Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Soc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Soc - Essay Example Other examples of keying would be the manner in which gender differences and gender expectations are taught to young children. The similarity between internet interactions and face to face interactions comes form the fact that communication may be directed between two individuals as it is in the real world. However, internet interactions are quite different in the way that they allow a person to present a face rather than their actual face that they have. This can be in terms of their personality, their physical self and even their abilities since there is little or no visual cue that can be used to verify or refute what is said by an individual in an online meeting. A sports event will certainly have frames that have been used in other similar positions. Some of the frames may be socially accepted norms and may even create situations where taboos such as personal space and even the use of profanity may be violated. Other frames could be the rules that define what the participants of the events can and can not do as well as what the audience is permitted to do or not. These frames define the mode of interactions that individuals may have and become references for future actions at similar events. The dramaturgical theory explains class, race, gender and sexual inequality through the roles that have been defined by society and culture for individuals. In a given environment, the role defined for men may cause them to be more courteous towards women yet consider them inferior to themselves. On the other hand, in terms of symbolic interaction, things such as gender and social standing may become symbols by which a person is known and is recognized by society. The symbolic value of the social factor or social institute may give a whole new dimension to interactions with a person from a particular race or social group. The manner in which the theories complement each other is that they are deeply connected to the idea of social

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Marketing strategies in different markets of ferrari

Marketing strategies in different markets of ferrari The sports car brand Ferrari when focused, I analyzed their success and marketing strategies in different markets, one the German and second Italian market and worldwide. For information I used business theories such as the product life cycle, marketing mix, analysis of positioning and segmentation. These two large economically stable countries are different; Ferrari does not make many differences in the way of selling cars. The company being recognized by its rearing- stallion logo is up to speed. The Italian Co. volume sales to build its status brand by producing 6,400 high-performance sports cars a year, with the initial price about $140,000. GT and sports model include models like Spider, Scaglietti and Ferrari California. The companys F1 model brings Ferrari drivers close to the racing experience. Since 1947, the exclusive cars have been manufactured in Maranello, Italy and sold through strategically selected dealerships. Fiat S.p.A group holds 85% stake in Ferrari , Piero Ferra ri, son of Ferraris founder, owns 10%. Throughout the history of the company it has been noted for its continuous participation in racing mainly on Formula 1 where they have achieved great success. For the growth the company has launched a Ferrari World Theme Park in Abu Dhabi in the year 2010 which is also leading them to gain profits as people are attracted towards it. The sales have been increasing at an increasing rate from 2004-2008, in 2008 they had performed above average with a record breaking sales of above 6587 cars in a year for the first time, as result their turnover increased by 16% while the profit has been increased by ravishing 75%. But due recession hitting in fall 2008, the sales volume drastically fell by 85% in November 2008 (the sales reduced to 92 cars from 600 cars a month). As a result in 2009 there has been a fall in sales, turnover and profit. INTRODUCTION The history of Ferrari is incomplete without mentioning that Enzo Ferrari worked for Alfa Romeo from 1920-1929, after which he raced for another 10years for Alfas. From the time he was 12 he knew he wanted to be a race driver, the dream which he achieved at Alfa and adopted the cavallino, or prancing horse, insignia for his Alfa race car. In 1929 Enzo left Alfa to start his privately owned Alfa Romeo racing team known as Scuderia Ferrari in Modena. Scuderia Ferrari did not race cars with the name Ferrari; the Ferrari shop built its first car in Modena in 1937 the Alfa Romeo 158 Grand Prix Racer. The first championship they got was in 1952-1953 season. Ferrari started making sports cars in order to finance his Grand Prix and Le Mans adventures. Ferrari headed the company until he stepped down in 1971 and died in his hometown of Modena. His name is the most famous in motor sports. In 1952 the emblem of the prancing horse was created which is still used today. THE MARKET ENVIORNMENT:- The geographical market: in todays market Ferrari is facing tough competitors like Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW and Aston Martin. To survive in the market the competitors try and make highly innovative designs and high quality performance. They are in an automotive industry and have a subsidiary type of business and it was started by Enzo Ferrari. The headquarters of Ferrari are located in Maranello, Italy. It had remarkable revenue à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,921 million (2008). The owners of Ferrari are Fiat group 85%, Mubadala Development Company 5%. PEST-G analysis:- Political: the environmental protection laws in the company have come out with launching eco-friendly system in the car which will reduce pollution in the atmosphere, which politically will affect the taxation system as the consumers demand will increase. Economic: in the economic conditions Ferrari tries to be successful and profitable at any time because it affects its capital cost and demand. The timing and relative success of the company can be influenced by the economic conditions. The government decision plays an important role in the companys progress. Social: it depicts the demand and taste of the consumer demanded by the company which varies with the fashion and disposable income. Ferrari organization should be aware of the demographic changes such as the structure of the population by ages, affluence, regions and numbers working. Technology: the company tries to launch the latest technology for its automobiles as a competitive advantage for itself but it should keep in mind that technological breakthroughs can create new industries which might prove a treat to itself. On the other hand new technology could provide a useful input, in both manufacturing and service industries. THE COMPETITION The main competitors: in the market of Ferrari the competitors it faces are Lamborghini, BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin which has better performance and color and high quality maintenance Ferrari could face tough competition in the following. Sales and profit trend: The Middle Eastern and Far Asian sales of the competitive company has increased from 15.0-21.8% and also increased the unit sales from 2406-2430, which means the growth of 1%. The profit reports a decrease in worldwide sales for the first six months of the financial year 2009, in spite of which the company is still maintaining overall profitability among the major markets. Market Share: the company car tax efficiency, class-leading residual values and whole life costs have resulted in competitors winning a record share of the UK contract hire and leasing market. The competitors share of market has reached an all-time high of 8.8%-2.7% points up on the previous results. Target Markets: the competitors target market is upper-class people with high level of income. They focus on a person who mostly looks for luxury. In the future automobiles will have tough competition for selling the most environmental friendly vehicles. THE COMPANY Sales and profit trend: Ferrari announced a significant increase in both profits and sales for the second quarter of 2010, driven by the success of two new models, the California and 485, as well as demands for Ferrari 599 GTO. Revenue rose 8.6% year on year to EUR488m Euro and vehicle unit sales were 2.6% up at 1,615 units. Trading profit was up 10% to EUR77m. Market share: the companys total sales were 3,226 cars for customers around the world but it was 8% less compared to the year 2008. The market share price was up but was low on sales as the share increased by 10 to 32.8% in 2009. Business sector: the company was found in 1947 by Enzo Ferrari in Italy. They had highest sales was in the year 2008 despite seeing the period of recession. It has achieved one of the highest awards which were in the year 1997 (FCA) which was given in the annual meet, it also achieved the Platino Award for its reorganization. Project focus: the product of the company is an automobile, the brand name is Ferrari, it has launched models such as- Ferrari 308 GT4, Ferrari 550 Maranello, Ferrari 360 Modena Spider, Ferrari Challenge Stardale, Ferrari 430 Monza and many more. Their main segment is focused on F1 races. It mostly races in Italian and Australian Grand Prix. SWOT analysis :- STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Extremely strong brand image Takes on new challenges on a constant basis Innovation Technology are key drivers behind the product Is looked upon as a status symbol. Ferraris business model, based around low volumes, removes the possibility of employing certain technological solutions Some models also limit their sales volumes even though a lot more demand is present in the market Due to their waiting list model, they lose out on customers to the competition A big challenge lying in wait is fuel efficiency emissions which are growing in importance every day, OPPERTUNITIES THREATS Growth in global market for high-performance super-cars due to growing economies developing nations Expansion of the brand through entering into new important automotive markets like India wherein competitors like Porsche have already set up base Enlargement of customer base maintaining Ferrari characteristics-performance, style and exclusivity. Development of technology has opened up new avenues to explore for their products. Tough competition from other iconic super car brands like Lamborghini Porsche. Automotive policies being pushed by countries continents all over the world which are being strictly enforced like the emission norms of 130g/km of CO2 are very difficult to keep up with due to the performance oriented nature of the engines built by Ferrari A competing brand like Porsche does not follow the same low volumes, high on exclusivity model which is followed by Ferrari hence sells a lot more of its products. THE COMPANYS MARKETING STRATEGY Segmentation:- demographic segmentation defines market accordingly White / Caucasian 89% Age 51.5 Married 83% Total in household- 2.94 Total of children 0.75 Education 79% Psychological Segmentation identifies market according to lifestyle characteristics Targeting: the identification of target markets based on the regional, urban, or rural locations of the customers. The company has different models of vehicles to help each individual accomplish a safe drive where ever they are coming from. Positioning: Ferrari is a car in the Super Luxury sub- category and is distinctly more expensive compared to the luxury cars such as BMW, Lexus and Mercedes. It is probably the only car maker that never worries at competition price its name is unmatchable. It is one of a kind automobile that doesnt need to be compared to other brands since it has a well-developed name in the cars market. The latest innovation is the 360 Modena, the 360 Modena combines Ferrari heritage with innovation. Differentiation/Low Cost Leadership/Focus: it is a unique automotive which painted in race red as this was the customary national racing color of Italy. The company is currently focusing on its own performance in Abu Dhabi. Growth strategy: the company opens an office in Dubai airport free zone, sales have been in double digits in the last couple of years. It is only natural to open a regional office in Dubai which is experiencing rapid economic growth along with the UAE and the entire Gulf region. THE MARKETING MIX Product:- Vehicles of high performance Carrazzeria Scagliette- program to allow clients to personalizing their cars A statement of class. Price: least expensive Ferrari: 360 Modena-$170,200 and most expensive Ferrari: Enzo- $700,000. Place:- 1 location in Vancouver 2 locations in Toronto 1 location in Montreal Location in Yorkville and Woodbridge Promotion:- F1 advertise through their use of F1 race car Brochure information about the different models. Reputation Relay on words of mouth, since the car meets a small amount of societies demand( cost)they expect customers who have interest to visit a dealership for more information Ferrari knows well of their clients. People, processes, physical evidence:- the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia would be headline news from any car company since it is an attempt to bring forward the concept of an exotic sports car into an age more conscious of efficiency EVALUATION OF THE COMPANYS STATEGIES AND TACTICS Evaluation of the companys current position: currently the company has closed the quarter with a trading profit of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬39 million. The decline was attributable on one side, to a less favorable product mix and, on the other hand, to the fact that newly -released F458 Italia provided a limited contribution for the period. The success of 8- cylinder models continued in the first quarter of 2010, with numerous awards and recognitions being received by the California and the F458 Italia. Evidence of the companys success:- Ferrari SpA, the maker of the $228,000 California supercar, will increase profit by more than 10% this year , helped by a surge in demand in emerging markets, said Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. Ferraris earnings before interest, taxes and one-time gains / losses, or trading profit increased by 10% to 77 million Euros in second quarter as the revenues increased. China sales increased 20% in the first half. The company was also successful in launching the Ferrari Theme Park in Abu Dhabi. Prospects for future growth/success: the luxury car maker company plans to start selling in India in the beginning of the year.2012 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider is the future model to be launched although it hasnt been officially announced, an open-up version of the 458 Italia is on its way in 2011 and the 2013, the final addition to the Italia lineup will be the Scuderia track model, which will leave behind some luxury in return for less weight improved performance. BCG MATRIX The company is large enough to be organized into strategic business sector facing the challenge. Cash cows: Ferrari has a vast market share in a slow growing industry. Cash cows require investment and generate cash which can be used to invest in other business units. Star: the company is leading in the high growth markets. They are generating huge amount of cash from the F1 races and have also used cash for launching new projects. Question marks: the company did not achieve a dominant market position, and do not generate much cash. Due to growth of the market they use most of the cash. The company by launching new sports cars and taking part in races is a rapidly growing market. Dogs: comparing to the Ferrari company sports cars other company cars have little future as they gain less cash by virtue of their low market share. CONCLUSION By analyzing the above report I can conclude the company is doing good as its sales and profit are good even in this time of recession compared to other competitive companies (i.e Lamborghini, Porsche, Maserati etc). Also their future projects are interesting which will attract the young generation. Ferrari achieves most of its success from the Formula 1 races by wining many awards, and also they have been successful in their recent launch of the Theme Park and aiming to launch more in other countries APPENDICES

Friday, October 25, 2019

Animal Experimentation :: Ethical Issues, Persuasive

Animal experimentation is a controversial topic and may what to stop the use of animal in experiments. Experimenting with animals helps save human life but innocents animal pay the consequences. The "pro" and "con" positions on animal experimentation have proven suitable for stating extreme opinions, but unhelpful at exploring the broader ethical questions of animal based research (Wolff, 2009). Human and animals are very similar, for scientific is easy to use animals to find cures for humans decease. It difficult to scarified innocent animals but those animals help human to continue living. While there are multiple accusations of animal cruelty, few people actually witness the inner workings of a research lab and multiple regulations prevent animal cruelty, but animal research still continues to cause pain (Wolff, 2009). The use of animals in experiment is fundamental for human descendent. Many Humans are absolutely positive that scientific should experiment with animals to save humans life. Because there are so many similarities between human and animal physiology, experimentation has allowed scientists to discover new treatments for diseases and guarantee the safety of new drugs (Foundation for Biomedical Research, 2009). Experiment with animals is necessary because without the animals scientific are not able to find cure disease. Animal investigation has offered the source for several medical innovations, including vaccines, organ transplants, and pacemakers (Foundation for Biomedical Research, 2009). In this world are many diseases that did not have a cure but there are other diseases that have it and those cures were found with the help of the animals experimentations. â€Å"In 2006, infant mortality in the USA—a key indicator of the nation's health—was measured at fewer than seven deaths per 1,000 live births compared to 47 deaths per 1,000 live bi rths in 1940, much of this progress came from knowledge gained through animal research, many diseases that once killed millions of people every year are now either preventable, treatable or have been eradicated altogether, immunizations against polio, diphtheria, mumps, rubella and hepatitis have saved countless lives, and without animal research, these vaccines would not exist (Foundation for Biomedical Research, 2009).† Also, experiments on animals are necessary in order to safeguard and improve human health and well-being, and vaccines for diseases such as polio and malaria could not have been developed without animal testing, Cohen explains (Cohen, 2005). Animals are crucial for finding cure for those Children and adults that need an opportunity to continue living. â€Å"This true story, close to us in time and place, is widely known.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Being Tall

7/30/12 â€Å"Six, seven†. That’s what I would say about twice a day when asked how tall I was. I’ve always been tall so over time I had gotten used to and annoyed of this question and I would usually make these feelings evident in the tone of my response. However, it wasn’t the only response I was used to giving. â€Å"I don’t have it†. That’s what I would say about twice a day when asked where my homework was. †C†. That’s what I would say when my friends asked me how I did on the big test. I repeated the same answers over and over again but never really thought about them.Over the past year I began to question these responses and came to the conclusion that they were the wrong answers. I wasn’t lying about my height or my homework, or my grades or my studying habits, but ever since I started to think about these questions I’ve been able to change the answers. I haven’t gotten any shorter or mor e intelligent but by actually thinking about the question I’ve been able to give the correct answer. I started to realize that I was being asked the same questions over and over around sixth grade.I wasn’t even thinking about high school back then let alone college and beyond so I still had some time to figure out the right answers to these questions. â€Å"Wow do you play basketball? † Teachers would ask as they saw me struggle to fit through the doorway. â€Å"Uhh yeah† I would flatly reply. â€Å"Why didn’t you study, you knew you had a test†. â€Å"I don’t know,† I wasn’t even thinking about what those words meant but it was still just the practice round for the real thing so I still had time to find the right answers.I was explicitly warned when high school rolled around that â€Å"it counts now†. It was spelled out to me multiple times that high school was the real deal and even my Freshman grades would coun t towards college. I was also told that I wasn’t done growing yet and I would only be getting taller. I wasn’t thrilled about either of these facts, but instead of using my height to my advantage or taking school seriously I continued to wander through my life getting increasingly tired of the questions I was being asked. Do you even want to go to this school? † â€Å"Yeah, yeah of course† I would jadedly reply, solely to humor the asker. â€Å"How great is it to be that tall? † â€Å" Yeah its pretty great, ha-ha† I would say politely, but emptily none the less. As my high school career continued and the college clock kept ticking I failed time and time again to find the right answers to these questions. Around the middle of my junior year the college process had begun and I had decided to go visit a college over March vacation.As I got out of the car I immediately fell in love with the school, the campus was perfect and the students looked like they were straight out of a brochure. All the school’s features were amazing and while on the tour I began to grow increasingly excited about the school and the idea of college. As the tour came to a conclusion all the prospective students gathered in a room to hear a lecture about the application process from an admissions officer. As I stood amongst the other students I realized that I was the tallest one there.I was used to being to the tallest person at a given place but this was different. I realized that because of my height, I stood out, but in a good way; all the admissions officers and faculty noticed me before the other kids there. I saw my height for what it really was: and untapped advantage I had been given. I realized that when people were asking me how tall I was, it was because they were astounded, almost impressed at my height. As I happily chewed on this realization, I was slapped across the face by a second epiphany.As the speaker went more into the ap plication process, he began to talk about the school’s average GPA for high school students; my GPA wasn’t even remotely close to this average. â€Å"They just boost those numbers up for the presentation† I lied to myself â€Å"I’m sure everyone else here is just as shocked by those averages† I looked around and literally every other student nodded in agreeing upon hearing the numbers. My separation from the group continued as the other students began to ask questions like â€Å"Are 3 honors courses enough or are you looking for more in an applicant? and â€Å"I only have a 3. 5 GPA but I take six courses, is that taken into consideration? † I started to feel something I had never felt before, an impending sense of doom that came over me like a tidal wave as I started to mentally panic that I wasn’t going to end up here, that I had thrown away a golden opportunity that was given to me. The feeling was sharp and it stung. I felt sick to my stomach on the ride home as I wallowed over the idea of not ending up at college at all. As I continued to think this over at home I came to the onclusion that this could be a good thing, I should take this realization and use it to turn my grades around with the little time I had left. I thought about the questions I had always been asked and realized that the answers I grew accustomed to giving were not in fact the right ones. I remembered hearing an old proverb that now seemed to be directly speaking to me: â€Å"No matter how far you have traveled down the wrong road, turn back. † Turn Back. That night I decided to turn back, even though I had traveled so far down the wrong road.When I came back to school after the vacation I felt stronger than ever, I was so ready to attack school. The second day I was ready to hear those oh so familiar words: â€Å"Where is your homework? † It was a small homework assignment and the teacher undoubtedly expected me to have b lown it off. â€Å"Right here† I proudly retorted to the impressed teacher. Later that day a man at the gas station asked me if I was a basketball player. Again, I proudly said that I was and made a friendly joke about having a tough time with it because I’m so short.As the semester went on I continued to walk towards the right path, correctly answering life’s questions. Every night as soon as I got home I would sit down and complete every homework assignment with consciousness and pride as opposed to half-heartedly completing three or four out of five assignments. With the new found knowledge that people naturally notice and look up to me, I am setting a good example around the campus for others to follow, from cleaning up trash in the student center to starting a new club. A began to find myself on the right road, even though I was a little late.My hard schoolwork paid off when my grades landed me on the honor role for the first time. I also decided to put my size to good use by playing football in the fall of my senior year. With all this being said, I am the first one to admit that I was the definition of a late bloomer academically. Having already experienced low academic performance I can honestly say that I want to excel through college and beyond, not just with grades, but in all aspects of life. In the end the answers are what count, not the questions, and I’m ready to answer any question life gives me, correctly.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Role of Commercial Banks in Development

Role of commercial banks in development. INTRODUCTION A commercial bank is something with which every one of us is well known. However different bankers and economists have defined it in a different way:   According to Kent: â€Å"An organization whose principal operations are concerned with the accumulation of the temporarily idle money of the general public for the purpose of advancing to others for expenditure. † According to Banking Companies Ordinance 1962: Banking means the accepting for the purpose of lending or investing of deposits of money from the public repayable in demand or otherwise and withdraw-able by cheque, draft order or otherwise. † Various economists have different views about the role of commercial banks in economic development. Schumpeter says,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It is the banking system which serves as a key agent along with the entrepreneur in the process of economic development†. According to  Prof. Cameron  in his â€Å"Banking and Economi c Development†, â€Å"a banking system may make a positive contribution to economic growth and development. Evolution of Commercial Banks The foundation for building a broad base of agricultural credit structure was laid by the Report of the All-India Rural Credit Survey (AIRCS) of 1954. The provision of cultivator credit in 1951-52 was less than 1% for commercial banks. In the report it was observed that agricultural credit fell short of the right quantity, was not of the right type, did not fit the right purpose and often failed to go to the right people.With a view to give an impetus to commercial banks, particularly, in the sphere of investment credit, the nationalization of the Imperial Bank of India and its re-designation as the State Bank of India (SBI) was recommended. Growth in Outreach 1951-91 From the position prevalent in 1951-52, commercial banks came a long way with a substantial spread of 32,224 branches in rural and semi-urban areas comprising 68% of their tot al outlets as on 31 March 1991. The outstanding deposits of such branches at Rs. 7,855 crores as on the same date constituted around 35% of their total deposits, while loans outstanding at Rs. 43,797 crore comprised 36% of outstanding credit. The agricultural advances of the commercial banking system aggregated Rs. 16,687 crore and constituted 14% of total advances in March 1991. The rural and semi-urban branches of commercial banks covered 17. 6 crore deposit accounts while the number of loan accounts serviced aggregated 3. 7 crore. Growth during 1991-92 to 2003-04 The period since 1991-92 has seen a fairly rapid expansion of credit to agriculture.Available data indicate that the flow of credit to agriculture by commercial banks and RRBs taken together increased to Rs. 60,022 crore in 2003-04. This implies a compounded annual growth rate of 22. 2%. In fact, as compared with commercial banks (including RRBs), the flow of credit from the cooperative sector was much slower through thi s period. The compounded annual growth rate of credit for agriculture from cooperative institutions was only 13. 7%. Further, the proportion of agriculture credit to total credit came down because of the rapid growth in non agriculture credit.The Government took some major initiatives during the period to boost agriculture production and productivity through enhanced credit flow and by way of building agricultural infrastructure, particularly irrigation and connectivity in rural areas. Special Agricultural Credit Plan (SACP) was introduced by RBI for Public Sector Commercial Banks in 1994-95. Credit growth for agriculture and allied sectors under this caption reflected a CAGR of 36. 45% during 2001-02 to 2005-06. SACP has since been extended to Private Sector Commercial Banks from 2005-06.The SHG – Bank Linkage Programme was started as a pilot project by NABARD in 1992. It led to the evolution of a set of RBI approved guidelines to banks to enable SHGs to transact with banks. Initially there was slow progress in the programme up to 1999 as only 32,995 groups were credit linked during the period 1992 to 1999. Since then the programme has been growing rapidly and the cumulative number of SHGs financed increased from 4. 61 lakhs on 31 March 2002 to 10. 73 lakhs on 31 March 2004 and further to 29. 25 lakh groups as on 31 March 2007.Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) was set-up in NABARD by GoI during 1995-96 with an initial corpus of Rs. 2000 crore, to accelerate the 47 completion of on-going projects of rural infrastructure. Banks which did not fulfill the priority sector credit requirement and agriculture credit mandate were required to contribute to this Fund. The fund has been strengthened every year with additional allocations in the Union Budget. A large number of irrigation and rural connectivity projects could get completed under RIDF. RBI scaled down its contribution to the Rural Credit funds with NABARD to a token amount of Rs. crore per annum since 1993-94. However to enable NABARD to have reasonably strong leverage for accessing market funds, the share capital of NABARD was strengthened and increased to Rs. 2000 crore (paid up) from Rs. 100 crore at the time of its formation in 1982. Contributions to enhanced share capital have come from GoI and RBI. By prudent funds management, the institution has also built a strong base of reserves and has been using it in its business operations judiciously to keep lending rates to rural financial institutions at significantly lower than market costs. Developments – Post 2003-04Since 2003-04, there has been a substantial increase in the flow of credit to agriculture through commercial banks. Disbursements have increased from Rs. 52,441 crore in 2003-04 to Rs. 1,16,447 crore in 2005-06, reaching an annual growth of 43% each year. As envisaged in the GoI's strategy for â€Å"doubling of credit†, 95 lakh new farmers have been brought under the institutional fold an d 1,383 agri-clinics opened. Commercial banks have also played a major role in the promotion of the SHG – bank linkage movement with more than 11. 88 lakh groups being linked to banks for provision of credit.Reforms in the commercial banking system include removal of procedural and transactional bottlenecks including elimination of Service Area Approach, reducing margins, redefining overdues to coincide with crop cycles, new debt restructuring policies, one time settlement and relief measures for farmers indebted to non-institutional sources. Banks play a vital role in the economic development of a country. They accumulate the idle savings of the people and make them available for investment. They also create new demand deposits in the process of granting loans and purchasing investment ecurities. They facilitate trade both inside and outside the country by accepting and discounting of bills of exchange. Banks also increase the mobility of capital. They provide a variety of f acilities for remitting a large amount of money from one place to another by the transfer of a mere slip of paper. Commercial banks play an important and active role in the economic development of a country, if the banking system in a country is effective, efficient and disciplined; it brings about a rapid growth in the various sectors of the economy. The Functions of Commercial BanksIn the modern world, banks perform such a variety of functions that it is not possible to make an all-inclusive list of their functions and services. However, some basic functions performed by the banks are discussed below. 1. Accepting  Deposits The first important function of a bank is to accept deposits from those who can save but cannot profitably utilize this saving themselves. People consider it more rational to deposit their savings in a bank because by doing so they, on the one hand, earn interest, and on the other, avoid the danger of theft.To attract savings from all sorts of individuals, th e banks maintain different types of accounts: (i) Fixed Deposit Account: Money in these accounts is deposited for fixed period of time (say one, two, or five years) and cannot be withdrawn before the expiry of that period. The rate of interest on this account is higher than that on other types of deposits. The longer the period, the higher will be the rate of interest. Fixed deposits arc also called time deposits or time liabilities. (ii) Current Deposit Account: These accounts are generally maintained by the traders and businessmen who have to make a number of payments every day.Money from these accounts can be withdrawn in as many times and in as much amount as desired by the depositors. Normally, no interest is paid on these accounts; rather, the depositors have to pay certain incidental charges to the bank for the services rendered by it. Current deposits are also called demand deposits or demand liabilities. (iii) Saving Deposit Account: The aim of these accounts is to encourag e and mobilise small savings of the public. Certain restrictions are imposed on the depositors regarding the number of withdrawals and the amount to be withdrawn in a given period.Cheque facility is provided to the depositors. Rate of interest paid on these deposits is low as compared to that on fixed deposits. (iv) Recurring Deposit Account: The purpose of these accounts is to encourage regular savings by the public, particularly by the fixed income group. Generally money in these accounts is deposited in monthly installments for a fixed period and is repaid to the depositors along with interest on maturity. The rate of interest on these deposits is nearly the same 3s on fixed deposits. (v) Home Safe Account: Home safe account is another scheme aiming at promoting saving habits among the people.Under this scheme, a safe is supplied to the depositor to keep it at home and to put his small savings in it. Periodically, the safe is taken to the bank where the amount of safe is credited to his account. 2. Advancing  of loans The second important function of a bank is advancing of loans to the public. After keeping certain cash reserves, the banks lend their deposits to the needy borrowers. Before advancing loans, the banks satisfy themselves about the credits worthness of the borrowers. Various types of loans granted by the banks are discussed below: (i) Money at Call:Such loans are very short period loans and can be called back by the bank at a very short notice of say one day to fourteen days. These loans are generally made to other banks or financial institutions. (ii)  Cash Credit: It is a type of loan, which is given to the borrower against his current assets, such as shares, stocks, bonds, etc. Such loans are not based on personal security. The bank opens the account in the name of the borrowers and allows him to withdraw borrowed money from time to time up to a certain limit as determined by the value of his current assets.Interest is charged only on th e amount actually withdrawn from the account. (iii) Overdraft: Sometimes, the bank provides overdraft facilities to its customers though which they are allowed to withdraw more than their deposits. Interest is charged from the customers on the overdrawn amount. (iv) Discounting of Bills of Exchange: This is another popular type of lending by the modern banks. Through this method, a holder of a bill of exchange can get it discounted by the bank. In a bill of exchange, the debtor accepts the bill drawn upon him by the creditor  (i. e,  holder of the bill) and agrees to pay the amount mentioned on maturity.After making some marginal deductions (in the form of commission), the bank pays the value of the bill to the holder. When the bill of exchange matures, the bank gets its payment from the party, which had accepted the bill. Thus, such a loan is self-liquidating. (v)  Term Loans: The banks have also started advancing medium-term and long-term loans. The maturity period for such loans is more than one year. The amount sanctioned is either paid or credited to the account of the borrower. The interest is charged on the entire amount of the loan and the loan is repaid either on maturity or in installments. . Credit Creation A unique function of the bank is to create credit. In fact, credit creation is the natural outcome of the process of advancing loan as adopted by the banks. When a bank advances a loan to its customer, it does not lend cash but opens an account in the borrower's name and credits the amount of loan to this account. Thus, whenever a bank grants a loan, it creates an equal amount of bank deposit. Creation of such deposits is called credit creation which results in a net increase in the money stock of the economy.Banks have the ability to create credit many times more than their deposits and this ability of multiple credit creation depends upon the cash-reserve ratio of the banks. 4. Promoting Cheque System: Banks also render a very useful medi um of exchange in the form of cheques. Through a cheque, the depositor directs the bankers to make payment to the payee. Cheque is the most developed credit instrument in the money market. In the modern business transactions, cheques have become much more convenient method of settling debts than the use of cash. 5. Agency Functions:Banks also perform certain agency functions for and on behalf of their customers: (i) Remittance of Funds: Banks help their customers in transferring funds from one place to another through cheques, drafts, etc. (ii) Collection and Payment of Credit Instruments: Banks collect and pay various credit instruments like cheques, bills of exchange, promissory notes, etc. (iii) Execution of Standing Orders: Banks execute the standing instructions of their customers for making various periodic payments. They pay subscriptions, rents, insurance premium, etc. on behalf of their customers. (iv) Purchasing and Sale of Securities:Banks undertake purchase and sale of v arious securities like shares, stocks, bonds, debentures etc. on behalf of their customers. Banks neither give any advice to their customers regarding these investments nor levy any charge on them for their service, but simply perform the function of a broker. (v) Collection of Dividends on Shares: Banks collect dividends, interest on shares and debentures of their customers. (vi) Income Tax Consultancy: Banks may also employ income-tax experts lo prepare income-tax returns for their customers and to help them to get refund of income-tax. (vii) Acting as Trustee and Executor:Banks preserve the wills of their customers and execute them after their death. (viii) Acting as Representative and Correspondent: Sometimes the banks act as representatives and correspondents of their customers. They get passports, travelers tickets, book vehicles, plots for their customers and receive letters on their behalf. 6. General Utility Function: In addition to agency services, the modern banks provide many general utility services as given below: (i) Locker Facility: Banks provide locker facility to their customers. The customers can keep their valuables and important documents in these lockers for safe custody. ii) Traveller's Cheques: Banks issue traveller's cheques to help their customers lo travel without the fear of theft or loss of money. With this facility, the customers need not take the risk of carrying cash with them during their travels. (iii) Letter of Credit: Letters of credit are issued by the banks to their customers certifying their creditworthiness. Letters of credit are very useful in foreign trade. (iv) Collection of Statistics: Banks collect statistics giving important information relating to industry, trade and commerce, money and banking.They also publish journals and bulletins containing research articles on economic and financial matters. (v) Underwriting Securities: Banks underwrite the securities issued by the government, public or private bodies. Becau se of its full faith in banks, the public will not hesitate in buying securities carrying the signatures of a bank. (vi) Gift Cheques: Some banks issue cheques of various denominations (say of Rs. 11, 21, 31, 51. 101, etc. ) to be used on auspicious occasions. (vii) Acting as Referee: Banks may be referred for seeking information regarding the financial position, business reputation and respectability of their customers. viii) Foreign Exchange Business: Banks also deal in the business of foreign currencies. Again, they may finance foreign trade by discounting foreign bills of exchange. Role of Commercial Banks In Economic Development Of A Country Commercial banks  play an important and active role in the economic development of a country. If the banking system in a country is effective’, efficient and disciplined, it brings about a rapid growth in the various sectors of the economy. The economic significance of commercial banks is given in brief. (1) Banks promote capital f ormation.The commercial banks play an important role in rising of the financial resources. They encourage savings by giving various types of incentives to the savers. They expand branches of the banks in rural and urban areas and mobilize savings even at far of places. These savings are then made available to the businesses which make use of them for productive purposes in the country. The banks are, therefore, not only store houses of the country’s wealth, but also provide stream of resources necessary for economic development. (2) Investment in new enterprises.Businessmen normally hesitate to invest their money in risky enterprises. The commercial banks generally provide short and medium term loans to entrepreneurs to invest in new enterprises and adopt new methods of production. The provision of timely credit increases the productive capacity of the economy. (3) Promotion of trade and industry. With the growth of commercial banking in the 19th and 20th centuries, there is vast expansion in trade and industry. The use of bank draft, cheque, bill of exchange credit cards etc has revolutionized both national and international trade. (4) Development of agriculture.The commercial banks, particularly in developing countries, are now providing credit for the development of agriculture and small scale industries in rural areas. The provision of credit to agriculture sector has greatly helped in raising agricultural productivity and income of the farmers. This has led to increased demand for industrial goods and expansion of industry. (5) Balanced development of different regions. The commercial banks play an important role in achieving balanced in different regions of the country. They help in transferring surplus capital from developed regions to the less developing regions.The traders, industrialists etc of less developed regions are able to get adequate capital for meeting their business needs. This, in turn, increases investment, trade and production in the economy. (6) Influencing economy activity. The banks can also influence the economic activity of the country through its influence on (a) availability of credit and (b) the rate of interest. If the commercial banks are able to increase the amount of money in circulation through credit creation or by lowering the rate of interest, it directly affects economic development. A low rate of interest can encourage investment.The credit creation activity can raise aggregate demand which leads to more production in the economy. Which finally increases the growth of the nation. (7) Implementation of monetary policy. The central bank of the country controls and regulates volume of credit through the active cooperation of the banking system in the country. If helps in bringing price stability and promotes economic growth within shortest possible period to time. (8) Monetization of the economy. The commercial banks by opening branches in the rural and backward areas are reducing the exchange of goods through barter.The use of money has now greatly increased the volume of production of goods. The non-monetized sector (barter economy) is now being converted into monetized sector with the help  of commercial banks. (9) Export promotion cells. In order to increase the exports of the country, the commercial banks have established export promotion cells. They provide information about general trade and economic conditions both inside and outside the country to its customers. The banks are, therefore, making positive contribution in the process of economic development.Role of banks in 21st century: The commercial banks are now not confined to local banking. They are fast changing into global banking i. e. , understanding the global customer, using latest information technology, competing in the open market with high technology system, changing from domestic banking to investment banking etc. The commercial banks are now considered the nerve centre of all economic developmen t in the country. The use of online banking is now on the increase. It has brought revolution in banking industry. CONCLUSIONCommercial banks are considered not merely as dealers in money but also the leaders in economic development. They are not only the store houses of the country’s wealth but also the reservoirs of resources necessary for economic development. They play an important role in the economic development of a country. A well-developed banking system is essential for the economic development of a country. The â€Å"Industrial Revolution† in Europe in the 19th century would not have been possible without a sound system of commercial banking. In case of developing countries like India, the commercial banks are considered to be the backbone of the economy.The Banking Sector has for centuries now formed one of the pillars of economic prosperity. Indeed history provides us with some starting information regarding how banks provided finance for imperialist ventu res in newly acquired colonies. Over time banks have formed an important part in providing an avenue for both savings and investments. Land, Labor, capital and entrepreneurs are the basic economic resources available to business. However, to make the use of these resources, a business requires finance to purchase of the land, hire labor, pay for capital goods and pay for individuals with specialized skills.The commercial banks provide capital, technical assistance and other facilities to businessmen according to their need, which leads to development in trade. Commercial banks finance the most important sector of the developing economics i. e. agriculture, short, medium and long-term loans are provided for the purchase of seeds and fertilizer, installation of tube wells, construction of warehouses, purchase of tractor and thresher etc. Commercial banks help in increasing the rate of capital formation in a country. Capital formation means increase in number of production units, techn ology, plant and machinery.They finance the projects responsible for increasing the rate of capital formation. Commercial banks help the traders of two different countries to undertake business. Letter of credit is issued by the importer’s bank to the exporters to ensure the payment. The banks also arrange foreign exchange. Commercial banks provide the facility of transferring funds from one place to another which leads to the growth of trade. The commercial banks financed the transport sector. It has reduced unemployment on one hand and increased the transport facility on the other hand. Remote areas are linked to main markets through developed transport system.These are the few ways in which the commercial banks had helped in developing the economy of a country. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Samuelson Norhaus, economics, 18th edn, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. Ltd. , 2008 * Xam idea, economics, F K Publication, 2009 * Chitta Ranjan Basu, Commercial Banking in the Planned Economy of Indi a, Mittal Publications, 1991 * N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, cengage learning, 2012 * www. preservearticles. com ——————————————– [ 2 ]. N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, cengage learning, 2012 [ 3 ]. www. bankingsector. co. in [ 4 ].N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, cengage learning, 2012 [ 5 ]. Xam idea, economics. [ 6 ]. N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, cengage learning, 2012 [ 7 ]. www. preservearticles. com [ 8 ]. www. ehow. com [ 9 ]. Samuelson Norhaus, economics, 18th edn, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. Ltd. , 2008 [ 10 ]. Chitta Ranjan Basu, Commercial Banking in the Planned Economy of India [ 11 ]. Samuelson Norhaus, economics, 18th edn, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. Ltd. , 2008 [ 12 ]. www. ehow. com [ 13 ]. N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, cengage learning, 2012 [ 14 ]. www. preservearticles. com

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Effects of Acid Rain essays

The Effects of Acid Rain essays What is acid precipitation? What are the effects of it? Where is this acid coming from? What can we do to stop it? These are questions you should be able to answer after reading this paper. Acid Rain, or acid precipitation, is the word used to describe rainfall that has a pH level of less than 5.6. This form of air pollution is currently a subject of great controversy because of its worldwide environmental damages. Acid rain is formed when oxides of nitrogen and sulfite combine with moisture in the atmosphere to make nitric and sulfuric acids. The two primary sources of acid rain are sulfur dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen. Scientists have discovered that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of these oxides (Acid Rain). Power plants and factories burn coal and oil. Power plants use that coal and oil to produce the electricity we need to heat and light our homes and to run our electric appliances. We also burn natural gas, coal, and oil to heat our homes. The smoke and fumes from burning fossil fuels rise into the atmosphere and combine with the moisture in the air to form acid rain. Acid rain usually forms high in the clouds where sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water, oxygen, and oxidants. This forms a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight increases the rate of most of these reactions. Rainwater, snow, fog, and other forms of precipitation containing those mild solutions of sulfuric and nitric acids fall to the earth as acid rain (ABCs). Even before this, water must go through the hydrologic cycle. In this cycle, water in the atmosphere picks up particles and chemicals that are floating in the air. Even clean, unpolluted air has some particles such as dust or pollen. Clean air also contains naturally occurring gases such as carbon dioxide. The interaction between the water droplets and these gases in the atmosphere gives ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Are People Obedient Essays - Social Psychology, Conformity

Are People Obedient Essays - Social Psychology, Conformity Are People Obedient ARE PEOPLE OBEDIENT? By Queron Thompson Does everyone in society go against what they believe in merely to satisfy an authority figure? Stanley Milgrams Perils Of Obedience expresses that most of society supports the authority figure regardless of their own personal ideals. Milgram says to the reader, For many people, obedience is a deeply ingrained behavioral tendency, indeed a potent impulse overriding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct (Milgram 606). Is Milgrams statement telling us obedience is an unparalleled force in todays society? Two authors, George Orwell and Langston Hughes, provide us with incidents that support Milgrams findings. George Orwells work, Shooting an Elephant, can be used as an example of Milgrams discoveries. He recalls an account of himself as a British policeman called upon to take action against a belligerent elephant rampaging through a small Burmese Village. Orwell makes it a point to show that the natives of the village, who at any other time would have looked upon the him in disfavor, are now backing him in hopes of the animals destruction. Orwell realizes it is quite unnecessary to kill the animal, yet does it anyway. Why might you ask? Milgrims findings on peoples obedience to authority can be seen as an answer to this question. In the reading Orwell says, And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it: I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.(Orwell 771). With this statement, we can easily determine the role the villagers take on. Suddenly, they have taken on the role of the authority figure and Orwell the conforming citizen. In Milgrams Perils Of Obedience, the test subjects or teachers follow the experimenters authority and inflict punishment upon the actors or learners without any regard to their own feelings. In Orwells writings, he has also put the natives or authority ahead of his own personal convictions and has proven Milgram an astute judge of human character. Langston Hughes, author of Salvation offers us a different perspective on Milgrams findings, obedience before morality. Mr. Hughes paints a picture of himself as a little boy, whose decisions at a church revival, directly reflect mans own instinctive behavioral tendencies for obedience. A young Langston, whos congregation wants him to go up and get saved, gives into obedience and ventures to the altar as if he has seen the light of the Holy Spirit. Can he really see it or is this just a decision to give into the congregation, or what we consider the authority? Milgrams deeply ingrained human impulses are evident at this point. Hughes goes on to say, So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, Id better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved; So I did (Hughes 32). In saying this, Young Langston has obviously overlooked his personal belief of a visual Holy Spirit to meet the level of obedience laid out by the congregation. Once again, Stanley Milgrams theor ies are correct. His discoveries bind us to the fact that people may believe strongly in an idea or thought but, will overlook that belief to be obedient. In conclusion, what does this leave the reader to think? Do people conform to authority? Is society holding back its views inorder to meet a level of obedience? Stanley Milgram has pointed out a human characteristic that may very well be in each and every one of us. George Orwell and Langston Hughes have both given us two examples that support and defend this theory. With all this evidence compounded, we the reader can make a justified assumption that everyone in society has, at one time or another, overlooked his or her personal feelings to conform. This occurrence, whether it is instinctive or judgmental is one that each individual deals with a personal level.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Meaning of the French Expression Le cinq à sept

Meaning of the French Expression Le cinq sept The informal expression le cinq sept refers to what could be considered a very French version of Happy Hour: the two-hour period after work, from 5 to 7 pm, when (some) people meet up with their lovers before going home to their spouses. Translation: an afternoon tryst. The reality of le cinq sept was openly acknowledged for perhaps the first time in Franà §oise Sagans 1967 novel La Chamade. Just for fun, I had my husband ask his students (aged 40 and up) about it, and they all said they were very familiar with le cinq sept, with one exception. The youngest said she didnt know it, then added a caveat: Mais je viens de me marier, alors qui sait ce qui va se passer dans vingt ans. Incidentally, the French translation of tryst is un rendez-vous galant - further proof that everything sounds better in French. Well almost: for happy hour, the correct translation is heure du cocktail or heure de lapà ©ritif, but instead they usually stick with appy hour. Different in Canada In Quà ©bec, le cinq sept has nothing to do with sex. It refers to a group of friends meeting up to have a drink after work, or before an evening outing to a play or some other entertainment. In this sense, le cinq sept might be translated by happy hour or, if it doesnt include alcohol, just something generic like afternoon get-together or rendez-vous. Source Sagan, Francoise. La Chamade. French Edition,  Pocket, 1990.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Lakoff and Johnson Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lakoff and Johnson - Assignment Example According to Lakoff and Johnson, metaphorical concepts are beyond the ordinary meaning and far from the literal thinking and talking as they contain figurative, colorful, or poetic language (1980). Structural metaphors are conventional metaphors in which one of the concepts can be expressed in terms of another that is structured and sharply defined. For example According to Lakoff and Johnson, structural metaphors are cases in which source domains give the frameworks for the target domains in arguments (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). In structural metaphors, economic activity is equal to war and relates various economic activities as war and the economy as the battlefield. The competitors in the businesses are warriors or armies that fight against each other. The economic activities take the concepts of attack and defense as in the example. â€Å"Due to the crises, the Indians will strike back meaning the country will work hard to revive the economy. Another example is "Labor is a resource and time is a resource†. The metaphors relate to economic resources especially in developed countries where labor and time are valuable assets for

Friday, October 18, 2019

Queering a film (Hotel Transylvania 2012) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Queering a film (Hotel Transylvania 2012) - Essay Example Firstly and most obviously, Doty discusses the means by which the word â€Å"queer† is â€Å"used as an attempt to account for the existence and expression of a wide range of positions within the cutlrue that are ‘queer’ or non-anti, or contra-straight† (Doty 3). In this way, the reader rapidly understands that rather than merely promoting a certain point of view, the use and inclusion of such a phrase as an overarching world view denotes as much of what is not as what is. For this reason rather than merely denoting that the queer lifestyle exists and is an alternative to the pervasive expressions of straightness that exist, both societally and culturally, this specific use of the term helps to engage the viewer with an understand of what specifically queer is not and how it attempts to differentiate itself from the mainstream. As a function of accomplishing such an end there are multiple ways in which a filmmaker could seek to â€Å"queer† a movie. ... However, as Doty notes, a more equitable and fair representation of the queer world view and lifestyle goes beyond a simple representation of â€Å"homosexuality†. In this sense, the filmmaker is greeted with a difficult construct in which to work. On the one she may wish to incorporate these more nuanced interpretations of queerness; however, on the other hand, she may find herself somewhat stymied by that such nuanced representations of queerness would necessarily reduce to artistic expressions of highly sophisticated stereotypes. As a means to avoid such a simplistic approach, this author would recommend that rather than focussing on indvidiual aspects of â€Å"queerness† within the movie Hotel Transylvania, a clear contrast could be drawn between characters that represented both straight and queer worldviews/perspectives. Although imperfect, such a representation would be able to have a stronger effect than merely representing a gay couple or uniquely and perhaps ch eap representation of singluarly queer point of view on a given issue/topic. Moreover, as the word itself has developed a life of its own, Doty uses it in ways that are not traditionally associated with a homosexual lifestyle or worldview. As such, the therm has come to represent the many multifacted ways in which a rebellion against normality and standard definitions of the world exist. As the author states in the article, queerness was as much about a clear renunciation of societal mores/norms as it was about the ability to fall in love with and be romantically or sexually involved with a member of one’s own sex. In this way, one of the best ways to â€Å"queer† the movie would be

'Favelas' ('City of God') Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

'Favelas' ('City of God') - Essay Example The main theme of the film is the realization of the level of increased crime that occurred in Brazil between 1968 and 1980. Fernando Meirelles illustrates the level of insecurity and crime when he makes use of comments that there is no safe to be even if a person decides to run or not run, out of this, the individual will either be hunted down or caught stranded by the criminals (Xavier, 1997, pp. 49). In the film, most actors and participants originated from Favelas. In 2004, ‘City of God’ received four awards from its competency and level of production. The film had received the same accolade in Brazil in the previous year although the ratings were lower than in 2004. Setting of the Film The films plot begins when there is an event of slaughtering chicken to be consumed but one of them escapes and is followed by some people. While still on pursuit, the chicken finds itself between the people chasing it and Rocket (Buscape) who thinks that the aim of these people is to kill and eliminate him. The production team then develops a timely change of time and occasion and brings out Rocket as a very young boy thus the development of ‘City of God.’ The setting of the film in this location indicates that Rockets belief is not factual since he was not originally involved with the chase in the first place. Three renowned thieves who are known as Clipper, Shaggy and Goose who is a brother to Rocket usually rob businesspersons. The thieves split a section of what they steal from Robin Hood, which deals with fashion to Favela citizens. The citizens have an obligation of protecting the thieves in return. This is a clear indication of a connection between a society and thieves that is produced by the film, which signifies that there exists conspiracy between the public and lawbreakers. Due to their fame and recognition in Favela, several young men begin accompanying the three thieves in the operations (Skidmore, 1993, pp.118). Li’l Dice is a young man who becomes an accomplice to the trio and pleads with them to take part in robbing the occupants of a motel. In this occasion, the trio is against any killings but Li’l Dice starts killing the victims after the departure of the other group. This signifies that he thinks killing would gain him fame and recognition but on the other hand, it attracts the attention of the police. The motel incidence forces the three thieves to flee and the police shoot Shaggy in his quest to run away in the company of his girlfriend. Clipper becomes a church follower while Li’l Dice kill Goose for taking his money. This setting illustrates the criminal events that happen in Favela in the late 60s and the interaction of the lawbreakers, local citizens and the police (Landers, 2002, pp.87). The abolishment of criminals in the slums indicates an improvement in this part thus the directors of the film gain great compliment from the viewers (Castro, 2004, pp.54). The setting of the f ilm is changed from the 60s to the 70s where Rocket is illustrated to have joined a section of the young men who usually smoke marijuana. This indicates that the there are still elements of other lawbreakers since marijuana is an illegal drug. The introduction of Li’l Dice in this phase of the film is achieved by Fernando to bring to the attention of the viewer of the development of his criminal activities. Li’l Dice is illustrated as a drug peddler who together with his long time friend

Fallacies exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fallacies exercise - Assignment Example proverbial cat is already out of the bag, the codification of such a thing as â€Å"animal rights† could potentially lead to consequences that all but the most careless rat-lover would find dire. Certainly if merely gouging a nickel-sized hole in an elephant’s shoulder is the act of a criminal, then hunters should be charged with murder, road kill is manslaughter, and owning a dog an act of involuntary servitude. Scott McPherson This statement commits the slippery slope fallacy, which means that the speaker interprets a simple statement in very general terms and exaggerating it in the process. The definition of animal rights here is exaggerated and its exceptions are not considered by the speaker in that even benevolent acts like owning a dog, unintentional acts like road kill, and purposeful acts for the benefit of mankind like hunting are all considered violations of animal rights. Although this statement also commits the other fallacies of begging the question, non sequitur and false analogy, it is clearly a hasty generalization. The claim of the speaker that the particular university is not recommended is obviously not valid for it is based on but two people. There must be a considerable number of students in a sample plus backing of research before one can make a valid claim that one university cannot be recommended. This statement is a sweeping generalization. Such a fallacy is committed in this statement because the speaker had already labeled all churchgoers as mindless and old even before the actual disadvantages of going to mass or going to church (if ever there are any) were underlined. As far as I know, this statement commits the Red herring fallacy. Instead of the speaker explaining the disadvantages of President Obama’s reversal of President Bush’s ruling on stem cell research, the speaker befogs the issue by tossing out the red herring of his support for President Bush. 8. â€Å"Ugandas controversial ethics and integrity minister†¦ said

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam Essay

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam - Essay Example he emergence of the transitional political Islam, the Arab Spring protested increased the influence of the Islamic parties among several countries that has seen dissipated power. The paper reviews the emergence of transitional political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring. The resurgence of Islam is closely associated with the crushing of military defeats of Arabic countries that suffered in the hands of the hands of Israeli forces in 1967. After the fail of the military in Arab resulted into the Islamic revival that grow to challenge nations in the Middle East and North Africa (Barton et al, 2014). According to Howard (2010), the exodus of these began with the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that found in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna that became very influential in religious and political sector. The Muslim Brotherhood movement gained popularity among the Islam as it addressed issues affecting and threatening Muslim societies such as westernization, secularization and materialism. However, the movement did not last long before it suffered a terrible blow, for instance during the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Egypt that was followed by onslaught of the Muslim brotherhood movement. The effect was evident across several nations su ch as Tunisia where the Islamist Ennahda party lost election. The Arab Spring protest came as a surprise to Islamic bodies bringing many unanswered issues to light such as religious and political differences. Islamist had a difficult moment addressing the issue among different people because of the delicacy of the matter as it included varied constituencies requiring different things (McCormick, 2012). However, the Islamists from most of the Middle East States who are ruled by autocratic regimes who gains power by denying the Islamists a popular vote that brutally suppresses of both the leaders and followers. In the same spirit, this has escalated autocracy among nations in the Middle

Make up a topic for me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Make up a topic for me - Essay Example Before the Han dynasty, there were very few sculptures and painting in China. Sculptures were introduced after the arrival of Buddhism in China. Decorations were mainly in two dimensions. At first, the curving of sculptures was restricted to animal figures. Sculptures of human were made after the 1 century and were at first limited to sculptures of Buddha and ceremonies related to Buddhism (Bushell, 154). This paper looks at how Buddhism influenced the development of art in China by using a few examples. There are several paintings that have been drawn by Chinese artists of Buddha and various monks. Moreover, there is painting that tells stories adopted from the Buddhist religion. An example is the drawing of Buddha on the wall of the temple meant for Jiankang by the famous Chinese artist of the Jin dynasty Gu Kaizhi (Williams & Barrow, 54). Buddhism led to the development of the painting of the human figure. The led to the development of a new genre called â€Å"Renwu†: the h uman figure genre which is one of the 4 disciplines in Chinese art. This led to the development of great painters of portrait who gained their fame status by painting Buddhist figure, Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Some of these great artists include Wie Xie of the 4th century, Gu Kaizhi (346-405 AD) and Sengyao (6th century AD) among other contemporary artists (Williams & Terence, 320). Painting of portraits wee guided by the 6 principles developed by Xie He  which he codified by following the Indian rules of painting. â€Å"Lohan seated in a tree† is an example of a painting from the Ming dynasty is an example of a painting that has been greatly influenced by Buddhism. It was painted by Ding Ynpeng and is one of the earliest Chinese paintings showing a Buddhist monk in a tree. This painting is different from other Chinese paintings of the 13th century as it is displayed in bright color showing vitality and liveliness. This is because Lohan means enlightened being and the painte r clearly shows this theme. An important thing to observe about these painting is that although the dead were originally from India, the Chinese artists have made their own modifications and innovations that make the images to be more authentic (Kieschnick, 140). From the 1st century to the 18th century, Chinese artists have continued to depart from the original Indian principles of painting to a new style that is unique to china. Studying of the Chinese sculpture of Liao dynasty (907-1125) is important because they are the type that is mostly found in international museums around the world such as America, British and Asian museums. The art from this era were predominantly Buddhist. In the western Capital of Liao, there are three monuments made of sculptures of the rules of this generation. Observing the sculpture closely one can observe that the artists borrowed a lot from the sculptures of Bodhisattvas who are people who endeavor to become Buddha (Williams & Terence, 378). For in stance, there is a halo surrounding the head of the sculptures. Moreover, the sculptures have other features that were common in the representation of the Buddhist deities and include jewelry, costumes and crowns. The 292 Dunhuang caves are the perfect representation of Buddhist influence on Chinese art. The first Dunhuang cave was developed by a Buddhist monk in the third century and it was called â€Å"

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam Essay

Describe the emergence of transitional political islam - Essay Example he emergence of the transitional political Islam, the Arab Spring protested increased the influence of the Islamic parties among several countries that has seen dissipated power. The paper reviews the emergence of transitional political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa during the Arab Spring. The resurgence of Islam is closely associated with the crushing of military defeats of Arabic countries that suffered in the hands of the hands of Israeli forces in 1967. After the fail of the military in Arab resulted into the Islamic revival that grow to challenge nations in the Middle East and North Africa (Barton et al, 2014). According to Howard (2010), the exodus of these began with the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that found in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna that became very influential in religious and political sector. The Muslim Brotherhood movement gained popularity among the Islam as it addressed issues affecting and threatening Muslim societies such as westernization, secularization and materialism. However, the movement did not last long before it suffered a terrible blow, for instance during the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Egypt that was followed by onslaught of the Muslim brotherhood movement. The effect was evident across several nations su ch as Tunisia where the Islamist Ennahda party lost election. The Arab Spring protest came as a surprise to Islamic bodies bringing many unanswered issues to light such as religious and political differences. Islamist had a difficult moment addressing the issue among different people because of the delicacy of the matter as it included varied constituencies requiring different things (McCormick, 2012). However, the Islamists from most of the Middle East States who are ruled by autocratic regimes who gains power by denying the Islamists a popular vote that brutally suppresses of both the leaders and followers. In the same spirit, this has escalated autocracy among nations in the Middle

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

New Venure Creation Exam Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New Venure Creation Exam Questions - Assignment Example Adapting to change: it can be much more adaptable to adjustment than larger and more compound organizations. Because of this, SMEs questionably have a better opportunity of enduring difficult economic states and they are quicker at recovering from crises. In defeating the declines, these companies are able to exploit and encourage competition, which is vital for putting the present economic lethargy behind. Such adaptability in turn brings more equilibrium to the economic development of the UK and warrants that local communities partake in stimulating development (Blackburn, 2012). Partnership with larger businesses: Even though these two key benefits in the current climate, one of the main obstacles to achievement for SMEs is a weakness in linking and partnering with big businesses. A couple of years ago, small business proprietors felt deserted by the UK regime but this state is gradually changing. A support from firms like Fujitsu meant that small businesses would interchange skills and receive mentoring and management from more skilled players. Many of these firms begin as small, start-up initiatives - limited people with great ideas and the ambition to understand them, whose symbols are now internationally recognized. Small businesses comprises 99 per cent of all firms in the UK and can be actual initiators of economic development, creating job prospects for local communities and creating income. But in order to keep the force developed, the regime must support the joint efforts. (Blackburn, 2012) This has been associated with the Business angels increasing their funding to SME. Business angels are high net worth personnel that finance small developing businesses through a parity stake. They have been an important source of finance for SMEs for the last decades of years. This has been possible by such individuals giving funding to SME to facilitate their smooth running. The other

Monday, October 14, 2019

What are the trends and problems of Indias Balance Of Payments

What are the trends and problems of Indias Balance Of Payments Balance of Payments (BOP) of a country shows its economic strengths and weaknesses. Most of the developing countries are deficit in their Balance of Accounts, India being no exception. Since independence, India has been facing this deficit or disequilibrium in terms of BOP, largely observed as a disaster in 1990-91, the year of the severe BOP crisis. At that time, India had foreign exchange reserve of meager 1 billion dollar, hardly sufficient to finance a months import bill. The nation was on the edge of defaulting. This crisis resulted in large scale amendments in the countrys economic policy, particularly known as the Structural Adjustment Program or New Economic Policy (NEP) regime, center of attention being liberalization and globalization of the economy. We opted for a very vigilant approach and at present after having surmounted the initial glitches of a newly liberalized economy, we have a somewhat comfortable BOP condition. Even though we have arrived at a comfortable BOP position showing signs of a strong rising economy, BOP management still remains a tough walk for policy makers for taking any discussion, as now we are uncovered to each and every change in the global economic set-up. Trends problems of Indias BOP 1949-50 to 1999-2000 The disequilibrium in Indias BOP has been accounted to both internal as well as external factors. The requirement for development of such a big nation with a large population is one of the main factors resulting in recurring BOP problem. The BOP is always under some pressure and had large deficits due to high level of imports of food grains and capital goods, the profound external borrowings, their payment and poor exports. After independence, the primary challenge in front of the country was to attain economic growth with social justice. Indias aim after accomplishing independence was to achieve economic self- reliance. For this the country had to strike both the internal as well as the external resources. Not only our technology but our food availability was also on the backward stage. Hefty amounts of food grains had to be imported to supply the demand of such a large population. Protectionist Policies The main intention of the Second Five Year Plan (1956-57 to 1960-61) was to achieve self reliance through industrialization. Self reliance was to be realized through import substitution. For this, essential industries had to be established which required import of capital goods. Exports were anticipated to take-off by own with advent of industrialization. It was felt that with advent of industrialization, there will be an increase in production at home that will be reflected in greater export earnings. The approach for import substitution was based on physical- interventionist, non-price policies like quotas, licensing and other physical ceilings on imports. Heavy capital goods were imported however other imports were relentlessly restricted to shut off competition for promoting domestic industries. Mainly focus was on import substitution, with gross disregard of exports. These inward looking protectionist policies did resulted in some self-reliance in the consumer goods industries, but most of the capital goods industries remained majorly import intensive. The elevated degree of protection to Indian industries resulted in to inefficiency and poor quality products basically due to lack of competition. The high cost of production further wrinkled our competitive strength. Rise in petroleum products demand, harvest failure, two oil shocks, all put acute strain on the economy. The BOP condition remained weak for the period of 1980s, till it arrived at the crisis situation in 1990-91; When India was on the brink of defaulting mainly due to intense debt burden and continually widening trade deficit. External Debt India had been an exercising choice to large scale foreign borrowings for its developmental activities in the field of fundamental social and industrial infrastructure. The countrys reserves were very much restricted due to low level of per capita income and savings. The situation aggravated because Government of India resorted to large amounts of foreign borrowings to rectify the BOP situation in the short run out of frightening condition. With Seventh Five Year Plan, the debt service obligations increased sharply due to stiffer average provisions of external debt, including repayments to the IMF, commercial borrowing, and a drop in concessional aid flow. Export Promotion Even though by the Sixth Five Year Plan we had overcome the need of food grain imports and some crude oil was also produced domestically, BOP position was still not at ease attributed to low exports. The essential need for promoting export was realized during the 1960s. The Third Five Year Plan commenced certain promotion policies pertaining to export like tax exemptions, duty drawbacks, cash compensatory schemes, Rupee devaluation etc. However it didnt showed significant improvements in exports. Indian exports depended largely on situation of world trade. We were chiefly primary product exporters, for which fluctuations in prices are very high in entire world market demand. Primary products exporting countries generally have unfavorable term of trade. The incomes from primary product exports were unstable and low. Secondly, the Indian products were not up to the mark in terms of quality and standard to sustain in world market. Third, mainly residue products were exported. The fact that export earnings contribute significantly to economic development was disregarded. Cumbersome procedures, rules and regulations for license etc served as disincentives for exporters. Domestic inflation further diminished the competitiveness of Indias export. Exchange Rate The fluctuation in the exchange value of the rupee was another posing problem. The steady devaluations (to promote exports) enhanced the amount of external debt. The value of rupee was administered by the central bank (fixed exchange rate). The considerable gap between official and market exchange rate generated difficulties for the exporters and importers. The stringent foreign exchange controls also persuaded Hawala trade. Trends in Indias BOP (2000-2010) The benefits of foreign trade were overlooked year after year. Indian entrepreneurs were withdrawing with low-priced, outdated technology and demolishing subsidies, generating a heavy national burden of large ailing public sector undertakings. Despite acting through an incentive based approach, government protection in fact damaged our industrial growth. The New Economic Policy of the nineties targeted for opening up of the economy, to permit free trade and competition and condense the role of government considerably in foreign trade issues. Restrictions on international trade were detached, foreign investments were allowed and a completely new Liberalized Exchange Management System was brought in to garner the benefits of competition and offset the drawbacks of a closed, inward looking trade policy. The alterations towards liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy were conceded out very vigilantly in phases. Foreign Investment India effectively attracted Foreign investors to the country with its earnest positive economic transforms like reduced cumbersome formalities and other paperwork. From a scanty US$103 million   net foreign investment in the year 1990-91, it has grown to us$ 8669 million   in 2008-09. Foreign investments kept the country buoyant during the recent global meltdown period. Because the consequences of recession were worst in the developed countries, the investors turned to the less affected rising economies like China and India. While initially foreign investment in the country did slow down significantly due to risk repugnance in the phase of the recession, but it picked up over again because rising economies like India and China were quick to execute corrective procedures to fight recession, showing creditable elasticity to the recession which badly affected the much developed economies. There was massive turn down in net capital flows from US $ 106.6 billion in 2007-2008 (8% of GDP) to US $ 7.2 billion (0.6 % of GDP) IN 2008-09. The turn down was mainly due to net outflows under portfolio investment. Despite this, the FDI inflow remained floating at US $ 21.0 billion during Apr Sept. 2009 as against US $ 20.7 billion in Apr.-Sept. 2008. FDI inflow has been primarily in communication services, manufacturing, and real estate sector. Current Account of BOP The current account of BOP consists of the merchandise trade (export and import) and the invisibles (services, transfers etc.). The liberalized policy and reasonably hassle free formalities for export and imports have provided a push to our export industries as well as industries catering to domestic demands. Exports and imports both witnessed double digit growth rate. India is now a principally manufactured goods and services exporter deriving benefits from a better term of trade, as compared to what it was earlier, primary goods exporter, prior to 1991. The contribution of Indias exports in world trade has increased from 0.7 % in 2000 to 1.2 % in 2008. Services too have extended to various fields catering to both domestic and international consumers. The current account balance broadened in 2008-09 (-2.4 % of GDP) compared to that of 2007-08 (-1.3% of GDP) attributed to recession, but it was sustainable. The external demand shock resulted in to the decline of export growth from 57 % in April-June08 to (-) 8.4 % in Oct- Dec08 and further to (-) 20 % in January-March09, a decline for the first time since 2001-02. Imports too turn downed similarly due to domestic industrial demand and sharp fall in international crude oil and some other primary commodity prices. Indias net invisibles rose by 18.7% in 2008-09. With the economy (domestic as well as global) getting its pace of momentum once again, there is hope of glare once again in the trade and financial world. India having cruised reasonably successful through the uneven scrap of recession can look further to garnering greater profit from world market, at least till the time the developed economies which were poorly affected by recession, revitalize fully. In short, the situation of BOP is quite well administered and contented. However, lessons from the occurrences of the financial crises taking place in various parts of the world from time to time, we are required to continue our vigilant approach towards BOP management. The country cannot meet the expense of a setback to its economic growth attained through large scale changes in national economic policies. India indeed has arrived a long way from the time of the days of the protectionist policies, but there is a lot to be accomplished yet, particularly in the sector of infrastructure, in order to become a strong economy.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Tragic Hero in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

The Tragic Hero in Antigone Antigone is a Greek tragic piece that stresses the use of power and morality versus the law written by Sophocles. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters in the play, could represent the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. In my opinion, Creon best qualifies for being the tragic hero and fitting the definition read in the previous sentence. The things he said, did, and the comments that were made by those around him show how a man with everything could lose it all due to his own behavior. To open, the things he said showed how he changed and became the tragic hero of the play. Many of his statements reveal his personality including his admirable parts and his flaws. When Creon says: "I call to God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly," (Sophocles, scene 1,24-26), it shows his strong sense of nationalism and leadership which catches up with him in the end. "The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks at the pull of the smallest curb" (scene 2,76-79) is what Creon says to Antigone after finding out she is the one who buried Polynieces. He thinks that if Antigone wasn't so headstrong and arrogant then she could have avoided the consequence he was about to give her. I think Creon was being a hypocrite because he is just as stubborn as she is. The reason why Creon and Antigone come in to so much conflict is because their ways of thinking are almost exa ctly alike. "It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny" (scene 5, 100), is a statement that shows Creon detecting his fault and how he needs to correct it. After talking to Teiresias, the blind prophet, he realizes in order for the higher powers to forgive him he needs to release Antigone. "Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust" (exodos, 138). Creon recognizes his flaw and its consequences but it is too late because fate has already occurred. Moreover, many people say that actions speak louder than words.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Environmental Destruction in Southeast Asia due to Golf Course Developm

Environmental Destruction in Southeast Asia due to Golf Course Development The sport of golf has come a long way since it was first played on the wind blown pasture lands of Scotland over 600 years ago. Today, golf courses around the world are in a way their own small ecosystem, where only pieces of the natural environment are a part of these artificial landscapes. Courses are meticulously groomed for both championship and tourist play. The game is taking front stage all over the world and new courses are being constructed everyday. This may be great for the game of golf and the wealthy investor who is making millions off of these luscious green fairways, but what about the drawbacks to environmental degradation that it is causing? The main environmental effects of golf courses in Southeast Asia are similar to those all over the world, but lack government regulation like in the United States. These countries do not have a strict Environmental Protection Agency or other NGOs to keep these issues under control. The main problems between the environment and golf course development that will be discussed in this paper include water usage and contamination, deforestation, the use of toxic chemicals and fertilizers, and the importation of non native grasses. The governments of these countries will also be examined, as to how they are dealing with these problems and how, if at all, they are helping their native people. After discussing the problems of Southeast Asia’s golf boom, this synthesis will go into detail about what can be done to help slow down or eliminate many of these problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The world’s golf craze and Japan’s current obsession over the game has swept through the countries of Southeast Asia since the early 1990’s and currently there are over 500 new courses in the region. This compares to a total of only 45 golf courses in these same countries in the early 1970’s. Currently, Malaysia has 155 courses, Indonesia has approximately 90, the Philippines have 80, and Thailand has close to 200 golf courses spread throughout their landscape.(ASIAGOLF) Along with these newly developed golf courses come all of the negative environmental impacts. In many of these countries, the government is either too corrupt, poor or they are focusing their energies on a multitude of other issues. Negative environmental effects are often times low on their pri... ...ts of Golf Course Development." Clubbing Southeast Asia. 12 Apr. 2005 . "Japan Golf Courses and Deforestation (JPGOLFCase)." Japan's Golf Courses and the Environment. 1 Nov 1997. 12 Apr. 2005 . Cassady, Jeff (Bayer Crop Science). Personal interview. 12 Apr 2005. Contact Information: (336) 255-1164 "TED Case Study." Asia Golf and Environment. 1 Nov 1997. 12 Apr. 2005 . Fahn, James David. A Land On Fire. Bolder: Westview, 2003. (Fahn 53-59) Chris, Reuther. "Towards a Greener Game." A New Environmental Awareness is Slowly Taking Hold of the U.S. Golf Industry. Aug 1999. The Academy of Natural Sciences. 14 Apr. 2005 . "Sport and Environment: Thailand's Golf Boom." Forces Behind Thailand's Golf Rush. 12 Apr. 2005 . (Sport and Environment: Thailand's Golf Boom) Morita, Gen . "Global Antigo." The Global Anit-Golf Movement - Manifesto. 4 1993. The Global Anti-Golf Movement. 14 Apr. 2005 . "Impact of golf courses: social, environmental, and economic." Impact of Golf Courses. Barcelona Field Studies Centre SL. 12 Apr. 2005 . Hildebrant, Timothy . "Environmentalists cry 'fore!' in China." csmonitor.com. 16 Jul 2003. the Christian Science Monitor. 12 Apr. 2005 .

Friday, October 11, 2019

Norman Foster

Norman Foster  Ã‚  Norman Foster is a major contributor to twentieth century architecture both in the westernworld and further afield. After starting his studies in architecture over 50 years ago he has designeda range of buildings (and bridges) and continues to produce outstanding designs today. Aswell asexploring Foster's career this essay will focus primarily on two of Foster's buildings, Creek VeanHouse in Cornwall and the Willis Building in Ipswich (originally the Willis Faber and DumasHeadquarters).Born in Manchester on 1 June 1935 to working class parents, Foster was a bright studentwho after attending a private school and a grammar school was pressurised to leave early in order toearn a living. It wasn't until 1956 after working in a bakery, a city treasurer's office, a factory,selling furniture, spending time in the Royal Air Force on national service and studying commerciallaw that he finally started his studies in architecture.Graduating from Manchester university school of architecture and city planning in 1961, Foster won the Henry fellowship to study at Yaleuniversity where he obtained his master's degree and also met Richard Rogers, another Britisharchitect whom he became good friends with. In 1963 Rogers and Foster along with their  respective wives Su and Wendy formed ‘Team 4', a practice known for its high-tech designs and thegroup behind Creek Vean House. In 1967 Team 4 ended and Foster and Wendy set up Foster  Associates (now Foster and Partners).Between 1968 and 1983 Foster collaborated on a number of  Ã‚  projects including the Samuel Beckett Theatre project with Richard Buckminster Fuller whohappened to be one of his idols. Foster called him a â€Å"lone voice,† whose work with geodesicsdemonstrated how building form could be both economical and ecological. Orientation and  building form became, for Foster, touchstones in his design of ecological architecture. – Michael J. Crosbie, ArchitectureWeek.Foster Asso ciates has produced many well known works such as theSainsbury Centre in Norwich, the Hongkong and Shanghai bank, the Millau Viaduct in France, theBritish Museum Great Court in London and the Swiss Re tower in London to name but a few. Over  History and Theory of Architecture the years Foster Associates has achieved more than 190 awards and won over 50 competitions for  its work, in 1990 Foster was Knighted and in 1999 he was honoured with a life peerage giving himthe title Lord Foster Of Thames Bank, in the same year he became the 21 st Pritzker ArchitecturePrize laureate.Creak Vean house was the first work of group Team 4, built in 1964, it was commissioned  by Marcus Brumwell as a home for himself and his wife who were the parents of Su Rogers. Although Foster has concentrated more on buildings for the workplace, houses which showsimilarities to Creek Vean are the Jaffe house and Murray Mews which were also designed by Team4, these buildings are orientated to make the most of their views and have large slanting glass walls,similar to the glass walk way and large glass walls in Creek Vean. The Willis Faber ; Dumas Headquarters in Ipswich was built from 1971-1975 as aworkplace for around 1300 employees.Foster has mostly designed buildings for the workplaceand is very good at designing space for employees to enjoy their surroundings. The three storey  building is surrounded by a glass facade, similar to that in some of his later buildings such as HearstTower in New York City, the Swiss Re Headquarters in London, the HSBC UK Headquarters inLondon and City Hall in London. The facade also has a curved appearance, with no hard edges or  corners, similar to the Swiss Re and City Hall buildings, the American Air Museum and the newWillis Headquarters in London.Inside the Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters escalators lead upthrough the central atrium, in Foster's Hongkong and Shanghai bank he uses a similar approach buton a larger scale with a ten storey at rium and the escalators leading up to the main banking hall. The  Ipswich building established a couple of themes that Foster returned to in project after project: howthe building meets the ground in an accommodating way; how light, views, and the interior  environment can be adjusted and modified; and how to introduce green space into an urbanenvironment such as an office building. ArchitectureWeek Creek Vean House is positioned overlooking the Fal estuary in Cornwall on a steepriverbank. The house is made up of two separate blocks at different angles to each other linkedtogether by a long glass-roofed corridor which was used as a gallery. One of the blocks is one storeyhigh and contains the bedrooms and studio and the other block is two storeys high and contains theliving room and dining room, the ground floor ooms are cut back into the hillside and the onestorey block's roof is covered in vegetation, this gives the impression the house is carved into thelandscape. All the mai n rooms have large sliding doors off the main corridor and are angled so thatthey have the best views possible out over the estuary, this results in the rooms being fan shapedwith very angular corners. The house is constructed of exposed concrete blocks and reinforcedconcrete slabs, the floors are slate. Outside the building, winding steps lead down the slope fromthe access road above the house.They step down through the building over the corridor that linksthe two blocks (the corridor has a solid roof at this point), emphasising the split in the two parts of  the building and continue down through the garden to a boat house on the shore below. The Willis Faber ; Dumas Headquarters is situated in Ipswich. unlike many office buildingsit is only three storeys high and is spread out to fit in with the shape of the surrounding streets, withthe curved glass facade showing reflections of the surrounding buildings. On entering the buildingthere is a central atrium with escalators leading right up to the rooftop restaurant.Overlooking theatrium are the different storeys with open plan office space, the layout of the office space and factthat it is so open plan gives the workplace a very communal feel. †¦ orientation is direct:you alwaysknow where you are, one can move freely, the sun penetrates everywhere and there are only a fewvisual barriers. – Norman Foster. The building was also built with a rooftop garden and aswimming pool for the employees to use in their lunch breaks but the swimming pool has since  been covered with a glass floor.Around the time Creek Vean was built (1964) James Sterling had just built the Leicester  University engineering building (1963). There are similarities between their work, both use a lot of  History and Theory of Architecture glass and non standard geometry for walls however where Foster's house tries to blend in with thesurrounding area the University building is very bold and brutal. Another house built around thesame period is Hanselmann House in Indiana, 1967 by Michael Graves. This house is verymodernist with lots of open spaces and like Creek Vean it uses steps as a link to the house.VannaVenturi House was built between 1962-1964 by Robert Venturi. Unlike Creek Vean which blends inwith its environment Venturi's house really tries to make a statement. Around the time the Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters was built (1971-1975),The Creek Vean House shows similarities to Frank Lloyd Wright's building's, particularlyFallingwater built from 1935-1937. Wright designed the house around the surroundings, similar toFoster and so it appears that the house is almost growing out of the rock beneath it. In both housessteps are used as a passageway from the house down to the water. History and Theory of Architecture