tigray region was roughly divided into two parts: towns and surrounding areas remained under government control, while rural areas were largely under the TPLF (Hendrie, 1994: 127). In rural areas people lived strong-minded with new hopes. Residents of government-held towns depended on food brought in by truck convoys from the south. People in TPLF areas lost access to towns with grain markets disaster for poor households dependent on these markets for access to food. The central governments counter-insurgency strategy directly targeting the civilian population was, with drought, major ca-use of the chronic humanitarian crisis of the mid-1980s (Hendrie, 1999: 65). One aspect of this was the launching of ground offensives against those parts of western Tigray still producing grain surplus (ibid.). The offensives targeted civilian economies and coping mechanisms and aimed to destroy the support base of opposition movements. The consequences were famine and asset depletion, making rehabilitation difficult and leading to chronic and recurrent emergency. Economy And Development Following 17 years of the Derg dictatorship and devastating wars, Ethiopias society and economy was in ruins. More than 400,000 demobilized soldiers and their families were largely destitute, as were up to one million people displaced in ethnic conflicts that flared up after the fall of the Derg. There were thousands of Ethiopians, including long-term residents, evicted from Eritrea; hundreds of thousands returning from exile in neighboring countries; and thousands forced by new conflicts to flee areas where they had been resettled. In May 1991, the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) inherited ruined economy and massive debts from 17 years of Derg misrule. An early action of the new regime was to issue charter for the transitional period, indicating the new political direction, with the national question at the centre of the impending political transformation. In November 1991, it followed up with policy paper outlining the economic policy of the transitional period and major principles of moving towards market economy, creating an environment conducive to investment, and rehabilitating the war-torn economy. With donor assistance, the TGE set up an Emergency Recovery and Reconstruction Program (ERRP) for economic revival together with macroeconomic reform program. This helped to stabilize the economy by dismantling the military regimes centrally planned economic system, restoring Ethiopias competitive position through exchange-rate devaluation, and opening up opportunities for private investment, leading to renewed growth in the industrial and service sectors. This was the prelude to substantial structural adjustment program (SAP) and comprehensive policy framework (1992) outlining major reforms agreed between the TGE, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). This led to reform package with three overlapping phases: stabilization, structural reform and further structural reform, with the first phase focused on tighter fiscal and monetary policies and adjusting exchange rates. The social impact of the SAP was reflected in its effect on incomes, prices, the availability of essential services and high urban unemployment. Reduced extraction of resources from the rural sector meant less to support the centre, particularly the major urban sector of government employment, which was drastically reduced by the SAP. The Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation Fund (ESRF), later called the Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund (ESRDF), was established in June 1992 to help address these problems. It has since played significant role in rehabilitating basic services, supporting income generation and reducing poverty for the poorest sectors of society. The governments development strategy aims to reduce poverty through combination of sustained economic growth, improved basic social services and targeted measures to improve incomes, self-reliance and quality of life for the poorest groups and communities. Increased participation of primary stakeholders is seen as essential to all these areas (ESRDF, 1995: 4). It also emphasizes womens participation in development planning and implementation. By 1994 the extent of poverty was reduced to 49 per cent with 21 per cent consumption gap (Dercon and Krishnan, 1998). later study by the Addis Ababa and Goteborg universities indicates marginal decrease of urban poverty between 1994-7 from 41 to 39 per cent (Tafesse, 2000). government poverty report based on 1995/6 household surveys, put the level of poverty at 45 per cent (47 rural households; 33 urban households). There have been decisive moves towards trade liberalization, reducing import duties and privatizing state enterprises. Govern ment policy calls for an increased role for the private sector, although progress has been slow. The principal obstacles continue to include elements of the government bureaucracy, together with the land policy and lack of infrastructure. From the above discussion it can be concluded that the future of Ethiopia is dark. Due to lack of economic opportunities or no proper planning the economic life is below poverty level. The failure to produce sufficient food for its existed population still builds mass hunger. The rulers of this country do not appear to be thinking any planning of future, making chances of development almost expected. References Dercon and Krishnan (1998) Changes in Rural Poverty in Ethiopia, 1989-95. World Bank Discussion Paper. Cited in G. Tafesse (ed.) The Dynamics of Poverty in Ethiopia. Paper presented at the Symposium for Reviewing Ethiopias Socioeconomic Performance 19911999, Addis Ababa, 26-9 April. ESRDF (1995) Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund project document, 28 December. Hendrie, B. (1994) Relief Aid Behind the Lines: The Cross-Border Operation in Tigray. In J. Macrae and . Zwi (eds.) War and Hunger. Zed Books and Save the Children UK, London. Hendrie, B. (1999) Local Effects of Revolutionary Reform in Tigray Village, Northern Ethiopia. Ph.D. thesis, University College, London. Roberts, N. (2000) World Bank Strategy in Ethiopia. Paper presented to the Symposium for Reviewing Ethiopias Socioeconomic Performance 1991-1999, 26-9 April, Addis Ababa. Tafesse, G. (2000) The Dynamics of Poverty in Ethiopia. Paper presented to the Symposium for Reviewing Ethiopias Socioeconomic Performance 1991-1999, April 26-9. Addis Ababa.

Apple Computers G4 Snafu :: Essays Papers

Apple Computers G4 Snafu In fulfillment of the periodical paper assignment, I have chosen a recent story concerning Apple Computer Inc. as the topic for the first paper. Summary of Situation: After setting off a storm of consumer complaints earlier this week, Apple Computer Inc tried to make amends Friday by reversing a retroactive price increase for a small number of customers who had pre-ordered its new top-of-the-line G4 PowerMacs. Earlier this week, Apple said it was unable to offer the G4 PowerMac model equipped with a 500-megahertz processor until early next year because of supply constraints at its main chipmaker, Motorola Inc. Apple then ratcheted up the price on the 350, 400, and 450 MHz models that it could supply, trying to offset the lost potential revenues that the 500 MHz G4 would provide. Ethical Implications: I believe that Apple might have broke even concerning this ordeal; however, let's examine the specifics of both sides of what transpired here: When the company determined that the supply of 500 MHz chips was not going to meet the demand requested, they reconfigured its G4 family of desktop computers, offering systems with processors running at 350, 400 or 450 MHz -- but at higher prices -- instead of the original 400, 450 or 500 MHz machines. After the company received numerous complaints from customers, both loyal Apple supporters, and potential new customers, the company retracted its new restructuring, allowing the original pricing and megahertz versions to stay. Apple may have lost the faith of even some extreme supporters. Bill Bryant, who runs a health-care consulting business in Dallas, said he has been a Macintosh loyalist for 20 years. "...I'm thinking of buying a Dell or something. Some people are saying it's time to go to the dark side," he added, referring to PCs running on Microsoft's Windows operating system and processors. On the other hand, at least this was nothing close to the Intel fiasco of the early Nineties. I feel Apple handled this situation much more smoothly; it decided much faster that it could not incur a loss back onto customers. How the Situation Should Have Been Handled: I feel the company made the right ethical decision, despite the fact that this situation should not have happened at all. I think the decision to restructure the G4 line around the lack of the 500 MHz chip, and the corresponding price increase of available models was a very bad business decision, and possibly unethical.

Themes and Symbols in Poes The Masque (Mask) of the Red Death Essay

Themes and Symbols in The Masque of the Red Death  Ã‚     Ã‚   The literature of Edgar Allan Poe can either be viewed as extremely simple or incredibly complicated, and his short story "The Masque of The Red Death" is no exception. This story can either be viewed as a simple story of horror, with no deeper imbedded meanings, or it can be broken down into many symbols with several possible meanings. Perhaps this story tells of the struggle between man and death, perhaps it speaks of an author's struggles and dreams, or perhaps it was merely written as a tale of horror. Arguments can be made to support all of these overall themes, and there are even more points of view offered about the story that can be explored if someone wishes to find a view with which he or she can better understand or identify. One possible theme of the story is that it is nothing more than the imaginings of a dreaming mind. According to Richard Wilbur, this is partially shown through the geometry contained in the story. He states that, "Poe quite explicitly identifies regular angular forms with everyday reason, and the circle, oval, or fluid arabesque with otherworldly imagination" (269). If Poe used unusually shaped rooms to show dreams, and the supernatural, then with his description of the seven chambers being, "so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect" (qtd. In Wilbur 269), it would appear as though either a dream is in progress, or something supernatural is taking place. In this interpretation of the story, Poe is taken quite literally in some ways, such as his terming the lords and ladies at the costume ball as being "dr... ... to a reader personally, and give that person an opportunity to form an individual opinion over it. Works Cited Etienne, Louis. "The American Storytellers-Edgar Allan Poe." Affidavits of Genius. Ed. Jean Alexander. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1971.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   134-139. Halliburton, David. Edgar Allan Poe: A Phenomenological View. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque Of The Red Death." Bridges: Literature across Cultures. Eds. Gilbert H. Muller and John A. Williams. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McGraw-Hill, 1994. 495-498. Wilbur, Richard. "The House of Poe." The Recognition of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. Eric W. Carlson. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1966.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   269-277. Womack, Martha. "Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Masque of the Red Death.'" The Poe Decoder. Online. Internet. 20 May 1998.      

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2.0 DESTINATION PROFILE: SOUTH AFRICA Often called the rainbow nation, is a country filled with unique fascinating and inspiring experiences, as it offers a wide range natural landscape throughout the region, a wide variety of species, game reserves as well as the diverse mix of people and culture It is one of the top leisure destinations in the world, with its rich diversity and culture, and picture. It remain as the most favoured destination in Africa as well financial strong hold of the region. The country is very much popular among tourists as it is well developed, in terms if infrastructure, activities and offers world class services. (Manyathi,. O, 2012) Figure 1.Map : Location of South Africa †¢ http://mapsafrica.blogspot.ch Table .1 Province CAPITOL PROVINCES PROVINCES Pretoria Eastern Cape Northern Cape Capetown Gauteng Western Cape Bloemfontien Kwazulu- Natal Free State Mpumulanga Limpopo 2.1 Main Attractions Visitor attractions are the most important aspect in tourism, as they are mainly the main motivating factor of the visit. (Cooper, .C, 2012) There are wide variety offers the worlds, recognisable attractions that the destination offers ranging, fro ,beaches, wine routes and game viewing. The following is a list of most poplar attractions. ï  ¶ Kruger National Park- The largest reserve in , located in Capetown that has the highest number of animals and species. ï  ¶ 2. Table Mountain- Overlooking the city of Capetown and the famous Robben Island, it serves as both a historical attraction and also offer a wide range of activities. ï  ¶ 3. Drakensburg Mountain- A popular destination as it is the highest mountain range in Southen Africa as well as the highest cliff in the world. ï  ¶ 4. Durban beaches-They provide an e... ...ect investments (F.D.I) rose as compared to the 1990’s, recorded at 9 billion in 2008 and then declining in the following year.In 2012 F D.I decreased by 24% dropping from 6.04 billion in 2011 to 4.57 in 2012.However outflows of investment in increased from a negetive 257million to 2011$4.37billion in 2012 when investment totalled $82.37 billion INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOURISM DEMAND AND SUPPLY. Tourism demand governs the level of demand, the spatial characteristics of demand the tourists motives for doing such decisions In South Africa tourism will continuously growand offer a wide range of products . 0 http://www.southafrica.net http://www.statssa.gov.za/ublications/Report-03-51-02/Report-03-51-022012.pdf http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/apartheid_museum/ http://www.southafrica.net/uploads/legacy/1/528609/2011_Annual_Report_v9_06072012.pdf

How are The Characters Presented at the start of A View From The Bridge Essay

The play opens with the introduction of Alfieri. He is shown to have the role of a chorus: a bridging character between the audience and the characters. The chorus tends to exist almost outside the play, as they know the outcome of the play, and is rarely part of the main action; their purpose in a play is to address the audience and help them to interpret action and they are a common feature in tragedy. The significance of Alfieri is that he alludes to the title and is the one giving us the â€Å"View From the Bridge†. Alfieri is described as being a â€Å"portly lawyer in his fifties†. Since he is a lawyer it is safe to assume that he is somewhat wealthy, as shown by the fact that he is portly, however it also hints towards the outcome of the play. As stated by Alfieri â€Å"to see a lawyer †¦ is unlucky. We’re only thought of in connection with disasters† foreshadowing the future events of the play. This idea is furthered when Alfieri says that he was â€Å"powerless to stop it (Eddie’s tale)†. The word powerless implies that the events Alfieri is describing are fated to happen and are inevitable, another trope of tragedy. Additionally Alfieri states that many people were â€Å"justly shot by unjust men† referring to the traditional Italian justice system which focussed heavily on honour and revenge. Unlike a conventional justice system this was ‘enforced’ by the community and the phrase Alfieri says is a comment on how people were being rightfully punished by others just as bad as them. As Eddie enters the house he is greeted by Catherine and they begin to start a conversation about her new clothes. As the conversation progresses Eddie begins to show his dislike for Catherine’s new appearance by telling her she’s â€Å"walking wavy† and mentioning her high heels. The fact that Catherine is described as â€Å"walking wavy† shows that she is maturing as a woman, also shown by her possession of high heels, and Eddies discomfort at this can be chalked up to parental concern. However it could also be said that Eddie is uncomfortable with the idea of Catherine growing up, as shown by the fact that he makes her gradually younger in his head starting at â€Å"Catherine† and ending at â€Å"baby†, and that he is jealous towards the other men and that he is unsure how he feels about her. The parental concern idea is added onto later on when Eddie says that he is â€Å"responsible for you (Catherine)† showing that he feels as though he is obligated to protect her and keep her from harm. Additionally when Catherine tells Eddie of her new job he tells her that it â€Å"ain’t what I wanted†. While this can once again be chalked up to Eddie’s parental concern for Catherine and his desire for her to finish school it seems as if the underlying message is that Eddie wants to control Catherine into doing things that he deems as acceptable rather than giving her the freedom to choose her own life. Eddie’s wish for Catherine to not pursue the job offer she had been given might be explained by the fact that he sees her as the â€Å"Madonna type†. At the time the play was set to be the Madonna type was to be morally and sexually pure, in reference to the Virgin Mary. The fact that Eddie says that she is â€Å"the Madonna type† shows that he is idealising her to an extreme and is also idolising her; he sees her at an impossibly high standard which she has no hope of actually being. Now it could be seen once again as a sort of parental pride for their child to be the Madonna type or it could be interpreted at Eddie seeing her as pure for him, further hinting to the romantic undertones in their relationship. From the moment Beatrice enters the stage it is clear what her role is and where her importance lies. She is seen entering â€Å"wiping her hands with a towel†, it is clear from this point on that Beatrice will have a very domestic role and that within the story she plays the part of a housewife. Additionally what is also made clear is that the relationship between Beatrice and Eddie is not quite perfect. When the news is broken to her that her cousins have arrived in the country Beatrice, quite understandable, is moved to tears. Eddie responds to this by asking her â€Å"what you cryin’ about?† a very unsympathetic response. The question that Eddie poses might imply that on some level he is unable to understand Beatrice’s feelings and that there might be some dysfunction in their relationship. This is demonstrated when she asks Eddie if he’s â€Å"gonna keep her (Catherine) in the house all her life†. This remark from Beatrice shows that she sees the unfair way that Eddie is keeping Catherine in the house and brings to light Eddie’s controlling manner but it could also imply that Beatrice is feeling jealousy towards Catherine, as she is getting all the attention from Eddie, and wants her out of the house. When Catherine returns later on she brings Eddie his cigar and proceeds to light it for him. In the period this play was set, to lighting a man’s cigar was seen as a romantic gesture done between two lovers. This gesture could be interpreted in a sexual manner is the cigar is seen as representing a phallic object. This whole scene serves to hammer in the fact that there is more to Eddie and Catherine’s relationship than there appears to be on the surface. Just after Catherine leaves Eddie asks Beatrice why she’s mad at him, she proceeds to say, â€Å"who’s mad? †¦ I’m not mad †¦ you’re the one is mad.† clearly implying that she is in fact mad. This shows the dysfunction in their relationship caused by Catherine, who is oblivious to the whole thing. The fight was caused by the fact that Catherine went to retrieve Eddie’s cigars which is traditionally a wife’s role. Beatrice’s anger to this shows the jealousy she feels and her frustration due to the fact that Eddie and Catherine do not even realise what is going on. However Catherine might have some clue as to how she’s making Beatrice feel when she is described as speaking â€Å"almost guiltily† after light the cigar. While her guilt might be due to the fact that she hadn’t helped Beatrice clean up the dishes, guilt would be a rather strong emotion to feel for such a small act. What is more likely is that Catherine has realised that she had come in the way of an act that Beatrice should’ve done and is trying to atone for that by helping to clean the dishes.

Company Law and Secretarial Practices Essay

Incorporation means the process of legally declaring a corporate entity as separate entity from its owners. Incorporation has many advantages for a business and its owners, including: Protects the owners’ assets against the company’s liabilities. Allows for easy transfer of ownership to another party. Achieves a lower tax rate than on personal income. Receives more lenient tax restrictions on loss carry forwards. Can raise capital through the sale of the stock. Incorporation involves drafting a â€Å"Memorandum of Association† and an â€Å"Articles of Association†, which lists the primary purpose of the business and its location, along with the number of shares and class of stock being issued, if any. Incorporation will also involve state-specific registration information and fees. Those procedures are undertaken by a promoter who is a person who starts up a business, particularly a corporation, including the financing. The formation of a corporation starts with an idea. Pre-incorporation activities transform this idea into an actual corporation and the promoter is the individual who carries on these activities. Usually the promoter is the main shareholder or one of the management team and receives stock for his/her efforts in organization. Without incorporation, Company Law cannot stand by itself as law amended is critically meant to protect the shareholders as well as the member of the company which is incorporated. As mentioned above, incorporation tends to protect the welfare of the business and its owners in various perspectives like intellectual property, taxation and capital shares. In other words, Company law (or the law of business associations) is the field of law concerning companies. Furthermore, there are various types of company that can be formed in different jurisdictions as shown in Malaysian Company Act 1965 Section 14(2) which are: a company limited by guarantee. Commonly used where companies are formed for non-commercial purposes, such as clubs or charities. The members guarantee the payment of certain (usually nominal) amounts if the company goes into insolvent liquidation, but they have no economic rights in relation to the company. a company limited by guarantee with a share capital. A hybrid entity, usually used where the company is formed for non-commercial purposes, but the activities of the company are partly funded by investors who expect a return. a company limited by shares. The most common form of company used for business ventures. an unlimited company either with or without a share capital. This is a hybrid company, a company similar to its limited company (Ltd.) counterpart but where the members or shareholders do not benefit from limited liability should the company ever go into formal liquidation. Meanwhile, there are thousands of company law cases that showed that incorporation is the bedrock of formation of Company Law. As such, We held out a few cases here which clearly indicated the importance of Company Law in determining the court case related to incorporation. Salomon v A Salomon and Co Ltd [1897] AC 22 Corporate separate personality Salomon conducted his business as a sole trader. He sold it to a company incorporated for the purpose called A Salomon and Co Ltd. The only members were Mr Salomon, his wife, and their five children. Each member took one  £1 share each. The company bought the business for  £39,000. Mr Salomon subscribed for 20,000 further shares. However,  £10,000 was not paid by the company, which instead issued Salomon with series of debentures and gave him a floating charge on its assets. When the company failed the company’s liquidator contended that the floating charge should not be honoured, and Salomon should be made responsible for the company’s debts. Lord Halsbury LC stated: â€Å"†¦ it seems to me impossible to dispute that once the company is legally incorporated it must be treated like any other independent person with its rights and liabilities appropriate to itself, and that the motives of those who took part in the promotion of the company are absolutely irrelevant in discussing what those rights and liabilities are.† Hickman v Kent or Romney Marsh Sheep-Breeders’ Association ‘Outsider rights’ Hickman was a member of the Kent or Romney Marsh Sheep-Breeders Association. He began a court action complaining of various irregularities in the affairs of the association. Clause 49 of the Associations constitution stated that all disputes were to handled by arbitration. The question of whether a person who is not a member of the company has rights to sue on the ‘statutory contract’ provide by what is now section 33 of the Companies Act 2006 was considered . It was held that an outsider to whom rights are purportedly given by the company’s articles in his capacity as an outsider cannot sue in that capacity, whether he is also a member of the company or not. From this case comes the fundamental concept that a company has a legal personality or identity separate from its members. A company is thus a legal ‘person’. Macaura v Northern Assurance Co Ltd [1925] AC 619 Members have no interest in a company’s property The owner of a timber estate sold all the timber to a company which was owned almost solely by him. He was the company’s largest creditor. He insured the timber against fire, but in his own name. After the timber was destroyed by fire the insurance company refused the claim. The House of Lords held that in order to have an insurable interest in property a person must have a legal or equitable interest in that property. The claim failed as â€Å"the corporator even if he holds all the shares is not the corporation†¦ neither he nor any creditor of the company has any property legal or equitable in the assets of the corporation.† In a nutshell, the effect of incorporation which is embedded in Section 16(5) â€Å"On and from the date of incorporation specified in the certificate of incorporation but subject to this Act the subscribers to the memorandum together with such other persons as may from time to time become members of the company shall be a body corporate bby the name contained in the memorandum capable forthwith of exercising all the functions of an incorporated company and of suing and being sued and having perpetual succession and a common seal with power to hold land but with such liability on the part of the members to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of its being wound up as is provided by this Act† clearly demonstrated that the foundation of Company Law is the ‘company’ and that without incorporation and the creation of a separate corporate personality, there couldn’t be a base for the formation of Company law and Companies Act. 2. In practice, in no circumstances, is it possible to pierce the corporate veil between a parent and a subsidiary company. A company is an artificial person. Once it is incorporated, it comes into being and is a separate legal entity from its members and officers. The importance of the principle of separate legal entity was first established in the landmark case of Salomon v Salomon & Co Ltd (1897). In this case, Mr Salomon was a sole-proprietor manufacturing boots. The business was successful. Mr Salomon incorporated a company and sold his business to the company in consideration for 20000 shares and debentures of  £10000 issued in favour of Mr Salomon. Mr Salomon ended up holding 20001 of the 20007 shares issued. The other six shared were held by his wife and five children as nominees for Mr Salomon. Unfortunately, the company experienced financial difficulty and was wound up. An action was brought against Mr Salomon to indemnify the company for all the debts due to its unsecured creditors. The House of Lords held that even though the business was managed by the same persons and the same hands received the profits, the company was not an agent or trustee for the members. Incorporation of the company created a separate person. The members were not liable in respect of the company’s obligations. The same applies to parent and subsidiary companies. Both parent and subsidiary companies has their own separate legal entity. One example is the case of The People’s Insurance Co (M) v The People’s Insurance Co Ltd (1986). In this case, the plaintiff company, People’s Insurance Co. (M) Sdn. Bhd. (PICMSB) was a subsidiary of the first defendants company, People’s Insurance Co. Ltd. (PICL). On 12 January 1978, five directors of PICMSM held a meeting. One of the directors was the Managing Director of the defendant (PICL), another one was General Manager and Director of the defendant (PICL), and another one was Executive Director of the defendant (PICL). During the meeting they passed a resolution that affected PICL. The defendant (PICL) denied any liability. The court held that: i. The parent and subsidiary companies are two separate legal entities; ii. Officers of the parent company who are on the Board of the subsidiary are not representatives of the parent company but sit at the Board Meeting as directors and agent of the subsidiary iii. A resolution of the Board of directors of the subsidiary does not bind the parent company. The resolution did not constitute a contract between the parties. Thus, it is held that the principle of separate legal entity applies as well to related companies, including wholly owned subsidiaries. In Adams v Cape Industries PLC (1990), the main defendant was an English registered company presiding over a group of companies whose business was in the mining (in South Africa), and marketing, of asbestos. The company had become the subject of a class action lawsuit in the United States, and the company tried to avoid fighting the case in the American courts on jurisdictional grounds. The Plaintiffs obtained a judgment against the English company in the American courts, but as Cape had no assets left in the U.S., they then sought to enforce the judgment against the principal company in the group in the English courts. The court accepted that the purpose of the corporate group structure set up by Cape Industries had been used specifically to ensure that the legal liability of a particular subsidiary would fall only upon itself and not the parent company in England. The court refused to pierce the veil of incorporation to allow the judgment creditor to enforce its judgment against the judgment debtor’s holding company. The court refused to treat both the subsidiary and holding companies as one single entity. However the legislature recognizes that there may arise circumstances when this principle of separate legal entity may lead to adverse positions, and thus have enacted statutory exceptions to lift the veil of incorporation under specified circumstances. Normally in new situations or circumstances, court decides on case by case basis to pierce the veil of incorporation. There are instances where the court held that the related companies do not have separate legal entities; they are indeed one legal entity. In DHN Food Distributors Ltd v London Borough of Tower Hamlets (1976), DHN carried on the business of operating a grocery on the property owned by one of its wholly owned subsidiaries. The property was compulsorily acquired by the authority which refused to pay compensation to DHN as it did not have any interest on the land. The English Court of Appeal held that the group operated as a single economic unit and thus DHN could recover the compensation due to them under law. In conclusion, in normal practice with no circumstances, it is not possible to pierce the corporate veil between a parent and a subsidiary company as mentioned in The People’s Insurance Co (M) v The People’s Insurance Co Ltd (1986) and Adams v Cape Industries PLC (1990). Only when there arise circumstances can only the corporate veil of a parent and subsidiary company be pierced. 3a. Joe and Mike issue sufficient RM1 shares to Luke to raise his stake to 40% to allow them to defeat the resolution of their removal from the board. The action proposed by Joe and Mike is not allowed under section 132D of Companies Act 1965. Section 132D(1) of the Act reads, â€Å"notwithstanding anything in a company’s memorandum or articles, the directors shall not, without the prior approval of the company in general meeting, exercise any power of the company to issue shares†. Unless the power to issue shares has been vested in the members at a general meeting, the directors are not allowed to issue shares. Under this section, the company’s power to issue shares is not transferred from the directors to the members in general meeting. Rather, it imposes an obligation on the directors to obtain the approval of the company’s shareholders in general meeting before exercising their power to issue shares. When an allotment of shares takes place by the company without compiling without any statutory procedure, it is an irregular allotment. Although it is necessary to obtain only an ordinary resolution for the issuance of new shares, section 132D (5) requires such resolution to be lodged with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). When the minimum subscription is not received, it is an irregular allotment and it is void. The directors are liable to pay both the company and also to the allotee. On the other hand, prior approval of the members is not required if the shares issued are consideration or part consideration for the acquisition of shares or assets by the company. Section 132D (6A) provides that if the consideration for the shares in kind or partially in kind, it is sufficient for the directors to inform the members in writing at least 14 days before the shares are issued. The consequences for non compliance of section 132D are provided in section 132D (6) which reads, â€Å"Any issue of shares made by a company in contravention of this section shall be void and consideration given for the shares shall be recoverable accordingly†. In fact, the directors are liable to compensate the company and the allottee for any loss, damages or costs which might occur as a result of the breach. According to section 132D (7), â€Å"any director who knowingly contravenes, or permits or authorizes the contravention of, this section with respect to any issue of shares shall be liable to compensate the company and the person to whom the shares were issued for any loss, damages or costs which the company or that person may have sustained or incurred thereby†. Thus, Joe and Mike shall be liable to pay compensation to the company and Luke if any loss or cost incurred. However, the shareholders or creditor of the company may apply to the court for validation of the shares under section 63. If the court finds the issuance of shares is just and equitable, the court may order the validation of the shares which were not properly issued. In the case of Kepala Sawit (Teluk Anson) Sdn Bhd v Yeoh Kim Leng & Ors (1991), the court held that â€Å"an act of the company which is irregular offers room for its regularization or validation by application of the just and equitable principles embodied in section 63†. Nevertheless, it seems to be impossible for the court to validate the shares in the situation above if any appeal is made. Besides that, the intention of Joe and Mike to raise Luke’s shares is to allow him to defeat the resolution of their removal from the board. Section 128 of the Companies Act 1965 provides for the removal of a director of a public company but no provision is made for the removal of a director of a private company. This is left to the company’s article. Article 69 of Table A provides that the company may by ordinary resolution remove a director. Thus, if Singing Stars Sdn Bhd’s article has adopted Table A, then the procedure provided in Section 128 has to be followed. Also, depending on the company’s article, either an ordinary or special resolution has to be passed in the meeting by the shareholders of the company. In business or commercial law, ordinary resolution is a resolution passed by the shareholders of a company generally affirmed by not less than 50% of the members casting their votes, whereas special resolution is generally affirmed by not less than 75% of members casting their votes. Therefore, even if Luke’s stake can be raised to 40%, he still can’t defeat the resolution because a resolution is passed based on the voting cast by the majority in the meeting. Hence, Tony shall not worry about Joe’s and Mike’s action in raising Luke’s stake to 40% by issuing shares as its legality is bounded by section 132D of Companies Act 1965. Also, the removal of a director is allowed when a resolution is passed in the meeting. With only Joe, Mike and Luke to defeat the resolution, the resolution to remove them off as the directors can still be passed. 3b. After this they will pass resolutions to remove Tony from the board and to replace him with Luke. Directors are agents of the company and thus owe a fiduciary duty towards the company. Section 4(1) of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"director includes any person occupying the position of director of a corporation by whatever name called and includes a person in accordance with whose directions or instructions the directors of a corporation are accustomed to act and an alternate or substitute director†. Section 4(1) states that a director includes a de facto director, a shadow director and an alternate or substitute director. Sections 122(1) and (1A) of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"every company shall have at least two directors, who each has his principal or only place of residence within Malaysia†. Sections 122(2) of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"no person other than a natural person of full age shall be a director of a company†. This is clear that only a human being can be a director. Besides that, Section 122(2) imposes the minimum age of the director which is 18 years old. Thus, only a person who is 18 years old and above may be appointed as a director. Section 129 of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"notwithstanding anything in the memorandum or articles of the company no person of or over the age of seventy years shall be appointed or act as a director of a public company or of a subsidiary of a public company†. A person who aged 70 years old and above can only be a director if the resolution appointing him as a director receives approval from at least 75% of the votes at the company’s annual general meeting. The office of a Tony as a director may become vacant if he is disqualified pursuant to the Companies Act 1965 or the articles of association, resigned from the position, removed from the board of directors and retires by rotation. Articles of association of the company provides that the office of a director shall become vacant if the director (a)ceases to be a director by virtue of the Companies Act 1965 (b)becomes a bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally (c)is prohibited from being a director by reason of any order made under the Companies Act 1965 (d)becomes of unsound mind or a person whose person or estate is liable to be dealt with in any way under the law relating to metal disorder (e)resigns his office by notice in writing to the company (f)for more than six months is absent without the permission of the directors from meetings of the directors held during that period (g) without the consent of the company in general meeting holds any other office of profit under the company except that of managing director or manager (h)is directly or indirectly interested in any contract or proposed contract with the company and fails to declare the nature of his interest in a ma nner required by the Companies Act 1965. Tony will not be removed as he is not disqualified by the articles of association. The resignation of a director may take effect on the date which the board receives the letter of resignation, the date stated in the letter or according to the articles of association. Section 122(6) of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in the memorandum or articles of a company or in any agreement with a company, a director of a company shall not resign or vacate his office if, by his resignation or vacation from office, the number of directors of the company is reduced below the minimum number required by subsection (1) and any purported resignation or vacation of office in contravention of this section shall be deemed to be invalid†. Tony does not take action to resign from a director. Tony will not be removed from the board. However, he may be removed from the board by an ordinary resolution. Section 128(1) of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"a public company may by ordinary resolution remove a director before the expiration of his period of office, notwithstanding anything in its memorandum or articles or in any agreement between it and him but where any director so removed was appointed to represent the interests of any particular class of shareholders or debenture holders the resolution to remove him shall not take effect until his successor has been appointed†. A public company may remove a director by ordinary resolution before the expiration of his term of office. The resolution is passed if it garnered more than half of the votes casted. A director of a public company is not possible to be removed by other director as provided in Section 128(8) which reads that, â€Å"a director of a public company shall not be removed by, or be required to vacate his office by reason of, any resolution request or notice of the directors or any of them notwithstanding anything in the articles or any agreement†. Thus, Joe and Mike are not able to remove Tony from the board. To remove a director, a special notice of the resolution is required to serve to the company at least 28 days before the scheduled members’ meeting as stated in Section 128(2) of the Companies Act 1965, â€Å"Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the memorandum or articles of the company, special notice shall be required of any resolution to remove a director or to appoint some person in place of a director so removed at the meeting at which he is removed, and on receipt of notice of an intended resolution to remove a director the company shall forthwith send a copy thereof to the director concerned, and the director (whether or not he is a member of the company) shall be entitled to be heard on the resolution at the meeting†. The special notice of ordinary resolutions is also called notice of intention is given by the members to the company at least 28 days before the scheduled meeting. Then the company must give at least 14 days’ notice to the members before the meeting is scheduled to be held. It is provided in Section 153 of the Companies Act 1965, â€Å" where by this Act special notice is required of a resolution, the resolution shall not be effective unless notice of intention to move it has been given to the company not less than twentyeight days before the meeting at which it is moved, and the company shall give its members notice of any such resolution at the same time and in the same manner as it gives notice of the meeting or ,if that is not practicable, shall give them notice thereof, in any manner allowed by the articles, not less than fourteen days before the meeting, but if after the notice of intention to move such a resolution has been given to a company, a meeting is called for a date twenty-eight days or less after the notice has been given, the notice, although not given to the company within the time required by this section, shall be de emed to be properly given†. The board of directors may attempt to undermine the members’ proposal to remove a director, the board may call for the meeting to be scheduled less than 28 days from the receipts of the members’ notice. Section 153 of the Companies Act 1965 provides that the meeting is not invalidated if it is held less than 28 days after the notice was given by the members to the company. In Soliappan v Lim Yoke Fan [1968] 2 MLJ 21, the High Court held that Section 128 was not mandatory. The power to remove directors under that section co-existed with any power contained in the articles of association. Therefore, 28 days notice is not necessary, the removal could be affected in accordance with the articles of association. However, on the facts the proper notice required under the articles of association had not been given either, so removed as director and consequently the plaintiff was not properly appointed as director of the company. If Tony is removed from the board, he may claim compensation or damages for the termination of his appointment as a director. Where the company has entered into a contract with Tony and the company breached it by removing him, then Tony has the rights to claim compensation. Section 128(7) of the Companies Act 1965 provides that, â€Å"nothing in subsections (1) to (6) shall be taken as depriving a person removed thereunder of compensation or damages payable by him in respect of the termination of his appointment as director or of any appointment terminating with that as director or as derogating from any power to remove a director which may exist apart from this section†. Tony who is appointed as a director is not required to retire unless the articles of association provides so. Upon retirement, the shareholders may re-elect the directors who have performed but not those who failed to perform up to expectations. In See Teow Chuan & Anor v YAM Tunku Nadzaruddin Ibni Tuanku Jaafar & Ors [2007] 2 MLJ 212, the board of directors made a resolution that all executive directors must retire on attaining 55 years of age. The plaintiffs brought an action challenging the introduction of a new term into their existing contract that they should retire. The court held that the power to pass the resolution as to retirement of directors was a fiduciary power entrusted by the memorandum and articles of the Company. That power was used for a collateral or improper purpose, namely to remove the plaintiffs and was invalid. In conclusion, Joe and Mike are unable to remove Tony from the board and replace Tony with Luke. Tony will be removed from the board if he meets one of the events stated above. 3c. As an added incentive the shares will be issued to Luke for RM0.60 each to allow for a tidy profit. The issue here is whether Joe and Mike can issue shares to Luke at RM0.60 each to allow for Luke’s support towards them. The issuance of shares below the nominal value of RM1.00 is called issuance of shares at a discount. At common law, the issuance of shares below the par value (at a discount) is prohibited because it constitutes a reduction of share capital without confirmation by the High Court. Section 64 of the Companies Act 1965 requires a special resolution that authorizes the reduction of its share capital with the confirmation by the Court. Case : Re Wragg Ltd. Facts : A liquidator took up a court case seeking a declaration that certain shares in the company issued to two members and registered in their names as fully paid were not properly issued as fully paid up. The liquidator asked for an order that the two members pay the amounts unpaid thereon. Held : The transaction was wholly legitimate. Lindley L.J. stated â€Å"it is not law that persons cannot sell property to a limited company for fully paid-up shares and make a profit by the transaction. We must not allow ourselves to be misled by talking of value. The value paid to the company is measured by the price at which the company agrees to buy what it thinks it worth it while to acquire. Whilst the transaction is unimpeached, this is the only value to be considered.† However, there are two exceptions to the rule against issuing shares at a discount that are stated in Section 58 and 59 of Companies Act 1965. In occasions where the company enters into an underwriting agreement wherein the underwriter will subscribe the shares in the company if the shares are not taken, in return, the company agrees to pay the underwriter a fee. Section 58 of Companies Act 1965 recognises this commercial agreement provided that the payment of that commission is not more than 10% of the issued value of the shares and is authorized by the company’s articles. Section 59(1) of the Companies Act 1965 states that the company can issue shares at a discount of a class already issued if – (a) The discounted shares are authorized by ordinary resolution passed in general meeting of the company and is confirmed by Court order; (b) The resolution specifies the maximum rate of discount at which the shares are to be issued; (c) the company can only issue shares at a discount only after one year it is entitled to commence business; and (d) the discounted shares must be issued within one month from court’s confirmation or within extended time as allowed by Court. According to section 59(4), the discounted shares must be offered to existing members of that class based on pro rata basis. Failure to do so, the company and every officer who is in default shall be guilty of an offence punishable with a fine of RM1000 and default penalty in accordance with section 59(7) of the Companies Act 1965. Case : Ooregum Gold Mining Co of India v Roper Facts : The market value of the  £1 ordinary shares of the company was 2 shillings and 6 pence (2s 6d). The company issued preference shares of  £1 each with 15s credited as paid, leaving a liability of only 5s a share. Held: The holders of the discounted shares are liable to pay the full nominal value to the company. In common law, issuance of shares at a discount is prohibited but there are statutory exceptions under section 58 and 59 which enable the company to issue shares at a discount. In this case, Luke is not the underwriter of Singing Stars Sdn Bhd. Therefore, Joe and Mike cannot issues shares at a discount to him by virtue of section 58 of the Companies Act 1965. However Luke can be entitled to get the shares at a discount if the discounted shares are passed by a majority of members who are present and votes at the meeting and confirmed by the Court order, which specify the maximum rate of discounts are to be issued, commence it’s business after one year and issue the discounted shares issued within one month from court’s confirmation or within extended time as allowed by Court, then Luke can be entitled to the discounted shares after the existing shareholders are offered the discount. Luke will not be getting the shares at a discount because the most of shareholders are not satisfied with Joe and Mike and wanted to vote them from the board. Hence, the majority of them will win and Luke will definitely not getting his shares at a discount. If Joe and Mike insist on issuing the shares at a discount to Luke, the holder of the shares (Luke) may be liable to pay the full nominal value of the shares as stated in the Ooregum principle. Besides, the directors (Joe and Mike) who are responsible for the unlawful issue may be held liable to the company for the discount allowed. In conclusion, Tony can sue Joe and Mike for breach of companies act and they will be held liable to company in respect of the discount allowed. From the above Tony and the other four shareholders can vote to reject the acceptance of payment by land from Luke for the shares. Joe and Mike do not have the power to accept the payment without the knowledge of the members of the company. If the transaction is still done Section 132D(6) provides that the shares issued are void and the directors shall be liable to compensate the company and the person whom the shares were issued to for any loss, damages or costs which they may sustain as consequence of the breach. 3d. Luke has suggested that the company might accept some land which he owns as payment for the shares. Section 67 (1) of the Companies Act prohibits a company from: Financing the purchase of its own or its holding company’s shares Giving financial assistance for the purpose of or in connection with the purchase of its own or its holding company’s shares Dealing in or lending money on its own shares In the case of Datuk Tan Leng Teck v Sarjana Sdn Bhd, the plaintiff entered into a contract to sell a piece of land to the 2nd defendant, Pasti Hasil Sdn Bhd for a piece of land at a price of RM15, 896,995. According to the agreement, RM1,000,000 of the purchase consideration will be capitalized as paid-up capital for 1,000,000 shares in the SSB. PHSB had paid RM3,300,000 for the land to SSB and RM1,000,000 out of this payment had been considered as a payment for 1,000,000 shares in SSB. Thus, 1,000,000 shares had been allotted to Pasti Hasil Sdn Bhd. The court held that financial assistance has been given to Pasti Hasil Sdn Bhd as the defendant agreed to treat a portion of the sum owed by Pasti Hasil Sdn Bhd as payment for the shares. Section 67 (1) prohibits the company from giving financial assistance unless it is bona fide commercial transaction entered in good faith. As Pasti Hasil Sdn Bhd had not paid anything for the shares the share capital of the defendant had reduced. In the case of Belmont Finance Corporation Ltd v Williams Furniture Ltd (No 2), Belmont’s directors paid  £500,000 of Belmont’s money under a scheme to help a company called Maximum ( which was owned and controlled by a Mr. Grosscurth) to buy shares of Belmont. Goff LJ held that the agreement was unlawful and the payment was made by Belmont for an illegal purpose, namely to facilitate the purchase by Grosscurth and his associates of Belmont’s shares. Lord Denning in Wallersteiner v Moir (1974) propounded the following test: â€Å"You look to the company’s money and see what has become of in. You look to the company’s shares and see into whose hands they have got. You will then see if the company’s money has been used to finance the purchase.† Thus for this case if the company accepts Luke’s land as payment for the shares, it is not a bona fide commercial transaction entered in good faith and is prohibited by section 67(1). Thisi s because the land serves no specific purpose to the company and future benefits will not flow to the company through this entity. This means that the land is of no use to the company at the time of purchase which shows that it is not a bona fide commercial transaction. Furthermore this also shows that the company’s money paid to Luke for the land will be used to purchase its shares. If Joe and Mike accept this transaction, they will be guilty under section 67(3) of the Companies Act and section 67(4) provides that officers who are guilty are liable to compensate the company or any person who has suffered losses or damage as a result of the prohibited transaction. REFERENCES 1) http://www.scribd.com/doc/64780622/1/S128-1-Companies-Act-1965 2) http://www.ssm.com.my/files/clrc/consultation_documents/cd2.pdf 3) Chan Wai Meng (2012) . Company Law in Malaysia: Cengage Learning.