Global Outlook Global Free Zones of the Future 2012/13

GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 Global Free Zones of the Future 2012/13 Winners fDi MAGAZiNE’S SEcONd GLOBAL RANkiNG OF EcONOMic ZONES HAS AwARdEd duBAi AiRpORt FREE ZONE tHE titLE OF GLOBAL FREE ZONE OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13. Grainne Byrne ANd Courtney FinGar REpORt ON tHE RESuLtS 20 www. fdiintelligence. com June/July 2012 GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 D ubai Airport Free Zone (Dafza), located in the United Arab Emirates, has been crowned fDi Magazine’s Global Free Zone of the Future 2012/13. It has moved from second place in the ranking two years ago to be awarded the top spot.Dafza, which was established in 1996 and considers itself to be the fastest growing free zone in the Middle East, impressed the independent judging panel for a variety of reasons. It has excellent transportation links and a clear focus on attracting FDI. The zone only registers foreign companies, and has more than 1300 operational presently. Dafza ha s an increasing environmental awareness and is implementing ‘green buildings’ and an Inter national Organisation for Standardisation energy management system. Second position goes to UAE-based Dubai International Financial Centre, a newcomer to the ranking.Chinabased Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone (WFTZ), the champion from the 2010/11 ranking, moves into third place. The remainder of the top 10 is made up by Iskandar (Malaysia), DuBiotech (UAE), Tanger Free Zone (Morocco), Freeport of Ventspils (Latvia), The Clark Freeport Zone (Philippines), Chittagong Export Processing Zone (Bangladesh) and Dubai Media City (UAE). As well as being overall fDi Global Free Zone of the Future 2012/13, Dafza takes the top spot in the ‘Best Airport Zone’ category. It is followed by Tanger Free Zone and The Clark Freeport Zone.The top three in the ‘Best Port Zone’ category is led by Tanger Free Zone, with Freeport of Ventspils placed second and Mauritius Freep ort coming in third position. Zones from the Middle East – in particular the UAE – dominated the rankings, with 23 of the top 50 zones coming from the Middle East region and 14 of them from the UAE alone. This is the second such ranking produced by fDi Magazine, with the inaugural Global Free Zones of the Future biennial benchmark being published in June 2010. June/July 2012 www. fdiintelligence. com 21 t GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 op 50 FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13: OVERALL RANK NAme of zoNe couNtRy â€Å"We have made plans for expansion in the future, to [eventually] bring another 1500 companies to the dubai airport free Zone† dr mohammed al Zarooni 22 www. fdiintelligence. com June/July 2012 t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11= 11= 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37= 37= 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Dubai airport Free Zone dubai international Financial centre Shanghai waigaoqiao Free trade Z one iskandar duBiotech tanger Free Zone Freeport of Ventspils the clark Freeport Zone chittagong Export processing Zone dubaiMedia city JLt Freezone katowice Special Economic Zone dubai Silicon Oasis Mauritius Freeport Bahrain international investment park khalifa Bin Salman port Salalah Free Zone Lodz Special Economic Zone Bahrain international Airport Aqaba Special Economic Zone twofour54 (Media Zone Authority, Abu dhabi) walbrzych Special Economic Zone dubai international Academic city dubai Healthcare city Rakia Economic Zone dahej Special Economic Zone dubai Studio city El paso international Airport dubai knowledge Village Bahrain Logistics Zone Ras Al khaimah Free trade Zone Montreal port Aqaba international industrial Estate Astana New city Special Economic Zone pomeranian Special Economic Zone klaipeda Free Economic Zone Starachowice Special Economic Zone Sheffield city Region Enterprise Zone industrial Free Zone – togo SEZ Alabuga Free Zone pirot international Media production Zone Zagreb Free Zone dead Sea development Zone & Jabal Ajloun development Zone polaris international industrial park Birmingham city centre Enterprise Zone technological industrial development Zone Skopje 1 & 2 Southeast-Ecka, Zrenjanin Freeport of Riga Rezekne Special Economic Zone Authority ae uAE china Malaysia uAE Morocco Latvia philippines Bangladesh uAE uAE poland uAE Mauritius Bahrain Bahrain Oman poland Bahrain Jordan uAE poland uAE uAE uAE india uAE uS uAE Bahrain uAE canada Jordan kazakhstan poland Lithuania poland uk togo Russia Serbia uAE croatia Jordan Egypt uk Macedonia Serbia Latvia Latvia Secrets of success The world-beating Dafza has set ambitious targets for expansion and diversification and made a point to hedge against potential challenges presented by the global economic climate in the short to medium term. It has also kept a careful eye on the long term. Speaking to fDi in his Dubai offices in January 2012, the Dafza director-general outlined plans to offset the prospects of a slowdown in its core investor markets of Europe and the US, while also increasing the zone’s status as a contributor to the emirate’s GDP. â€Å"The next expansion will be in the next year,† Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni said. We have made plans for expansion in the future, to [eventually] bring another 1500 companies to the Dubai Airport Free Zone, because we have space for that and we can expand. † In the nearer term, the goal is to attract 600 to 700 additional companies in the next five or six years – in line with Dafza’s rate of growth in the 15 years since its inception, which has seen it average 100 new companies each year. With Dafza currently based on a 700,000-square-metre site, it is hoping to expand eastwards this year, with a view to occupying a 100,000-square-metre leasable area. â€Å"We have [already attracted] 1450 companies,† said Mr Al Zarooni. The intention is to further increase that number, w hile keeping an eye on the quality of investments, he added.While keen to uphold the important role of the European companies in Dafza, which account for 37% of the businesses present, Mr Al Zarooni remains aware of the need to diversify the free zone’s economic partners as it expands. â€Å"The majority of our clients are from Europe and they are facing a lot of problems, but that doesn’t mean we are going to stop,† he said. â€Å"We are thankful we brought many companies in last year from Japan. This year our focus will be on the Far East: Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 dubai international airport is home to dubai airport free Zone, which achieved first place in the global free Zones of the future 2012/13 ranking, as well as the leading airport zone top five BESt AiRpORt ZONES RANK NAme of zoNe couNtRy 1 2 3 4 5 5Dubai airport Free Zone tanger Free Zone the clark Freeport Zone Mauritius Freeport Salal ah Free Zone Bahrain international Airport uae Morocco philippines Mauritius Oman Bahrain Japan, China and even India, in case we face some difficulty in bringing in more companies from Europe, America and Australia. † Serving a variety The push for diversification is a mark of many of the world’s more successful zones, according to James Ku, managing director of Indev Partners, who served on the judging panel that helped assess the participating zones for the rankings. â€Å"The most successful zones are either diversified zones with scale or highly specialised zones catering to a specific industry,† he says. Large diversified zones have been able to invest in infrastructure and offer a wide range of amenities, such as ready-built factories that provide flexibility to investors. The large size required to attain economies of scale for such developments have meant that most of the top zones are in the rapidly developing Middle June/July 2012 www. fdiintelligence. com East and Asian countries where land is relatively easier to acquire. Specialised zones have been used most effectively in Dubai, where investors can have access to unique amenities such as laboratories or high-speed communications. † Mr Ku sees the free zone model continuing to have relevance, especially in the current economic climate. Almost all of the zones continue to offer significant tax holidays and fiscal incentives. It highlights that even in a time when budgetary constraints and fiscal austerity are at the forefront, it will be hard for governments to scale back such incentives if they wish to remain globally competitive,† he says. Chairman of the World Free Zone Convention (WFZC) Graham Mather, who served on the judging panel, has also highlighted the vital role that free zones can play in helping the global economy through difficult times. Addressing the 11th â€Å"the most successful Zones are either diversified Zones With scale or highly specialised Z ones catering to a specific industry† James Ku t 25GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 tanger free Zone is strategically located near to the tanger-med port and is rated the best port zone and sixth best overall free zone top five BESt pORt ZONES RANK NAme of zoNe couNtRy 1 2 3 4 5 tanger Free Zone Freeport of Ventspils Mauritius Freeport khalifa Bin Salman port Salalah Free Zone Morocco Latvia Mauritius Bahrain Oman WFZC event in Shanghai in November 2011, he said free zones â€Å"have much to offer† at a time when the world is desperately seeking job creation, economic growth and development ahead of an anticipated downturn amid a worsening eurozone crisis. â€Å"Free zones are key to the world’s search for growth,† he added.Citing a World Bank study analysing the benefits of free zones, which include the ability to absorb unemployed labour, raise skills and productivity levels, and generate taxes from inception, Mr Mather said these a re among the reasons why many countries are returning to the free zone model or newly embracing it as a way out of economic troubles. â€Å"All areas of the world could benefit from free zones and they all need them,† he said. zonal marking Eastern Europe was well represented in the rankings, and judge John Worthington of IBT Partners was among those bullish on the region’s offerings. â€Å"Having worked closely with numerous European economic zones, IBT Partners can say from experience that the high quality of infrastructure and extensive network of all forms of transportation is something that sets European economic zones apart from those of other regions,† he says. With world-class airports, road, railway and port systems strategically clustered in various hubs across the continent, companies who are looking to expand their logistics network in Europe are consistently impressed with the efficiency and practicality of its transport systems. According to fDiâ⠂¬â„¢s survey, all the European free zones featured in this list are highly â€Å"all areas of the World could benefit from free Zones and they all need them† graham mather 26 t www. fdiintelligence. com June/July 2012 GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 the Waigaoqiao free trade Zone in shanghai is ranked third best free zone of the future accessible and possess well developed transport infrastructure. Asia’s zones are, of course, not to be overlooked. â€Å"With the highest average levels of education among emerging economies, Eastern economic zones have at their disposal a labour force with one of the highest skill-to-cost ratios, resulting in massive influxes of FDI into China and s o u t h – e a s t A s i a ,† s ay s M r Worthington. â€Å"At different stages of transition between primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, these are attractive regions for a wide range of industries. India, China, Singapore and the Philippines, in pa rticular, are regarded as zones of fast growth and attraction, which is reflected by the huge increases in employment in he past two years in their respective economic free zones. † African zones, many of which look to the successful Middle Eastern zones as models, have lagged behind but many are now showing promise. The Industrial Free Zone of Togo was the lone sub-Saharan mainland African zone to make the top 50. â€Å"Due to their comprehensive list of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, low levels of regulatory restrictions, and rapidly improving standards of living, African free zones are becoming increasingly attractive FDI destinations. Those in Morocco and Mauritius, in particular, couple this with a stable political and economic structure, making them highly desirable destinations. It is worth men- ioning that the Tanger Economic Free Zone of Morocco boasts an impressive increase of 20,000 employees in the past two years,† says Mr Worthington. A booming region of the world, South America, has been far behind the curve in using free zones as a path to development, as well as in promoting the zones it does have to the world. This is reflected in the poor participation of zones from this region in the benchmarking study. None were cited in the top 50 list. Two North American zones, meanwhile, made the cut. John Hanna, managing director of GDP Global Development, also served on the judging panel, along with fDi editor Courtney Fingar. n October/November 2007 www. fdiintelligence. com June/July 2012 28 GLOBAL OutLOOk GLOBAL FREE ZONES OF tHE FutuRE 2012/13 skandar in Johor, malaysia, is ranked fourth in the global free Zones of the future 2012/13 JuDGiNG pANeL couRtNey fiNGAR Editor, fDi Magazine More than 600 free zones across 120 countries were invited by fDi Magazine to complete a survey requesting both qualitative and methoDoLoGy quantitative data regarding their free zones. The information collected was set under five categories: incentives , facilities, cost-effectiveness, transportation and best FDI promotion. A total of 56 zones submitted details regarding many aspects of their zones and this was judged and scored by an independent judging panel. JohN hANNA Managing director, Gdp Global development JuDGiNG cRiteRiAGeneral inForMation †¢ Totalsize †¢ Totallandavailablefordevelopment †¢ Expansioninlandareainthepasttwo years; and/or plans for expansion in the next two years †¢ Totalofficespaceavailable †¢ Totalemployment †¢ Increaseinemploymentinthepasttwo years †¢ Numberofbusinessesoperatinginthe zone †¢ Totalvolumeofgoodsprocessedinthe zone †¢ Increaseintotalvolumeofgoods processed in the past two years †¢ Percentageofinvestorcompaniesthat expand their presence in the zone †¢ Anyrestrictionsforsettingupinthe zone inCentives †¢ Typesofincentivesoffered †¢ Descriptionoftheincentivesoffered including any requirements for eligibility †¢ Administratives ervicesofferedtoassist investors FaCilities †¢ Keyeconomicandindustrialsectors supported by the zone †¢ Rangeofwarehousefacilities,industrial units, logistics and office spaces available †¢ Amenitiesofferedtohelpinvestors Costs †¢ Annualaveragerentalcostofindustrial facilities, warehouse space, office space, undeveloped land, condominium and others (per m? ) †¢ Averagecostperunitofwatercosts(per m? ), electricity costs (per kw/hr) and gas costs (per m? †¢ Annualaveragecostoflabourfor unskilled worker, semi-skilled worker and highly skilled worker transportation †¢ Presencewithinzoneofairport,port, major motorways, railway or other †¢ Presencenearzoneofairport,port, major motorways, railway or other †¢ Descriptionofanymajorplanned infrastructure projects proMotion strateGy †¢ Website †¢ Digital/webpromotionactivities undertaken to create interest in the zone †¢ Othermarketing,communicationsor promotional activities undertake n †¢ Methodsusedtoidentifypotential investors, and strategy for approaching and engaging them †¢ Thezone’smarketingslogan/brief summary of its appeal †¢ Statementfromzone’schiefexecutive, director or president on his or her vision for achieving the zone full Fdi potential serviCes *asked of services zones †¢ Descriptionofservicesofferedby companies in the zone †¢Telecommunicationandtechnology infrastructure †¢Disasterrecoveryservicesofferedonsite †¢Internetspeedoffered †¢Availablelabourpoolandthe%ofwhich speak more than one language †¢Officespaceavailability †¢Majorplannedprojects JAmeS Ku Managing director, indev partners GRAhAm mAtheR chairman, world Free Zone convention JohN WoRthiNGtoN partner, iBt partners An additional set of information was sought from airport and port zones regarding their facilities and capacity 30 www. fdiintelligence. com June/July 2012

Pros and Cons for Outsourcing

The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing services in the US By Berend Schoute (1713035), student of the VU university Amsterdam. INTRODUCTION Hillary Clinton, â€Å"I don't know what reality the Bush administration is living in, but it's certainly not the reality I represent, from one end of New York to the other. † This response came on the statement of the head of U. S. President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, Gregory Mankiw. He said: â€Å"outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade,† which makes it â€Å"a good thing. † In the last decade most economists are a proponents of offshoring services outside of the US.They say that the benefits of outsourcing exceed the disadvantages. The main discussion is more likely a political one. It shows that a lot of citizens are pursuing protectionism to prevent any problems for American workers. THEORY Outsourcing occurs when a company fragmentizes a production process and sends this to another outsi de company. When companies are outsourcing to other countries/continents, it is also known as offshoring. A survey held by Lewin and Peeters (2006) showed that 90 of the 650 companies that are listed on the US Forbes Global 2000 are offshoring major business functions at that time.This outcome says that many major companies are interested in outsourcing jobs. Further outcomes mentioned that overall IT-functions (66% of the survey participants) are mostly shipped elsewhere, followed by Finance/accounting functions (60%). The most attractive destination for offshoring is India, where 60% of the functions of companies participated in the survey is to be offshored to. (Lewin and Peeters,2006) There are multiple arguments for offshoring jobs to another country. Some of these reasons can be examined by simply looking at the numbers, but most of them are abstract and difficult to catch.We speak of an omitted variable bias when a model that you create misses some important causal variables. The model can give you some positive results, but it isn’t reliable. This problem can occur in every survey, so the investigators need to be careful with the outcomes. The main argument for outsourcing is clearly labor cost reduction. The differences in wages are very large between the developing countries and the US. For example, an IT-specialist is paid $ 60 per hour on average in the US, where India pays this worker only $ 6 per hour.Although these cost benefits trough labor are substantial, extra costs incur when setting up the new offshore location. After taking all costs in account, there still is a cost reduction of 45 to 55 % (Mckinsey Global institute,2003). This cost reduction can cause a higher productivity because the domestic firm can focus on other important operations. Drezner (2003) said: ‘Thanks to outsourcing, U. S. firms save money and become more profitable, benefiting shareholders and increasing returns on investment. Foreign facilities boost deman d for U. S. roducts, such as computers and telecommunications equipment, necessary for their outsourced function. And U. S. labor can be reallocated to more competitive, better-paying jobs’. This statement is fully supported by most economists. The commodification process allows the spread of the benefits of IT-outsourcing even further, making the growth and the competitive advantage even greater (Drezner, 2003). A simple explanation of the advantage can be given by looking at the Heckscher-Ohlin model. This model simply suggests that countries that are capital abundant will export capital intensive products vice versa.For example it explains the fact that India focuses on labor intensive products because this abundance causes a competitive advantage caused by relatively low wages. In reality it’s off course more difficult, because the underlying assumptions are hardly realistic: 1. factors of production are perfectly mobile and 2. no difference in level of technology across countries. Drezner(2003) explained this by the following statement: ‘The logic underlying an open economy is that if the economy sheds jobs in uncompetitive sectors, employment in competitive sectors will grow.If hitech industries are no longer competitive, where will new jobs be created? ’ This previous theoretical introduction didn’t made the discussion between the pros and cons yet clear. It simply shoes some arguments of a proponent and a opponent. We still need hard evidence from both parties to give a good view on the truth. PROS VIEW Opponents of outsourcing are talking about the fact that American workers are losing their jobs cause of the labor movements. This is off course a fact, but what are the actual numbers ? The Mckinsey Global institute (2003) notes that in the upcoming 5 years , the growth was going to be around 30-40%.Forrester Research predicts that the total outsourced jobs will be around 3,3 million in 2015. According to projections, the hardest hit sectors will be financial services and information technology (IT). In one May 2003 survey of chief information officers, 68 percent of IT executives said that their offshore contracts would grow in the subsequent year (Mckinsey Global institute,2003). Therefore, at first sight the perception of the opponents is really sustainable. The total growth in the last two years (2002-2003) was really good, the productivity growth was even greater.The overall job growth have been really alarming. This indicates that the opponents are right in their perception. Controversially, if you unpack the numbers, you will find that 90% of all jobs in the US require geographic proximity. So these jobs were untouched anyway. The Forrester prediction of 3,3 million is spread over 15 years which means 220 thousand extra outsources jobs per year. Nowadays employment in the United States is about 130 million, and with approximately 22 million new jobs to be added till 2010, means that the ef fect of offshoring is less than 0,2% of American workers (Drezner,2003).Another argument of the proponents is that the net change in the outflow of workers against the inflow is negative. So the difference between insourcing workers because of foreign companies coming to the US and outsourcing is getting smaller. An important argument pro outsourcing is the fact that it increases the productivity of a company. The question we need to ask ourselves is can we confirm this increase with empirical evidence. Amiti & Wei (2006) investigated this question and have found some nice figures. In their survey hey tried to analyze whether there are any benefits of outsourcing in the productivity of a company. To prevent an omitted variable bias, they needed to find a valid instrument for service offshoring. In their regression model they used the number of internet hosts in the countries that supply the largest shares of services to the US. These outcomes reflect the changes in new technologies that would only affect US productivity through their effect on offshoring. Their empirical outcome was that there is a positive effect on productivity through outsourcing. CONSThe American citizens who are pursuing protectionism to prevent any problems for American workers. They say that they lose jobs because of outsourcing. This off course is true, but it’s important to look at the percentage that is reemployed. This number is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tells us that 69% of the workers that lost their job due to offshoring, eventually is reemployed. In the previous, I only talked about low-skilled jobs outsourced to other countries. Nowadays a new trend is unfolding with the outsourcing of high value added jobs to ‘developing’ countries.For example radiologists who can be replaced by cheaper Indian radiologists that constantly are able to screen material that was send to them by US hospitals. The exact numbers aren’t clear because this trend recently came up. The debate about the high skilled outsourcing should focus on consolidating strength of the US in higher value added knowledge services where investment in human capital will be decisive. Until there is no empirical evidence of a negative effect of this kind of outsourcing, the US must focus on the quality of their higher value added knowledge services (Rudiger, K. 2007). There are also a couple of other disadvantages that come up when outsourcing services overseas. These disadvantages have been used by the opponents of outsourcing. A first struggle can be that a newcomer can find itself a unreliable supplier, which puts his work aside when finding a better paying partner or a supplier loses the workers who finds better paying jobs. In reality a supplier loses around 15 to 20 % of it’s workers each year (Weidenbaum, 2003). Other hidden costs or disruptions can be for example bad infrastructure, a lot of power blackouts and extra transportation cos ts.Weidenbaum also states ‘overseas managers often do not understand the American business environment: our customers, lingo, traditions, and high-quality control and expectations for prompt delivery of goods and performance of services’. These disadvantages can be prevented by good outsourcing preparation. CONCLUSION In the beginning of this essay I discussed the US protectionism to offshoring jobs. When looking at all the studies it came clear that offshoring brings substantially benefits to the economy of the US (and the world).In this essay we saw that firms can reduce costs up to 55 % of the particular department. Because of the cost reduction and productivity growth, the US can improve its output and competitive advantages against other countries. The disadvantages do not outweigh all the advantages of outsourcing discussed in this essay. When the politicians focus on the flexibility and quality of the economy they can create a win-win situation for the US. In the upcoming years next studies need to be about whether any skill group (high value added services in particular) is relatively more affected. REFERENCES Amiti & Wei. 2006). Service Offshoring and Productivity: Evidence from the United States. NBER Working Paper no. 11926. Drezner, D. (2004). The outsourcing bogeyman. Foreign Affairs. Mckinsey Global institute. (2003). Offshoring: Is It a Win-Win Game? † Weidenbaum. (2003). Outsourcing: Pros and cons. Business Horizons (2005) 48, 311—315 Lewin and Peeters (2006). â€Å"Offshoring work: Business hype or the onset of fundamental transformation? † Long Range Planning, 39(3): 221–239. Rudiger, K. (2007). Offshoring, a threat for the UK’s knowledge jobs? A working paper prepared for the Knowledge Economy Programme.

What Does it Take to Get Into North Carolina State Universityâ€Raleigh?

North Carolina State University’s acceptance rate is 46%. What does it take to get in? North Carolina State University, located in Raleigh, is a large public research university known for its value and programs dedicated to the state’s key industries, such as natural resources and textiles. With an enrollment of 35,000 students, NC State is one of the largest schools in the country. It is home to 12 colleges offering programs across all disciplines, with more than 100 undergraduate majors. It also offers more than 100 master’s degrees and over 60 doctoral degrees. NC State is respected for the value of its education; it currently holds a top 10 ranking from U.S. News and World Report for Best Value Among U.S. Public Universities. In-state students currently pay just over $9,000 for tuition and fees. It is ranked 32nd for Top Public Schools and lands in the top 15 for its programs in both industry and agriculture. To learn more about how your high schooler can earn acceptance to NC State, don’t miss this post. NC State accepts the Common Application or the Coalition Application . Your student only need to fill out one of the two. If they’re applying to other schools on one of the platforms, it’s usually easiest to continue using that one. There are several different application deadlines that potential applicants should be aware of. Early Action applications are due October 15. In addition, some majors and scholarships have application deadlines of October 15. Most notably, this includes all studio majors. Regular Decision applications are due January 15. For a complete overview, see the NC State Dates and Deadlines page . For a complete application, your high schooler also must submit: Teacher recommendations are neither required or recommended for admissions to NC State. Alternatively, students may choose to submit one counselor recommendation, which will be reviewed as supplemental material by the admissions committee. NC State is considered a moderately selective college. In 2018, NC State received over 29,000 applications for 4,500 seats. However, because only a fraction of accepted students ultimately enroll, far more students are offered a placed in the incoming class.   In 2018, the acceptance rate at NC State was 46%. The students accepted to NC State represent a diverse body hailing from all across the country. In 2018, accepted students came from all 100 of North Carolina’s counties, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. First of all, to even be considered for admission to NC State, students must fulfill some basic requirements in high school. All applicants must complete at least 15 credit units. These must include four units of English and math, three units of science (at least one of which must be a lab class), two units of a foreign language, and one unit each of social studies and history. Beyond the basic requirements, applicants to NC State must present a strong academic record and solid standardized test scores. In fact, the factors considered most important by the admissions committee are the rigor of your secondary school classes, your class rank, your GPA, and your test scores. Many other factors are also considered, including essays, recommendation, extracurriculars, and personal characteristics. While these factors are weighed in the big picture, they aren’t nearly as important as your child’s academic record and test scores.   Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. Score a 1390 or higher on your SAT, or a 31 or higher on your ACT. Test scores are very important to the admissions committee at NC State. By hitting these out of the park, your student will really shine. In 2018, the average SAT score of accepted students was 1344 and the average ACT score was 29. Average won’t be enough, however, if your high schooler wants to rise above the crowd. To do that, they should aim to achieve a score in the top 25%. For the SAT, the magic number is 1390, and for the ACT, it’s 31. For help preparing for your SAT, consider the benefits of ’s customized SAT Tutoring Program , where the brightest tutors in the industry guide students to an average score increase of 250 points. Maintain a strong GPA. Again, we can’t stress enough how important academics are to your teen’s chances. 59% of students admitted to NC State in 2018 achieved an unweighted GPA of 3.75 or above. Weighted GPAs were well over 4.0, as NC State applicants usually take a heavy course load. Of students admitted in 2018, nearly a third took dual enrollment classes and 70% took AP classes. Your student should keep their grades up and take challenging classes if they want a shot at NC State. Apply Early Action. NC State is one of the schools that does admit students at a slightly higher rate when they apply through the early action program. If your student wants to maximize their chances in every way possible, have them apply through early action. The acceptance rate last year through early action was 50%, compared to the overall acceptance rate of 46%.    On the one hand, NC State accepts nearly half of all applicants. On the other hand, slightly more than half of all applicants are ultimately rejected. If your high schooler gets rejected, they’re actually among the majority. The bad news is that NC State doesn’t really use its waitlist very actively. In 2018, over 4000 students accepted spots on the waitlist, but only 20 were ultimately accepted. That means less than 1% of students on the waitlist were ultimately accepted. NC State does accept transfer applicants, but the standards for admissions are similar to the standards for first-year students. This means that if a student is rejected during first-year admissions, they’ll need to up their game to be accepted as a transfer. If they can achieve great grades and prove their academic abilities at another college, they might just have a shot at transferring later. That being said, a student’s first priority should be finding another great school to attend where they’re just as likely to thrive. With thousands of options, there is a good fit out there for everyone. For help adjusting to a different school, they can read our post, Envisioning a New Future: Preparing for Life at Your Second-Choice (or Third, or Fourth) School . For more assistance on your teen’s college application to North Carolina State University at Raleigh or anywhere else, consider enlisting the help of ’s Applications Guidance service. Here, your high schooler will be paired with a personal admissions specialist from a top college who can provide step-by-step guidance through the entire application process.  

E-retailing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

E-retailing - Assignment Example In 1997, Auto-by-Tel successfully sold their millionth car over the internet. As well, CommerceNet/Nielsen Media stated that they have attained more than 10 million people on the Web. According to Jupiter research the e-tailing has raised to $37 billion by 2002. Moreover, the e-tailing has also allowed the growth of e-tailware, software tools for producing online catalogs as well as dealing with business associates by performing e-tailing. In this scenario, a new movement is the price assessment sites that are able to rapidly compare prices from a number of dissimilar e-tailers as well as establish a connection between you and them (Schappell, 2000). This report will present a detailed analysis of a company that is specialized in e-retailing of business. This report will present a comprehensive analysis of some of main areas and aspects of the business’s e-retailing enhancement and establishment of more effective strategy for the potential management of business in a much better way. For this report I have chosen Maplin Electronics business. In this scenario, the main idea is about developing an expanded internet shopping capability for Maplin Electronics company website. Business Overview I have selected Maplin Electronics Corporation, which needs to improve its web based business and also create a better opportunity for the possible expansion in overall business and working arrangements. Maplin Electronics is one of the UK’s major corporate retailers of consumer electronics. Maplin Electronics business comprises a complete national network of 185 stores those are the main goldmine of valuable consumer technologies and gadgets. Maplin Electronics offers a variety of products including communication, cables, computing, components, music, home & car, power, TV & Satellite systems also Sat Navigational tools (Maplin Electronics2, 2011). In addition, Maplin Electronics is specialized in consumer electronics areas. Maplin Electronics is proud to present the most excellent and the majority informed customer recommendations on the high street. Additionally, the business encompasses a huge team of over 2,000 customer service support officers that facilitate thousands o f customers to make informed selections regarding technology purchases each and every day; from technology fans to the entire novices. Moreover, this business was initiated by two technology devotees in 1972 who were irritated by the lack of high-quality electronics products and components. Soon after the establishment of the business the Maplin Electronics rapidly turned out to be the experts’ preference, with a standing for the most excellent product variety and skills. In fact, Maplin Electronics Corporation has developed with high speed since launching over 30 years ago, its standing as the United Kingdom’s simply true experts in consumer electronics is yet at the heart of Maplin Electronics nowadays (Maplin Electronics2, 2011). Furthermore, Maplin Electronics Corporation allows its customers to buy products from more than 185 stores located in United Kingdom and Ireland. Maplin Electronics also allows its custom

Sustainability Financial Analysis Project Research Paper

Sustainability Financial Analysis Project - Research Paper Example 3). While assessing and selecting companies for inclusion to the DJSI, various corporate economic, environmental and social performance factors are taken into consideration. These factors include, but are not limited to: corporate governance, brand management, risk and crisis management, climate change mitigation, supply chain management, strategy for emerging markets, environmental policy, water related risks, raw material sourcing, human capital development, social reporting (DJSI Annual Review, p. 50). All these and other factors specific to each industry belonging to the three pillars mentioned above are also known as a concept of a triple bottom line. Nike Inc. was chosen for analysis. The company is included in the DOW Jones Sustainability United States Index and belongs to the consumer goods industry (category: Footwear). The non-DJSI company that will be analyzed and compared to Nike Inc is the Jones Group Inc. ... Supplier power. Many western countries domestically manufacturing the footwear can’t effectively compete within the mainstream market and much of the footwear offered within this market is outsourced to low-cost manufacturing regions, particularly South-East Asia (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 14). However, many western suppliers have increased their supplier power through differentiation techniques, such as high-end designer footwear and specialist foortwear for specific needs (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 14). New entrants. The threat of new entrants to the foortwear retail market is considered to be strong, mainly due to relatively low fixed costs for retail operations (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 15). Threat of substitutes. Overall, the threat of substitutes to the market is weak as footwear is a basic necessity (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 16). Degree of rivalry. There is a high degree of rivalry among large retail groups, which dominate the market (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 17). However, there are also many smaller retailers that co-exist within the market. Footwear market is broadly diversified by retailers, varying from large supermarket chains to apparel retailers and dedicated shoe retailers (Footwear Industry Profile: United States 17). Company Business Strategy Analysis As Don Blair, CFO in of NIKE Inc. claimed, â€Å"Innovation is at the heart of NIKE, Inc.'s business growth strategy† (NIKE, Inc. CFO, Don Blair, on Sustainability n.p.). At NIKE, Inc., a sustainability strategy is an integral part of its business strategy. Sustainability is perceived

Tourists decision-making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourists decision-making - Essay Example Tourists’ decision-making Tourism experience motivates the ability, desire, style and quantity of tourism. These experiences ought to influence the future development and growth of tourism. They consist of sights, encounters, on-site activities, collecting of souvenirs and some sensations like. The tourism experiences should make the visit of the tourist memorable. Tourism experience involves services of a wide range such as transportation, accommodation and insurance. It also requires financial services, marketing and information in order to produce the requirements that are needed for tourism experience. The experiences help the tourists to know more about that destination. They should offer more information, adventure, relaxation and whatever else the tourists might require. Therefore, they should provide entertainment and excitement, as it is demanded. Entertainment, leisure and tourism industries have the responsibility of providing the satisfaction of tourism experience. The experiences are the driving force for leisure and tourism consumption. Tourists have a variety of tourist experiences to choose from. They are usually in need of a different experience from the normal. Some tend to distance themselves from their normal live and everything related to that and free themselves to experience the change and interact with new people.They should plan their tour depending on their expectations and what motivates them to choose the experience. Tourists should have a clear understanding of the activities that they would be involved in during the visit. The visit is expected to offer tourism experience that will be full of treasured memories and give total satisfaction. The purchase of a tourism experience is mainly influenced by the interest of the tourists. It can also be influences by self and cultural confidence. A tourist can be driven to purchase a tourism experience that involves discovering about a certain culture. This means that it would involve l earning about local or traditional foods of a culture. Having a taste of different foods is fun and interesting. The tourist was motivated to choose a destination depending on the attractions and activities of that region. Another motivation could be the desire for thing that are more authentic. Local foods are authentic and a symbol of the culture and region of a destination. This tourism experience

Homeless essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeless - Essay Example If someone is being discharged from an institution such as a hospital, where he has been living for the last month or more, and has neither a house to live after his discharge nor the required resources to buy or rent one. Recently, volunteers spent a whole night trying to calculate the number of homeless people living in Syracuse. The Homeless and Housing Vulnerable Task Force traveled around the whole city counting the number of people spending the night on streets. They also checked emergency shelters, parks, playgrounds, bus stands, and all other possible areas where the homeless might spend the night. This year, it was the first time the Firefighting Department also helped in locating old and confiscated buildings where the homeless might find shelter. They counted out a total of 700 homeless people, which was a decrease by 37% since last year. At least the same rate of decrease is expected next year. (WTVH, 2008) Homelessness has been a major cause of problems occurring in a society on a daily basis. Businessmen are especially not happy with homeless people straying on the streets as it creates a bad image of their businesses, and also they are often subjected to petty crimes committed by the homeless. Other people living in the society are also often frightened by the presence of panhandlers and complain the destruction of the society's beauty brought about by the homeless. Due to the problems mentioned above, law enforcement agencies like the police department receive regular calls from angry businessmen complaining about the bad impact of homeless people on their businesses and ability to attract new business projects, and the crimes committed by them. In areas where large numbers of homeless reside, theft occurs at a regular basis. Businesses are robbed and theft of easily tradable accessories like tools and metal scraps has widely spread. Therefore, the police have to be extremely active in relation to the activities of the homeless. (Holderness, 1998) Along with the preceding problems, the community also faces the problem of large amounts of homeless people living and spending nights on subway stations. The up gradation and renovation of trains and subway stations done in order to attract people who lost hope in subway, also attracts helpless people who have no place else to go and wish to avoid crime and humiliation of public emergency shelters. Installation of air-conditioners has

How the marketing of services differs from the marketing of products Essay

How the marketing of services differs from the marketing of products - Essay Example How the marketing of services differs from the marketing of products? When conducting the marketing of services, it is vital to depict the processes and proof of the service so that customers can have a positive image about the reliability of the services. Positive images and expectations allow the element of perceived value to be built in the consumer’s mind. In marketing products, there is no proof required as the product is something tangible that can be analyzed before buying and has the option of being returned if customers are not satisfied with it. For products, customers may be willing to pay a price before even viewing the actual price and this is based on the value perceived by the customer for the product. In products marketing, the price and benefits of the product is stated in the advertisement. In services marketing, it should be ensured to the customer that the service would be consistent and is going to meet the needs of the customer. Then the customer develops the perceived value for the service. Product pricing includes the material cost, the cost of distribution and the cost of manufacturing. The pricing of services include cost of offsite manufacturing and the traveling cost can be included if implied. The low cost in service pricing allows the firms to invest more in the service advertisements. In marketing the products and services, the place element of the marketing mix depends upon the type of products and services being offered. The products sold in retail outlets need to be in convenient location for the customers. For services, the place may not matter to the consumers.

Dq 8-Terence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dq 8-Terence - Essay Example Based on the same, are ethical issues concerned with the efficiency and speed of information systems, especially at the work place (Brown, 2012). Information is one of the strong tools to success. The development of information systems may also involve political and social relations (Hollifield & Habibi, 2011). Electric information systems are now widely used, especially in the workplace. There is need however to guard the privacy and security of the information being transmitted through the information systems, since people may misuse it, or in some cases, the information may affect parties that are not involved significantly (Xu & Quaddus, 2013). Privacy in knowledge worker information systems as well as security is important. The information systems may have information that may be useful to the larger society, or a group of people (Zimmermann, 2011). However, security and privacy are important for the sake of preserving information that may otherwise be harmful if leaked. A knowledge worker such as a scientist for example, may have researched on and stored information in an information system (Salmela & Anna, 2011). The kind of information stored needs security, should an individual want to leak the hard- earned information. There may be hackers who might also illegally obtain information they are not supposed to obtain (Stair & Reynolds, 2013). To address the risk of private information being accessed, a company may consider establishing an electronic database. The database should be designed to access all kinds of information as well as store it. An electronic database may alter the way information is convened. Persons that may be involved require training on how to retrieve and enter the information in digit form. This kind of precaution may ward off several persons, acting as an effective measure (Hollifield & Habibi, 2011). Offshore outsourcing mainly occurs when services and products are procured from

Sub-band coding Essay Example for Free

Sub-band coding Essay Abstract Sub-band coding refers to the process of subdividing audio and speech signals into a number of frequency bands before each of these bands is digitally encoded on its own. As lower frequency bands contain more speech or audio energy than higher frequency bands, they require more bits in order to be encoded. Sub-band coding is useful for this purpose. This paper will further explain the usefulness of sub-band coding and describe each step involved in this method. Introduction Analog signals include video, radar, audio and speech signals. These signals must be converted into digital form so as to be digitally processed. The digital form of an analog signal is a number sequence with finite precision. The A/D converter is the name given the process of conversion (Proakis Manolakis, 2007). This process is subdivided into the following processes: sampling, quantizing and coding. Sampling entails the conversion of continuous time signals into discrete time signals with the use of samples of continuous time signals at a known frequency. Quantization involves changes to continuous time values of the discrete time signals so as to convert them into discrete time values. The process of coding gives binary numbers to quantized signals depending on their values. There are various ways of converting analog signals into digital form for both storage and transmission. Sub-band coding happens to be an efficient method for this conversion, especially with medium bit rates (Pirani Zingarelli, 1984, 645). As the rate of sampling alters with time, either with an increase or decrease, the efficiency of the conversion process can be enhanced by minimizing the energy of transmitting or sending signals, depending, of course, on their sample rates, so that a greater amount of energy is made available for high sampling rates. It is also possible to compress data in order to reduce the amount of energy required for the process of transmission. This should be achieved without impairing the quality of the signal that is decoded (Crochiere, 1981, 1633). Sub-band coding is an effective technique for data compression. With the Matlab program, sub-band coding can be developed before it is implemented in the C7613. Here, the coder of sub-bands uses sampled signals as inputs. Depending on the energy of different signals, the various subs of the sub-band coder are assigned different numbers of bits. Thus, sub-band coding is expected to provide output signals that are similar to input signals. (See Sub-band coder in Figure 1, resulting in differing accuracies for output signals. Accuracies are dependent on the different values of bits used in the quantizers. It is preferable to give a greater number of bits for higher energy subs of the signal). Sub-band coding Sub-band coding involves the sub-band coder and sub-band encoded. There are different subs in the sub-band coder responsible for filtering the input sample with both filters, H1 and H2, in addition to down sampling. Sub-band encoded, on the other hand, entails quantizing, upsampling and filtering with K1 and K2 before the bands are summed for the final signal. (See Figure 1). As shown in this figure, if the rate of sampling the signal is Fs sample per second, the frequencies of each of the subdivisions of the sub-band coder can be computed. The signal spectrum is split into two equal-width parts by the first frequency subdivision: a lowpass signal (0FFs/4) and a highpass signal (Fs/4FFs/2). Sub-band coder The signals in both lowpass and highpass frequency bands require interpolation and summation. The filtering step serves to do away with signal noise, which may be lower or higher in frequency than the required signal. Filtering further serves to reduce the rates of sub-band sampling in order to minimize overall bit rates for encoding of signals. Hence, a superior performance in sub-band coding can be achieved by developing an accurate filter design (Crochiere, 1633). Filters that are idle, for example, the Brick wall filters as shown in Figure 2, are suitable for this purpose. However, such filters are not available outside of theory. Aliasing must be avoided; this is achieved by the decimation of sub-band signals. As actual filters have overlaps, it is best to resolve the problem of aliasing with the use of quadrature mirror filters. These filters have frequency response characteristics as shown in Figure 3 (Proakis Manolakis). The following equation shows perfect reconstruction: . From this equation we chose . Next, the filtered signal is down sampled with the process of down sampling. This process involves the deletion of every second sample. If there are three samples, for instance, the second sample would have to be deleted. This deletion reduces the number of samples to be quantized. Using the quantizer, the down sampled signal is quantized following deletion. Through quantization, we add quantization noise to bits being sampled. Thus, every set of two samples is averaged in order to approximate continuous time input signals on each of the bands by discrete numbers of samples (Veldhuis, Breeuwer, Van Der Wall, 1989).

Critical Self Assessment Reflective Essay Social Work Essay

Critical Self Assessment Reflective Essay Social Work Essay Self-assessment is always a challengeable task because people always attempt to conduct a self-assessment but they do not always succeed in this regard. The main reason for the failure of the self-assessment is the inadequate self-esteem or self-awareness. At the same time, it is necessary to conduct the self-assessment in order to define clearly the progress an individual has made in the course of his or her development and the identification of problems in the personal development along with goals of the further development. At any rate, while conducting my self-assessment, I focused on my current development both personal and professional, and, on the ground of this information, I attempted to define skills and areas which need consistent improvement and what I should work on. Initially, I supposed to conduct my self-assessment for myself. In fact, it was just interesting for me to know what a sort of person I am, how I assess and view myself and what I actually want to improve in my personality. However, on a profound reflection, I arrived to the idea that I need to share my self-assessment and I extended my target audience from myself to my peers and people interested in psychology because it is always interesting to get acquainted with oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s self-assessment to be able to avoid pitfalls of self-assessment made by others in the course of their self-assessment. Frankly speaking, I do not want to be didactic but still I just want to share my experience of self-assessment which may be useful to other people, especially my peers, who may have the same problems as I have. While conducting my self-assessment, I focused on my current personal and professional development mainly and, on the ground of my current development, I attempted to define what I really need to improve in myself and my development to become a better person. On analyzing my current development, I arrived to the conclusion that I have already reached positive outcomes in my personal and professional development. For instance, I have always been successful in my learning and my academic successes always encouraged me to carry on my professional development. At the same time, the more I learned the better I felt because I felt and still feel that my knowledge, my skills and abilities are very useful in my personal life. They contribute to my personal development, extend my eyesight and make me spiritually rich because my knowledge and experience are my personal wealth. At the same time, I would like to dwell upon skills and abilities I have already developed and which I consider to be very important in my life. For instance, my organizational skills are of the utmost importance for me but, as far as I remember, I always had problems with my organizational skills which stay a bit under-developed. At any rate, I cannot say that my regular life is well-organized. Naturally, I can do the routine actions I do day after day but sometimes I feel that I am running of time badly and I need more time to do everything I want and I have to do. I do not have a schedule of to dos for every day, although I attempt to plan my actions. For instance, when I have vacations I plan how I am going to spend my vacation and basically I fulfill my plans successfully. On the other hand, in my daily life, I face some problems with the organization of my working day because I can have an unexpected encounter with a friend of mine that may take a lot of time. As a result, I ma y fail to do something important I have planned at the beginning of the day. Furthermore, my organizational skills often into clashes with my leadership ambitions because, as I fail to organize effectively my own work or learning, for instance, than I cannot always organize a work of a group or team. As a result, my leadership ambitions cannot be implemented because people I want to lead are not confident in my ability to lead them. Nevertheless, I was always concerned with being the first, being the leader. In such a situation, I attempt to compensate my lack of organizational skills by my communication skills. I have a lot of friends and I do like the communication with interesting people. I have a few, if any, problems in the communication with any person. I can start communication easily and I make a lot of friends. In this regard, my high self-awareness and self-esteem may be factors which help me to communicate and lead people. frankly speaking, a feel being a bit too self-assured but this quality helps me a lot in my life, although sometimes it provokes conflicts with some people. On analyzing my current development, I focused on my target development. Taking into consideration the drawbacks I have identified in the course of self-assessment, I would like to focus on the improvement of organizational and leadership skills. In fact, I have to learn to organize and plan my daily life carefully because I believe this will help me to realize my full potential and to become a true leader. The latter is very important for me because I do need to be a leader, who guides people and help them to reach their goals, while working in a team. In this regard, the development of social relations may be very helpful. At any rate, I have good communication skills and I can develop social relations effectively but I believe that I need to change the direction in which I develop my social relations. What I mean is that, at the moment, I develop my social relations for pleasure, to make friends, to spend a good time, and so on. Now, I believe it is a high time to change my life a little bit. In actuality, I need to feel being useful to my community. In this regard, I would like to do some volunteer job to develop my organizational and leadership skills. In addition, I will learn how to be helpful and useful to other people. Thus, I believe that my self-assessment can be helpful to those people, who are interested in psychology and who attempt to conduct their own self-assessment. I attempted to be as sincere and critical as possible. I identified my drawbacks as well as positive traits of character. Naturally, I understand that I may be subjective but people, who read my self-assessment, can identify strong and weak points in my self-assessment and avoid those weak points in their own self-assessment.

Comparing Homers Odyssey and Everyday Life Essay -- Comparison Compar

The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The gods inflict a numerous amount of pain upon Odysseus for these tests of devotion and trust. Athene, the daughter of Zeus, happens to be a goddess who does this to Odysseus quite frequently. She aids Odysseus on his journey toward his destiny; therefore she must impose this pain upon him in order to make him strong in mind and in heart. As his aid "†¦Athene allowed the haughty suitors not altogether yet to cease from biting scorn. She wished more pain to pierce the heart of Laà «rtes’ son, Odysseus"(180) so that he may conquer all that he must in order to obtain his destiny and all that belongs to him. Without this pain and suffering that Odysseus goes through he may not have reached the pinnacle of his journey toward his destined life.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The gods act as guides for Odysseus so that he may successfully pass these tests. As his aid, Athene becom... ...happens, it all happens for the best. That everything that is done is a given test that you must achieve in order to reach your destiny. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture, which is shown throughout the entire story and in our everyday lives. Through this story, one can see that all of this is true, whether you believe it or not. These tests can be shown through an epic simile by Homer saying, "As a man hides a brand in a dark bed of ashes, at some outlying farm where neighbors are not near, hoarding a seed of fire to save his seeking elsewhere, even so did Odysseus hide himself in leaves"(54). This shows the symbolism that the ocean is Odysseus’ tests and he hides under the leaves in order to hide from the tests. But in the end, the tests help him and make everything well.

The Character Medeas Revenge in Euripides Medea :: Euripides Medea Essays

The Character Medea's Revenge in Euripides' Medea Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. She is the protagonist who arouses sympathy and admiration because of how her desperate situation is. I thought I was going to feel sorry for Medea, but that quickly changed as soon as I saw her true colors. I understand that her emotions were all over the place. First, she was angry, then cold and conniving. The lower she sinks the more terrible revenge she wants to reap on Jason. Medea's plan was set into motion. She has nothing to loose. She is even angrier because she betrayed her own father and her people for him. She even bears the burden of having Pelias killed by his daughters for Jason. She decides to take revenge out on Jason's bride and poisons her. She also doesn't want Jason to take the children from her. She decides to kill them, but agonizes over this decision before killing them. Some critics view this as a pathetic attempt at motherhood. I know there is a certain bond between mother and child. She just wants to hurt Jason as much as she has been hurt. "She first secures a place of refuge, and seems almost on the point of bespeaking a new connection. Medea abandoned by the entire world, was still sufficient for herself." (blackmask). There is definitely a reversal of roles in the play. "A man's role was to "help his friends and harm his enemies."(users globalnet) Medea offered to help her friend King Aigeus become childless in exchange for helping her get away. She will harm anyone who gets in her way. It is the children who bring about this reversal. "Another possible theme of Medea may be that at times a punishment of revenge should justify the crime - no matter how severe. Only a person in such a situation (and greater beings) may know what to action to take in this position."(essayworld) "Finally, the play opens with Medea's Nurse indirectly giving background information to the story about to unfold. It is quickly understood by the audience that Jason, the husband of Medea, for whom she disowned her family and had killed for, has left her for the King of Corinth (Creon's) daughter - a beautiful princess. Medea is outraged by this and is set on seeking revenge on him. The Character Medea's Revenge in Euripides' Medea :: Euripides Medea Essays The Character Medea's Revenge in Euripides' Medea Medea is a tragedy of a woman who feels that her husband has betrayed her with another woman and the jealousy that consumes her. She is the protagonist who arouses sympathy and admiration because of how her desperate situation is. I thought I was going to feel sorry for Medea, but that quickly changed as soon as I saw her true colors. I understand that her emotions were all over the place. First, she was angry, then cold and conniving. The lower she sinks the more terrible revenge she wants to reap on Jason. Medea's plan was set into motion. She has nothing to loose. She is even angrier because she betrayed her own father and her people for him. She even bears the burden of having Pelias killed by his daughters for Jason. She decides to take revenge out on Jason's bride and poisons her. She also doesn't want Jason to take the children from her. She decides to kill them, but agonizes over this decision before killing them. Some critics view this as a pathetic attempt at motherhood. I know there is a certain bond between mother and child. She just wants to hurt Jason as much as she has been hurt. "She first secures a place of refuge, and seems almost on the point of bespeaking a new connection. Medea abandoned by the entire world, was still sufficient for herself." (blackmask). There is definitely a reversal of roles in the play. "A man's role was to "help his friends and harm his enemies."(users globalnet) Medea offered to help her friend King Aigeus become childless in exchange for helping her get away. She will harm anyone who gets in her way. It is the children who bring about this reversal. "Another possible theme of Medea may be that at times a punishment of revenge should justify the crime - no matter how severe. Only a person in such a situation (and greater beings) may know what to action to take in this position."(essayworld) "Finally, the play opens with Medea's Nurse indirectly giving background information to the story about to unfold. It is quickly understood by the audience that Jason, the husband of Medea, for whom she disowned her family and had killed for, has left her for the King of Corinth (Creon's) daughter - a beautiful princess. Medea is outraged by this and is set on seeking revenge on him.

Learning about Ancient Civilization from the Indian Mahabharata Essay

Learning about Ancient Civilization from the Indian Mahabharata I believe that the Mahabharata historically teaches us about ancient Indian civilization wonderfully. Whether the epic really happened or not, many in present day India really do believe in the mystical world of god, goddesses, and god-like warrior kings. For them to have such faith in the epic says a lot about their culture, which is rich of soul and in my opinion imagination. Is it safe to say that some of the cultural make-up exhibited in the Mahabharata such as male and female roles pass on to today India? I think so. Of course India has grown much since the telling of the Mahabharata, but through the lives of the Dhritarashtra and Pandu's families we can see how historically ancient Indians thought, which may or may not flow into how they think today, but it's an interesting concept to ponder. In this essay I will discuss the male and female roles within the ancient royal families and back-up my opinions with stories from the Mahabharata. Due to the importance of dharma males roles differed, but for most the male was a hunter and provider for his family. Besides the time when Yudhisthira embarrassed Draupadi with his gambling issue, one male role was to protect his wife. The Pandavas wife traveled with them and they cared so much for her that they would kill on her command. For example, when Kichaka pursued Draupadi even after her warnings of her five husbands Bhima, one of the Pandavas, took care of the problem by squishing Kichaka into a round ball of flesh. Through most of the epic the Pandavas tried to protect their wives from danger, but there is only so much you can do in times of war. Another male responsibility was to obtain wives, ... ... the sake of the future of the kingdom. The males were skilled in battle and fashionably wore there hair back. Males did not really dance much either. Then for the females, they did dance. The girls were expected to eventually become a wife. As a wife the females were the baby makers and support system for the family. She was caring and a friend to her husband. This of course does not really depict the ancient civilization as a whole. For example, this way of living does not include the prostitutes. These roles that I have studied from the Mahabharata are really only of the royal families, because the majority of the story was about kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Overall, the epic was a great analysis of how people in ancient India viewed the world and how through the roles of men and women everything was kept in balance within the kingdoms.

The european identity

We hear the word & A ; lsquo ; European ‘ connected to other words like & A ; lsquo ; civilization ‘ , & A ; lsquo ; individual ‘ and & A ; lsquo ; individuality ‘ about every twenty-four hours. But what does this construct of being & A ; lsquo ; European ‘ mean? Is it about geographics, political relations, or something else? In my essay I will seek to detect if there is such a term as & A ; lsquo ; European Identity ‘ and if it exists so how we can associate ourselves to it. I will look briefly through the history of Europe to happen some background for the thought of incorporate Europe and pull some decisions about what I have found out. First of all I would wish to discourse the inquiry what is individuality and how we decide to which individuality we belong. Sir W. Hamilton defined Identity as & A ; lsquo ; a relation between our knowledges of a thing, non between things themselves ‘ . So technically the manner we identify ourselves is in our caputs and there are no rigorous regulations about how to make it. In my sentiment people largely identify themselves by the topographic point where they were born, the linguistic communication they speak from the birth, the faith, the history they have learned, the topographic point where their parents from, the people they were surrounded by. It appears that a individual does n't truly contemplate to his/her thought of her/himself, it is being embedded in them by milieus. In a world-wide graduated table people are defined into states, but sometimes it is hard to make, because if your parents are from one state and you were born and raised in another it is non the easie st thing to denominate yourself to one state. That ‘s why I think some people may state they are European. Identity consists of forms by which something or person is recognizable or known. Turning to Europe and its individualities, though G.Delanty wrote that & amp ; lsquo ; to be European is a lifestyle defined by the manners of behaviour feature of the people in the West ( Borneman & A ; Fowler cited in Delanty 2005 ) ‘ , I do non hold that people from Asia or America would be able to acknowledge & amp ; lsquo ; European ‘ by behaviors. Despite the fact that there might be some common runs of behavior of people who live in Europe ( and here there is another job of where Europe begins and ends ) there are still excessively many differentiations in pique of different states. Another controversial construct in this statement is the West. S.Hall wrote that: the West ‘s sense of itself – its individuality – was formed, non merely by the internal procedures that bit by bit moulded Western European states into a distinguishable type of society, but besides throu gh Europe ‘s sense of differences from other universes – how it came to stand for itself in relation to these others ( Formations of Modernity, 1992, p.279 ) . But in this instance the thought of what it means to be & amp ; lsquo ; European ‘ should be explained exactly because & A ; lsquo ; Europeans are non peculiarly united among themselves ‘ ( Delanty, 2005, p.19 ) so we can non truly specify these others. Europeans do non portion common history, civilization, linguistic communication – all the standards by which they can be designated into individuality. Today ‘s European Union ‘s slogan is & A ; lsquo ; United in diverseness ‘ , so even from this we can do a decision that Europe is internally really assorted, it consists of different states, different outlooks which barely can be put under one roof. And & A ; lsquo ; individuality ‘ can be assimilated with & A ; lsquo ; sameness ‘ and here we see no sameness at all. Each state has its ain traditions, linguistic communication, civilization and what is the most of import history on which all the other factors are based. Ones may state that there is a common European history but in this instance it is defined more in footings of geographics than civilization. But if we are seeking to happen united Europe in history it is impossible, at least until nineteenth Century when the first thought of incorporate Europe appeared, but after that there were two universe wars which both were engendered in Europe and after the 2nd one Europe was literally separated for more that 40 old ages. And it happened in Europe, today united and seeking for prosperity, integrity and peace. Returning to history, there were ne'er thoughts to do Europe a incorporate power. There ever were wars and contentions in the chase of power and extension. We might state that in the period of Roman Empire Europe was about united by the power of one state, but it was non a brotherhood every bit much as invasion and conquering of insatiate and powerful swayers. And under these subjugations there was no thought of distributing the civilizati on or set uping economic or political dealingss. In this instance I can state that the conquers of Alexander the Great had more exalted background. However he went non to the West but to the East, he had the thought of uniting the lands under one civilization and power, he likely might hold succeeded to make new land and new individuality but it did non go on. When the Western Roman Empire disintegrated the Eastern, Byzantine Empire became dominant and Constantinople was the Centre of Europe, economic and cultural, all the trade paths were traveling through it, accordingly it became a multicultural metropolis. It was besides another Centre of Christendom, apart from Rome. And today Constantinople ‘s name is Istanbul and it is Turkey, which is non considered today as a European state. & A ; lsquo ; Giscard d'Estaing claimed on 9 November 2002 and argued that because it is non Christian, Turkey can non fall in the EU ‘ ( Delanty, 2005, p.14 ) , so another consolidative fac tor of Europe, as some say, is Christianity, but if we take a expression at the demographic state of affairs of, for illustration, France we can non state that it is strictly Christian, though it is decidedly European. Another thing is that Christianity originates from Palestine, which even geographically is non included in Europe, so can Europe truly say that Christianity is European? Although, we can non reject the fact that Christianity has been a great force in Europe. But in world it has been non spiritual and religious power but more political, economic and even military. In the Middle Ages, clip of ageless wars and conflicts the Church had highly influential power. For the swayers of different states it was really profitable to hold Church ‘s support as it was a mark for civilians that God blessed their state and people at that place. Nevertheless it appeared that God ‘s approval and forgiveness could be easy bought, so the Church was really commercial and had some sufficient financess. Then there were the Crusades which were organised by the Christian universe and brought them a batch of hoarded wealths and more power in Europe. The Church extended its influence further to North and East. This might be treated as unifying Europe under the mark of Christendom but really it was once more all about power and money, this clip though the agencies to acquire them were used more sagely. Christian religion was established in Europe by the menace of wars and force, and we will ne'er cognize what would hold happened if they had non been seeking fo r power. The age of Enlightenment superinduced some important alterations to the thought of United Europe. The ideas of Enlighteners destroyed the thought that power could be got merely by force and force, they introduced the importance of cognition and that everything could be solved in a civil mode. Rousseau thought that one twenty-four hours there might be a Europe where & A ; lsquo ; there are no more Gallic, German, Spanish, even Englishmen whatever one says, there are merely Europeans. They all have the same gustatory sensations, the same passions, and the same manner of life ‘ ( cited in Delanty 2005, p.17 ) . In my sentiment it is impossible to accomplish as the gustatory sensations and passions are formed by non one twelvemonth of common civilization and history, sometimes we can non happen such a integrity in states that are more than a hundred old ages old. Another thing is that to portion these gustatory sensations and passions people have to talk one linguistic communicatio n, though English I may state has become a lingua franca but merely people who travel and work with people from other states can talk it good. From here flows the thought of cosmopolitanism, people as citizens of the universe, here of Europe and Delanty agreed that & amp ; lsquo ; Europeans are citizens with a universe mentality ‘ , explicating that it means that & amp ; lsquo ; the citizens of one state see citizens of another & A ; lsquo ; one of us ‘ ( 2005, p.18 ) . And here I would to reason, make they? Truly? Do people earnestly act friendly towards dwellers from other states? Then why the migration is such a large inquiry in the prima states of Europe? We all are the citizens of Europe, we should esteem each other and welcome each other with all the cordial reception. But today it is non a platitude everyplace in modern-day Europe, so I will ne'er hold with E.Burke that & amp ; lsquo ; No European can be an expatriate in any portion of Europe ‘ ( cited in De lanty, 2005, p.17 ) . Peoples can be, they can experience exiled in their place state, what to state about Europe, full of differences and contradictions. After the thoughts of Enlighteners there two most violent wars in the history of the World and in the twentieth century one baronial adult male came up with the thought of unifying Europe, he was George Marshall, the leader of American military and the secretary of province in US. I can non state it was a bad thought, it was a great one, but it was given by the adult male from the top of society, non even a European society. Equally good as the thought of Enlighteners it was non the thought of ordinary people. Delanty wrote: The thought of Europe was largely derived from & A ; lsquo ; above ‘ and non from & A ; lsquo ; below ‘ in concrete signifiers of life and political battles. It has chiefly been the political orientation of intellectuals and the political category. As such it has tended to be a counter – radical political orientation of the elites, those groups who claim to be the representatives of society. ( Delanty, 1995, p.6 ) So, after old ages of struggles and battles the Union of Common Economic Market was created. And here we see that Europe was foremost united in order to widen the market, to derive net income, to do economic dealingss between states closer. Further these dealingss spread into political universe. T.Hobbes said in the seventeenth century that human existences are highly egocentric but still rational and it is one of the grounds they decide to co-operate with other people and subject the power to maintain themselves safe. ( Vitkus, 1998, p.89 ) In my sentiment that is what happened in the twentieth century ; people were afraid of what may hold happened in future so they decided to unite. In footings of economic and political state of affairs it was and still is a really wise thought, the Union prevents people from wars, it enables states solve the jobs in a peaceable manner and gives the chance for and open-trade market. But the nucleus thought of making European Union was non to unite people from different states, there was no societal or cultural background in the thought of it. It is more of a effect that people got the chance to go and interact with other civilization than the ground. I can non deny that today civil people get a batch from EU in footings of acquiring acquainted with other civilizations, but it besides can be called & A ; lsquo ; net income ‘ . Therefore, they travel, they communicate with each other, they learn other histories, but they have non become a new individuality. It might be possible in future but today if we are speaking about European individuality it can be merely economic and political individuality, these are the Fieldss were European states are united, though still hold some confrontations. To reason, my sentiment is that there can non by such a construct like & A ; lsquo ; European Identity ‘ in footings of something that has got common forms by which it can be recognized socially or culturally. Although I do non deny that today ‘s Europe is united and that there might be an economic and political individuality as Europe has got common market, Torahs and even parliament and these factors unite people. Overall, I think Europe has a long manner to travel to be considered as united economically and socially, politically and culturally and treated as one incorporate province.BibliographyDelanty, G. ( 1995 ) . Inventing Europe: Idea, Identity, Reality. Basingstoke: Macmillan Delanty, G. ( 2005 ) . & A ; lsquo ; What does it intend to be & amp ; lsquo ; European ‘ ? ‘ Innovation, 18 ( 1 ) , pp. 11-22 Hall, S. ( 1992 ) . & A ; lsquo ; The West and the remainder: discourse and power & A ; lsquo ; in S.Hall, B.Gieben ( explosive detection systems ) Formations of Modernity Cambridge: Civil order Van der Dussen, W. J. & A ; Wilson, K. ( 1995 ) . The History of European Integration. London: Routledge Vitkus, G. ( 1998 ) . Politologija ( Political Science ) Vilnius: Danielius Webster ‘s Revised Unabridged Dictionary ( 1913 ) ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/I/4 )

Cause and Consequences of urbanization in Scotland Essay

This essay will explore relevant cause and consequences of urbanisation in Scotland from 1700-1860. A dictionary-defined term would be â€Å"the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban.†(1. 30/08/2005). Scotland went through huge political and economical changes from the 1700’s onwards. The country went from being a rural, agricultural society with an estimated population of 1.2 million in 1755, to being urbanised, with the population rising to over 2.6 million in 1841(Lenman, p281, 2001). This figure is what makes the urbanisation of Scotland so interesting. What were the main factors that caused the population to grow so rapidly? The expansion of population over such a short period and the social changes that occurred with this. The great Agrarian and Industrial revolutions had a major part’s to play in the urbanisation of Scotland and this essay will show some enlightenment on why it was so profoundly noticeable in Scotland. Another point that will be investigated is the consequences of urbanisation, how the country ultimately became a modern capitalised country from its rural beginnings. Before and up until 1750, Scotland was very much a feudalistic country. Lords rented tenants enough land for them to produce food to survive. In return, the tenant would have to labour the Lord’s land as well as his own. The Landlord would reap the benefits, the tenant would survive, and as the majority of the people depended on the land as their lively-hood, it was a means to survival. As Devine states,_† In 1750 only one Scot in eight lived in a town (population of 4000 or over) and there was only four towns with more than 10000 inhabitants†_ (Devine, 1999, p125). This shows the enormity of Scots who were living in rural communities, with the main labour being in agriculture, weaving and fishing. The changes to agriculture began with those known as the improvers, whose main outlook was to modernise the way the land was cultivated. As the population of the country began to accelerate quickly, the improvers were looking to produce mass food instead of the old way of cultivation. During the period between 1790-1840 new farming equipment was introduced and the land that was formally cultivated  using the â€Å"infield-outfield and rug and furrow method† was improved by enclosing the land into fields making it more productive for crops and for livestock Crop rotations were also introduced which was making use of the land at all times. The introduction of single tenant farming as opposed to ferm-touns meant the beginning of the clearances, as well as agricultural tools becoming more efficient. The introduction of threshing machines reduced manual labour and â€Å"the Small’s plough – a two horse plough replaced the Scot’s plough which required a team of oxen and horses† (Devine, 1998, p138). These new ideas did create more food but they also left people homeless and jobless, as there was less labour needed, which left people no choice but to move on into the towns and cities where industry had began creating jobs. The growth of the towns and cities were intricately linked with the agrarian revolution as the mass population relied on the land for the food it produced. The other main point that Devine makes is that as the agricultural market started to accelerate, the need for exchange centres that provided legal, commerce and financial facilities for the rural communities became more prominent, so several towns including Perth, Ayr and Dumfries became the provider of these services. This again contributed to expansion of towns, as people were required to work and live in the towns to facilitate these positions (Devine 1998, p32) Therefore, we can gather that three major changes occurred at the same time and they contributed towards urbanisation in Scotland: The agrarian revolution along with the population growth, and the expansion of the manufacturing industry. As T.M Devine States, _Urbanisation could not have taken place without a substantial increase in food production to sustain the needs of those who did not cultivate their own food supplies. At the same time, agrarian productivity had to improve in order to release a growing proportion of the population for non-agricultural tasks in towns and cities._ (Devine, 1998, p32) Along with theses changes the manufacturing industry began to grow rapidly. Scotland was a major player in the transatlantic trading industry and due to its geographical position, it was booming in the tobacco trade and it would go on to prosper in cotton and linen too. Scotland’s Geographical position at this time was very important as it is situated between the Atlantic and Europe, which meant trading from one to the other, was very successful. The two major factor’s of the Industrial Revolution were, the textile industry and the productivity of the steam engine, which was revolutionised by James Watt in 1769 (Watt James online, 2005). Textiles factories and coalmines could produce more goods and they did not need to be near a water source in order to run. Due to this, the larger towns and cities began to grow rapidly. _Greenock in 1700 had a population of 2000 and by 1831 it had rose to 27500._ _Glasgow went from 31700 to 147000._ _Paisley went from 6800 to 47000._ _Kilmarnock went from 4400 to 12700_ _Falkirk went from 3900 to 11500. All within the time period from 1740-1850 (Devine 1998, p35)_ The population growth over the short period is the most significant point here as this is what made urbanisation in Scotland different. There are many different factors that affected the population growth but some are more significant than others are. Irish Immigration was very prominent and the migration of people from the rural areas had a major impact. For example:_† The majority of the migrants were young adults more concentrated in the marriageable and childbearing age groups than were the native inhabitants. High Migration because of its age composition was therefore likely to fuel natural increase in the urban areas_†.(Devine 1998,p41) At the same time the  highlanders were leaving the land either through force as the lord’s applied the new cultivation techniques to the land or through choice. The majority chose to immigrate to America; this did not affect the population growth as many Irish migrants were coming to Scotland looking for employment in the bo oming industries. â€Å"_Urbanisation meant more jobs, a wider diversity of social contacts and infinitely greater colour and excitement in the lives of the masses_† (Devine 1998 p43) Mortality rates demonstrate their huge impact on population growth too. It has been suggested that lower death rates, through natural immunity to disease highly contributed to urbanisation, as in the early 1800’s the death rate had fallen to 25 per 1000. This suggests that natural immunity and high levels of unemployment accelerated the population growth (Devine, 1998, p48). The effect of industrialisation was economically good for the country, but with it came poverty. The majority of the working class lived in overcrowded housing areas known as slums with no sanitation, and were rife with disease. As Devine argues, during periods of industrial recession when employment had slumped, there were also periods of disease epidemic. These began in 1817-1820(Typhoid), 1826-27(Typhoid) and in 1830-1832, a cholera epidemic that wiped out 10000 people. Periods of recession run parallel, the first being 1816-1818, 1825 and then 1836 (Devine, 1999, p168). In 1839, Death rates rose to 29 per 1000. People were forced to live in abominable living conditions with huge sanitations problems, the towns and cities could not cope with the urban growth and disease was the outcome. Overcrowded, sub-divided housing was a problematic issue in all the major Towns and Cities, especially in Glasgow. _†I did not believe until I visited Glasgow, that so large an amount of filt h, crime, misery and disease existed in one spot in any one civilised country† (_Butt J, 1987 p41-42). People were customised to living in filthy dark, damp squalid conditions amongst disease. As the periods of recession were leaving thousands out of work in a state of poverty, the poor law amendment act was passed in 1845, which replaced the old poor relief laws of the parishes taking responsibly for the  poor. The new law allowed a claim to be made under supervision of a board of examiners, it came in the form of indoor relief, which would be admission to a poorhouse if subject had lost the ability to work, and outdoor relief, which was for short-term illness, and this may have been in the form of payment or medicine. It could be argued that the industrial revolution was the birth of the working class and capitalism in this country. Those who owned the factories and docks made a great profit and a middle class lifestyle was adopted. This could be said to be the division of the classes, with the help of the industrial revolution, people developed a â€Å"working† class or â €Å"middle† class attitude, In conclusion, the evidence points out that several major factors occurred that accelerated the urban growth of the nation. The Agrarian revolution started the mass migrating and the industrial revolution provided the work force in order for capitalism to evolve. The consequences of urbanisation were overwhelming, yes the economy did thrive, but at what cost to the working class people, death, disease and misery.

Bandung: The Perfect Weekend

Bandung, the Perfect Weekend Getaway Have you been wondering to which holiday destination should you visit? Or are you dreading to have the perfect weekend getaway but don’t know any place? Trust me, you don’t have to worry anymore because the answer is Bandung! It is one of the sophisticated cities in Indonesia that has incredibly panoramic views, delectable food and satisfying services as Bandung is known to be a popular tourist attraction. Bandung has a breath-taking garden views.Tourists can enjoy and buy the beautiful and colorful flowers or even spend their time with their children or friends at the strawberries farms and to actually pick as many strawberries they want fresh from the stems. â€Å"Delicious food† are the first two words that usually be pop out in most of the Bandung visitors’ heads, as it is renowned to be the perfect city for culinary tourism. It has the sweetest, crunchiest even until spiciest mouth-watering meals. The most famous f ood in Bandung is â€Å"Kupat Tahu† and â€Å"Batagor†. Not to mention the latest most-talked theme park in Bandung namely â€Å"Trans Studio Bandung†.It is the perfect theme park for both adults and children. The place is designed so creatively like a city and most importantly, it is indoors! Not many theme parks are indoors. Therefore, visitors will not have to worry about the weather and able to have fun until the end of the day. How great it is. Moreover, children can also learn at the same time, since in the ‘Science Centre’, visitors are allowed to see many experiments and unique science facts that most people need to know. Like the different densities of different objects and liquids, and how we can have colorful shadows.There are also extreme rides like roller coaster, â€Å"Vertigo†, â€Å"Dragon Rides†, and â€Å"Giant Swing†. They are the heart-pounding rides that will make some of the visitors scream at the top of th eir lungs. At the end of the day, if you wish to remember the spectacular experience, visitors can always buy the high-quality Trans Studio souvenirs with reasonable price inside the theme park. Over all, Bandung will be an ideal to relax, shop, and most of all, for you to step back from your work and refresh your mind. If you come to Bandung, there is no way you will regret it!

Globalization And Tesco Essay

Terms of Reference The aim of this report is to give a detailed explanation of globalisation, what its main drivers are, its undesirable effects, how big a part Tesco plays in going global and what political, economic, sociocultural, technological and legal forces a multinational organisation might face when expanding into other countries. Main Body Globalisation Globalisation is the integration of the world’s domestic economies into one single international market. It can also be defined as the ‘death of distance’ (Cairncross, 1997). Globalisation allows for the free trade of goods and services between nations; it allows workers to be employed more easily around the world; it allows businesses to benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI) and it allows markets to develop at a faster rate due to the interchange of new technological advances and intellectual knowledge. The process of globalisation is motivated largely by the desire of multinational corporations to increase profit but also by the motivation of individual national governments to tap into the wider macroeconomic and social benefits that come from greater trade in goods, services and the free flow of financial capital. * The term globalisation is generally used to describe an increasing internationalisation of markets for goods and services, the means of production, financial systems, competition, corporations, technology and industries. Amongst other things this gives rise to increased mobility of capital, faster propagation of technological innovations and an increasing interdependency and uniformity of national markets. (OECD, 2001). The process of globalisation has several main drivers apart from of course multinational companies wanting to expand. Barriers to international trade are falling, tariffs and other import controls have declined making it  cheaper and easier to trade between countries. Trading blocs allow for the free trade between countries within it, the EU has become the most powerful trading bloc in the world with a GDP nearly as large as that of the United States. There has been a major improvement in transportation, for example, containerisation greatly reduces the expense of international trade and increases its speed, especially of consumer goods and commodities, bringing prices down in the country of manufacture and closer to the prices in the export market. Deregulation of global financial markets allows for FDI and an increase in the free flow of money. Tesco – A Global Organisation Tesco is the largest chain of supermarket within the UK; it dominates the market with a share of 25%, making it a monopoly. The company has become successful through strong marketing techniques, good store location and efficient inventory management. It was one of the first to recognise that there was a gap in the market for unbranded value goods, which helped it to fast-track to the leading position in the UK in the early 1990’s. In 1995, Tesco overtook Sainsbury’s as the UK’s largest supermarket (www.corporatewatch.org) so as the company grew stronger and generated a larger cash flow, management decided that the only way to expand even further was to invest abroad. When Tesco researched into international markets they decided that entering into countries where there were already well established supermarkets would not be the best option as they would struggle with tough competition. Unless Tesco invested heavily into research and development (R+D) in these established markets, they would not be able to compete with domestic chains that would already have a clear understanding of the needs and wants of their consumers. They decided to expand into emerging economies where there was little competition such as Eastern Europe and Asia. Tesco initially expanded into Ireland and France but ‘The perceived success (or otherwise) of their early venture abroad would have been considered insignificant to the company’s fortunes at home, and as a result, this largely undermined the company’s (perceived) efforts in the eyes of the financial markets as being a peripheral and/or even a distraction to the  core UK business’ (Palmer, 2005). So in 1995, according to Tescoplc.com, Tesco’s first port of call was Hungary, this was also the year they introduced the Tesco Clubcard (www.tescoplc.com), this shows that as well as wanting to expand abroad, Tesco still wanted to build and retain a customer loyalty in the UK. Tesco expanded into Hungary as well as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland by acquiring large stakes in domestic retailers. This strategy of expanding was clearly successful as Tesco now have over 205 stores in Hungary, one of which is the biggest store in the world and over 21,000 employees (www.tescoplc.com). By merging with domestic retailers there was a lot less risk than building new supermarkets as these companies had a deeper understanding of the markets they were participating in and allowed Tesco to gain an understanding of specific consumer demands in different countries, but without the financial strength of Tesco these companies would not have been able to expand much further. In 1998, Tesco expanded again into Taiwan and Thailand, with the same business venture of acquiring shares of well knows retailers. China, being one of the world’s BRIC economies would clearly be of interest to a fast expanding western company, this is because of its advances towards capitalism and its low labour costs. The move into China came in 2004. After much deliberation with potential partners, Tesco settled on a joint venture with Hymall who had been operating in china for 6 years. This was their biggest move yet as there was so much potential to expand at a much faster rate in a growing economy. By 2007 after having investments in 46 stores, they had enough customer awareness to be to open their own branded store (www.bbc.co.uk/news). Asda is Tesco’s biggest rival in the UK, in 1999 it was taken over by the American superstore Wal-Mart. This would have influenced Tesco to increase its performance as even though Asda is not as big in the UK, Wal-Mart is the biggest company in the world and would have the financial capacity to increase the competitiveness of Asda – ‘The takeover has far-reaching consequences for British retail as other companies react to it and find new ways to compete’ (Corporate Watch, 2004). How is Tesco affected by international Political, Economic, Sociocultural, Technological and Legal forces? Tesco operates in six other countries of the EU apart from the UK so its performance is now affected by the European Union (EU). Different tax policies, trade restrictions and tariffs will apply across every border, Tesco will need to include these differences when calculating their costs. In the UK, corporation tax lies between 20%-26%, but in comparison it is 40.69% in Japan. Multinational companies will need to take into consideration how much influence the government has over the country of potential investment – i.e. whether it is a dictatorship or democracy etc., and whether there is too much state control that could prevent the company from working efficiently and producing enough profit. As Tesco continues to expand, it may encounter problems with different monopoly regulations and competition authorities. In the UK, the Competition Commission investigates all mergers and take overs and ensures that there is healthy competition to benefit consumers, companies and the economy as a whole. This is so that customers aren’t exploited by monopolies in the market – i.e. by paying higher prices and smaller businesses have a higher chance of survival. Multinational companies need to monitor the economic climate of countries they wish to expand to. During the recent economic downturn, the consumer electronics market has been one of the hardest hit, as incomes are cut the demand for luxury items has also fallen. ‘Operating losses of  £46.7million in six months’ -because of this ‘Best Buy’ has had to close down their stores resulting in a huge loss of jobs (The Guardian, 2011). Tesco may not get hit as hard when expanding because of their diversity of products but they do need to ensure that they are entering new markets with the potential to gain a domina nt market share so that they are not forced to shut down even when consumer demand is low. The minimum wage in the UK as it stands is  £6.08 an hour (www.direct.gov.uk, October 2011) however this will not be the same in every country and Tesco has faced exploitation allegations concerning this. In 2006, Tesco faced allegations over the treatment of workers in Bangladesh; War on Want alleged that wages were as low as 5p an hour and that workers were working 80+ hour weeks. However, Tesco stated that ‘Our suppliers comply with local labour laws and workers at all Bangladeshi suppliers to Tesco are paid above the national minimum wage’ (The Guardian, 2006). It may be unfair that the minimum wage is so low but it is not Tesco’s fault, however they are doing nothing in the way to  improve the situation so they will still face a lot of negative media. Consumers in every country have different demands, the food and drink supplied in the UK may be completely different to the needs and wants of people in China. Tesco need to appreciate that the food they retail in England may not appeal to other countries and so would have had to invest strongly in R+D to find out what they need to stock on their shelves. Merging with leading companies would have helped them to do this but much investment would have been needed in new raw materials and machinery to produce the different goods. ‘In the UK pies and sausages might take pride of place in Tesco’s meat refrigeration cabinets but in China, customers can browse through baskets of braised pig trotters, bundled together in fours by string’ (The Telegraph, 2011). To be successful in merging into foreign markets, Tesco has understood that they need to adapt their operations and that the way stores are run in the UK may not suit the way companies are run in different countries. Instead of sending UK staff overseas to manage stores, Tesco has employed domestic managers that will understand fully the needs and wants of their consumers. In the UK, Tesco now supplies international cuisine to apply to all areas of the market, for example there are whole aisles filled with different Indian spices and shelves stacked with Polish branded goods. Religion in different nations will affect what Tesco can sell in their stores, meat is easily sold in the UK but in some religions it is not part of people’s diet so Tesco will need to provide suitable substitutions. Expanding outside of the UK means that Tesco will be exposed to and highly influenced by other laws and legislation different to that of the UK government. The way in which vegetables and fruit are produced and grown in the UK may not comply with laws in other countries. In 2011, an investigation by Greenpeace discovered that vegetables sold in supermarkets contained levels of illegal pesticides or pesticides exceeding the maximum level that should be found in the food, making the produce illegal to sell in China. ‘Supermarket giants such as Tesco should be leading the way when it comes to shifting China’s agricultural industry to an eco-agricultural one, which includes reducing the country’s heavy use of chemicals in production. And instead they, along with Lotus and Lianhua, are seriously lax in keeping to China’s current standards’ (Greenpeace, 2011). Why would Globalisation be considered undesirable? Globalisation has been linked to a widening of inequalities in income and wealth. The benefits of globalisation are mainly going to the rich developed countries whilst the poor in the developing world are getting poorer. This is because multinational companies can exploit workers in LEDC’s as they do not have the power to fight back. Wealthy companies from any one country are only going to target expanding or rich companies in another; this reduces the chances of small businesses to become successful and forces many to shut down. As Tesco expands, it will need to increase its supply of raw materials and factories to manufacture in, this provides jobs in poorer countries because of the cheap labour pool, but because these multinational companies are so dominating they have the power to exploit workers and pay them extremely low wages. Workers in poorer countries may also lose their jobs due to the rapid technological change and the fact that machinery can remove inefficiencies from the work force. This also results in structural unemployment where many industries are weakening due to their long-term decline of use and the investment in capital-labour substitutions. The workers in these environments then find it difficult to find another job in a different industry as their skills are specific to their previous job. The biggest long term threat to arise from globalisation is the effect that it will have on the environment, rapid growth and development may lead to irreversible damage. Demand for timber, for example, has led to large scale deforestation in the developing world. Improvements in transportation is one of the main drivers of globalisation, as it is now much cheaper and far easier to transport goods around the world, however much more fuel is being used and many more emissions are being created. Pollution can have an effect not only on the environment but also on the health of people, as China continues to be the world’s fastest growing economy there are many health consequences to be aware of. A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that ‘diseases triggered by indoor and outdoor air pollution kill 656,000 Chinese citizens each year, and polluted drinking water kills another 95,600.’ Conclusion From my research I have shown the factors why Tesco went global; these include the need to dominate international markets after becoming the biggest supermarket within the UK, the success of their strategies of merging with other companies with market knowledge and the rate of technological change that has allowed Tesco to grow so quickly. I have highlighted PESTL factors that Tesco may face such as the economic climates of different countries, sociocultural issues such as adapting to the needs and wants of consumers from a different market and the negative press that such a large company is bound to face. Even though globalisation is favoured by many, its effects can sometimes be undesirable, it is changing the world at such a phenomenal pace that there is always going to be some disadvantages and sadly it is always going to be the people with less money and power that will suffer. References – BBC News. (2007). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6300993.stm – Cairncross, F., (1997). The Death of Distance – Corporate Watch. (2004). http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=21&query=asda+wal-mart#history – Directgov. (2011). http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/TheNationalMinimumWage/DG_10027201 – Nadia G., (2011). Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058494/Carphone-warehouse-closes-Best-Buy-stores-More-1-000-jobs-threat.html – OECD. (2001). http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1121 – Palmer M., (2005). A case study of Tesco. 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