Part Five Chapter XI

XI Howard had told Shirley that he did not feel well, that he thought he had better stay in bed and rest, and that the Copper Kettle could run without him for an afternoon. ‘I'll call Mo,' he said. ‘No, I'll call her,' said Shirley sharply. As she closed the bedroom door on him, Shirley thought, He's using his heart. He had said, ‘Don't be silly, Shirl', and then, ‘It's rubbish, bloody rubbish', and she had not pressed him. Years of genteel avoidance of grisly topics (Shirley had been literally struck dumb when twenty-three-year-old Patricia had said: ‘I'm gay, Mum.') seemed to have muzzled something inside her. The doorbell rang. Lexie said, ‘Dad told me to come round here. He and Mum have got something to do. Where's Grandad?' ‘In bed,' said Shirley. ‘He overdid it a bit last night.' ‘It was a good party, wasn't it?' said Lexie. ‘Yes, lovely,' said Shirley, with a tempest building inside her. After a while, her granddaughter's prattling wore Shirley down. ‘Let's have lunch at the cafe,' she suggested. ‘Howard,' she called through the closed bedroom door, ‘I'm taking Lexie for lunch at the Copper Kettle.' He sounded worried, and she was glad. She was not afraid of Maureen. She would look Maureen right in the face †¦ But it occurred to Shirley, as she walked, that Howard might have telephoned Maureen the moment she had left the bungalow. She was so stupid †¦ somehow, she had thought that, in calling Maureen herself about Howard's illness, she had stopped them communicating †¦ she was forgetting †¦ The familiar, well-loved streets seemed different, strange. She had taken a regular inventory of the window she presented to this lovely little world: wife and mother, hospital volunteer, secretary to the Parish Council, First Citizeness; and Pagford had been her mirror, reflecting, in its polite respect, her value and her worth. But the Ghost had taken a rubber stamp and smeared across the pristine surface of her life a revelation that would nullify it all: ‘her husband was sleeping with his business partner, and she never knew †¦' It would be all that anyone said, when she was mentioned; all that they ever remembered about her. She pushed open the door of the cafe; the bell tinkled, and Lexie said, ‘There's Peanut Price.' ‘Howard all right?' croaked Maureen. ‘Just tired,' said Shirley, moving smoothly to a table and sitting down, her heart beating so fast that she wondered whether she might have a coronary herself. ‘Tell him neither of the girls has turned up,' said Maureen crossly, lingering by their table, ‘and neither of them bothered to call in either. It's lucky we're not busy.' Lexie went to the counter to talk to Andrew, who had been put on waiter duty. Conscious of her unusual solitude, as she sat alone at the table, Shirley remembered Mary Fairbrother, erect and gaunt at Barry's funeral, widowhood draped around her like a queen's train; the pity, the admiration. In losing her husband, Mary had become the silent passive recipient of admiration, whereas she, shackled to a man who had betrayed her, was cloaked in grubbiness, a target of derision †¦ (Long ago, in Yarvil, men had subjected Shirley to smutty jokes because of her mother's reputation, even though she, Shirley, had been as pure as it was possible to be.) ‘Grandad's feeling ill,' Lexie was telling Andrew. ‘What's in those cakes?' He bent down behind the counter, hiding his red face. I snogged your mum. Andrew had almost skived off work. He had been afraid that Howard might sack him on the spot for kissing his daughter-in-law, and was downright terrified that Miles Mollison might storm in, looking for him. At the same time, he was not so naive that he did not know that Samantha, who must, he thought ruthlessly, be well over forty, would figure as the villain of the piece. His defence was simple. ‘She was pissed and she grabbed me.' There was a tiny glimmer of pride in his embarrassment. He had been anxious to see Gaia; he wanted to tell her that a grown woman had pounced on him. He had hoped that they might laugh about it, the way that they laughed about Maureen, but that she might be secretly impressed; and also that in the course of laughing, he might find out exactly what she had done with Fats; how far she had let him go. He was prepared to forgive her. She had been pissed too. But she had not turned up. He went to fetch a napkin for Lexie and almost collided with his boss's wife, who was standing behind the counter, holding his EpiPen. ‘Howard wanted me to check something,' Shirley told him. ‘And this needle shouldn't be kept in here. I'll put it in the back.'

Position of Women in the Society: Iron-Jawed Angels Film Essay

Historically, women have been relegated to the back seat in matters to do with leadership or choice of their leaders. Nonetheless, this is not the case today as many societies have embraced gender ‘equality’ with opportunities shared among men and women. Of importance is that these rights should not to be taken for granted as it took a lot of suffering and dedication to win them. Such kind of struggle is portrayed in the film Iron-Jawed Angels, which depicts the United States society as it was in the 1920s. The society is dominated by political chauvinism, it is a men society: the women are denied the rights to vote. The director of the film uses the two protagonists (women), Alice Paul and Lucy Burns to portray the ills the women suffragists went through in their fight for the empowerment of the women (repeal of the 19th Amendment of the U. S. constitution). Having just arrived from England where they have been actively involved in women suffrage movements, Paul and Burns joins the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). However, it is not long before they realize that NAWSA cannot accommodate them as they are too radical. As a result they form the National Women Party (NWP), a much more radical vessel through which they can protest and fight for women rights. As expected the NWP and NAWSA leaders openly trades criticisms. For instance the NAWSA blames the NWP for staging demonstrations during a time when the country was in war. The demonstration leads to the arrest of several members of the NWP for allegedly disrupting traffic. The arrested members are sent to the Occoquan Workhouse were they stay for a period of 60 days. While there they undergo all sorts of prison brutality. As a result, Paul and others members goes on a hunger strike prompting the prison authorities to feed them using pipes. The news of the harsh treatment leaks to the media people who regard the women as the ‘Iron Jawed Angles. ’ Meanwhile the NAWSA lobbies relentlessly and they win the presidents heart who eventually pardons Paul, Burns and the other arrested members. The movie portrays the society as one-sided and leaning on the side of men while leaving the women to grapple their way out of the socio-political darkness, an endeavor which is not easily achievable. It needs people (women) to make many sacrifices and to incur huge costs, for instance Paul is forced to choose between love and socio-political equality – she chooses the fight for equality while Inez Mulholland a colleague gives up her life for a similar cause. To achieve their objectives the protagonists shelf their different personalities and unite to fight for women socio-political equality. They clash with the male dominated, chauvinist society. Interestingly even one of their own, the older women led by Carrie Chapman are stumbling blocks who believe that the men will eventually grant them voting rights. Indeed they have got iron-made wills that gives them the courage to fight for the good of society since a society built on pillars of equality of opportunities and respect of basic human rights never stumbles. Paul and colleagues may be typically attractive but they are not ready to sit down and wait for their men to change things or to continue being subject to laws that they were not involved in making. As opposed to the traditional American suffragists ways of doing things Paul and colleagues adopts the British way which demands for full socio-political recognition of the women. For instance, they refuse to eat when they are held in prison. Hence their movement can be regarded as a real tool for uprooting all forms of societal inequalities. Apart from agitating for women suffrage the movement also recognizes the need to uproot others ills such as racism. In fact, Paul recognizes black women organizations such as the Delta Sigma Theta and others which volunteers to support her movement. However she is too clever to see that their joining will negatively affect the required support for winning the suffrage particularly in the southern region. There is one outstanding aspect of the movie that, despite it championing for women suffrage it does not restrict itself to women supporters. It recognizes men as part of the collective supporters of the movement and who stand to benefit not by getting partners or even not because they are obligated to do so but they acknowledge the fact that there should be a similar and impartial social justice system. As such therefore the movie seeks to convince both women and men that the fight for modern woman equality is not confined to women only, it is an issue that concerns everybody. Lastly, though the movie depicts historical events that took place a century ago it should not be taken as so. These events define the contemporary society: women enjoy voting rights because of the efforts made by Paul and colleagues and therefore the issues that affected the society at that time are contemporary issues which are among us today.

History of olympic games Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History of olympic games - Term Paper Example The system in vogue then was, the Spartan messages were particularly carried by naked runners and they ran between the city-states. Travel light was one of the purposes of their nakedness and also to prove that they did not carry anything unlawful except the message. Thus they were able to run one hundred miles in one day, ensuring the speedy delivery of the messages. Training athletes began with gymnastic exercises a month before the Olympics were to commence. Total nakedness was considered as homage to the gods and gratitude for the male form. It was sort of a security check that women camouflaged as males did not participate in the games. The procedure at the starting point of the race differed much as compared to the present practice in vogue. Twenty contenders stood erect with their arms extended in front of them. The race would be re-run, if the first resulted in a tie. Peace was the watchword during the ancient Olympic Games. It was known as â€Å"ekecheiria†, meaning à ¢â‚¬Å"holding of hands.† Safety of the competitors and spectators was assured and all wars, mutual threats and capital punishment stood suspended during the course of games. The ancient Olympic Games were linked to warfare as per the specially adopted procedure. The participants would run 800 yards in full body armor. Thus it was a competition of strength clubbed with speed. That was also to remind all concerned about the physical demands of warfare. In the 3nd century AD, virgins were allowed entry to the Olympic Games as spectators. But for the married women traced watching the game, it was inviting death. They would be thrown off the cliff at Mount Trypeum. Punishment for cheating was almost instant. Judges carried a switch to beat the frauds they were able to catch. Those who indulged in malpractices were fined and bribery and fixing of bets were punishable offences. Complaints regarding corruption were properly investigated and punishment was severe. The participating ath letes mostly did not receive any monetary rewards but were hailed as the proud boys of the city. Sometimes, olive oil, and vases were given as prizes. Star athletes received special favors from the state. Politicians of the state met the expenses of the participating athletes. The ancient Olympics were abolished in 393 A.D. The Olympic Games were revived in 1896.A Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, is considered as the father of the modern Olympics and he founded the International Olympic Committee. The Olympic flag, and its five rings, was first flown at the 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium. After that launch, the flag has been flown at every Olympic event, both summer and winter, ever since. This icon is one of the most widely recognized signs in the word today. The place to hold the first Olympic Games was Athens, Greece. The Games became truly international when for the first time in 1912, for the Games in Stockholm, Sweden, athletes representing five continents participated. World W ar I interrupted the Olympics in 1916. But in 1920, Games were held in Antwerp, Belgium. The significance of Olympic Rings The five rings signify the five continents that take part in the Olympic Games

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Searle's Theory - Essay Example This action occurs in a perfect manner such that the people outside the room begin to believe that actually the person understands Chinese. The same experiment is performed by a computer that applies syntax program to manipulate Chinese Language despite the fact that the computer may not comprehend the language. The Theory in regard to Syntax Manipulation To begin with, Searle does not show anywhere in his theory that Syntax manipulation does not involve any form of thinking nor does he suggest anywhere that Syntax manipulation entails thinking. However, a clear conclusion that can be derived from his argument is that the fact that a computer can manipulate certain functions to produce desired results is not a reason to conclude that it can understand certain issues. Personal Opinion in relation to Searle’s Theory Taking a careful analysis of Searle’s argument, it is quite evident that his argument is correct. To begin with, any computerized technology utilized in the c ontemporary generation is made and designed and by man. This entails that any application in the computer, is designed in a manner that is satisfy specific human needs. Moreover, the manner by, which this computers satisfy or perform their functions is designed and guided by human efforts meaning all the information contained in any computer program emanates from human brain, basically human intellect. The fact that all the information contained in a computer emanates from human mind is evidence that computers are generally designed to process already existing information. However, the speed at, which they process this information is what exhibits a difference with humans. Humans have the knowledge, but their levels of information processing are relatively slower and vary from one to another. Therefore, Searle’s argument those computers are only capable of manipulating syntax information, but cannot understand certain information is correct. Another reason that may lead to a conclusion that Searle’s argument is correct is the fact that computers cannot process information without the guidance of human. Computerized gadgets i.e. calculators require human efforts to provide desired results. Human has to feed in information in the computer in order to get results. In this process, the results provided are performed by already stored programs, basically providing data that has already recorded. This is a great evidence indicating that computers do not understand information i.e. language but rather provides information in regard to already stored data that are manipulated through a syntax process. Issues that are not exhibited in Searle’s Argument Searle’s presents a very imperative argument that requires critical thinking. In his argument, he does not support it by indicating the actual difference that occurs between information processed by humans and computers. He does not recognize the fact that computers have a higher information p rocessing speed as compared to human beings. Additionally, he does not recognize the fact that information provided by computers is usually generated from already stored data that are basically manipulated through syntax processes. These are substantial arguments that he should have added to back-up his theory. Additionally, Searle should also argue that computers a

Career Advancement in Oilfield Oil & Gas Trucking to Controller, Research Paper

Career Advancement in Oilfield Oil & Gas Trucking to Controller, Operations Manager or General Manager - Research Paper Example In a thesis statement, career advancement has been currently experienced in the oilfields as justified by the upgrading practice of the personnel from, the gas tracking level to the controller and finally to the uppermost rank of operations manager. There are various elements that have contributed to attainment of career advancement in the oilfields. The following are among the factors to consider in advancing a career from a gas trucker to a general manger positionq2q2 in oilfield service businesses: Generally, it is the responsibility of general managers to translate executive management goals into plans of action and delegate them to other employees (Kerzner 23). Like other industries, in oilfield service businesses, general managers are required to carry out duties such as developing sales strategies and analyzing weak points of competitors and strategizing on how to take over. In addition, they are also required to hire management and service staff, and prepare plans and programs that would enable the company attain its objectives (Worldwideworker.com p2). Therefore, to achieve these duties bestowed to them, managers must have good level of education in the field and vast knowledge in management (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin and Cardy 20). In oilfield service businesses, General Managers usually have degrees in science or engineering. However, since the oilfield companies just as any other businesses are established with the aim of making profits, most of these companies usually prefer hiring applicants with bachelor degrees in liberal arts and masters degree in business administration. In addition, courses in management, finance, accounting and industrial relations can also be an added advantage to be considered for a management post. Apart from education, experience is also a major factor that is usually considered. Oilfield service businesses usually prefer applicants who have about 8 or 10 years of directly related

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Homosexuality Defaces the Bible Essay Example for Free

Homosexuality Defaces the Bible Essay Alright, I’d just like to start by saying thank you to everybody for coming tonight – I really appreciate it – and for being interested in learning more about this subject. I also want to thank College Hill United Methodist for graciously agreeing to host the event. My name is Matthew Vines, I’m 21 years old, and I’m currently a student in college, although I’ve been on leave for most of the last two years in order to study the material that I’ll be presenting tonight. I was born and raised here in Wichita, in a loving Christian home and in a church community that holds to the traditional interpretation of Scripture on this subject. Just to offer a brief outline for this presentation: I’ll start by considering some of the broader issues and divisions that are behind this debate; and then I’ll move to a closer examination of the main biblical texts that are involved in it; and then I’ll offer some concluding remarks. The issue of homosexuality, of the ordination of gay clergy and of the blessing of same-sex unions, has caused tremendous divisions in the church in recent decades, and the church remains substantially divided over the issue today. On the one hand, the most common themes voiced by those who support changing traditional church teaching on homosexuality are those of acceptance, inclusion, and love, while on the other hand, those who oppose these changes express concerns about sexual purity, holiness, and most fundamentally, the place of Scripture in our communities. Are we continuing to uphold the Bible as authoritative, and are we taking biblical teachings seriously, even if they make us uncomfortable? I want to begin tonight by considering the traditional interpretation of Scripture on this subject, in part because its conclusions have a much longer history within the church, and also because I think that many who adhere to that position feel that those who are arguing for a new position haven’t yet put forth theological arguments that are as well-grounded in Scripture as their own, in which case the most biblically sound position should prevail. The traditional interpretation, in summary form, is this: There are six passages in the Bible that refer in some way to same-sex behavior, and they are all negative. Three of them are direct and clear. In the Old Testament, in Leviticus, male same-sex relations are prohibited, and labeled an â€Å"abomination. † And in the New Testament, in Romans, Paul speaks of women â€Å"exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones,† and of men abandoning â€Å"natural relations with women and committing shameful acts with other men. † And so according to the traditional interpretation, both the Old and the New Testament are consistent in their rejection of same-sex relationships. But it’s not just those three verses, as well as three others that I’ll come to later. It’s true that 6 verses isn’t all that many out of Scripture’s 31,000. But not only are they all negative, from the traditional viewpoint, they gain broader meaning and coherence from the opening chapters of Genesis, in which God creates Adam and Eve, male and female. That was the original creation – before the fall, before sin entered the world. That was the way that things were supposed to be. And so according to this view, if someone is gay, then their sexual orientation is a sign of the fall, a sign of human fallenness and brokenness. That was not the way that things were supposed to be. And while having a same-sex orientation is not in and of itself a sin, according to the traditional interpretation, acting upon it is, because the Bible is clear, both in what it negatively prohibits and in what it positively approves. Christians who are gay – those who are only attracted to members of the same sex – are thus called to refrain from acting on those attractions, to deny themselves, to take up their crosses and to follow Christ. And though it may not seem fair to us, God’s ways are higher than our own, and it’s not our role to question, but to obey. Within this framework, gay people have a problem, and that is that they want to have sex with the wrong people. They tend to be viewed as essentially lustful, sexual beings. So while straight people fall in love, get married, and start families, gay people just have sex. But everyone has a sexual orientation – and it isn’t just about sex. Straight people are never really forced to think about their sexual orientation as a distinctive characteristic, but it’s still a part of them, and it affects an enormous amount of their lives. What sexual orientation is for straight people is their capacity for romantic love and self-giving. It’s not just about sexual attraction and behavior. It’s because we have a sexual orientation that we’re able to fall in love with someone, to build a long-term, committed relationship with them, and to form a family. Family is not about sex, but for so many of us, it still depends upon having a companion, a spouse. And that’s true for gay people as well as for straight people. That is what sexual orientation means for them, too. Gay people have the very same capacity for romantic love and self-giving that straight people do. The emotional bond that gay couples share, the quality of love, is identical to that of straight couples. Gay people, like almost all of us, come from families, and they, too, long to build one of their own. But the consequence of the traditional interpretation of the Bible is that, while straight people are told to avoid lust, casual relationships, and promiscuity, gay people are told to avoid romantic relationships entirely. Straight people’s sexuality is seen as a fundamentally good thing, as a gift. It can be used in sinful or irresponsible ways, but it can also be harnessed and oriented toward a loving marriage relationship that will be blessed and celebrated by their community. But gay people, though they are capable of and desire loving relationships that are just as important to them, are told that, for them, even lifelong, committed relationships would be sinful, because their sexual orientation is completely broken. It’s not an issue of lust versus love, or of casual versus committed relationships, because same-sex relationships are intrinsically sinful, no matter the quality and no matter the context. Gay people’s sexual orientation is so broken, so messed up that nothing good can come from it – no morally good, godly relationship could ever come from it. And so they are told that they will never have a romantic bond that will be celebrated by their community; they are told that they will never have a family. Philippians 2:4 tells us to look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. And in Matthew 5, Jesus instructs that if someone makes you go one mile, go with them two miles. And so I’m going to ask you: Would you step into my shoes for a moment, and walk with me just one mile, even if it makes you a bit uncomfortable? I am gay. I didn’t choose to be gay. It’s not something that I would have chosen, not because it’s necessarily a bad thing to be, but because it’s extremely inconvenient, it’s stressful, it’s difficult, and it can often be isolating and lonely – to be different, to feel not understood, to feel not accepted. I grew up in as loving and stable of a family and home as I can imagine. I love my parents, and I have strong relationships with them both. No one ever molested or abused me growing up, and I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive and nurturing childhood than the one that I had. I’ve never been in a relationship, and I’ve always believed in abstinence until marriage. But I also have a deeply-rooted desire to one day be married, to share my life with someone, and to build a family of my own. But according to the traditional interpretation of Scripture, as a Christian, I am uniquely excluded from that possibility for love, for companionship, and for family. But unlike someone who senses a calling from God to celibacy, or unlike a straight person who just can’t find the right partner, I don’t sense a special calling to celibacy, and I may well find someone I grow to love and would like to spend the rest of my life with. But if that were to happen, following the traditional interpretation, if I were to fall in love with someone, and if those feelings were reciprocated, my only choice would be to walk away, to break my heart, and retreat into isolation, alone. And this wouldn’t be just a one-time heartbreak. It would continue throughout my entire life. Whenever I came to know someone whose company I really enjoyed, I would always fear that I might come to like them too much, that I might come to love them. And within the traditional interpretation of Scripture, falling in love is one of the worst things that could happen to a gay person. Because you will necessarily be heartbroken, you will have to run away, and that will happen every single time that you come to care about someone else too much. So while you watch your friends fall in love, get married, and start families, you will always be left out. You will never share in those joys yourself – of a spouse and of children of your own. You will always be alone. Well, that’s certainly sad, some might say, and I’m sorry for that. But you cannot elevate your experience over the authority of Scripture in order to be happy. Christianity isn’t about you being happy. It’s not about your personal fulfillment. Sacrifice and suffering were integral to the life of Christ, and as Christians, we’re called to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses, and to follow Him. This is true. But it assumes that there’s no doubt about the correctness of the traditional interpretation of Scripture on this subject, which I’m about to explore. And already, two major problems have presented themselves with that interpretation. The first problem is this: In Matthew 7, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against false teachers, and he offers a principle that can be used to test good teaching from bad teaching. By their fruit, you will recognize them, he says. Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Good teachings, according to Jesus, have good consequences. That doesn’t mean that following Christian teaching will or should be easy, and in fact, many of Jesus’s commands are not easy at all – turning the other cheek, loving your enemies, laying down your life for your friends. But those are all profound acts of love that both reflect God’s love for us and that powerfully affirm the dignity and worth of human life and of human beings. Good teachings, even when they are very difficult, are not destructive to human dignity. They don’t lead to emotional and spiritual devastation, and to the loss of self-esteem and self-worth. But those have been the consequences for gay people of the traditional teaching on homosexuality. It has not borne good fruit in their lives, and it’s caused them incalculable pain and suffering. If we’re taking Jesus seriously that bad fruit cannot come from a good tree, then that should cause us to question whether the traditional teaching is correct. The second problem that has already presented itself with the traditional interpretation comes from the opening chapters of Genesis, from the account of the creation of Adam and Eve. This story is often cited to argue against the blessing of same-sex unions: in the beginning, God created a man and a woman, and two men or two women would be a deviation from that design. But this biblical story deserves closer attention. In the first two chapters of Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth, plants, animals, man, and everything in the earth. And He declares everything in creation to be either good or very good – except for one thing. In Genesis 2:18, God says, â€Å"It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. † And yes, the suitable helper or partner that God makes for Adam is Eve, a woman. And a woman is a suitable partner for the vast majority of men – for straight men. But for gay men, that isn’t the case. For them, a woman is not a suitable partner. And in all of the ways that a woman is a suitable partner for straight men—for gay men, it’s another gay man who is a suitable partner. And the same is true for lesbian women. For them, it is another lesbian woman who is a suitable partner. But the necessary consequence of the traditional teaching on homosexuality is that, even though gay people have suitable partners, they must reject them, and they must live alone for their whole lives, without a spouse or a family of their own. We are now declaring good the very first thing in Scripture that God declared not good: for the man to be forced to be alone. And the fruit that this teaching has borne has been deeply wounding and destructive. This is a major problem. By holding to the traditional interpretation, we are now contradicting the Bible’s own teachings: the Bible teaches that it is not good for the man to be forced to be alone, and yet now, we are teaching that it is. Scripture says that good teachings will bear good fruit, but now, the reverse is occurring, and we say it’s not a problem. Something here is off; something is out of place. And it’s because of these problems and these contradictions that more and more Christians have been going back to Scripture and re-examining the 6 verses that have formed the basis for an absolute condemnation of same-sex relationships. Can we go back, can we take a closer look at these verses, and see what we can learn from further study of them? What are these 6 verses? There are three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament, so I’ll go in order of their appearance in Scripture. In the Old Testament, we have the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 as well as two prohibitions in Leviticus 18 and 20. And in the New Testament, we have a passage by Paul in Romans 1, as well as two Greek terms in 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1. To begin, let’s look at Genesis 19, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 18, God and two angels come in the form of men to visit Abraham and Sarah at their tent alongside the Dead Sea. Abraham and Sarah do not yet realize who they are, but they show them lavish hospitality nonetheless. Halfway through the chapter, God – now beginning to be recognized by Abraham – tells him â€Å"[t]he outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. † Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and Lot’s family, live in Sodom, and so Abraham bargains with God, and gets Him to agree not to destroy the city if He finds even 10 righteous people there.

The Many Types of Anxiety Disorders Essay Example for Free

The Many Types of Anxiety Disorders Essay There are many different types of anxiety disorders which can vary from obsessive compulsive disorder, Post traumatic-stress disorder and the many different types of phobias. Even though there are many different types of anxiety disorders they all are mostly built off the same emotion of anxiety or excessive nervousness. Although we all may feel nervous when put into an uncomfortable position and get nervous or anxious, those with the disorder go through a completely different set of emotions. Just to touch basis in depth on a few different disorders, here are a few types of anxiety disorders along with what they are and how it affects the person. * Generalized anxiety disorder: this anxiety affects the person by making him/her worry about life in general, with no real reason to be worried. People with this type of anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can’t help but to worry about family, money, work and or school. Medication is known to help people who tend to have a lot of difficulty coping with everyday life. It’s known that most that are medicated for generalized anxiety disorder starts off on a low dosage and then works to be taken completely off. Another form of treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy. Which is the person learns about what types things sparks or triggers the effects of their anxiety. This type of therapy is known to help patients not worry so much. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This type of anxiety disorder is known to follow someone after they have experienced a traumatic event (sexual assault, unexpected death of loved one, past war experience) People who have this disorder tend to have thoughts or memories of the traumatic event. It is also well known that people with this disorder tend to become â€Å"emotionally numb† Symptoms: * Difficulty falling or staying asleep * Avoiding people, places, things or situations that remind them of the event * Suffer from flashbacks, hallucinations amp; nightmares * Difficulty concentrating Rapid breathing * Muscle tension Treatment: * Medications such as antidepressants. Psychotherapy is used to help patients learn ways to control or manage symptoms and or develop ways of coping with the disorder. * Exposure therapy: has the patient re live the past traumatic event, this is known the help the patient overcome their past and current worries and fears. There are many other different types of anxiety disorders that vary in effects (long term and short term), what the person deals with on a daily basis, along with many different types of treatments. All anxiety disorders are similar and dissimilar within many ways and can really vary from person to person.

Housing Development And Policies In Malaysia Economics Essay

Housing Development And Policies In Malaysia Economics Essay There are many of studies that have been done to study the problems faced by middle income group to own a house in Shah Alam, Selangor. For this study the researcher is focusing more on the middle income group that have encounter difficulties in owning their own house based on several reasons that we have gathered throughout this study. This literature review is focused on understanding of Housing Development and Policies in Malaysia, Affordability issues, Housing Provision by Public and Private sectors, Housing Price, Insufficient Housing Allocations, the act of cheating to buy a house , House Location, and Insufficient Income. All these issues are particularly related with our research study, which is to identify the factor of why middle income group are having difficulties in owning their own house. 2.1 Housing Development and Policies in Malaysia. The housing policy involves a number of complex issues nowadays. Malaysia is a country that has multi-cultural society with 3 basic racial-religious groups. Therefore, the housing industry has to take into consideration all these aspect in the development of national housing and planning. The housing and residential pattern has been noticeable due to their economic activities of these 3 different ethnic groups (Tan, 2011). For example, in the past Chinese has been dominated business industry and they lives in town area. Meanwhile, Malay people were complacent with agriculture activities and living in rural areas while Indian people are doing estate work located in rubber and palm oil estate. In order to get rid of these unbalance in term of economic of these 3 ethnic group, the government has come out with one solution by introducing New Economic Policy (NEP) in year 1970 to change the stereotype. The reason why NEP was introduced to foster national unity and nation-building through the eradication of poverty, irrespective of race, and the restructuring of society to eliminate the identification of race with economic function and geographic location (EPU, 2011). Malaysian government has encouraged Malay people to migrate to urban centres as part of NEP strategy to create a new Malay commercial community in urban area (Tan, 2011). However, due to the increase rate of Malay people migrates to urban areas in 1980s, the demand for affordable housing also shows a significant demand growth. But a severe shortage in affordable housing has arisen. Generally, there are 2 alternative for the state to assist their citizen in housing provision and one of them is allocating housing specifically to households those are unable to provide themselves in the general market and another one is to intervene in the functioning of the general market in order to make it more likely to fulfil the housing needs of all households (Aziz, et,al, 2010). Thus, in the efforts to reduce housin g problem for Malaysian citizen especially those low income groups, the government has formulated housing policies and programs to ensure that all have the access to adequate housing. The main objective of housing policy in most countries was once simply to build more houses. This was response to a lack of market-driven supply on a situation of socially perceived large scale housing need (Tan,2011). A part from that, the introduction and the forming of housing policies for a country have another aims, from another scope, pointed by Ismail Omar (2000) and Harvey (1987), such as: a. To achieve the optimum used of present resources. b. To make sure the public can owned a house. c. Gives guild line on new location. d. To make sure special group of public can owned home such as elderly citizen. e. Steering the state and local authorities to provide fair housing distribution. A National Housing Policy (NHP) is needed to provide the direction and basis for the planning and development of the housing sector by all relevant ministries, departments and agencies at the federal, state and local levels as well as the private sector. Thus, according to Tan, 2011, among the early housing policy made by Malaysian government is to introduce:- First Malaysian Plan (1966-1970) and Second Malaysian Plan (1971-1975): Variety of programs designs to promote welfare of all Malaysian regardless of ethnic background by providing improved housing, community facilities, welfare and other services. Third Malaysian Plan (1976-1980): To eradicate poverty and restructure the society Fourth Malaysian Plan (1981-1985): The continuation of previous policy Fifth Malaysian Plan (1986-1990): Housing programs are being implemented in the context of human settlement concept. Here, the social facilities is emphasised rather than the provision of basic infrastructural facilities. Sixth Malaysian Plan (1991-1995): Home owning within various income group is emphasize. Seventh Malaysian Plan (1996-2000): introduction of low-medium cost housing. According to Residential Property Stock Report, the house price can be categorize into low-cost housing (below RM42,000), low-medium cost housing (RM 42,000-RM 60,000), medium cost housing (RM 60,001-Rm 100,000) and high-cost housing (RM 100,001). Eight Malaysian Plan: Priority is continue to be given to the development of low-and low-medium cost houses. Private and public sector were cooperating with each other to meet housing demand. Ninth Malaysian Plan (2006-2010): ensure low and low-medium income group will have the access to adequate, quality and affordable housing. Tenth Malaysia Plan (2011-2015): the government targeted to build 78,000 units of affordable homes throughout the country to meet the needs of the various groups, and   another 38,942 units of PPR will be built particularly the low-income groups and the resettlement of squatters. If we go back into the previous year, the governments priority is towards the low-income level group of people. Many programs and project has been launched to help them to sustain living and bring them up to from the poor state. However, no specific policies are stipulated to uphold the need and demand of middle income group. Trapped between the low cost and high cost housing, the middle income group need are not yet being uphold by the government in which they are in a situation that they can afford to buy a house but it is only provided for the low-income group but they are also in a hard situation to compete in high-cost housing According to Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, he said that the housing needs of the middle-income group made up about 40% of the population of the people and are in need to be addressed urgently. 2.2 Housing Provision by Public and Private sectors. In Malaysia, housing development and activities are subject to approval from higher authority from the relevant state and federal authorities except for individual or group housing (Tan,2011). Land conversion, preparation for layout plan, building and infrastructure plans, planning of infrastructure and assessment on environmental impact with involvement of many government agencies, both at federal and local level are those processes that housing companies must go through before starts doing housing project for the benefit of people at large. Among those government department or agencies that requiring approval before housing project can be successfully implemented and build are Land and Mines department, the land offices, Local Authorities, the Survey department, Telekom Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional, the Water Work department and Town and Country Planning department. In addition to the research made by Tan (2011), all housing development project must follow all instruction stated in th e national housing policy that has been regulated to uphold the right and helps people to own a house such as Bumiputera quota, housing control prices, and standard build-up location for low-cost housing, and provision of public amenities for residential housing projects. The public sector plays roles in providing adequate and fulfilling the housing needs by allocating and providing public housing for lower income group and household and has been put as one of the countrys priority since the Five Years National plans and the example can be seen in the establishment of Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Federal land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA), and Johore Tenggaraa Developemtent Boar (KEJORA). A part from that, they also are responsible in providing public houses in urban areas through the establishment of various government and urban development agencies. However, by depending only on public sector, make it hard for the government to fulfil the highe r demand on housing provision for Malaysian citizen. Thus, the government need private sector to help them to provide more housing developments for the public. In order for the private company to engage in the build of housing, they must first obtain the license, sales and advertising permits from the land and Mines Department, District Land Office, Town and Country Planning Department and from local authorities and utility agencies who own the responsibility towards national water, electricity, road and telecommunication supplies. 2.3 Affordability issues. Affordability is always the main issues being highlight by most people who did not have the opportunity to buy their own house. Since housing industry is an important factor in Malaysian industry, the health of housing market is very important and directly gives impact to the affordability of household to own a house. It was argued that the word affordability is basically based on the economic factor of the household itself and the second one is based on the financing of the social rented sector (Aziz, et, al, 2010). Between these 2, the former is proven to have a strong impact by the housing policy. This rising issues regarding affordability problems in owning a house can be considered as one of the most controversial issues within developed or developing countries (Nguyen, 2005). Affordability cannot be described as simple as it seems because different people might perceived different meaning of the word itself. Several attempts also have been tried in order to understand how and w hy affordability problem are existed. These problems have been continuing year by year, it is now becoming the major concern among political leaders, town planners and the government (Hashim, 2010). Due to that rising issues, a precise measures has to be made to ensure all type of household especially those middle income group are able to enjoy and fulfilling their life-long investment and also the need for shelter. The affordability in a narrow concept can also be perceived as related to household incomes, housing cost, housing availability, employment, maintenance of the existing affordable housing stock and the pattern of new construction (Aziz, et, al, 2010). Some measures has been taken in order to give housing assistance to the needy especially to those lower income group and income below median whom were the recipient of social security payments to improve their housing affordability such as Projek Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin or PPRT. However, there were an increasing issues r ising among middle income group whom were not included under the housing assistance provided by the government. They were left alone without assistance and they have to make hard choice either to live in or stay in a house affordable with their income but way too far from their office and they have to bear higher transportation cost or living in a house near town and pay higher rent or high housing price. Therefore, as the result they have to bear with 2 kind of difficulties here that involve high housing cost or high transportation cost. These spiralling housing issues especially happens in major cities has caused the unaffordability to own a house for middle income class group. Affordability problems can be viewed as operating at different levels, ranging from narrower direct experience of severe problem of poverty and homelessness, through an intermediate level of risk, to a broader problem of access to market (Aziz, et, al, 2010). The best meaning of affordable housing would be well defined as housing that was intended to meet the need of those group of people who earned income that are not sufficient to allow them to access appropriate housing market without any assistance. A complete definition of affordability of housing for middle income group were made by DR Wan Nor Azriyati Wan Abd Aziz, et, al through their research saying that the housing with payment no greater than 33% of their gross household income. Finding an affordable house has been the current major concern especially those who live in most major cities or town in Malaysia where many of them are having difficulties are having trouble to buy a house. With new exploding centres such as new townships, commercial hubs, industrial parks and office complexes result in increased number in working population. And with that increase in population in major cities and town areas, the shortage of affordable housing is now becoming more acute. Continuous efforts also has been done to ensure that Malaysi an of all income levels will have the opportunity to have access to adequate, quality, and affordable homes, particularly for the lower income group (Ninth Plan 2020, 2006-2010). However, those who are not included in low income group are having difficulties in having one just like we discover in the Kuala lumpur Structure Plan 2020 (CHKL, 2004) that does not include low medium/ medium cost housing category in the projection of houses unit to be built by year 2020. Although we realize that government has undertaken many housing plan to help middle income household group, but, specific policies has not yet been clearly stated. Only a little assistance and focus is done to attend the needs of middle income group. That is why those group were still facing their hard times searching for a house that suit with their household income here in Malaysia. 2.4 Housing Prices The housing price at several states in Malaysia has experienced a major expansion for the past seventeen year. According to Hashim (2010), the house pricing that keep on continuing to increase year by year are influenced by location, nations income, cost of capital, stock prices and also the population change. As we grow in the era of globalization, the world has been changing so fast. As the population are increasing, the demand for an affordable price also increased. Since housing is the most basic necessity for people, its increase in price however, would directly give impacts towards the affordability of the nation at large especially in Malaysia nowadays which are in need of more suitable and affordable housing. Increasing housing price for the past few years are making it hard for them to own a house suitable with their household income. Generally, housing price is influenced by region given the geographic size and location of the state in Malaysia. Due to the differences in be tween each states economic disparity, the house price and household income will extremely influenced the level of housing affordability. Aside from that, the need for affordable homes has increased significantly due to Selangors rising population density, which is the highest in Malaysia. The states population growth rate of 3.17% surpasses the national average of 2.17%. It has 5,411,324 of residents. If immigrants were added into account, their population might be almost seven million. This has become a challenge for the state to provide for the peoples needs due to the vast expansion of population, including housing, as they estimated about 1.8 million houses are needed to meet the needs of the people as they approach 2020. According to Hashim (2010), Selangor which indicates among the most developed state in Malaysia have a high housing price as compared to other less developed states like Kelantan. According to him, at the national level, Selangor house price on average is 35% t o 53% higher in between 1995 to 2006. Based on the study made in Selangor, the 480-sqaure feet studio apartment located in the outskirt of town which was located in Seri Kembangan, cost more than RM 230,000 excluding other maintenance charges. This huge hike in price, even though only just a small house has affected local people, especially the middle income household which made up the majority of the population. With the huge cost of housing, many of the low and middle income are forced to purchase their house out-of-town since they are not afford to pay high price in the urban area. As a result, they have to bear other problems which they have to spend more on transportation such as fuel or public transportation cost because it was quite far from their workplace. The reason why the price are keep on increasing is because there is no limitation made by the government to control the housing price since they are only have the power to decide which location for them to build houses. T he housing price is on the responsibility of the developer itself but depending on land price at that time. However, according to State Executive Councillor, Mr Iskandar Samad, they have trying to control the location where the developer wants to build affordable houses for the middle income group. This is how the state government trying to fight back for the particular income group because without the assistance, middle income group will never afford to compete and purchase in buying their own affordable house. 2.5 Insufficient Housing Allocations Housing is one of the basic necessities as shelter for human and the government is enthusiastic in ensuring the public would have a better access towards a better and affordable housing provision. Generally, houses supplied by the private sector have been sufficient for the high-income group. However, the house allocations for the needy group of middle income are still insufficient to meet the high demand of the ever growing population. The insufficient in allocation for this particular group would be caused by 2 factors, which are the issue of land provision by government and the refusal for the developer to build affordable house in the centre of the city (Free Malaysia Today, 2011). The government has all time, put the highest priority to give benefits to the public in which to build in mixed development, rather than building affordable house for them in the outskirts of town. However, with the inadequate land allocated for the housing to build by the developer, the need to build more houses for the middle income cannot be made into reality. There is not enough land left to build affordable house in the cities. This is because, according to the building laws, the  state only has the powers to compel a developer  to build low-cost and medium-cost housing if the  plot of land earmarked for development measures  10 acres or more (Free Malaysia Today, 2011). According to the law, developers will have to  allocate 20 % for low cost housing, another  20 % for low to medium, 10 % for  medium housing and the other 50 % for  others. However, affordable housing is still being built outside town due to the inadequate and unavailability of land bigger than 10 acres there. According to Jabatan Perumahan Negara (2011), with five acres of land in the city, building low  or medium-cost housing would mean a loss for  developers and in turn purchasers will suffer because  contractors will be told to use substandard  materials to cut costs. If they were to follow what the government suggest, which is by selling house at a lower and affordable rate but with high cost in constructing it, developers will end up making losses and stop building house in the cities. With this major issue, the state also worried that developer might end up using cheaper materials and probably hiring unskilful worker to prevent them from making losses. Thus, the housing construction does not meeting the accurate requirement made by the government and public would be suffered from buying a house with no quality and they would have to buy or lease house far from their workplace. Thus, these insufficient allocations of affordable housing for middle income household in the cities can be considered as a major issues nowadays and have to be solved by government to uphold and to assist this group to have better access to a spacious, comfortable, yet affordable housing according to their income level. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHOD 3.0 Introduction In this part of research method, it consist of a report that explains all the procedures followed in the process of gathering data necessary for the analysis to meet our research objectives. Besides that, research method also tells the researcher how the study was carried out and also determines the outcomes of the study. 3.1 Research Design. Our study was gather information that done to examine the problem faced by the middle income group to own a house in Shah Alam. The best approach to gather data directly for this study is by selecting randomly people especially the household lives in the busy city of Shah Alam. In this research, the questionnaires have been used in gathering the data related. We have decided to distribute the questionnaires to our respondents personally in our research since it helps and enable us to get more reliable and accurate information. The purpose of this study is hypothesis testing. We want determine what is the reason or problem of difficulty faced by middle income group to own a house in Shah Alam. Other than that, we also use and add-on secondary data in our research to make it more complete in order to gather information such as journal, internet source and newspaper article. 3.2 Unit of Analysis As this study wanted to identify the reason or problem of difficulty faced by middle income group to own a house in Shah Alam, thus, Unit of analysis refers to the respondent of this study. In the research, the unit of analysis consists of those people lives in Shah Alam and among working people. In our research area, we will aim for target respondents at Shah Alam especially in Seksyen 2 and 7. 3.3 Sample Size Sample size is defined as the number of elements to be included in the study (Malhotra, 1999). In determining the sample size for our study, we have calculated the number of observation by referring to table formulated by Sudman (1970). Given the whole population, the suggested sample size was approximately 150. However the actual sample that was collected ended up with amounted to only 100 usable responses. Thus, the sample size of our research study is 100 amounted to persons. The reason why we did this by choosing only 100 respondents is because the end result will be more accurate, easy to monitor and to make it easier for researcher to do their job. In this research, we distributed 100 questionnaires to the household in Shah Alam area randomly especially in Seksyen 2 and Seksyen 7. These 100 respondents had represented the household to answer the question from the researcher. We, as the researcher are going to distribute the questionnaires at the area of our target group which i s in Shah Alam. 3.4 Sampling Techniques. Sampling refers to the process of selecting a sufficient number of elements from the population. Therefore, a study of the sample and understanding of its properties of characteristics is done and would make it possible for researchers to generalize such characteristics to the population elements (Sekaran, 2004). Then, after we successfully get to identify the target population, the appropriate sampling will be selected. The sampling technique that we, as the researchers will use in this research is called convenience sampling technique. Convenience sampling is a non-probability sampling technique where subjects are selected because of their convenient accessibility and proximity to the researcher. Convenience sampling was used when true random sampling is essential. This is where the researcher approach and ask questions to anyone who is available. This method is quick and cheap. The convenience sampling is also known as unrestricted probability sampling which refers to anyone and equal chance of being selected as a subject. We have already decided to distribute 100 questionnaires to the household lives in Shah Alam especially those who lives in Seksyen 2 and Seksyen 7. In the forms of research, it would be ideal to test the entire population, but in this case, the population is too large to include every individual. This is the reason why we rely on sampling technique like convenience sampling, the most common of all technique. 3.5 Measurement / Instrumentation The research instrument that was used in this study for the primary data is done by using questionnaire. The questionnaire was written in both languages which are English and Bahasa Malaysia and was used in order to get the related data regarding the problem faced by middle income group to own a house in Shah Alam. The questionnaire has been given to the selected respondent and they answered the questionnaire personally. The questions were divided into five sections which are Section A: Respondent Profile, Section B: categorization of middle income group, Section C: household preferences, Section D: existing house, Section E: problem of difficulty to own a house, and the last section is Section F: affordability issues. The rationale in designing these questions was to explore views and perceptions of middle income group households towards current affordability and to determine the accessibility of the group to affordable housing. Table 3.1: Measurement / Instrumentation No Objectives Concepts/construct Measurement 1 To determine the significance relationship between house price and household affordability. Employee performance is the job related activities expected of a worker and how well those activities were executed (businessdictionary, 2012). Likert Scale 1-Strongly Disagree 2-Disagree 3-Neutral 4- Agree 5-Strongly Agree 2 To determine the significance relationship between housing allocation and household affordability. Counter layout is an arrangement or a plan, especially the schematic arrangement of parts or areas. (fredictionary, 2012). Likert Scale 1-Strongly Disagree 2-Disagree 3-Neutral 4- Agree 5-Strongly Agree 3 To determine the significance relationship between attitude of household buyer and household affordability. Services quality can be defined as the consumers judgment about an entitys overall excellent or superiority (Zeithaml, 1987, Garvin, 1983 Hjorth Anderson, 1994) define services quality as a form of attitude, related but not equivalent to satisfaction, and results from a comparison of expectations with perceptions of performance. Likert Scale 1-Strongly Disagree 2-Disagree 3-Neutral 4- Agree 5-Strongly Agree 4. To determine the significance relationship between house location buyer and household affordability. Services quality can be defined as the consumers judgment about an entitys overall excellent or superiority (Zeithaml, 1987, Garvin, 1983 Hjorth Anderson, 1994) define services quality as a form of attitude, related but not equivalent to satisfaction, and results from a comparison of expectations with perceptions of performance. Likert Scale 1-Strongly Disagree 2-Disagree 3-Neutral 4- Agree 5-Strongly Agree 5. To determine the significance relationship between household income and household affordability. Services quality can be defined as the consumers judgment about an entitys overall excellent or superiority (Zeithaml, 1987, Garvin, 1983 Hjorth Anderson, 1994) define services quality as a form of attitude, related but not equivalent to satisfaction, and results from a comparison of expectations with perceptions of performance. Likert Scale 1-Strongly Disagree 2-Disagree 3-Neutral 4- Agree 5-Strongly Agree 6. To determine the most significant problems that contributes to the level of household affordability towards household lives in Shah Alam. Customer satisfaction can be defined as a state of mind in which the customers needs, wants, and expectations throughout the product of service life haven been met or exceeded, resulting in future repurchase and loyalty (Anton, 1996). Likert Scale 1-Strongly Disagree 2-Disagree 3-Neutral 4- Agree 5-Strongly Agree 3.6 Data Collection In this study, there are numerous and varieties source of data that can help in gathering suitable information. Some of these methods depend on the methodology and the theoretical assumptions used inthe research. There a trend for researcher to collect hard objective numbers for example primary data and secondary data. 3.6.1 Primary Data Primary data are data gathered and assembled specially for the research project hand. Usually primary data was collected by the researcher. The method that will be used under primary data is questionnare. This data is collected when secondary data is not sufficient and depends largely on the research objectives and varies from one problem to another. For this study, the primary data will be obtained through qustionnaires given to the target respondents. A questionnaire will distribute to the respondents such as the household lives in Shah Alam, Selangor. After they have answered the entire question, it will be collected and the data will go through several process. The data that have been collected will be sorted, coded, entry, testing, presenting and lastly the data will be analyzed. The data for this survey can be use as information in making research. A part from that, we also will be doing direct interview with the person related and have a major knowledge in the housing arena to get more reliable knowledge regarding affordability of housing in Shah Alam. 3.6.2 Secondary Data Secondary data or historical data are data previously collected and assembled for some project other than one at hand. Its gathered and recorded by someone else prior to the current needs of the researcher. Its quickly and cheaply. The method that we used under secondary data was article and journal. The information that gathered from these resources which can be online searching such as Official website of Kementerian Perumahan Kerajaan Tempatan, New Straits Times, The Malay Mail, Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia and so on. It helps the reserachers to get information and data while doing this study. Another type is from online searching through internet that will provide a lots of information from journals, annual reports, thesis, previous reseacrh and etc. It is more economical and simple for the researcher to conduct her research. 3.7 Data analysis For this study, we used Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 16.0 version software to analyze data. SPSS is a computer program used for statistical analysis. Most of the researcher use SPSS software as a tool to analyze the data. In this research report, the researcher transform the raw data that we obtained from the questionaire into SPSS. Then, the researcher proceed to discuss the result of the analysis and interpretation. For this study, methods used are reliability analysis, descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. Reli

Is NAFTA That Great? :: Essays Papers

Before I get into the details of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that took effect on January 1, 1994 I want to call attention to what it is that makes this an interesting topic to me. On that date I was only eleven and was completely oblivious to what the agreement incorporated. My entire family comes from a Mexican heritage so NAFTA was definitely a topic of conversation at the dinner table. All I really understood was that its implementation would hopefully stimulate the Mexican economy and improve its trade relationship with the United States and the rest of the World. Well now I am twenty-one and in the ten years since NAFTA has been implement I have heard relatively nothing about the benefits of the agreement. Therefore, I began to wonder why is it that I have heard nothing? In this research paper, I plan to not only help people better understand what NAFTA was trying to accomplish but also evaluate its overall effects. Did NAFTA accomplish what it said it would or has it accomplished nothing in the last ten years? Overview of NAFTA Three of the main issues that I would like to talk about later in this paper have to do with the peso crisis, the political turmoil that happened in 1994, and the many problems that exist on the US-Mexico borders. However, before I dive into those three areas I would first like to give an overview of NAFTA itself and its â€Å"effects.† I put effects in quotations because as I researched the agreement I quickly found out that many of the things that NAFTA claimed to accomplish either would have happened regardless or did not really happen at all. The North American Free Trade Agreement, as mentioned earlier, was implemented on January 1, 1994. Its main goal was to basically phase out almost all of the restrictions on trade and investment flows between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. What is important to mention is that NAFTA mainly concentrated on the US-Mexico problem seeing that the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement had been implement a couple years before NAFTA was introduced.

Mercutio as Catalyst in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet Essay

Mercutio as Catalyst in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, the quick-witted character Mercutio â€Å"is a notorious scene-stealer† (Utterback 105). Mercutio’s major function in the play is to be a catalyst for the plot. Mercutio’s purpose as a character is most significantly revealed in his relationship with Romeo, his baiting of Tybalt, and his death. More importantly, Mercutio functions as the catalyst for the pattern of disasters in the play that follows his own tragic death, making him, as described by critic Stephen Greenblatt â€Å"a spirit that seems to challenge the very possibility of romantic love or tragic destiny† (856). Mercutio’s role in the play is directly linked to his relationship with his â€Å"very friend,† Romeo (III.i.108). This bond and camaraderie of the men provides the basis for the revelation of Mercutio’s character as a foil to Romeo. â€Å"These basic roles for the two friends mean that, through the badinage, Mercutio is essentially active and Romeo reactive or passive† (Porter 103). For example, Mercutio tells Romeo â€Å"Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance† (I.iv.13). He playfully pushes Romeo to â€Å"borrow cupid’s wings / And soar with them above a common bound† (I.iv.17-18) and advises his friend that â€Å"If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down† (I.iv.27-28). These lines demonstrate Mercutio’s characteristic need for urgency and action. â€Å"Romeo by contrast characteristically replies that he is unable to comply with his friendâ₠¬â„¢s exhortations—he won’t dance, don’t ask him—and his most urgent words, ‘Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace’ (I.v.95), urge not action but its cessation† (Porter 103).... ... Pennsylvania State University Press, 1965. Phillips, Brian. â€Å"Character Analysis.† SparkNote on Romeo and Juliet. 24 April 2003. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/canalysis.html. Porter, Joseph A. Shakespeare’s Mercutio: His History and Drama. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1988. Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrman. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, and John Leguizamo. 20th Century Fox, 1997. Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, and Milo O’Shea. Paramount, 1968. Shakespeare, William. The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 1997. 865-939. Utterback, Raymond V. â€Å"The Death of Mercutio.† Shakespeare Quarterly. 24.2 (1973): 105-116.

Business Task 1 on individual report Essay

Despite its future economic prospects, the United Arab Emirates continues to suffer from corporate governance issues. The development of corporate governance in the region has largely been influenced by religion (Gellis et al., 2002). The rules governing the practice of corporate governance have been significantly influenced by Islamic Sharia. This reflects the cultural and religious characteristic of the region (Islam and Hussain, 2003). Islamic Sharia specifies a number of core values such as trust, integrity, honesty and justice which are similar to the core values of corporate governance codes in the West. However, a survey of corporate governance in a number of Gulf countries such as United Arab Emirates suggests that the region continues to suffer from corporate governance weaknesses. 2.0 Reasons for the structure including use of suitable evidence and data                  The structure of the above sectors and reasons for the structure and effects on the performance of firms has been vital subject of debate in the finance literature. Empirical evidence suggests that privately held firms tend to be more efficient and more profitable than publicly held firms. This shows that ownership structure matters. The question now is how does it affect firm performance and why this kind of structure? This question is significant since it is based on a research agenda that has been strongly promoted by La Porta et al. (1998; 1999; 2000). According to these studies, failure of the legislative framework to provide sufficient protection for external investors, entrepreneurs and founding investors of a company tend will maintain large positions in their firms thus resulting in a concentrated ownership structure. This finding is interesting because it implies that ownership structure can affect the performance of the firm in one way or the other. It is indisputable; the lack of regulations in corporate governance gives managers who intend to mishandle the flow of cash for their own personal interest a low control level. The empirical results from the past studies of impacts of ownership structure on performance of corporate have been inconclusive and mixed up (Turki, 2012). In response to corporate governance issues and their impact on corporate performance, Shleifer and Vishny (1997); and Jensen (2000) have suggested the need for improved corporate governance structures so as to enhance transparency, accountability and responsibility. Corporate governance reform and the introduction of innovative methods to limit abuse of power by top management have been justified by recent large scale accounting and corporate failures such as Enron, HealthSouth, Tyco International, Adelphia, Global Crossing, WorldCom, Cendant and the recent global financial crisis. According to Monks and Minow (1996) numerous corporate failures suggest that existing corporate governance structures are not working effectively. Corporate failures and accounting scandals initially appear to a U.S phenomenon, resulting from excessive greed by investors, overheated equity markets, and a winner-take-all mind-set of the U.S society. However, the last decade has shown that irregularities in accounting, managerial greed, abuse of power, are global phenomenon that cannot be limited to the U.S. Many non-U.S firms such as Parallax, Adecco, TV Azteca, Hollinger, Royal Dutch Shell, Vivendi, China Aviation, Barings Bank, etc. have witnessed failures in corporate governance and other forms of corporate mishaps. In addition to corporate governance failures, global standards have declined significantly and unethical and questionable practices have become widely accepted. The net impact has been a reduction in the amount of faith that investors and shareholders have in the efficiency of capital markets. There is no universally accepted corporate governance model that the interest of shareholders and investors are adequately protected as well as ensuring that enough shareholder wealth is being created (Donaldson and Davis, 2001; Huse, 1995; Frentrop, 2003). Much of the debate on corporate governance has focused on understanding whether the Board of Directors has enough power to ensure that top management is making the right decision. The traditional corporate governance framework often ignores the unique effect that the owners of the firm can have on the board and thus the firm’s top management. The traditional framework therefore ignores that fact that the owners of the firm can influence the board and thus top management to act of make particular decisions. Corporate governance studies are therefore yet to identify and deal with the complexities that are inherent in corporate governance processes (Jensen, 2000; Shleifer, 2001; Frentrop, 2003; Donaldson and Davis, 2001; Huse, 1995). Investment choices and owner preferences are affected among other things by the extent their degree of risk aversion. Owners who have economic relations with the firm will be interested in protecting their interests even if it is reasonably evident that such protection will result in poor performance. According to Thomsen and Pedersen (1997) banks that play a dual role as owners and lenders would discourage high risk projects with great profit potential because such projects may hinder the firm from meeting its financial obligations if the project fails to realize its expected cash flows. The government also plays a dual role in that it serves as both an owner and a regulator. Therefore owners who play a dual role in the firm often face a trade-off between promoting the creation of shareholder value and meeting their other specific objectives (Hill and Jones, 1992). Existing corporate governance frameworks have often ignored these issues in UAE. Rather, much of the emphasis has been on the effectiveness of the board in ensuring that top management is working towards meeting the goals of shareholders. Present corporate governance frameworks lack the ability to monitor owners and their influence on top management. The framework lacks the ability to align the role played by firm owners, board of directors and managers’ interests and actions with the creation of shareholder value and welfare motivation of stakeholders. Discussion of the possible future structure of the industry                The United Arabs Emirates, and mainly Abu Dhabi, is enduring to increase its economy by reducing the total proportion impact of hydrocarbons to Gross Domestic Product. This is currently being done by growing investment in sector areas like: services in telecommunication, education, media, healthcare, tourism, aviation, metals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, transportation and trade. Significant investments have been made by United Arab Emirates to establish itself as a regional trade hub. United Arab Emirates is also member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, there are ongoing negotiations to establish free trade agreements with other regions and countries such as the EU. These factors will contribute positively to the region’s integration into the global economy. United Arab Emirates is currently working towards diversifying their economies from the oil sector into other sectors. This diversification is expected not only to increase trade among member countries but also to increase the region’s trade with other countries and regions (Sturm et al., 2008). How the structure affects strategy decisions                  Ownership structure has an impact on firm performance in United Arab Emirates energy production owned sector. This region has witnessed significant economic growth over the last few decades. The region is also facing turbulent times with respect to corporate governance practices, resulting in poor firm performance. Corporate governance issues are not limited to the United Arabs Emirates as part of GCC Countries. From a global point of view, corporate governance has witnessed significant transformations over the last decade (Gomez and Korine, 2005). As a result, there has been an interest in the research attention accorded to corporate governance. The credibility of current corporate governance structures has come under scrutiny owing to recent corporate failures and low corporate performance across the world. The risk aversion of the firm can be directly affected by the ownership structure in place. Agency problems occur as a result of divergence in interests between principals (owners) and agents (managers) (Leech and Leahy, 1991). The board of directors is thereby regarded as an intermediary between managers and owners. The board of directors plays four important roles in the firm. These include monitoring, stewardship, monitoring and reporting. The board of directors monitors and controls the discretion of top management. The board of directors influences managerial discretion in two ways: internal influences which are imposed by the board and external influences which relate to the role played by the market in monitoring and sanctioning managers (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; 2000). B: Contribution of the sector to the economy of your chosen country Analysis of contribution of sector                United Arab Emirates remain major global economic player because it has the highest oil reserves. UAE together with the other Gulf Cooperation Council accounts for over 40% of global oil reserves and remains important in supplying the global economy with oil in future. As a result, investment spending on oil exploration and development of new oil fields is on the rise (Sturm et al., 2008). Global oil demand is currently on the rise. This growth is driven mainly by emerging market economies, as well as the oil producing UAE as part of GCC countries. In addition, Europe and the U.S are witnessing depletions in their oil reserves. This means that these regions will become increasingly dependent on the Gulf region which includes UAE for the supply of oil (Sturm et al., 2008). The importance of the United Arabs Emirates as a global economic player is therefore expected to increase dramatically in the near future Use of appropriate data and other evidence                  By the year 2011, the GDP of United Arab Emirates totaled to 360.2 billion dollars. Subsequently in 2001, yearly growth of GNP varied from about 7.4% to 30.7%. As part of the chief crude oil suppliers, the United Arab Emirates was at first cut off from the universal recession by high prices on oil that rose to a record 147 US dollars per barrel in the month of July in 2008. Nevertheless, the nation was ultimately influenced by the excavating worldwide recession which resulted to a decline in oil demand, reducing the oil prices to a reduced amount not exceeding a third of the peak of July 2008. In the last 2008 months, the trembles rumbling through global economies were lastly experienced in this section. Oil (million barrels)       Proved reserves, 2013 Total oil supply (thousand bbl/d), 2012 Total petroleum consumption, 2012 Reserves-to-production ratio 97,800 3,213 618 95 Natural Gas (billion cubic feet) Proved reserves, 2013 Dry natural gas production, 2012 Dry natural gas consumption, 2012 Reserves-to-production ratio 215,025 1,854 2,235 116 UAE summary energy statistics C: Critical appraisal of sustainability targets on business plan of your chosen organisation Oil firms in United Arab Emirates is still quite immature. Most businesses are controlled by a few shareholders and family ownership is prevalent. Most large and small businesses are family businesses (Saidi, 2004). The state is also significantly involved in the management of companies (Union of Arab Banks, 2003). This is contrary to the status quo in Western democracies where firms are owned by a diverse group of shareholders which makes ownership to be completely separated from control. The ownership structure in United Arab Emirates suggests that stewardship and monitoring aspects of non-executive directors (NEDs) is absent in firms based in United Arab Emirates. Ownership concentration has remained high in the region because of practices such as rights issues which enable existing wealthy shareholders, and influential families to subscribe to new shares in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) (Musa, 2002). According to a study of the corporate governance practices of five countries by the Union of Arab Banks (2003), ownership of corporations is concentrated in the hands of families. In addition, corporate boards are dominated by controlling shareholders, their relatives and friends (Union of Arab Banks, 2003). There is a no clear separation between control and ownership. Decision making is dominated by shareholders. The number of independent directors in the board is very small and the functions of the CEO and Chairman are carried out by the same person. The high concentration in firm ownership therefore undermines the principles of good corporate governance that are prevalent in western settings (Yasin and Shehab, 2004). This evidence is consistent with findings by the World Bank (2003) in an investigation of corporate governance practices in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region which also includes the Gulf region. 1.0 Objective of empirical evidence                  The empirical evidence on the impact of ownership structure on firm performance is mixed. Different studies have made use of different samples to arrive at different, contradictory and sometimes difficult to compare conclusions. The literature suggests that there are two main ownership structures in firm including dispersed ownership and concentrated ownership. With respect to concentrated ownership, most of the empirical evidence suggests that concentrated ownership negatively affects performance (e.g., Johnson et al., 2000; Gugler and Weigand, 2003; Grosfeld, 2006; Holmstrom and Tirole, 1993). Different studies have also focused on how specifically concentrated ownership structures affect firm performance. For example, with respect to government ownership, Jefferson (1998), Stiglitz (1996), and Sun et al. (2002) provide theoretical arguments that government ownership is likely to positively affect firm performance because government ownership can facili tate the resolution of issues regarding the ambiguous property rights. However, Xu and Wang (1999) and Sun and Tong (2003) provide empirical evidence that government ownership has a negative impact on firm performance. On the contrary, Sun et al. (2002) provide empirical evidence that government ownership has a positive impact on firm performance. It has also been argued that the relationship between government ownership and firm performance is non-linear. Another commonly investigated ownership type and its impact on firm performance is family ownership. Anderson and Reeb (2003), Villanonga and Amit (2006), Maury (2006), Barontini and Caprio (2006), and Pindado et al. (2008) suggest that there is a positive link between family ownership and firm performance. Despite the positive impact some studies argue that the impact of family ownership is negative. The impact of foreign ownership has also been investigated. Most of the evidence suggests that foreign ownership has a positive impact on firm performance (e.g., Arnold and Javorcik, 2005; Petkova, 2008; Girma, 2005; Girma and Georg, 2006; Girma et al., 2007; Chari et al., 2011; Mattes, 2008).With respect to managerial ownership, it has been argued that the relationship is likely to be positive (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; Chen et al., 2005; Drobetz et al., 2005). Despite this suggestion Demsetz and Lehn (1985) observe a negative relationship between dispersed ownership and firm performance. Institutional ownership has also been found to have a positive impact on firm performance (e.g. McConnell and Servaes, 1990; Han and Suk, 1998; Tsai and Gu, 2007). Furthermore, some studies suggest that there is no link between insider ownership and performance . Very limited studies have been conducted on the impact of ownership structure on firm performance in GCC countries like UAE. For example, Arouri et al. (2013) provide evidence that bank performance is affected by family ownership, foreign ownership and institutional ownership and that there is no significant impact of government ownership on bank performance. Zeitun and Al-Kawari (2012) observe a significant positive impact of government ownership on firm performance in the Gulf region. The pervasive endogeneity of ownership has been cited as a potential reason why it is difficult to disentangle the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance. In addition, the relation may be a function of the type of firm as well as the period of observation in the life of the firm. This study is motivated by the mixed results obtained in previous studies and the limited number of studies that have focused on UAE as part of GCC countries. The objective of the study is to explore in more details the factors that motivate particular types of ownership structure and the potential impact of ownership structure and firm performance in the Gulf region 2.0 Empirical Evidence                The empirical evidence will focus on how different ownership structures affect firm performance. Firms are often characterized by concentrated and dispersed ownership. Concentrated ownership is expected to have a positive impact on firm performance owning to the increased monitoring that it provides (Grosfeld, 2006). Dispersed ownership has been found to be less frequent than expected. Empirical evidence suggests that most firms are characterized by various forms of ownership concentration (La Porta et al., 1999). Given this high level of ownership concentration, there has been an increasing concern over the protection of the rights of non-controlling shareholders (Johnson et al., 2000; Gugler and Weigand, 2003). Empirical evidence shows that ownership concentration at best results in poor performance. Concentrated ownership is costly and has the potential of promoting the exploitation of non-controlling shareholders by controlling shareholders (Grosfeld, 2006). Holmstrom and Tirole (1993) argue that concentrated ownership can contribute to poor liquidity, which can in turn negatively affect performance. In addition, high ownership concentration limits the ability of the firm to diversify. There are various forms of concentrated ownership such as government ownership, family ownership, managerial ownership, institutional ownership and foreign ownership. In the next section, the literature review will focus on how these separate ownership structures affect firm performance. 2.1.1 Government Ownership                  The impact of government ownership on firm performance has attracted the attention of many researchers because the government accounts for the largest proportion of shares of listed companies in some countries and also because government ownership can be used as an instrument of intervention by the government (Kang and Kim, 2012). Shleifer and Vishny (1997) suggest that government ownership can contribute to poor firm performance because Government Owned enterprises often face political pressure for excessive employment. In addition, it is often difficult to monitor managers of government owned enterprises and there is often a lack of interest in carrying out business process reengineering (Shleifer and Vishny, 1996; Kang and Kim, 2012). Contrary to Shleifer and Vishny (1997) some economists have argued that government ownership can improve firm performance in less developed and emerging economies in particular. This is because government ownership can fa cilitate the resolution of issues with respect to ambiguous property rights. The empirical evidence on the impact of state ownership on firm performance is mixed. For example, Xu and Wang (1999) provide evidence of a negative relationship between state ownership and firm performance based on data for Chinese listed firms over the period 1993-1995. The study, however, fails to find any link between the market-to-book ratio and state ownership (Xu and Wang, 1999). Sun and Tong (2003) employ ownership data from 1994 to 2000 and compares legal person ownership with government ownership. The study provides evidence that government ownership negatively affects firm performance while legal person ownership positively affects firm performance. This conclusion is based on the market-to-book ratio as the measure of firm performance. However, using return on sales or gross earnings as the measure of firm performance, the study provides evidence that government ownership has no effect on firm performance. Sun et al. (2002) provide contrary evidence from above. Using data over the period 1994-1997, Sun et al. (2002) provide evidence that both legal person ownership and government ownership had a positive effect on firm performance. They explain their results by suggesting that legal person ownership is another form of government ownership. The above studies treat the relationship between government ownership and firm performance as linear. However it has been argued that the relationship is not linear. Huang and Xiao (2012) provide evidence that government ownership has a negative net effect on performance in transition economies. La Porta et al. (2002) provide evidence across 92 countries that government ownership of banks contributes negatively to bank performance. The evidence is consistent with Dinc (2005) and Brown and Dinc (2005) who investigate government ownership banks in the U.S. 2.1.2 Family Ownership               Family ownership is very common in oil firms in UAE. There is a difference between family ownership and other types of shareholders in that family owners tend to be more interested in the long-term survival of the firm than other types of shareholders(Arosa et al., 2010).. Furthermore, family owners tend to be more concerned about the firm’s reputation of the firm than other shareholders (Arosa et al., 2010). This is because damage to the firm’s reputation can also result in damage the family’s reputation. Many studies have investigated the relationship between family ownership and firm performance. They provide evidence of a positive relationship between family ownership and firm performance (e.g. Anderson and Reeb, 2003; Villalonga and Amit, 2006; Maury, 2006; Barontini and Caprio, 2006; Pindado et al., 2008). The positive relationship between family ownership and firm performance can be attributed to a number of factors. For example, Arosa et al. (2010) suggests that family firms’ long-term goals indicate that this category of firms desire investing over long horizons than other shareholders. In addition, because there is a significant relationship between the wealth of the family and the value of the family firm, family owners tend to have greater incentives to monitor managers (agents) than other shareholders (Anderson and Reeb, 2003). Furthermore, family owners would be more interested in offering incentives to managers that will make them loyal to the firm. In addition, there is a substantial long-term presence of families in family firms with strong intentions to preserve the name of the family. These family members are therefore more likely to forego short-term financial rewards so as to enable future generations take over the business and protect the family’s reputation (Wang, 2006). In addition, family ownership has positive economic consequences on the business. There are strong control structures that can motivate family members to communicate effectively with other shareholders and creditors using higher quality financial reporting with the resulting effect being a reduction in the cost of financing the business . Furthermore, families are interested in the long-term survival of the firm and family, which reduces the opportunistic behavior of family members with regard to the distribution of earnings and allocation of management, positions. Despite the positive impact of family ownership on firm performance, it has been argued that family ownership promotes high ownership concentration, which in turn creates corporate governance problems. In addition, high ownership concentration results in other types of costs (Arosa et al., 2010). As earlier mentioned, La Porta et al. (1999) and Vollalonga and Amit (2006) argue that controlling shareholders are likely to undertake activities that will give them gain unfair advantage over non-controlling shareholders. For example, family firms may be unwilling to pay dividends . Another reason why family ownership can have a negative impact on firm performance is that controlling family shareholders can easily favour their own interests at the expense of non-controlling shareholders by running the company as a family employment service. Under such circumstances, management positions will be limited to family members and extraordinary dividends will be paid to family shareholders (Demsetz, 1983; Fama and Jensen, 1983; Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Agency costs may arise because of dividend payments and management entrenchment (DeAngelo and DeAngelo, 2000; Francis et al., 2005). Families may also have their own interests and concerns that may not be in line with the concerns and interests of other investor groups (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Schulze et al. (2001) provide a discussion, which suggests that the impact of family ownership on firm performance can be a function of the generation. For example, noting that agency costs often arise as a result of the separation of ownership from control, they argue that first generation family firms tend to have limited agency problems because the management and supervision decisions are made by the same individual. As such agency costs are reduced because the separation of ownership and control has been completely eliminated. Given that there is no separation of ownership and control in the first generation family firm, the firm relationship between family ownership and performance is likely to be positive (Miller and Le-Breton-Miller, 2006). As the firm enters second and third generations, the family property becomes shared by an increasingly large number of family members with diverse interests. The moment conflict of interests sets in the relationship between family ownership and performance turns negative in accordance to (Chrisman et al., 2005; Sharma et al., 2007). Furthermore, agency problems arise from family relations because family members with control over the firm’s resources are more likely to be generous to their children and other relatives (Schulze et al., 2001). To summarize, the relationship between family ownership and firm performance may be non-linear. This means that the relationship is likely to be positive and negative at the same time. To support this contention, a number of studies have observed a non-linear relationship between family ownership and firm performance (e.g. Anderson and Reeb, 2003; Maury, 2006). This means that when ownership is less concentrated, family ownership is likely to have a positive impact on firm performance. As the family ownership concentration increases, minority shareholders tend to be exploited by family owners and thus the impact of family ownership on firm performance tends negative. Small countries have a relatively weak diamond of competitive advantages (Vlahinić-Dizdarević; 2006). D. Analysis 1.0 Potter’s Diamond Model The competitive forces advantages or analysis ought to be fixed on the main competition factors and its impact analysis on the business (Porter 1998, p.142). The state, and home wealth cannot be inherited -3554730607695Faktorski uvjeti 00Faktorski uvjeti -27546301293495Vezane i podrÃ… ¾avajuće industrije 00Vezane i podrÃ… ¾avajuće industrije -332041536195Ã…  ansa 00Ã…  ansa – it ought to be produced (Porter 1998, p.155). This wealth is influenced by the ability of industry to continually upgrade and innovate itself, and this is achievable exclusively by increase means in production – in all parts of fiscal action. The model of Porter concerns aspect which circuitously or openly affects advantage of competition. The aspect structure a place where given manufacturing sector like in this case, oil sector, state or region a learn and act on the way of competing in that environment. (Porter; 1998, p. 165). Left0                   Each diamond (oil) and the field of diamond (oil) as the whole structure consists of main influences that makes the oil sector competition to be successive. These influences entail: every ability and resource vital for competitive advantage of the sector; data forming the opportunity and providing the response to how accessible abilities and resources ought to be ruled; each interest group aim; and the is most crucial, oil sector pressure to innovating and investing. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths The oil sector has many years producing oil and so is well established. Comparatively lots of sub-sectors for industrialist stability and support. Weaknesses Comparatively out of date scientific foundation. Inadequate well educated professionals and residents in comparison to the new industry needs. Lesser costs of work cost in oil sector due to low salary from regular salaries in UAE. Opportunities The likelihood for resources application of EU agreement funds, as is the state resources Reasonably good quality of 11 % graduate students share that are likely to be absorbed into this oil sector. Contribution in motivational and investment projects that help in developing the economy of UAE every time. Threats Expansion of oil production capacity of economies of South-Eastern that have competed with low prices of products and little costs of production. Loan jobs and production globalisation. Reinforcement of local competition of adjacent economies, and thus reinforcing actions that attract direct overseas exploitation of the oil sector in UAE through investments. References Admati, Pfleiderer, P., Z. 1994. Large shareholder activism, risk sharing and financial market equilibrium. Journal of Political Economy, 102: 1097-1130. AL ARUSI, A., S. et al. 2009. Determinants of Financial and Environmental Disclosures through the Internet by Malaysian Companies. Asian Review of Accounting, 17(1), pp. 59-76. Anderson, M., A. et al. 2003. Founding family ownership and the agency cost of debt. Journal of Financial Economics, 68, 263–285. Anderson, C. , R. et al. 2003. 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