Factor behind the economic and social development of the UAE

Factor behind the economic and social development of the UAE Introduction Economy and Demographics of the UAE MOIA (1) explored that the UAE has demonstrated skyscraping growth connecting its GDP per capita income almost similar to the European leading economy while the oil sector is the prime contributor of economy; however, this country has a population of 4.4 million with a growth rate of 1.52 percent and 0.66% migration rate per annum accounted in 2006. The key features of the demography of the UAE include–Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Factor behind the economic and social development of the UAE specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Here, 75% people are 15-64 years of age group, about 20% people are 14 years and less age group, and about 1% people are older than 65 years; The life expectancy range is 75.7 years in average; The country has an alarming mail female ratio, such as, for 3 million male there are 1.4 million females; The major feature of the demography is t hat there are 20% people local inhabitants, 60% people are migrated from South Asia, and rest 20% people have settled from different Arab states; According to the constitution, UAE is an Islamic country, and 86% people are Muslim, and 14% citizens are other ethic group; among the Muslims, 85% people are Sunni, and 15% inhabitants are Shia (Library of Congress 5-6). However, the following figures show the GDP per capita income and population of the UAE for the last five years Figure 1: GDP per capita income of the UAE Source: Indexmundi (1) Figure 2: Population of the UAEAdvertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Source: Indexmundi (1) Comparison between the Concurrent and Past of UAE The World Economic Forum argued that the concurrent UAE has been going through an extremely higher economic growth due to rising oil prices along with vigorous expansion of the housing and r eal estate markets and the country evidenced a standard growth of GDP over 7% per annum during 2000-2007; however, it has recorded 65% GDP growth in 2008 (WEF 4). At the seventy years back, the modern Emirates were different several states under Britain general treaty of peace while the nations were under control of two tribal groups, such as, Qawasim and Bani Yas; however, the people of that time lived on agricultural and pastoral along with robbing on the foreign ships. The overall economy of this region was very distressed until the oil resources were discovered and the traditional form of Arab monarchy continued until independence. Importance of the Factors of the Socioeconomic Development in UAE The Economist reported that the Arab world is under serious threats for Labialization and democracy, the wave of Arab Spring has been spreading out from one county to another, some of the Emirates are afraid with the growing violence and peoples movement, which may abolish the tradition al Arab monarchy in UAE replacing by democracy at any moment (The Economist 1). To mitigate such risk, the government of UAE necessitates introducing appropriate economic development policy, which would be capable to avoid social unrest and political violence. To formulate such a policy, it is essential for policymakers to take into account of the factors those contributed the country to be a most resourceful county in the world and to bring social development, analysis of that factors would assist the policymakers to generate new policy which would be acceptable to the mass people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Factor behind the economic and social development of the UAE specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, it is essential to analyze the factors of social and economic development of UAE. Snapshots for Rest of the Essay The first cheaper of the paper has presented the background of the study while the second cha pter would present stages of economic development in UAE from the historical perspectives with a comparison with other Arab counties in this region. The third chapter would identify and analyze the four factors that generated economic and social development and the fourth chapter would draw conclusion for the study. Economic and Social Development of UAE Stages of development in the UAE From now to the seventy years back, UAE has evidenced different development stages, this paper would classify the stage into three phases, such as, colonial stage, independence and post independence stage and the third phase is global financial crisis and concurrent stage. Although, the country has historical perspectives of archaeological background from 5000 BC to 676 AD, era of Islamic Interference, Tribal society, and Trucial states development, but these historical stages are out of the area of present study and limited up to seventy years back. The development stages of last seventy years are a s- Colonial Stage: At seventy years back, during the British colonial rule, UAE evidenced the World War-II. Hellyer and Garey (2) pointed out that UAE and the Trucal states have great impact of World War-II, there were US and British military presence in this region while the region faced highly raise of food price, presence of foreign migrants, wartime trade barrier distressed the economy of the country (1). At the same time, due to presence of British political official and flights there were tremendous infrastructural development all over the region, flying base, radio communication were introduced, following the end of the war the country get the opportunity rethink about confederation and development of constitution. During this stage, most of the people lived on agriculture and pearl trade, although the first instance of oil discovery, British proclaimed to leave this territory in 1962 (Library of Congress 2). Independence and Post Independence Stage: Sadik (7) and Butt (2) m entioned that independence in 1971, contributed UAE to organize a federation of seven Emirates under a constitution different from the other Arab; moreover, exploration of oil performance started to encourage socioeconomic development of UAE by amplifying petroleum exports that boosted government revenues. As a result, the economy diversified by optimizing its capacities, export revenues overflowed it budget deficits and turned to promoting other manufacturing and service sector that generated huge demand for importing low cost labor from the south Asian counties for capital incentive industries. At the same time, the country has gained remarkable progress for human resource development and education expansion safeguarding the religion believes of society with Islamic morals. Global Financial Crisis and Concurrent Stage: Ellaboudy (1) pointed out that due to global financial crisis the liquidity and tight credit conditions, UAE started to more intensifying due to huge current accoun t surpluses had invested in foreign countries, a number of local banks was very much covetous due to overseas borrowing for large projects Dubai. In consideration of banking liabilities, the loan and deposit ratio of local banks amplified at 120% while the necessity of credit has boosted far above than local deposits rate and the situation turned vulnerable with negative real interest rates while wealth fund hold up with the strapping macroeconomic principles. Due to due to fall of oil price, the export revenue tremendously reduced and the economy faced serious downturn while most of the European and US countries have failed to overcome the crisis, UAE evidenced far better position due to its strong macroeconomic base and petroleum resources. On the other hand, the wave of Arab Spring has been threatening the monarchy of UAE that may lead the nation to introduce new policy that would be acceptable to the local incumbents with non-oil sector expansion and with increasing employment g rowth rate in UAE. What Historical Events during the Stages The Library of Congress identified that UAE is the most resourceful country in the Persian Gulf, which has become independent in 02 December 1971 from the British colonial rule following the British proclamation that it would withdraw treaty relationships from seven Gulf States that prevailed since 1892.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Britain considered it significant to establish its supremacy in this region as the East India Company had specific interest to safeguard its maritime routes, by making peace treaty with the major Sheikhs British established the region as a center for slave trade. Before independence, there were seven isolated Emirates with long historic background, for about a century the defense and foreign affairs were controlled by the Britain and following the independence United Arab Emirates was fashioned by the group of tribally structured Arabian Peninsula sheikhdoms at the northwestern coastline of the Gulf country Oman with an area of 83,600 square kilometers (1). KAMCO (3) added that the country recorded a steady economic growth while the value of GDP was US $ 105.6 billion in 2004 and turned into doubled US $ 254.4 billion by 2008 that evidenced 65% of GDP growth, beside oil sector, the government emphasized non-oil growth. Orozco (5) remarked that UAE faced a serious catastrophe by Sept ember 2008 following the global financial crisis stating with the historical fall of oil prices, stock market, property market, and banking systems seriously shocked along with drop in remittances and tourism as well fall of investments and of the real estate bubble in the gulf market. The natural resource of the county is a great blessing for the county to overcome the impact of global financial crisis, but as an integral part of international financial system, UAE still face the impact of global recessionary impact. The ongoing political situation has barely exposed the rulers of the wealthy country UAE are worried that they perceive an alarming danger for the fall of the regime; to mitigate such risk the government of UAE necessitates to introduce appropriate economic development policy which would be capable to avoid social unrest and political violence. Influence of historical events of UAE in Relation to Other Gulf Countries Mirkin (6) argued that UAE has common cultural with long historical accords and common religion alignment, same language, and tradition with GCC 1 and other Arab nations, but there are huge dissimilarity due to geopolitical and socioeconomic diversity, thus, there is no chance for UAE to influence others with its historical events. Rather, there are enough opportunities for UAE to be influenced by the concurrent events of other Arab nations, for instance, the concurrent wave of Arab Spring influenced one by one Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and other Middle East countries are going to be influenced. No historical event of any Arab countries have no credible acceptance to the people for the reason that historical event connecting with religion has just encouraged strengthening tradition Arab Monarchy suppressing the people and their democratic right. Religion radicalism has no further appeal to the suppress people’s movement for democracy, Arab people want freedom of speech freedom of media, the historical even any economic allowance could not compromise the burning desire of democracy and there is no other alternative rather than democratization liberalization. Although, the demographic configuration of UAE has similar characteristics Factors behind UAE Economic and Social Development The United Arab Emirates Yearbook 2007 pointed out that remarkable economic and social development of UAE has generated by the contribution of several factors, devoid of those factors, the country may not capable to see the light of modern progress. The major factors that played vital role for socioeconomic development are the most dominant oil market, vigorous growth of public joint stock companies, gradual expansion of free-trade zones and floating local stock markets and state sponsored bulky new projects along with the good judgment of economic policies that established solid foundation for extraordinary economic and social development (UAE Govt 2) Four Factors of Development Among the different factors of economic and social development, this chapter of the paper would discuss only following four factors– Dominant Oil Market of UAE Chandra (1) mentioned that discovery of oil resources in 1962, UAE explored to place itself from poor to least developed country by 1970 and by 1990, it turned into a reach country with higher GDP growth that influence the incumbents regular life providing huge job opportunity. Strong reserve of oil, increasing oil price and diversified investment of oil income explored in the non-oil sector, before oil exploration, the people were very poor and dependent on pearl trade and agriculture. In 2000, UAE assessed as the fifth largest oil reserve of oil with 98.8 billion barrel oil and six trillion CM natural gas with a production capacity 2.1 to 2.4 million barrels and real estimated contribution to the GDP AED 328 billion with export revenue of AED 202 billion in 2005; thus, the contribution of oil market is unreliable. Free-Trade Zones Shimy (7) addressed that the WTO int roduced the free trade zone concept by keeping foreign companies out of national custom taxation and documentation; in real life evidence, there is a huge variety of generic free zones formed with different aim and objectives to accelerate overall economic activity of a county. Although, the legislation of GCC does not allow full foreign ownership, UAE is the pioneer in this region to offer 100% foreign owned companies and formed free zones that played the most important role for the success of economic diversification of the country that tremendously attracted FDI inflow. The free zones also contributed the county with boost of exports, job opportunity creation, foreign labor force import, modern technology transfer; and skill development of the human resource while forward and backward linkages local companies also explored with remarkable contribution to the GDP. Stock Markets of UAE Khedhiri and Muhammad (3) pointed out that there are two stock exchanges in UAE named DFM2 and AD SM3, which started their official journey in 2000 although there prevailed authority ESCA4 and they experienced wonderful growth from their beginning in terms of market capitalization and volume of listed companies and turned into the second largest stock market in GCC region. Greater than before oil revenue, diversification of financial activities and lower interest rates in UAE has seriously contributed to the exploration of stock market in the country the current exceptional growth of the stock market restructured the investment opportunities including foreign company’s enlistment, although total number of listed companies are not enough big. Public Joint Stock Companies In the economic and social development of UAE, Public Joint Stock Companies have kept tremendous contribution to accelerate the trade and commerce along with social mobility within the emirates, to form a PJSC5 the minimum requirement is an investment of AED 10 million by the entrepreneur members, for bank ing sector the required investment is AED 40 million (UHY 3). The PJSC would organize with at least ten sponsor members, 51% of the shares would be owned by the chairperson and directors from UAE nation, rest 49% could be shared by the foreign nations; this provision provided opportunity to come closer with foreigner where business interaction and communication bring them to exchange their views that ultimately influence for social motivation. Importance of the Factors The four factors for social and economic development has a great significance to raise a nation to be united to bring itself from the very poor to the extremely rich stage; moreover, these factors also flourished mass education and higher study and to face the challenge of globalization. At the same time, social motivation that flourished by the implication of the factors has turned the people to move for democracy. Impact of West Relationship to shaping the Factors Katzman (1) added that the foreign policy of UAE dem onstrates its gradually more aggressive alignment to the USA, and supporting all US policies in the Middle East including sanctions against Iran, indicates very weak foreign policy and creates misunderstanding with the neighboring countries. The relationship of UAE with the western countries has shaped in a position that the county that it does not bother to sacrifice both national and regional interest to continue its process for Americanization, but this strong accord with the USA may not protect the negative impact that already motivated towards western culture and democracy instead of Islamic monarchy. The extent of social motivation by the westerns has progressed to a certain level of people where people do not compromise for democracy with any financial incentives, religion values or economic development, they urge for freedom of speech in exchange for their life. Conclusion UAE is the most moderate Islamic country with traditional Arab monarchy that turned the country from a poor colonial rule to one of the richest Arab country based on strong oil economy that already diversified its economy towards non-oil sector. Economic and social development of UAE has strongly aligned with the oil reserves, free-trade zones, public joint stock companies, stock markets and these factors accelerated economic growth with smooth social progress, keep away from the ancient agriculture and pearl trade. Although, the country has strong historic, cultural, ethic alignment and language similarity, but there is influence of its historical events to the others, but the others have great influence on UAE in terms of democracy and freedom of speech. The quick shifting political situation may suggest for decartelization and liberalization without any violence. To mitigate social conflict and political unrest, it is essential to introduce new policy for decartelization and liberalization, which could contribute the country to generate further social and economic progress with ba lanced economic growth. The outcomes of this study would contribute the policymakers of UAE with a better understanding of the concurrent Arab world and would direct for appropriate solution. Butt, Gerald 1997, Oil and Gas in the UAE. PDF file. 20 March 2012. Chandra, Devam. Ontribution of Oil as Gas Industry in UAE. 2011. Web. Ellaboudy, Shereef. â€Å"The Global Financial Crisis: Economic Impact on GCC Countries and Policy Implications.† International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 41(1). 2010. Web. Hellyer, Peter. Garey, Laurence 2012, World War Two Plane Crashes in UAE. PDF file. 20 March 2012. adias-uae.com/publications/hellyergarey04.pdf Indexmundi. Country Profile of the UAE. 2012. Web. https://www.indexmundi.com/united_arab_emirates/. KAMCO 2011, Economic Brief and Outlook April 2011 of UAE. PDF file. Katzman, Kenneth 2011, The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy. PDF file. 20 March 2012. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS21852.pdf. Khedh iri, Sami. Muhammad Naeem 2008, â€Å"Empirical Analysis of the UAE Stock Market Volatility.† International Research Journal of Finance and Economics Issue, 15 (2008). Web. Library of Congress 2007, Country Profile: United Arab Emirates, PDF file. Mirkin, Barry 2010, Population Levels, Trends and Policies in the Arab Region: Challenges and Opportunities. PDF file. 20 March 2012. arab-hdr.org/publications/other/ahdrps/paper01-en.pdf. MOIA 2010, UAE: Country Brief with reference with its people. PDF file. Orozco, Olivia 2009, Impact of the Global Economic Crisis in Arab Countries: A First Assessment. PDF file. Sadik, Ali 1997, Evolution and Performance of the UAE Economy 1972–1998. PDF file. Shimy, Nermine 2008, From Free Zones to Special Economic Zones – The UAE Case Study. PDF file. 20 March 2012. oecd.org/mena/competitiveness//41613492.pdf. The Economist. No sheikh-up here: Tiny shoots from the Arab Spring get crushed. 2012. Web. https://www.economist.com/midd le-east-and-africa/2012/03/17/no-sheikh-up-here. UAE Govt 2007, United Arab Emirates Yearbook 2007. PDF file. UHY 2010, Doing Business in UAE 2010. PDF file. WEF 2007, United Arab Emirates and the World. PDF file. Footnotes 1 Gulf Cooperation Council 2 Dubai Financial Market 3 Abu Dhabi Stock Market 4 Emirates Securities and Commodities Authorities 5 Public Joint Stock Companies

How to add value and Substance to your Dissertation Writing Process

How to add value and Substance to your Dissertation Writing Process How to add value and Substance to your Dissertation Writing Process To be clear, a dissertation comes toward the end of a PhD program. Actually, it is the end product that shapes a person’s career. The dissertation does not occur until all exams have been completed. Keep in mind; research is a large component of the PhD process. Topic Selection and Proposal When the coursework is finished, the topic would have been selected and the students research would be in full gear. At this point in the program the student develops a proposal. The dissertation process is not easy and for most students, it is challenging. Dissertation writing requires perseverance and a determination to complete the necessary research to make the paper comprehensive, clear and factual. Don’t put off the research! One of the most important things you need to do with dissertation writing is to not put it off. Begin setting up a plan on how you will go about the writing and then stick with it. Another important aspect that will help is to develop your ideas is to write down topics that you find interesting and then discuss those ideas with your adviser and fellow students. Most importantly, do not choose a topic that doesn’t interest you. It must be a topic that you can get into so that you stay with the dissertation. Talk with your fellow students about how and what you can add to your dissertation. Such communication will add quality and substance to your dissertation. It is most important that you keep in touch with your adviser and talk with him or her when you become confused. Make your research thorough It is most important that you conduct thorough research because it will be the base of a good and interesting dissertation. Be careful not to limit yourself to research articles, books and online web sources. Bring in new sources of information such as topics that correlate with what most people are interested in. This can be done by creating a questionnaire and asking family and friends to fill them out. This is just one way that will help you get your dissertation done. To conclude, dissertation writing is not easy; however, there are ways to facilitate your writing such as creating a questionnaire and asking friends and family to fill them out. Check out and find out about the many fine writing services we offer!

Recieving and storing (report) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recieving and storing (report) - Assignment Example In understanding these areas, the study selected a small restaurant which is located in Toronto. The restaurant is a small-scale one and deals with mostly fast foods, which are consumed on a continuous basis by the locals. The restaurant is called stockyards smokehouse and larder. The study will attempt to provide a detailed analysis of the kind of activities which the restaurant is undertaking through information that has been obtained from the management as well as the means through which the business could be improved specifically on its receiving as well as storage procedures. The management together with the supplier of the restaurant has cash on delivery agreement as regards to the reception of the deliveries. Upon arriving with the products at the restaurant, the supplier drops off the products at the back of the restaurant at midday mostly. Reception of these food deliveries is usually by the person washing the dishes or the morning cook who on most does not verify on either the quality or quantity of the products. Deliveries of aprons and rags are made on Tuesday and Friday (Ghiani, 2007).. Duration of the deliveries is usually approximately 1 to 2 minutes and at most is 5 minutes. New products such as rags and pop are received on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, while dry items for storage such as napkins, boxes and condiments are received on Saturday. Major challenges during reception of the deliveries include reception of goods at a busy time, unavailability of staff to countercheck the quality as well as the quantity of delivery and also limit ed space to store the items delivered. The restaurant uses different storage items for storage of different products with different characteristics. The storage items include walk-in-fridges, smoker freezers, and larder. These storage materials are not adequate and as a result, the restaurant requires additional storage space for refrigeration in order to

Explain the different reasons why we observe low levels of intake of Essay

Explain the different reasons why we observe low levels of intake of health micro-insurance in many developing countries - Essay Example There is a general lack of trust about the insurance sector, with many people being under perception that the funds are either misappropriated or used for personal gains. Lack of essential insurance cover, such as that of health has led to challenge of addressing health of the population, especially in Africa. The paper will also provide some recommendation of what needs to be done to increase the uptake of health micro insurance in developing countries. Studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the uptake of health insurance in many developing countries, especially in Africa, remains low (Ahuja & JÃ ¼tting, 2004). The situation remains a major concern owing to the fact out-of-pocket payment of health services is extremely expensive to majority of people. This means that most of them will not seek healthcare services from the formal health organizations. In counties such as Senegal, the traditional healers also play a role in treating patients. The use of traditional herbal medicine is also common, as it is perceived to be the cheapest means of treatment. The uptake of insurance is also associated with economic, ignorance, and lack of trust. The misappropriation of health funds has discouraged most people from taking insurance. With the insurance cost remaining high in most African countries, the uptake is common in the employed population. This owes to the fact that the employers is under obligations, in many African countries, to deduct health insurance from the gross salary. Lack of information about health insurance, coupled by negative attitude towards the system has also been blamed for the low intake (Dercon, & De Weerdt, 2006). For instance, most of those living in the rural areas are found to lack in health insurance. The number of health facilities in these areas are also few, and miles away from the people. One of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Why School Is Important Essay Example for Free

Why School Is Important Essay I believe everybody should have a good start in their life. Having a good education is a great path to success. School provides knowledge, friendship, and intelligence. Education provides everyday skills, learning, and more. Several people in the world cannot afford for their kids to attend school, so its important to learn to read, write and communicate. The people that have the chance to attend school should work hard to get far in life. You must work hard to attend high schools, universities and colleges. Education provides fundamental skills that are required for most jobs. Now-a-days finding a job in todays world is becoming difficult each and everyday. Most of the world’s top jobs require advanced knowledge and intelligence. You can work as a top employee by attending school. School is very important because you earn education. Education is a key that has the ability to open many doors. For example math is important because math teaches knowledge and ways to solve problems. Students master these skills by watching, listening, reading, and writing. When you learn new things, you develop an understanding mind and knowledge. There are several ways to develop a wide knowledge; one way is paying attention to the instructor. Teachers feel happy and satisfied when the students pay attention and behave. It is good when your teacher thinks you’re valuable and important. When you misbehave, you lose the teachers trust and respect. By doing your homework and assigned items you will earn good grades. Also, by behaving and being a good student your teacher will like you for doing well in their class.

Antigones Right Problems :: essays research papers

Antigone Right Problems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antigone is a play written by Sophocles but reinterpreted by Paul Roche. Many of the Greek plays have a tragic theme that leads a character with a high position to a downfall. In Antigone, the main character Antigone has to save and stand up for her family’s honor. Antigone is not the character that has a tragic downfall. The evil King Creon’s downfall is the loss his son and wife. Antigone as the main character, tries to influence her sister Ismene to join her in her shenanigans. Antigone’s problem with King Creon is that he rejects burying Polyneices because he kills his brother and his brother, Eteocles, kills him. The civil was between two groups within Thebes lead up to the death of the two brothers. Polyneices is considered to be in the rebel group by King Creon. Therefore, Polyneices is not buried because King Creon believes that an enemy should not have a burial and his family should not to mourn for him. Antigone goes against King Creon& #8217;s wishes, and buries and mourns for her brother. Antigone proves to Creon that he is wrong about an enemy not being buried because the gods say that all people deserve a proper burial whether they are friends or enemies. Antigone’s characteristics have an affect on her actions toward Creon and his decisions. There are many characteristics but there are only three that stick out. The three characteristics are determination, honor, and her insisting to take the complete consequence like a regular person caused Antigone’s ironic tragedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antigone has a characteristic that I mentioned before that she shows entirely through the play. In the beginning, Antigone talks with her sister, Ismene. Antigone talks to her sister about what Creon’s belief in not burying his enemies like Polyneices. During the talk, Antigone insists that Ismene should help her bury their brother Polyneices. Antigone says,'; You could. Are you willing to share danger and suffering and…'; Ismene says,'; Danger? What are you scheming at?'; Antigone says,';…. Take this hand of mine to bury the dead.'; Antigone goes on and says,'; He is my brother still, and yours; through you would have it otherwise, but I shall not abandon him.'; This is a powerful moment between the two sisters shows the determination that most women of that time did not have. Through the first entire conversation between Antigone and Ismene, Antigone shows that she will not give up her idea of burying her brother.

Online Buyology Essay

Descriptions of China’s economy are often paired with the best of accolades: promising, miraculous and meteoric, to name a few. But observers rarely use the words â€Å"fair† and â€Å"transparent† to describe the country’s business environment. One need not look far to see why: rampant corruption, preferential policies for state-owned companies, and copious red tape all prevent private enterprises from thriving. Yet out of this unequal playing field, e-commerce giant Alibaba and web portal Sina have created two of the fairest and most transparent business platforms in China. Alibaba allows individuals and companies to sell goods on its Taobao platform, giving vendors a set of standards and leaving everything else to their discretion. Weibo is similarly a free-for-all of Chinese expression, with the notable exception of controversial political topics. Both Taobao and Weibo have exploded since their founding and have maintained commanding leads in their respective fields. Taobao sales were US$58. 7 billion (RMB370 billion) in 2010 while Tmall, a site aimed at more developed brands spun off of Taobao in 2008, currently has about 55,000 vendors. And in the two years since Sina Weibo’s founding, the Twitter-like service has racked up 250 million users. â€Å"If you ask people, ‘Why you want to shop online? ’ I think many people will say that it gives transparency of pricing†¦ people look for convenience, people like more information,† said Phil Wei, China CEO of Export Now, a startup that allows US-based companies to list products on Tmall. â€Å"One thing [Alibaba founder] Jack Ma did is offer freedom to all these consumers and all these business units. † The free market The freedom to compete is giving rise to third-party service providers that could become some of the most dynamic companies in the Chinese economy. As has been the case with US tech giants Twitter and Ebay, Taobao and Weibo have both spawned an eco-system of third-party companies that provide related services, making the platforms practically an economy unto themselves. The type of third-party service providers surrounding the two platforms reflects the different aims of Taobao and Weibo. â€Å"Taobao is doing usiness transaction[s] while Weibo is media spreading information,† said Deco You, a Beijing-based analyst at iResearch, an online market research company. This discrepancy results in very different growth rates, said You. â€Å"The number of Taobao-related companies will increase much faster than those Weibo-related ones. † In addition to opportunities to sell goods, Taobao and Tmall offer business opportunities for subcontractors that provide services to vendors , such as store design, customer service, logistics and marketing. As a media platform, Weibo naturally lends itself to marketing companies, which began to emerge about a year after Weibo’s founding. Yang Xin, founder of marketing firm Weichuanbo, said he knows of at least 10 start-up companies that also specialize in Weibo, not to mention traditional marketing firms which have entered the arena. Despite these differences, doing business centered on either Taobao or Weibo is remarkably similar. The short lead times and relatively limited barriers to entry have resulted in fierce competition among many similar companies. Many of these third-party companies are quick to copy each other’s successes, a common tactic in China where enforcement of intellectual property rights is not as strong as in the West. But instead of knock-offs, the competition seems to foster flexibility. Weichuanbo has upgraded its software platform three times in attempt to stay ahead of copycats, Yang said. The companies also compete for the best online â€Å"real estate† on Weibo and Taobao. Taobao and Tmall sell ad spaces to the right of search results, although search results themselves are organic and depend on sales and consumer ratings. Weibo marketing companies commonly pay influential users to promote their products. Weichuanbo compensates about 200,000 users for their help, and Yang hopes that number will someday grow to 2-3 million. The instant feedback of web analytics also means that companies know immediately if they are falling behind the competition. If a user doesn’t like an attempt at viral marketing on Weibo, they are likely to say so or ignore it altogether. Shoppers on Taobao are just as quick to pass judgment. â€Å"Online, if a client comes to your store, if they stay longer than five seconds your store is not bad,† said Wei of Export Now. That means the chances they become frequent visitors will be significantly higher. But if [they stay] less than five seconds, they probably will not come back again. † Taobao- and Weibo-related companies also compete for unbridled optimism. Weichuanbo aims to have more than 300% in annual revenue growth within the next two years. Export Now expects to have some 300 US manufacturers selling through its service and US$1. 59-3. 18 million (RMB10-20 million) in revenue by the end of the year, up from virtually nothing at the present. The market will keep growing and the trend will continue in the next five to 10 years, and the expansion brings about more opportunities for third-party companies,† said Dong Xu, an analyst at research firm Analysys International. Yet growth in the Weibo community may not be sustainable. The government-led research center China Internet Network Information Center issued a report last month stating that new signups for Weibo began to slow in the second half of 2011. Weibo users nearly quadrupled from the end of 2010 to 250 million. With only 500 million internet users in China, however, continuing at that pace will be impossible. Although user growth will slow, there is still much money to be made. Spending on internet marketing is projected to grow to US$12. 5 billion (RMB79. 1 billion) in 2012, up from an estimated US$8. 1 billion in 2011 and US$5. 2 billion in 2010, according to iResearch. Marketing revenue in China is likely to continue growing quickly, said You of iResearch. Advertisers have only recently begun to shift online, attracted by ad space that is often more targeted and cost-effective than traditional print and TV advertising. Marketing and analytics companies can strive to grab more of that revenue by improving on underdeveloped technology and becoming more efficient, said You. Foreign companies with better technology and efficient operations could also enter the market, though they will still be limited by cultural barriers. Taobao and Weibo could also begin providing additional marketing services themselves. Taobao launched an internet marketing division in April 2010 called the Taobao Alliance, which quickly grew to have US$238 million (RMB1. 5 billion) in revenue, according to iResearch. This potential for new entrants means the market for third-party services is likely to remain highly competitive. Many companies that fail to keep up with the pace of innovation will undoubtedly be pushed out of business or be acquired by more successful competitors. But those that do innovate and survive will probably be among the most dynamic companies in China’s internet sector, regardless of the platform. As Wang Weili of Taobao marketing firm Shenzhen Fangwei E-Commerce puts it: â€Å"There might be other websites driving our business in the future. But where there are clients is where we will be. †

Corrections Purpose and History Essay

The history of punishment is a unique one, since the dawn of man human kind has punished one another. Man did not merely throw someone in a chamber and let them contemplate their crimes such as we do in today’s society; rather, during those early times, punishment was harsh and swift. Criminals were not drawn through the litigation processes; instead, they were found immediately guilty of a crime and brought forth to be punished in an open forum, serving to the masses as an example of the consequences of crime. The early forms of punishment in Europe varied greatly but all forms were meant to inflict unimaginable pain upon the recipient, and it is from the European methods of imprisonment from which the U.S. drew inspiration. Punishment such as crucifixion, burning on pyres, guillotines, and gauntlets are but a few examples of what methods were utilized as early methods of punishment in early Europe. This illustrates the underlying ideology that punishment should be administer ed with two principles in mind, deterrence and retribution. Purpose and History Methods of imprisonment introduced near the turn of the eighteenth century England inspired and revolutionized the way we punish and house inmates. In England during the fifteenth and sixteenth century’s corporal punishment reined supreme. Public beatings were carried out in the streets with whips; beheadings and torture were the norm for serious crimes; and enslavement was common for petty offenders. During the seventeenth century in England and other European countries, imprisonment for lesser offenses started to occur but conditions were less than desirable or humane. These facilities were overcrowded, unsanitary, and, worst of all, gender/age neutral, which meant that male felons frequently took liberties with incarcerated women and children (â€Å"Incarcerated: The History of the Penitentiary from 1776-Present†, 1997). The American Colonies quickly embraced the idea of imprisonment, because of the religious freedoms English settlers sought when they colonized this nation. The Quakers were a religious group that settled in the northeast United States and they developed new laws to govern punishment and incarcerations that focused on prolonged imprisonment to serve as retribution for crimes committed. The Quakers belief system focused on of morality, peace, non-violence, and humanity. As such they showed mercy on offenders by allowing them to shed their anti-social behaviors through long term incarceration and a penance of hard labor. It is from this that modern the concept of reformation was established. Since this form of incarceration gained popularity, it has held onto two core principles: that a criminal can make restitutions for his/her crimes and that a convict can be eventually reintegrated back into society. The new form of punishment provided an alternative to the implemented punishments of yesteryear. Auburn versus Cherry Hill Pennsylvania System This reformation of how society punished criminals served as the foundation for new and competing theories on incarceration and punishment. In America around the early 1800’s, two prison systems were the dominant models of confinement: the Pennsylvania and the Auburn State. The first model was the Pennsylvania model, which was first used at Cherry Hill prison. This model used solitary confinement as its primary tool: convicts were perpetually detained without interactions with other individuals or time outside of confinement. The idea was that solitary confinement would lead to inward reflection and religious motivation and result in a penitent convict. In fact the word penitentiary actually comes from the Pennsylvania model of perpetual confinement because it had religious implications. At first, particularly in Cherry Hill, a Bible would be left in the solitary confinement cells in the hopes it would help prisoners repent. The second model was the Auburn State prison system, which supported the labor penance model. It operated under the assumption that hard, physical labor could not only serve as restitution but as a means of helping a convicted criminal reintegrate into society fully reformed. Often, prisoners worked during the day in total silence and would be hosed down them at night. A main criticism of the Auburn system was that prisoners were being used essentially as slave labor. Inmates were being farmed out to private business owners, who had contracts with the state, which in turn lined the pockets of the private businesses and cut costs for the state. As such, the Auburn model became the popular model, because states faced significantly less prison and prisoner care costs. Businesses paid a fee in order to use the prisoners and the prisoners acted as unpaid labor for the businesses. The state prisons pocketed the fees thus creating a revenue stream that could be used to support the prisons, rather than tapping into state funds, i.e. tax payer dollars (Colvin, 1997). Around the 1920’s to 1930’s many changes occurred due to the state of the economy and activists pressing the government for prison reform. One of the main changes occurred when Congress enacted the Hawes Cooper Act, which effectively stymied the sale of prison-made goods or the us e of prison-labor by making such goods subject to state punitive laws. This act was passed in no small part due to the jobs that were needed by good upstanding citizens—jobs that were being taken away during extremely tough financial times by cheap prison labor. Congress had the authority to pass such a law thanks to its power to control and tax interstate commerce. The Ashurst-Sumners Act was the final nail in the coffin by prohibiting transport companies from accepting prison-made products (McShane & Williams,1996). The changes that stemmed from the Depression helped shape the correctional system into the rehabilitation-oriented program we have today. Prisoners are now classified into the likelihood of rehabilitation and the type of crimes that were committed, and this determines what type of facility an offender is incarcerated. Since 1935, the government made it clear that prisons must separate prisoners on the basis of gender and age. Now, facilities specifically for juvenile offenders have been established and the handling procedures for yo unger offenders have been defined. Furthermore, there are programs to rehabilitate all types of offenders whether their needs are as simple as talking to someone during counseling sessions or educational opportunities. In some ways this system has been detrimental to corrections as a whole because it arguably results in overcrowding and a more lenient attitude: if you commit a crime then you will only have to contend with years off your life rather than hard labor and making reparations for the crime (Seiter, 2011). Over-population has resulted in more money taken from the taxpayers because if there are more people in the correctional system, more facilities and care are needed. Crime levels have dissipated over the years but not dramatically enough to really prove that this system is the true solution to our problems. Conclusion Modern principles of rehabilitation and reform have brought about the institution of facilities to incarcerate convicted individuals; these structures are called penitentiaries, jails, and prisons. Current prisons are more aptly concerned with long-term detention rather than a temporary housing prior to punishment like it was used as in the past. Today’s Prisons are a shell of the former institutions. Inmates in facilities today would never allow themselves to be used for labor outside prison walls it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment. For now the correctional system work, but soon it could be on the verge of collapse and any moment the flood gates could burst and the concept of rehabilitation could come to an end. References: Mcshane, M. D., & Williams, F. P. (1996). Encyclopedia of American Prisons (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis. INCARCERATED: THE HISTORY OF THE PENITENTIARY FROM 1776- PRESENT. (1997). Retrieved from http://www.richeast.org/htwm/jails/Jails.html Colvin, M. (1997). Penitentiaries, Reformatories, and Chain Gangs: Social Theory and the History of Punishment in Nineteenth Century America. : St. Martin’s Press. Seiter, R. (2011). Corrections an Introduction (3rd ed.). Upper saddle Hall, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Ways to Build Relationships With Colleagues at Your First Job

Ways to Build Relationships With Colleagues at Your First Job Your first job out of college is full of new experiences. It may be the first time you earn a salary, the first time you’re in charge of a project and the first time you’re introduced to office politics. Establishing a good first impression is important, but it’s the weeks and months after that that will determine a lot about how you feel about your job. Cultivating working relationships with colleagues is an important part of your professional life. Exchanging ideas with others in your field can lead to great developments in your career. 75% of employers rate team work and collaboration as â€Å"very important† but 39% of employees believe that their organization doesn’t collaborate enough. The point is that both employers and employees believe that exchanging ideas is essential to doing good work. Improving your relationships with your co-workers is helpful to both you and your organization. So what are the best ways to grow business relationships in the workplace? Here are some tips for recent graduates: Ask Someone Out for Lunch Conversations and experiences outside of the workplace take the relationship out of the office context and create a deeper bond. Maybe you’re working with someone on a project and would like to develop more of a friendship with them. Why not extend an offer for them to have lunch with you? You can use the project as a springboard to talk about other subjects or keep the conversation to business. Ask Someone to Mentor You You’re new in the office and still have a lot to learn. If there’s a colleague whose business style and knowledge you admire, don’t be afraid to ask them if they would mentor you. The worst they can say is no, and the best they can do is show you the ropes of a business you’re just starting out in. Invite Co-Workers to Social Events Throwing a party at your apartment or inviting people out on a Friday night can help you get to know your colleagues better. Conversations are likely to migrate from work to personal life and you’ll be able to find common ground with your co-workers, discover more about where they’re from, what their hobbies are and hopefully develop some friendships. Say Yes to Invitations Likewise, if someone in the office extends an invitation to you, make sure you accept unless you have a prior commitment you absolutely can’t break. If someone invites you to their home, bring a gift such as flowers or a bottle of wine or something that you know they like. Create a Company Sporting Event If you enjoy a particular sport such as Frisbee, soccer, volleyball or any other sport, you may want to invite the rest of the office to participate with you. That way you can combine an activity you already practice with the rest of the office. Hopefully it will be fun and spark some healthy competition. Remember People’s Birthdays You’re likely to add most of your co-workers to your social networks so pay attention when someone’s birthday comes up. A simple â€Å"Happy Birthday† said in person can be a nice gesture. Likewise with other celebrations such as anniversaries and other holidays. It may not sound like much but just going out of your way to extend a greeting to someone on a special day can go a long way. Bring in Some Treats How does that old saying go? The way to a co-worker’s heart is through their stomach? Well, even if that’s not the way it goes, it’s still true. Bringing in some home-made snacks can score you points with your colleagues. Ask Someone to Collaborate on a Project With You If you’re working on something alone but think the project can be served better by combining with another co-worker’s talent, ask them if they would like to come onboard. Of course, get your supervisor’s permission first, but if they say yes, it could be a great way to enhance your professional relationships and get more experience working as a team. Above all, be polite, respectful and friendly and you’ll be making office friends in no time.

The Definition of a Myth

The Definition of a Myth Although it may seem obvious, there is no single, simple answer. Here are some of the common ideas and their short-comings. Following these is a look at what folklorists and psychologists/psychoanalysts take the term to mean. Finally, there is a working definition you may find useful. If Its a Silly Story, It Could Be a Myth Everyone knows what a myth is, right? Its a story featuring centaurs, flying pigs or horses, or return trips to the Land of the Dead or Underworld. Classic compilations of myths include  Bulfinchs  Tales From Mythology  and the lesser known Heroes of Greek Mythology, by Charles J. Kingsley. Obviously, you might argue, a myth is a ridiculous story no one really believes. Maybe sometime, long ago, there were people naive enough to have believed in it, but now we know better. Really? Once you start looking carefully at that so-called definition, it falls apart. Think about your own firmly held beliefs. Perhaps you believe a deity spoke to a man through a burning bush (the story of Moses in the Hebrew Bible). Maybe he performed a miracle to make a tiny amount of food feed a multitude (New Testament). How would you feel if someone labeled them as myths? Youd probably argue and very defensively they arent myths. You might admit you cant prove them to unbelievers, but the stories simply arent as fantastic as myth (said with tones indicating disparagement). A vehement denial doesnt prove one way or another that something is or is not a myth, but you could be right. The story of Pandoras box is said to be a myth, but what makes that any different from a Biblical story such as  Noahs Ark, that is not necessarily considered a myth by a religious Jew or Christian? Even the disproved legend about the axing of a cherry tree by the perennially truth-telling George Washington may count as a myth. The word myth is used in many contexts, but it doesnt seem to have a single meaning. When discussing myth with others, you should determine what they mean in order to have a common frame of reference and avoid hurting someones feelings (unless, of course, you dont care). Myth Could Be Part of a Religion You Dont Believe In Here is how philosopher and psychiatrist James Kern Feiblemanone defines myth:  A  religion in which no one any longer believes.   What is a  myth for one group is truth and part of the cultural identity for another. Myths are stories shared by a group, that are a part of that groups cultural identity- just like family traditions. Most families would be offended to hear their stories described as myths (or lies and tall tales, which probably fit them better than a  myth because a family is generally considered smaller than a cultural group). Myth can also be used as a synonym for a despised religious dogma or, as the quotation above says, a religion in which no one any longer believes. Experts Define Myth Putting a value on myth doesnt help matters. Negative and positive descriptions of the content of myth are not definitions and dont even explain very much. Many have tried to define myth, with only limited success. Lets look at an array of definitions from leading philosophers, psychoanalysts, and other thinkers to see how complicated the seemingly simple term myth actually is: Myths are Origins. Myths are often stories of origins, how the world and everything in it came to be in illo tempore. - Eliade.Myths are Dreams. Sometimes myths are public dreams which, like private dreams, emerge from the unconscious mind. - Freud.Myths are Archetypes. Indeed, myths often reveal the archetypes of the collective unconscious. - Jung.Myths are Metaphysical. Myths orient people to the metaphysical dimension, explain the origins and nature of the cosmos, validate social issues, and, on the psychological plane, address themselves to the innermost depths of the psyche. - Campbell.Myths are Proto-Scientific. Some myths are explanatory, being pre-scientific attempts to interpret the natural world. - Frazer.Myths are Sacred histories. Religious myths are sacred histories. - Eliade.Myths are Stories. Myths are both individual and social in scope, but they are first and foremost stories. - Kirk. A Useful Working Definition of Myth From the above-learned definitions, we can see that myths are important stories. Maybe people believe them. Maybe they dont. Their truth value isnt at issue. Approaching, but not quite reaching an adequate, thorough definition of myth is the following: Myths are stories told by people about people: where they come from, how they handle major disasters, how they cope with what they must and how everything will end. If that isnt everything, what else is there?

The Effectiveness of Performance Appraisal Dissertation

The Effectiveness of Performance Appraisal - Dissertation Example Performance appraisal refers to assess and analyze a worker’s performance and results at the work place. It refers to a system of retaining employees, by providing them the guidance, fair treatment and a sense of motivation towards work. These are built-in outcomes of a formally set performance appraisal system. Organizations need performance appraisal system due to multiple numbers of reasons. Out of all one major reason is employee performance and other is employee retention through employee rights. This chapter will signify the importance of performance appraisal system in the organization, by uncovering the effectiveness of the system and the positive outcomes it brings for the organization, managers and staff. To truly grasp the concept of performance appraisal and its effectiveness, a critical evaluation of the literature will be made. Research Aims and Objectives To determine the role of human resource management in achieving organizational goals. To determine how human resource management benefits employees to achieve organizational goals in Chinese business market. To analyze and assess the impact of performance appraisal on organizational performance. The aim is to focus on performance appraisal as one effective method of HRM to bring organizational performance. To understand the relationship between effective performance appraisal and organizational performance. To determine the relationship between effective performance appraisal and employee performance. The aim is to test and measure the effectiveness of performance appraisal of a selected food company in Hohhot China. Literature Review The Markets of Buying and Selling Labor When markets start flourishing with the capitalist regime, they have to bear challenges in the labor section. Markets which undertake industrialists’ basing and hold a major share of foreign direct investment, there is a chance that labor gets sidelined in such markets. India being an emerging industrialist econ omy upholds this situation where there is an excess of labor conflicts and strikes all over. Similarly, China where there is a trend of buying and selling labor in replacement of commodities, monetary and nonmonetary benefits precisely holds the same trend of labors’ strike and protesting. According to Chan (2010), in the last decade capitalism has been encircling around the communist state of China. A major investment has been brought into the Chinese private sector business which has invited the Stake holder’s interest and influence into the business function. Due to more power in hands of stake holders, the rights of labor are being avoided and ignored, which have created the revolt situation in most of the private sector firms. The protestation of labor is a situation where manpower has lost its focus, its direction and its willingness to work and perform respectively. The political segment of the country is dealing with this challenge as it is more on the national ist trail and wants to resolve the labor conflicts. This is because the country’s bureaucracy realizes the importance of labor power (manpower) - a source which it feels to be the primary base of industrialization and urbanization in the country (The Economist, 2010). From organizational point of view, employee constraining affects employee’s performance. Likewise, when employees are constrained by any means i.e by the market trend where labor is intensively sold and bought, they simply keep their directions straight- continuing to the job

Assessing the Performance of the U.S. Economy Essay

Assessing the Performance of the U.S. Economy - Essay Example The report is started with the overview of the current state of the economy of the United States of America. This is followed by an identification of the most relevant economic theories and principles that can be applied to evaluate the performances of the US economy over a specific time period. The report is suitably concluded by highlighting the findings from the analysis and prescribing the macroeconomic policies that should be formulated for analyzing the economic performance of the nation. The macro economic performance of any economy can be estimated through the use of different economic metrics that represent and mirror the economic performance of a nation as estimated from different dimensions and perspectives. For this purpose, multiple theories and principles of economics are implemented in the analysis. The six main economic metrics that are used for the analysis with their application in the US economic scenarios are given as follows and heir correlations are given in Appendix 1. The gross domestic product is an important economic metric which is an aggregate measure of the monetary value of all finished goods and services that are produced by all residents and institutional units within the national border of a country (Mankiw, 2007). The Gross Domestic Product can be used as a key economic indicator for gauging the health of the US economy. The GDP of US has contracted by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2015 as compared to the last quarter of 2014. The average GDP growth rate of US from 1970 to 2015 is 3.26% (Appendix 1). Since the US economy is one the most advanced and diverse economies of the world, therefore it has been able to manage its GDP fluctuations through the proportions of production from different sectors. However, the contraction noted in the first quarter of 2015 was a reflection of the higher accumulation of inventory and widening trade deficit in the economic constructs (Bade and Parkin, 2002). The purchasing power parity is a