Thursday, October 31, 2019

ETHICAL CHOICES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ETHICAL CHOICES - Essay Example Individuals may develop morality as they grow and learn responsible acts within their particular environments or may be taught by their superiors on what entails morality and how to behave morally within the given environment. Morality has immense significance to the particular society, community or organization that sets the moral norms. To begin with, morality as an obligation has seen the development of interpersonal and societal respect among members of various societies. It is through morality that societies and individuals have managed to uphold religious doctrines and ideologies that have defined such societies for ages. Morality has also ensured that people promote positive ethical values that have seen eradication and abolition of corruptive activities to support sustained institutional development and accountability. Aspects of morality have also humbled individual members of given societies and institutions to an extent that each person acts in the best way possible to ensure maximum security of the others. In addition, morality has played great role in ensuring sustained peace in the given societies or institutions. Morality has helped in the reconciliation of antagonizing societies and groups to help in constructing harmonious coexistence. Furthermore, entities of morality assisted in the development of responsible members of the society who live to satisfy their role within the given societies. Essentially, it is worth noting that morality entails all the sufficient instruments to direct and define wholly created and caring human beings. It is morality that will help shape individuals’ characters and beliefs about certain aspects of life within the given society. Morality has to override any other normative systems. Generally, morality is rather a bigger entity when compared to any form of normative or descriptive systems that define and dictate human odes of conducts. Making of any

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Markiting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Markiting - Essay Example f the drink, the chemical content, the taste, colour, standard of quality, smell, availability of the drink, and the refreshing nature of the soft drink. Withstanding other external factors like weather that may affect my selection, I mostly buy soft drinks from Coca-Cola Company. Indeed, I get significant value proposition when I seek to buy the Coca-Cola soft drink. A part from the brand being available in almost all outlets, the drink is internationally recognized and approved. Its taste, smell, and colour are my favourite and its refreshing nature serves my core purpose of wanting to buy it. In addition, the energy levels of the Coca-Cola soft drink are more relevant to my age and health and thus the motivation to buy it. The drink is free from other harmful chemicals and contains no caffeine hence medically viable. More so, the mode of packaging the brand is very convenient for me as it is highly portable and the plastic bottle is recyclable. The fact that I can get either a cold or a warm brand is also a value proposition for me. In conclusion, the price of the brand is also convenient compared to other soft drinks and the satisfaction I get from it. As such, the Coca-Cola brand suits my selection criteria and thus my value

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Media Technologies And Journalism Media Essay

Media Technologies And Journalism Media Essay In the second half of the twentieth century and early of the twenty-first, along with the advancement of new media technology, we have witnessed the dramatic transformation of journalism. There can be no denying that the technological revolution has exerted far reaching influences on news journalism and its production. In 2000, Pavlik (p.229) has asserted: â€Å" Journalism has always been shaped by technology†. Pavlik as well as many academics in the field of mass communication believe that the profound changing of journalism are technologically determined. However, there are some researchers who criticise the idea of technological determinism. They argue that technologies not only transformed journalism but also were shaped and operated in the news production process. As Cottle (1999,p.22) has stated: â€Å"news technologies of news production are in fact socially and culturally shaped and embedded within corporate and professional contexts and practices†. It could be argued that the relationship between technology and journalism is not simply a cause and effect relationship, in fact, they changed and determined each other. The aim of this essay is to examine the interaction relationship between technology and journalism, with a particular focus on how new media technologies transformed news journalism. This research paper will begin by consider the impact of technology on journalism, and then account for the way that technologies are operated and integrated in the news production process. In the second section, the proliferation of the internet and blogs will be taken as prime examples of technological advancement which has offered opportunities as well as challenges to journalists and news organisations. Finally, the assignment will discuss whether technological changes and the adoption of new technology have led to the improvement or deterioration of journalisms quality. 1. The interaction relationship between news media technologies and journalism For the purpose of this assignment, this section will briefly introduce the theory of technology determinism as well as critical arguments of modern social scientists. The impact of new media technologies on news journalism will be examined and references are made to the work of academic in this field. Furthermore, evidence is provided in order to account for the way technologies are shaped and integrated in news production process. 1.1. The impact of new media technologies on news journalism According to Pavlik (2000,p.229), journalism are transformed by technology in four broad areas: practices of journalists, news content, the organization of the newsroom, and the relationship between and among news organisations, journalists and their many publics. â€Å" Technological changes have had an impact above all on the immediacy and availability of journalism as it has proliferated as a mode of communication† (Conboy,2004,p.205). 1.2. Technologies are shaped and integrated on news production process With a critical argument, Cottle (1999) views technology as a â€Å"creature of our own making â€Å", in his words, â€Å"which inhabits, was born out of, remains dependent on, and is socialised and put to work within determinant social environment† (p.23). In his study of â€Å" A combination of political regulatory change and the arrival of the new media organizations and products has introduced considerable competition into the broadcast environment..this competition appears to be the immediate cause of organisational and technological change† (Ursell, 2001,p.194). New operations have adopted new technologies with different degrees of extent and intensity (Ursell). Consequences for journalist: demand for and pressure on journalistic staff have increased. 2. Technological changes and the quality of journalism 2.1. The internet and blogs: a nascent phenomenon Internet: how it changes the newswork -> journalist practice(Pavlik), mot-used new resources for finding imformation(Garrison), journalist easily interact with audiences Define blog Bloggers 2.2. Quality of journalism in era of new media technologies: deterioration or improvement Though there can be no denying that the appearance of the internet and blogs has changed news journalism in many ways, it is now essential to consider whether it is better or worse journalism. Thus, this question has been the subject of a great deal of research. Ursell (2001) in his study of Convergence: â€Å" I assert that convergence merely holds the promise of a better, more efficient, more democratic medium for journalism and the public in the twenty-first century† (Pavlik,2001,p.xiii) Multi-skilling: High-Speed: â€Å"Speed is in danger of becoming the ultimate aim of journalism. The post-telegraph compulsion to beat competitors to a story, accelerate by new technologies, can mean it becomes more important to be first than to provide an adequate assessment of context† (Conboy,2004,p.207) â€Å" The pace of breaking news drives the possibility of in-depth analysis further down the line† (Conboy, 2004,p.207) â€Å"All of this compromises the incredible speed and technological sophistication of the journalism produced as it is often lacking in analytical depth or political variety† (Conboy,2004,p.207) Journalists who are under the pressure of becoming multi-skilled and technically competent to produce multiple media production do not have much â€Å"opportunities for creative reflection or innovation†(Cottle,1999). To illustrate this point, Cottle(1999,p.41) has quoted a statement of one broadcast journalist: â€Å"We dont have time to be creative. Its not that the equipment will not let us be more creative as we used to be†. Pavlik (2001) states that, on the plus side, new media technologies has offered potential for improving quality of journalism as well as helped journalist do their jobs more effectively. In other words, journalists can use new technologies to create much more â€Å"engaging, navigable, contextualized† news productions which reflect everyday life more â€Å"accurately, fully, and dynamically†(Pavlik,2001,p.xvi). However, on the negative side, â€Å"We journalists are no longer the gate keepers in the market place of ideas. The doors have been flung wide open by the egalitarian nature of the Internet and when you look at the big picture you see chaos. You see a medium in its infancy, howling and kicking against the limitations of the world into which it was born. Conclusion To bring this paper to a close, I summarise the main points here: new media technologies have transformed news journalism and its production, at the same time are shaped and operated in news production process. This essay set out to examine the intertwining relationship between technology and journalism, consider it in both positive and negative side. In the first section, it produced some insights into how journalism is influenced by technology and answered the question of how technology are shaped and integrated in news production process. In an attempt to demonstrate this point, evidence was presented relating to the change in news-making activities of journalist in the era of the internet and blogs. Finally, the evidence presented in this paper suggested that technological changes have had diverse impact on the quality of journalism. In other words, technological innovations lead to improvement as well as deterioration of journalism performance and output.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Eugen Bleuler and Emil Kraepelin - Pioneers in the Study of Schizophren

Eugen Bleuler and Emil Kraepelin - Pioneers in the Study of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a complex syndrome characterized by cognitive and emotional dysfunctions including delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and inappropriate emotions. Since there is no cure to this disorder, clinicians rely on the DSM IV to differentiate between symptoms. The symptoms of the disorder can disrupt a person’s perception, thought, speech, and movement in almost every aspect of daily functions. Mental health clinicians distinguish between positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms. Positive symptoms include active manifestations of abnormal behavior, which hallucinations and delusions fall in. Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are alogia and avolition. Rambling speech, erratic behavior, and inappropriate affect are some of the symptoms that are outlined under the disorganized content. The foundations of schizophrenia lye within two noted psychologists by name of Eugen Bleuler and Emil Kraepelin. Emil Kraepelin first combined several symptoms of insanity that had previously been separated in its own distinct disorder. The first symptom of insanity is catatonia, which is an alternate immobility and excited agitation. Hebephrenia is the second symptom, which details silly immaturity and emotionality. The third symptom of insanity developed by Kraepelin is paranoia, defined as delusions of grandeur and persecution. All three are unified together by the term de...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Content Analysis of a Recent Film Compared

The film, Perfume, which directed by Tom Tykwer and released in 2006, was rated R because of its restricted scenes. Back to the 1930 to 1968 the United States, such a film like Perfume may have difficult in being released based on the Production Code. Production Code was an industry censorship guideline that governed most of United States motion picture. It has 3 General Principles which stated the films could not lower the audiences’ moral standards, should contain the correct standards of life and not be ridiculed.According to the Production Code, Perfume will have 3 main problems, Crimes against the Law, Sex and Costume. Perfume has a subtitle called the Story of A Murderer. Obviously, it describes a story of crime. However, in the film, there are so many directly bloody, crucial scenes about murder, which are violation of the first rule in Production Code, Crime against the Law. For example, at the beginning of the film, when the main character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille wa s a baby, he was sent to the orphanage.While other orphans wanted to suffocate him with a pillow in order to keep their own possession. In this scene, the director showed the whole process of killing, which is against the rule that indicates brutal killings are not to be presented in detail. As the same, there are also brutal scenes about the old woman being cut the throat as well as Jean’s mother and the scapegoat of the murder being hung to death. All these scenes are clearly projected without any editing. Besides the violation of the Production Code of Crime against the Law, there are also restricted scenes about Sex.For instance, one of these scenes is the birth of Jean. The director shot the whole process of the mother giving birth to Jean, even included her cutting umbilical. It must be against the rule of Sex that stated scenes of actual child birth, in fact or in silhouette, are never to be presented. What is more, in the end of the film, when Jean was about to be kil led in the square, he used his perfume to make onlookers excited and have sex with each other, even includes homosexual kiss.In order to make shaking visual effect, the director didn’t do any editing on this scene, which strongly offense the Production Code of Sex. Apart from Crime against the Law and Sex, what the film violated the Production Code most must be Costume. Perfume told a story about odor. The murderer, Jean, found the most beautiful scent came from the natural smell of virgin. So he killed 13 virgins and took off their clothes to purity their scent. After each murder, the girl’s corpus would be found naked.As a consequence, the violation of Costume can not be avoided. In the Production Code of Costume, it claimed that complete nudity is never permitted and undressing scenes should be avoided. Nevertheless, these scenes were all projected in Perfume. Moreover, the scene mentioned before about the group sex also conflict the Production Code of Costume. As a n R rated film, Perfume exactly contains various restricted scenes. Except the violations mentioned before, there are also scenes counter the Production Code.For example, Jean used a cat for experiment and put it into the distillation furnace, which can be considered as apparent cruelty to animal; as well as the violence and expletives. A movie like this apparently can not get PCA approval to be released. Nevertheless, the film can be played in theaters today without any cut and edit, even though it was rated R and could just be watched by portion of people. It witnessed that social standards of motion picture has changed a lot over time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

India and Pakistan: Most Different Systems

It is a cardinal truth that one of the most important factors in the political environment of the Asiatic region is the relationship between India and Pakistan. The system analysis with regard to India and Pakistan is a most interesting affair for an obvious reason. It shows how a people who had lived together for centuries can drift apart on communal question. Not only that, it also shows that due to differences in political culture the two states have, in spite of an equal start, chosen two divergent ways. As such, their fundamental differences have become clearly visible and practically speaking, it is very difficult, if not impossible to bridge the gulf. Particularly, their conflict has, in the meanwhile, turned this Asiatic region into a storm centre which may at any time trigger off a nuclear holocaust. Above all, this political tension has merged with global politics and, hence, the problem has become more acute. Before August 15, 1947, India was a unified state. The two dominions – India and Pakistan – came into being as separate states on that very day as a result of communal frenzy and blood-strained riots. It is a significant fact that the British rule was introduced in India by overthrowing the Muslim rulers and, hence, the Muslim community had a bitter hatred of the British. This hatred soon turned into an enmity with the western culture as well as their science and literature. But the Hindus accepted English and, thus, soon they were acquainted with the western culture and their thoughts – specially the concepts of liberty. As such, political consciousness grew up rapidly and in 1885, the Congress came into being as a national organization for political agitation. Though it was a secular entity and many Muslims joined it with a genuine eagerness, some Muslim leaders dubbed it as a Hindu organization and Sayid Ahmed, in particular, taught the Muslims that their interests were different and even at cross purposes. Thus, a counter movement came to the fore, swearing loyalty to the British. â€Å"The British also pulled strings behind the scene† (De, 103). In this way, the British authorities pursued the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy for its own interests and, thus, the gulf began to enlarge. With the British encouragement, the Muslim League was formed in 1906 for acting as a counterpoise for the Congress. Lord Dufferin, the Viceroy, once observed that ‘fifty millions of men were themselves a nation and a very powerful nation’. Similarly, Lord Salisbury, the Secretary of state for India announced that ‘it would be impossible for England to hand over the Indian Muslims to the tender mercies of hostile majority’. The British government was, thus, sowing the seeds of Pakistan more than half a century before it was actually born (Chopra, 16). But the elections of 1937 under the government of India Act hastened the crisis. While the Congress captured power in eight provinces, the league was totally disillusioned. The poor election results convinced Jinnah, the League-leader, that the only way to counteract the Congress was to inflame communal feelings among the Muslims (Sen, 263). Soon, in 1940, the League passed the Pakistan resolution for a separate state (Moon, 41). The rift soon reached the boiling point. The differences bitterly came up during the Cripps Mission and Cabinet Mission. Jinnah called for the ‘Direct Action Day’ on 16th August 1946 which resulted in a terrible blood bath. Soon an interim cabinet was formed – but it was torpedoed by the League Ministers (Bose, 135). It was, thus, realized that the two communities would not be able to live together – on August 15, 1947, two Dominions came up after a partition. Basic Differences Though both India and Pakistan had an equal start, the differences have become discernible which are discussed hereunder as follows: Political: Constitutional India has adopted a democratic system in which the actual power resides on the people. The central and provincial cabinets are, under Art 75 (2) and   Art 164 (1), responsible to the Lok Sabha and local Assembly respectively, which are composed by popular election. Moreover, Art 326 has granted the right to vote to each person irrespective of class, creed, religion etc. after reaching the age of 18. Thus, this is a dynamic representative democracy (Basu, 23). However, soon after the birth of Pakistan, it came under military dictatorship. Though on occasions, civil governments came to power, it is primarily a military system virtually from 1969 (Agarwal, 422). Foreign Policy: India has adopted the principal of non-alignment in its foreign policy when in the post war period most of the states joined either of the two power blocs, India, along with a few other nations, adopted the policy of equidistance from them. It means the independence of action. India’s foreign policy does not allow herself to follow a previously defined path. This independence of action enables India to judge each issue in its own merits and without any prejudice (Keswani, 512). But, in order to enlist American support on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan, soon after its birth, joined the American bloc. Pakistan sought artificial strength by her alliance with America and through SEATO and the Baghdad pact (Khanna, 78). But, curiously, after the Sino-Indian war of 1962 (when America came forward with its men, machines and money to save India from a probable Chinese destruction), Pakistan entered into a friendly treaty with China, a stalwart of communist camp. It means, unmistakably, that Pakistan has no consistency in its foreign policy. Most surprisingly, while Pakistan resorted to a friendly relation with America, it is also maintaining (at least reportedly) a positive relation with the Middle Eastern states – some of whom are even arch rivals of the United Sates. Its main consideration is enmity with India. Party System India had, initially, a ‘one party dominant system’ (Morris-Jones, 215). However, with its gradual eclipse, coalition politics has spread over the country. It obviously implies some alliances and compromises among the leaders of various parties for directing the political affairs. But, Pakistan is dominated not by the political leaders, but by the military Generals. One General has captured power by removing another through military coup. Thus, politics has been dominated there by militarism and an understanding between the Government and the Opposition has been a rare affair. Religious India has accepted the principle of secularism which implies governmental impartiality in religious affairs. Its Preamble has granted ‘liberty of thoughts, expressions, faith, beliefs and worship’. Moreover, Articles 25, 26, 27 and 28 have been the sheet anchor secularism (Johari, 394). Above all, by the 42nd amendment of 1976, it has inserted the term ‘Secular’ in the Preamble. Thus, religious tolerance is the basic feature of the Indian system. But, Pakistan is an Islamic country which has accepted Islam as the state religion. However, on the morning of July 13, 1947, Jinnah declared Minorities, to whichever community they may belong, will be safeguarded. Their religion, or faith or belief will be protected in every way possible. Their life and property will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with their freedom of worship. They will have their protection with regard to their religion, their faith, their life, their property, and their culture. They will be, in all respects, citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste or color, religion or creed. (qtd. in Kauba 89) However, being a typical Islamic state, Pakistan accepted Islam as the state-religion and, in most cases, knows no tolerance of other faiths. The laws are based on ‘Sheriyat’ which is claimed to be derived from the sacred Quran. In such states, ‘Ulemas’ and ‘Imams’ guide the social and religious life and a sharp discrimination exists between the Muslims and the other subjects living within the state. People belonging to other creeds such as the Christians, the Buddhists, and the Hindus etc. are looked down upon and seldom treated with dignity and honor. The public sectors hardly tolerate any of these creeds at higher designation in the organizational hierarchy. Moreover, the educational syllabus is over burdened with religious lessons instead of practical industrial requirements. Economic Economic systems of the two countries are quite different. India adopted a unique blend of the ideals of socialistic and capitalistic economies. Since the early 1950s it has been proceeding towards economies of development through Five Year Plans (Bhattacharya, 1). It is thus a planned economy with big private sectors. Since its globalization and liberalization policies of 1992, giant multinationals throughout the world has shown serious interest on the Indian market. Resultantly, India has emerged as the fastest growing and the fourth largest economy of the world (Paul, 215). However, Pakistan has adopted purely a capitalistic economy where planning has no place at all. Due to its religious intolerance, political disorders, and dictatorial environment the foreign companies are often too much hesitant to invest in that market. Natural Resources India is much richer in natural resources. It has a vast territory where different types of agricultural crops are produced and mineral resources are harvested. In comparison, Pakistan is surly poor. Rice and wheat are the main crops. It has some mineral wealth, textiles, jute and tea – (Clement, 64). Some Problems Problems Both India and Pakistan are disturbed by some acute problem. After the gradual erosion of the Congress, a multi – party chaos has gripped India and it has evoked political atmosphere. There are nearly 350 political parties and most of them are leased upon narrow opportunism. Naturally, the task of nation-building has been cast down by such trifling conflicts. Economically also, India is facing a crisis. In spite of planned endeavor for five decades, a gross disparity of income and wealth has been. Communalism is also a formidable problem. Hindu-Muslim conflict has become a common affair and there may be riots just for anything or nothing (Das, 400) In foreign affairs too, some problems seem to be insoluble. With America and China, two super-powers, its relationship is less than normal. Pakistan, its neighbor, is the worst enemy and, Bangladesh, for which it fought in 1971, has drifted far away. Pakistan is, similarly, disturbed with some crucial problems. The conflict between the Siyas and Sunnis often result in severe blow-birth. Moreover, some political parties often agitate against the autocratic Government and it ultimately results in awful bloodshed. But, above all, while there is a large-scale poverty, a considerable part of the national income is to be diverted to the war-preparation. In fact, the Government has to encourage a frenzied bellicosity in its relations with India in order to mobilize public support. In 1949, Pakistan was pushed back in Kashmir and in 1951, 1965 and 1971 it suffered a terrible defeat by India. So the Pak-rulers have been forced to adopt a war-economy, though the national poverty badly needs a peace-time growth-program. Nuclear Preparation   It is interesting to note that fear of war has compelled both India and Pakistan to enter into a race of armament. Thus, through a prolonged endeavor both of them have now become atomic power. But, it is well known that fear of war increases armament and increase of armament increases the fear of war. In this way, their rivalry has ushered in an era of permanent panic. If a war actually breaks out, it would be profitable to none, because the nuclear bombardment would surely bring about a total catastrophe for not only the belligerents but also for the entire region. For this reason, some sort of understanding is urgently necessary. Of course, Kashmir is the bone of contention between them and none is prepared to give up its claim over this strategic spot. But, unless some compromise is reached, the conflict of Kashmir might one day, obliterate the both of them from the global map. Conclusion But, by any means, they must find out a way towards the lasting peace. It is interesting to note that though Germany was divided into two parts after the Second World War. However, they have, after five decades, merged together. In this sense, India and Pakistan cannot, perhaps in the near future, mingle together in this way. But, for realistic reasons, they must come nearer and build up a workable relationship. Of course, Kashmir has stood up as the stumbling obstacle. But mutual war and conflicts can never bring about a peaceful solution. Only an understanding on the basis of ‘give and take’ policy can solve the problem which has thrice dragged them into armed conflict. Particularly, Pakistan must remember that it has no legal claim over Kashmir. Before the partition of undivided India, the Instrument of Accession offered the Princely states the right to join either of the two Dominions. The king of Kashmir (Hari Sing) duly signed a treaty with India for joining it. (Mahajan, 343). The portion of Kashmir (Pak occupied Kashmir) which is now under Pakistan’s control, was captured only by illegal infiltration by several terrorist groups. Hence, it is beyond any iota of doubt that history can go a long way in setting the problem to the right perspective. Works Cited Agarwal, R.G. Political Theory, Chandra Books, Allahabad, 1996, 422 Basu, D.D. Introduction to the Constitution of India, Prentice Hall, 1978, 23 Bhattacharya, D.C. India’s Five Year Plans, Joy Library, Calcutta, 1996, 1 Bose, N.S. Indian National Movement, Pharma K.L.M. Pvt. Ltd, 1974, 135 Chauba, K.L. India and Pakistan, Raj Kamal Publications, New Delhi, 1948, 49 Chopra, P.N. India’s Struggle for Freedom, Publications Division, 1984, 16 Das, H.H. India: Democratic Government and Politics, Himalaya Publications, New Delhi, 1991, 400 De, B. Freedom Struggle, Publications Division, New Delhi, 1992, 103 Johari, J.C. Indian Government and Politics, Vishal Publishing House, New Delhi, 394 Kauba, K.L. Inside Pakistan, Raj Kamal Publications, New Delhi, 1948, 89 Keswani, K.B. International Relations, Himalaya Publishing, Mumbai, 1996, 512 Khanna, V.H. Foreign policy of India, Vikas Publishing, Chennai, 1997, 78 Mahajan, V.D. The Constitution of India, Modern Books, New Delhi, 1979, 343 Moon, P. Divide and Quit, Modern Books, Mumbai, 41 Morris-Jones, W.H. Government and Politics of India, B.I. Publications, New Delhi, 1979, 215 Sen, S.N. History of Freedom Movement in India, New Age Publications, 1978, 263

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Crystals essays

Crystals essays What is a crystal? A crystal is a solid substance with definite geometric shapes and molecules that are arranged in a repeating pattern (Compton ¹s ). Crystals have fixed angles between its faces, which have distinct edges. If the faces of a crystal can reflect light, then it will sparkle (Stangle). Crystals have constant angles because of the regular arrangement of its particles. There are seven types of crystals: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, hexagonal, trigonal, monoclinic, and triclinic (Dr. Boyle). Crystals are classified by the shapes of their lattice or the  ³regular, periodic configuration of particles ² (American Heritage). There are two different types of lattices. There are primitive lattices where there is only one lattice point per unit cell. There are also non-primitive lattices. They are the ones with more than one lattice point per unit cell. Crystals can also be classified by their physical/chemical properties. There are four types of crystals classified this way. They are covalent, metallic, ionic, and molecular (Dr. Boyle). A covalent crystal is a crystal which is one big molecule. They usually have extremely high melting points. An example of a covalent crystal is a diamond and zinc sulfide (Dr.Boyle). Metallic crystals have high melting points and densities. They are metal atoms which sit on lattice sites while the outer electrons from these atoms flow freely around the lattice (Dr. Boyle). Ionic crystals are crystals where the individual atoms do not have covalent bonds among themselves. These atoms are held together by electrostatic forces. They are also very hard and have a relatively high melting point. Sodium chloride (NaCl, salt) is an example of an ionic crystal (Dr. Boyle). Molecular crystals are crystals where there are  ³recognizable molecules in the structure and the crystal is held together by non-covalnet interactions ² such as hydrogen bonding (Dr. Boyle). Sugar i...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay Example

Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay Example Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay Caribbean Governance the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis Essay ABSTRACT: The importance of an efficient and effective Caribbean in the delivery of economic and social development is a long-standing theme of development policy. This however has not always been the case and the result is a Caribbean repeating past mistakes and compromising in some cases the theme of the development strategy. Global recession has consistently tested the resolve of the Caribbean and to this end there is a need to address the factors that have consistently led to the economic decline of the island states. This paper examines the recent experience of the Commonwealth Caribbean in dealing with the current Global economic crisis with a particular focus on Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. It begins by examining the signs and the effect on each island. The paper then identifies five key issues that have emerged as factors contributing to and needing the attention of the heads in order to ameliorate against an occurrence in the future: regionalism, integration, transparency and governance are examined as being overarching themes the fundamental problems are dealt with individually within the essay. In each case the background to its contribution to the problem is given along with the solution to the problem. A history examining the recession as a new phenomenon and by extention unprecedented is assessed. The paper concludes by discussing one key dimension of the global economic crisis experience: globalisation and the importance of politics in promoting and sustaining a successful relationship with the rest of the world. The final section sums up the main points. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author (Jepter Lorde) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus or its Board of Directors and/or Board of Governors. It is a fact that the world economy is facing the worst financial crisis since the great depression. It can be argued the crisis is taking place at a time when Caribbean countries are grappling with over arching themes of structural adjustment, transparency and governance as well as globalisation, integration and regionalism issues indicating a Caribbean challenged. It is clear that these reoccurring themes are a reflection of the global economic situation and can threaten to reverse the few gains made by the region in recent years. The general consensus therefore is that the near unprecedented period of national recession currently being experienced in English and non English speaking Caribbean islands should be confronted with bold, swift and concerted actions to reduce the potential negative effects of the crisis on these developing states. ECLAC or The Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean clearly articulates five main channels of impact or signs that can serve as lead indicators to the crisis they are financial contagion, excessive external borrowing, and reduction in foreign direct investment, external demand reduction of goods and services, reduced workers’ remittances as well as changes in relative prices (particularly commodity prices). It is the position of this essay that the present situation is not unprecedented, this essay will seek to clearly identify the signs of the crisis and the corollary effects, as previously articulated by ECLAC, while at the same time outlining the factors that account for the exposure of the national state to this current state of affairs. Attention will be paid to three Caribbean islands where the issues are current and dynamic; they are Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. In order to clearly identify the signs of the crisis it would be intuitive at this time to contextualise the framework within which the essay is structured; the contributing key terms are global recession, crisis and unprecedented. Global recession is widely accepted and can only be confirmed if GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is negative for a period of two or more consecutive quarters, by extention a national recession can be defined using the same parameters and be the recipient of a knock on effect attributed to the Global situation (Willis Peterson 2002). A crisis is an end product, manifesting itself after showing signs the organs central to the operation of a system begin functioning erratically; in extreme cases they stop functioning entirely. The result, if the system is to be salvaged, is a slow and painful adjustment. (Barry Eichengreen 2002). External borrowing and the payment of interest rates is not new to the Caribbean and is described by Norman Girvan as being responsible for the single largest movement of money out of the region towards satisfying the myopic, parasitic appetite of an elite imperialist class. This movement has contributed to the perpetual cycle of poverty, dependency and the corollary criminality due to high debt servicing arrangements and the inability of Governments to invest in the social and welfare development of its people, Jamaica therefore is no stranger to this. The lack of good Governance however has lead to a further exacerbation of the condition. In examining good governance and the effect of external borrowing two items of note, the JLP win in 1981 coincided with the election of Ronald Reagan and the Neo-Liberal approach to global economic relations, an ideology the Edward Seaga administration was sympathetic to, the approach signalled not only a change in economic policy direction but also renewed contact between the government of Jamaica and the IMF (Davies 1996). Having articulated a new policy direction the expectation therefore would be a turnaround in the fortunes of the Jamaican economy-this was not to be. The record showed a slowdown in key production sectors of bauxite, agriculture and textiles – to put it bluntly the country was in a worst position than was the case with the former PNP administration after having received more than preferential terms under the JLP administration. One aspect of the relationship was clear; it could not continue (Davies 1996). Clive Thomas offers some insight to the situation, he makes an observation concerning the class relations in the Caribbean but the analysis in the Poor and the Powerless is collectively intuitive, salient and reflective of the relations taking place: â€Å"A fourth observation is that the petty bourgeoisie that presently controls state power is not a homogeneous group, but includes several fractions professionals, political administrative, state-economic, and private and although fractional conflict exists generally, in the absence of an entrenched ruling class, its self-interest leads it to develop closer relations with national private capital. Because of these considerations the state takes on the characteristic of being a state for itself, and in the absence of bourgeois democratic constitutional restraints, it can proceed rapidly to the institutionalization of all forms of corruption. This, we believe, is the central explanatory factor behind the rise of corruption, and the pattern which it has taken in the region, i. e. , it constitutes a means of facilitating the consolidation of an economic base and the enlargement of property held by this class. † The socioeconomic fallout from the association with the International Monetary Fund has stymied the development of the island and as undermined the limited gains made in the post independence era, is the current situation facing Jamaica unprecedented the answer is simply no. The year is 2009 and the incestuous relationship between aspects of the governing elite and unsavoury elements of the society has not so subtly festered to the surface. The JLP is once again in office and scandal of epic proportions has gripped the party with the arrest of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, drug lord, reputed strongman and ‘don’ to the JLP. Horace Campbell Professor of African American and Political studies at Syracuse University had this to say: â€Å"The arrest of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke in Kingston has reopened the issues of the use of thugs and gunmen to intimidate the poor in Caribbean. From Mexico to Guyana and from Brazil to Trinidad, gunmen and criminal elements integrated into the cocaine, guns, politics and banking business terrorise the poor and ensure that international capitalism thrives on the backs and bodies of the most oppressed. Dudus had inherited a criminal infrastructure from his father (also known as Jim Brown) that had been organised by politicians to coerce and intimidate the working poor. † The phenomenon of Garrison politics has been around since the 1970 in Jamaica, no doubt having the blessing of the political elite; it has however bought into sharp focus the inability of a Government to govern and to tackle the pressure of a Global and National recession in the face of excessive external borrowing and the filtering of Government funds to support an underworld dominated by gangsters and social parasites. Thirty years later Christopher Coke operates a state within a state funded by Government largesse, patron Clientilism and the sale of illegal drugs. It takes the action of a grand jury in the USA and pressure to be brought to bear on Jamaica’s political elite to expose the attempts made by Prime Minister Bruce Golding to prevent the extradition and his relationship with the Jamaican ‘Don’ by contracting the services of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips to lobby the US Government to discontinue extradition proceedings against ‘Dudus’. While grappling with this the country has found itself in the hands of the IMF to restructure the economy-a familiar refrain. Some seventy three died and prior to this latest embarrassment to the Caribbean hundreds if not thousands dispersed in 1980 in an attempt to settle differences between international capital, the local elite and the lumpenproletariat. Given the present state of affairs it would appear that many more will die but what is more alarming is their lack of knowledge of that fact. The Caribbean and its association to the metropole can be traced back to about five hundred years, from the inception the colonial states were established only to serve the hegemonic and self serving ambitions of a ruling class far removed from the economic deprivation visited upon the inhabitants of the Caribbean. The relationship was brutal and coercive and structured to extract the maximum by way of output while at the same time perpetuating and maintaining constant dependence on the metropole (Eric Williams 1970). Barbados, given its geographic location at the time, had become a victim of the economic structure and showed signs of this during the early stages of the national recession from 1991-1994. The country suffered reduction of foreign direct investment and external demand reduction for goods and services, led by the then DLP administration under the leadership of then Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine Sandiford. This structured economic isolation has its genesis not within the context of a dynamic global economic arena in which Barbados is a contributing player but from a system, long established by the former colonial masters, of Plantation Economy which posits that plantation slavery and specialization in export of primary commodities, in this instance Tourism, has marked the evolution of the societies in which it existed. The plantation economy theorist Lloyd Best explains, â€Å"The legacy of institutions, structures and behaviour patterns of the plantation system are so deeply entrenched that adjustment tends to take place as an adaptation within the bounds of the established framework† (Best 1968, p. 32). The Caribbean economist Norman Girvan contends that the transnational corporation (TNC) is an institution that exists within the â€Å"rules of the game† of the plantation economy. He points out that the historic continuity of foreign ownership, terminal stage of production, limited domestic linkages, repatriation of profits, and persistence of the incalculability of value flows with transfer pricing by TNCs are similar to slave plantation–metropole flows. The tourism product in Barbados resembles exactly the description advanced by Girvan. Undiversified for almost fifty years it depends solely on the England, USA and to a lesser extent Canada for annual tourist arrivals. Major players Hilton, Marriott, Sandy Lane and Four Seasons with the all inclusive package leave most if not all of the spend in the country of origin. Specialist areas within the culinary arts are held by foreign professionals with limited or no transferable skills to local workers. The results are unapologetic; with the fall in investment capital demand as a consequence shifts inward due to the exogenous shock resulting in reduced output in consumption and government spending. With this shortfall in potential output as opposed to actual output unemployment is the result with all of the social ill associated with it. Unprecedented therefore cannot describe the present occurrence because Barbados has experienced it before. The year is 2008 and the Barbados government led once again by the DLP administration has found itself in the unenviable position of managing an economy with reduced output, falling external demand for the mono crop tourism, increase in unemployment and marked increases in criminality as well as reduction in foreign direct investment. This situation has been highlighted by the inability of the country to restart the famed Four Seasons project; it is not difficult to understand the dynamics between International finance capital and local investment. With the impact of the world economic crisis tightening its grip flight of capital was seen as an understood result. The sector depends heavily on the foreign visitor who has stopped travelling, with reduced spend the sector is not seen as attractive by way of investment. The result is a contraction of the industry and the flight of the funds to the metropole of origin the past has once again repeated itself. It is no doubt therefore that civil assignments such as the Four Seasons project valued currently at US five hundred million has been on hold for two years, Merricks Beach Resort and Residence development project unable to secure the funding but also valued at some five hundred million US dollars and the long overdue Bridgetown to Hilton development project are all victims of the dependence on International finance capital and foreign direct investment. These projects are substantial and impact directly on the tourism sector the chief pillar of economic growth to the island. â€Å"It’s outrageous and insane, those crazy prices in Port of Spain†¦. It’s sad, and getting so bad, Oh Lord, capitalism gone mad. This was the cry of the Mighty Sparrow former Calypso King of Trinidad and Tobago in 1983. Prices were described as among the highest in the Caribbean. The latest style from the United States catches on with the unspoken assumption the rest of the Caribbean is be hind the times (Barry et al 1984). An editorial in an Antiguan paper sums up Trinidad at the time: â€Å"Port of Spain is a hustlers paradise, a fair ground with pirates at large, music booming, New York trinkets on the side walk, everybody on a hustle†¦Our diseased and destitute sprawled on the roadsides, our mad directing traffic or otherwise engaging with their demons and quoting the song ‘Capitalism gone mad. † Certainly not the paradise the Caribbean is known for however this clearly shows a Trinidad embracing the negative aspects of both a developed and underdeveloped world. A number of social ills to consider: increased criminality, alienation, decadence and as previously mentioned consumerism of the industrial metropole alongside perpetual poverty, social decay, economic dependence and foreign domination. This essentially summed up what Trinidad had become in the wake of a slump of global oil prices that had once catapulted the island ahead of its regional counterparts (Barry et al 1994). Trinidad had adopted a laid back approach to ownership only seeking tax dollars and production sharing contracts as the basis of relations with the TNC instead of direct ownership of the non renewable. Barry, Wood and Preusch describe the results: â€Å"The in rush of foreign exchange, as a result of petrodollars, into the economy has been largely wasted on lavish import bills rather than transformation of the economy. â€Å"There is no morality left,† wrote one Caribbean commentator. â€Å"It is now a free for all. The paramount value today is money. † The economic expansion ended as prices and demand for oil in global markets retreated. In1982, for the first time in eight years, the country suffered a trade deficit which totaled some two hundred million dollars. Put bluntly by the then Prime Minister George Chambers in the 1983 budget report, â€Å"The fete is over. The reality of a situation having its genesis in the global arena but with contributing factors locally saw the economy and most importantly people of Trinidad suffering then as they do now. The contributing factors are that of transparency and good governance on the part of the then Eric Williams admi nistration and an ethnic and class divide that is the result of the imposition of colonial domination has sought to divide and separate the groups (Harewood and Henry 1988, 1989). Once again another island state and once again precedence is set. The year is 2008 many in the Caribbean depend on the charity of friends and families to supplement incomes as well as to serve as a depository for the hard earned foreign currency. Trinidad and Tobago is no different; two major dynamics are being played out the first is the challenge for developing countries to create economic opportunities for trained nationals and second the marginalization of the said countries as a result of globalisation. The result has seen aging economies such as Canada and Europe attracting younger skilled labor from the Caribbean. For these reasons, it is certain that the phenomenon, that is remittances, will be with us for a long time. In Trinidad for example, these remittances have impacted the economy as they represent, although undocumented at some levels, a proportion of foreign exchange earnings, contributing to an improvement of the standard of living of many Trinidadians and Tobagonians, provide finance for balance of payments support, and aided economic growth and development of the economy (Solas 2001). The Inter American Development Bank has lauded the efforts of the Caribbean in this area, it is in fact one of the instances where the thrift of Caribbean people is put to sound economic use. The analysis does not end there, Solas goes on to make three telling summary observations: The profile of a typical recipient in the State mentioned, is lower to lower-middle income or unemployed persons, the frequency of the remittance also speaks to the vital role it plays. For many households, the remittance is the means by which the basic necessities are met and finally income from offshore investments and migrant capital repatriation are typically handled within the formal banking system which consist of finance and insurance services. If for any reason this process is disrupted for any length of time it could therefore have debilitating consequences for the sender, recipient and the economy. With the advent of CL Financial and a viral form of finance capital establishing itself throughout the Caribbean this option of investment has found favour with local as well as foreign Trinidadians hoping to create wealth within the Caribbean by way of remittances, in 2008 hopes of maintaining that discipline were dashed as CL Financial as well as subsidiaries CLICO and BAICO all declared some level of financial distress of varying proportions and the financial contagion once localized to the United States had arrived in the Caribbean. Norman Girvan Professor Emeritus University of the West Indies gives an analysis: â€Å"What we need to think about is the meaning of the facts that have been disclosed in the statement. What these facts tell us about the state of corporate governance in what was one of Caricom’s largest conglomerates and ‘star performers’ in engaging with globalisation. What they tell us about the gaps in regulation and supervision of financial institutions in individual country jurisdictions, and across Caricom as a whole. And what they tell us about the costs of these defects- in corporate governance and in government regulationto governments and to taxpayers. Trinidad has once again found itself in an undefined position and unable to act with the decisive and determined forcefulness needed to bring to heal the pervasive rot that has encircled the Caribbean, this time from within and compromising at the micro level the immediate well being of its citizens. On examining the iss ues class relations must be of importance as this once again has shown itself resilient and poignant with respect to an explanation of the results direction taken by the present administration led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar as opposed the decision taken by the then PNM led by Patrick Manning. Initially the PNM seen as a party representing the interest of the black community positioned a 100% payback on all monies deposited, this is however not the case with the present coalition UNC identified with the ethnic Indian population. The entire picture is very confused, which seems to be deliberate. The two investments made in this situation – firstly, the basic and traditional insurance products such as pensions; life, health and general insurance and secondly, the depositor who was seeking high returns. The pension products offered a 12% rate of return, but the short-term depositors were much higher. The current discussion and argument is actually about the repayment of the depositors, not the traditional insurance policyholders. The fate of the policyholders is often invoked by depositors arguing for the return of their own deposits and that is why the separation between the two, which Winston Dookeran Minister of Finance makes, is so important. To quote â€Å"†¦The number of traditional, long term policyholders affected by this crisis, covering pensions, life and health insurance, is around 225,000 persons and accounts for $6 billion in liabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That is an average of $26,666 per policyholder. Again – â€Å"†¦There are approximately 25,000 customers holding these short term contracts, and the liability to this group is in the region of $12 billion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That is an average of $480,000 per depositor. It is observed however, the voice of the traditional policyholders, who outnumber the depositors nine-to-one, is silent. But then again, it is clear that by far the greater liability lies with the depositors and further, that they appear, on average at least, to be owed about 18 times more than the typical policyholder. The question must be asked who composes the ordinary shareholder and the answer is intuitive it would be the black working class of Trinidad and Tobago who by assessment by Harewood and Henry dominate the class of citizen in Trinidad unable to own the factors of production, have available to them large tracts of cash and therefore could not invest in dubious short term annuities as depositors. Trinidadians who did not invest are faced with the idea of taxpayers’ funds being used to rescue those who placed bets on high-return deposits it by extention will not end there because if the financial sector is seen as dubious and questionable in its operation then small incremental investors will find alternatives thus impacting the industry overall and GDP. CL Financial chiefs and the depositors are being spared the consequences of their decisions by the bailout process. Afra Raymond concludes by making some telling points of identifying those groups as being differently treated from each other. â€Å"Duprey and his cohorts negotiated a Blank-Cheque Bailout at zero interest, without losing any of their assets. That deal is absolutely unique. Our taxpayers have effectively made a huge single loan (probably the largest in the Region’s history) to the wealthiest individual in the Region at Zero interest virtually every relevant professional body and Civic Society organisation has remained silent on this bold-faced attack on our Treasury. Nothing from the Accountants, Lawyers, Bankers, Economists, Trade Unionists or Religious bodies the one recent exception to this has been the call by the Trinidad Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) for investigations into the Angostura disaster. The CL Financial bailout has been cloaked in the robes of benevolence and stability, resulting in a situation which has minimized the floods of lawsuits which would have been confronting some of those responsible parties – Auditors, Attorneys, Company Directors and Officers In reality, the common-wealth of our entire society has been pledged to rescue a fortunate few. The CL Financial bailout is in urgent need of re-negotiation, to say the least, it wrong like a biscuit. † It is a refrain that has haunted the island state for many years and each ime the mistakes of the past are repeated the results are more debilitating, it is therefore necessary for the Caribbean to reassess the position and to chart a new way forward. It wil l be intuitive to examine what was done wrong and implement what can be done right. It is by no means an easy undertaking addressing the problems of the Caribbean these problems are complex and entrenched in the colonial relationship of the past, it is believed however that if the attempt is genuinely made by leaders in the region to engage five key areas of interest the effects of the present global recession and any future business cycle fluctuation can be managed and at the same time reducing the impact on the socially vulnerable groups. CARICOM can be described as the world’s second deepest regional integration scheme and as such set the framework for further structural development with the signing of the revised treaty of Chaguaramas creating the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). Its mandate sets out the free movement of goods, services, capital and certain categories of skilled labour. It also envisions harmonization and coordination of economic policy and eventually a single currency. While ambitions under the CSME are very high, the institutional structure remains minimal. To a greater extent, the CSME still operates in an intergovernmental framework and as such its relevance to a Caribbean faced with exogenous shocks, the likes of which has the ability to erode decades of hard won gains, should be called into question. The link between economic and political integration remains a contentious issue in a region where failed attempts at political unity still haunts the political landscape and where national sovereignty is guarded suspiciously. Decisions are still made by unanimous voting in both the Heads of Government Conference the highest decision making body- and the Council of Ministers. Even the newly created Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) lacks supranational authority in the form of direct effect of decisions. To date Barbados, Guyana and Antigua are signatories to the court but what is even more scandalous is the location of the court within the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago a non signatory and critic to its establishment. The devil therefore is in the details, the lack of commitment on the part of the leaders has left the Caribbean exposed. If the Caribbean had shown the maturity at the time of the West Indian Federation under the leadership of the then Grantley Adams the community would have been more than able to weather the global economic storm and mitigate against a rise in unemployment and foreign direct investment having forged closer ties under the banner of Integration and regionalism. The reasoning is intuitive; with free movement labour will gravitate to where there is effective demand thus alleviating the pressure where there is no effective demand. This is further buttressed by the industrial and merchant capital in the region being able to plan and invest in sectors in the Caribbean collectively thus spreading the risk and directing investment where it is most needed at preferential interest rates and sharing in the profits. The governance debate in the region is currently in abeyance. The lack of application of sound and consistent standards to the operation of the regions administrative business has prevented its ability to adapt to dynamic changes in the global economic environment. The belief therefore is that it should be revived, this time however in a manner which gives greater prominence to the development dimension and provides a broader interpretation of the elements of good governance (Payne and Sutton 2000). This will mean both more deliberative and purposive action by the state at the national and regional levels and more generally a reconsideration of the role of the state in the region. This brings into focus the Jamaica situation in handling the Coke affair. In so doing, the Commonwealth Caribbean must look beyond what Clive Thomas has described as the post colonial development state and the successor neo-liberal state (Thomas, 1998) to a new form of state with greater CSO involvement, a more supportive public sector and a wider vision, characteristics that are sadly lacking in a Caribbean that should know better given its colonial past and association with self serving hegemonic system. It must also be a more pro-active state, given the generally weak record of the private sector outside of a few enclaves in relatively few countries and the Trinidad and CLICO affair is bought into focus. The company was allowed to grow without regulatory control throughout the Caribbean; excuses were made from Trinidad to Barbados to Bahamas with the result being the disadvantage of the working class in the Caribbean. The key here is to build state capacity in state management and planning in addition to the delivery of more effective and efficient public services to its citizens. In short, the role played by the state in the process of governance is another matter that has to be rethought in every dimension if Commonwealth Caribbean development is to proceed. ( Payne and Sutton 2000) Globalisation is not a new problem to be solved and in as much as it is not new the solutions to the problem are just as illusive now as they were more than five hundred years ago. Indication of such a time line confirm that the Caribbean is in fact no stranger to the concept, the Caribbean has had a longer and more direct relationship with the modern economy than any other peripheral sections of the world. It must be noted that identifiable characteristics derive in large part from the extensity, intensity, velocity and impact of its interactions with the core countries of the world systems over the last five hundred years (Payne and Sutton, 2001: 11-20). It is therefore important that the concept is embraced and the extent to which the embrace is to be made articulated in clear and concise terms to the population. The debate and it must move from the realm of debate if it is to have meaningful impact on the way the Caribbean engages the rest of the world is the concept of Strategic Global Repositioning SGR a formula coined by Richard Bernal, Jamaican ambassador to the USA during most of the 1990s. He advanced this concept in a series of presentations from 1996 onwards, defining it as: a process of repositioning a country in the global economy and world affairs by implementing a strategic medium to long term plan formulated from continuous dialogue of the public service, private sector, academic community and the social sector. It involves proactive structural and institutional transformation (not adjustment) focussed on improvement and diversification of exports and international economic and political relations. Achieving SGR requires changes in both internal and external relations. (Bernal, 2000: 311). It required the following disparate and demanding actions: abandoning the traditional mind-set; diversifying exports; adjusting pro-actively; improving human resources; supplementing the skills pool with overseas nationals; developing strategic corporate alliances; creating a business-facilitating environment; improving physical infrastructure; modernising international marketing; and garnering capital, technology and skills (Bernal, 1996: 7-14). Although a vital role was obviously assigned to a dynamic private sector in this vision, SGR also envisaged an important redefinition of the capacity and purpose of the Caribbean state, with a view to making it more effective and generally bringing it into line with the good governance modalities of the PWC. The concept of SGR unquestionably struck a chord with mainstream Commonwealth Caribbean political leaders and was widely embraced, especially by Owen Arthur, the prime minister of Barbados, who gave it voice in a number of forceful speeches delivered in the latter part of the 1990s (Arthur, 1996; 1999). This lapse in economic prudence has left the island state with little option to attempt stabilization and hope that the global environment to which it is inextricably tied improves. In the preceding sections, the essay has had a long, critical look at the period of national recession, identifying the signs of the crisis and an analysis of the factors that might have caused the exposure of the national state. An important aspect of the discussion was the establishing the possible unprecedented nature of the crisis this was seen as important to give a historical land mark for discussion and a benchmark for future recommendations. These signs are not constrained exclusively to any one state and reflect the economic dynamic taking place at the particular time. ECLAC or the economic commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has been able to give a contextual framework by way of identifying the signs of the crisis and the overarching themes served as a bulkhead of both reasons for the crisis and possible solutions for the future. The essay to some extent has tried as well to draw a quantitative picture of the extent and nature of the crisis impact with reference to the research of Harewood and Davies and to a lesser extent Raymond. The signs as articulated by ECLAC begin with, the major findings from the existing literature nothing new to the Caribbean, the issues of financial contagion, excessive external borrowing, and reduction in foreign direct investment, external demand reduction of goods and services, reduced workers’ remittances as well as changes in relative prices (particularly commodity prices). First and foremost, in spite of differences in the vantage points chosen and the theoretical constructs utilised to explain these phenomenon interested observers generally grant that the underlying forces dictating progress in the Caribbean or lack thereof has had a strong element from within. Evidence was presented of failed IMF bailouts, ineffectual administrations, and questionable governance issues. It should be no surprise that academic within and without the Diaspora have raised their voices in opposition. In assessing the signs the positions taken by Davies and Thomas with respect of the class system brings into focus how Caribbean treat to each other and its contribution to the undermining of economic development. Where does the analysis lead by way of conclusion? The essay drew attention at the outset to the importance of Bernals argument about the Commonwealth Caribbeans need for strategic global repositioning, but argued that his formulation of this conception had not been given sufficient critical scrutiny within the region and thus remained underdeveloped intellectually and politically. We identified competitiveness, diplomacy and governance as the formative elements of SGR and have sought in this study to take the debate about SGR forward by working through in turn the key issues that arise in relation to these three policy agendas. They manifestly constitute the most pressing, and intractable, aspects of the Commonwealth Caribbeans current development problematic (Bernal 1996). They also feed off each other in a series of ways that have been repeatedly highlighted. : Eichengreen, Barry,. Financial Crises and What to Do about Them: New York, Oxford University Press, 2002. Peterson, L Willis,. Principles of Economics: IL 60430, Irwin Homewood, 199. Davies, Omar. 1986. The Debt problem in Jamaica: situation and solutions. Mona, Jamaica: University of the West Indies, Dept. of Economics. Thomas, Y Clive. The Poor and the Powerless: Economic Policy and Change in the Caribbean London: Latin America Bureau, 1988) Williams, Eric, Capitalism ; slavery: Chapel Hill, Univers ity of North Carolina Press, 1944. Best, Lloyd. , The mechanisms of plantation-type economies: outlines of a model off pure plantation economy, Social and Economic Studies 17 (3): 283-323. Barry et al. The Other Side of Paradise. New York: Grove Press, Inc 1984. Harewood Henry.. Inequality in a post-colonial society :Trinidad and Tobago, St. Augustine, Trinidad : Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of the West Indies. | | Payne and Sutton, Repositioning the Caribbean within Globalisation 2001: 11-20 Bernal, Richard. Strategic Global Repositioningand Future Economic Development in Jamaica, North-South Agenda Papers, no. 18, Dante B. Fascell North-South Center University of Miami. TITLE: â€Å"We are currently experiencing a near unprecedented period of national recession in almost every English Speaking Caribbean country. † Clearly identifying the signs of the crisis, what factors in your informed view account for the exposure of the national state to thi s current state of affairs? NAME: Jepter Y Lorde COURSE NAME: Caribbean Governance 1 COURSE NO. : GOVT 3017 INSTRUCTOR: Cynthia Barrow-Giles UNIVERSITY: University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. DATE: 1st November 2011.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Definition of Greenbacks

Definition of Greenbacks Greenbacks were the bills printed as paper currency by the United States government during the Civil War. They were given that name, of course, because the bills were printed with green ink. The printing of money by the government was seen as a wartime necessity prompted by the great costs of the conflict and it was a controversial choice. The objection to paper money was that it wasnt backed by precious metals, but rather by confidence in the issuing institution i.e. the federal government. (One version of origin of the name greenbacks is that people said the money was only backed by the green ink on the papers backs.) The first greenbacks were printed in 1862, after the passage of the Legal Tender Act, which President Abraham Lincoln signed into law on February 26, 1862. The law authorized the printing of $150 million in paper currency. A second Legal Tender Act, passed in 1863, authorized the issuing of another $300 million in greenbacks. The Civil War Prompted the Need for Money The outbreak of the Civil War created a massive financial crisis. The Lincoln administration began recruiting soldiers in 1861, and all the many thousands of troops had to be paid and equipped with weapons- everything from bullets to cannon to ironclad warships had to be built in northern factories. As most Americans did not expect the war to last very long, there didnt seem to be a pressing need to take drastic action. In 1861, Salmon Chase, the secretary of the treasury in Lincolns administration, issued bonds to pay for the war effort. But when a quick victory began to seem unlikely, other steps needed to be taken. In August 1861, after the Union defeat at the Battle of Bull Run and other disappointing engagements, Chase met with New York bankers and proposing issuing bonds to raise money. That still didnt solve the problem, and by the end of 1861 something drastic needed to be done. The idea of the federal government issuing paper money met with hard resistance. Some people feared, with good reason, that it would create a financial calamity. But after considerable debate, the Legal Tender Act made it through congress and became law. The Early Greenbacks Appeared in 1862 The new paper money, printed in 1862, was (to the surprise of many) not met with widespread disapproval. On the contrary, the new bills were seen as being more reliable than the previous paper money in circulation, which had typically been issued by local banks. Historians have noted that the acceptance of the greenbacks signaled a change in thinking. Instead of the value of money being linked to the financial health of individual banks, it was now linked to the concept of faith in the nation itself. So in a sense, having a common currency was something of a patriotic boost during the Civil War. The new one-dollar bill featured an engraving of the secretary of the treasury, Salmon Chase. An engraving of Alexander Hamilton appeared on denominations of two, five, and 50 dollars. President Abraham Lincolns image appeared on the ten-dollar bill. The use of green ink was dictated by practical considerations. It was believed that a dark green ink was less likely to fade and the green ink was supposedly harder to counterfeit. The Confederate Government Also Issued Paper Money The Confederate States of America, the government of the slave states which had seceded from the Union, also had severe financial problems. The Confederate government also began issuing paper money as well. Confederate money is often regarded as having been worthless because, after all, it was the money of the losing side in the war. The Confederate currency was further devalued because it was easy to counterfeit, however. As was typical during the Civil War, skilled workers and advanced machines tended to be in the North, and that was true of the engravers and high-quality printing presses needed to print currency. As the bills printed in the South tended to be of low quality, it was easier to make facsimiles of them. One Philadelphia printer and shopkeeper, Samuel Upham, produced a huge amount of fake Confederate bills, which he sold as novelties. Uphams fakes, indistinguishable from the genuine bills, were often purchased to be used on the cotton market, and thus found their way into circulation in the South. Greenbacks Were Successful Despite reservations about issuing them, the federal greenbacks were accepted. They became standard currency, and were even preferred in the South. The greenbacks solved the problem of financing the war and a new system of national banks also brought some stability to the nations finances. However, a controversy arose in the years following the Civil War as the federal government had promised to eventually convert the greenbacks into gold. In the 1870s a political party, the Greenback Party, formed around the campaign issue of keeping greenbacks in circulation. The feeling among some Americans, primarily farmers in the west, was that greenbacks provided a better financial system. On January 2, 1879 the government was to begin converting greenbacks, but few citizens showed up at institutions where they could redeem paper money for gold coins. Over time the paper currency had become, in the public mind, as good as gold. Incidentally, the money remained green into the 20th century partly for practical reasons. Green ink was widely available, stable, and not prone to fading but green bills seemed to mean stability to the public, so American paper money has remained green to this day.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Variable costing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Variable costing - Assignment Example Despite the various methods of pricing a firm based on its industry should select the most effective method to the firm. Costing is the main function in every firm, the rational being every firm exists in its industry with the main aim as profit making. References 8 VARIABLE COSTING Executive summary This is a report about a review of marginal costing as used in the managerial accounting system. Certain terminologies associated with the concept of marginal costing are identified in the report. The report also defines logically certain terms like variable costs, fixed costs, CVP and breakeven analysis as the key concepts. It goes ahead to prove the rational and marginal costing concepts as used in short term decision making. Being a costing technique, several assumptions such as division of cost element into fixed costs and variable costs, variable cost being considered directly proportional to the production volume, fixed costs being constant throughout the production levels and is b eing shared according to the volume of production per unit, cost is only influenced by the volume output, and at all levels, the selling price would remain unchanged, are associated with it. The report analysis gives logical evidences in manufacturing, hospitality and airline industries, as where the technique is used. Through appraisal and evaluation, it has been found to be the basis for product and service costing; hence, it is critical to identify its strengths and weaknesses (Maher, Lanen & Rehan, 2005). A recommendation has been made in this report for the marginal costing to be used in the three industries for a short term after its comparison with other alternative methods. Reconciliation of absorption and marginal costing methods has been recommended in order to cater for both short term and long term decisions. In summary, every firm is advised to use a costing method which is relevant to the firm’s decision. Introduction Variable costing is a managerial accounting concept, which according to Managerial Accounting by Ray H. Garrison, Eric W. Noreen, and Peter C. Brewer, is a costing method which has only a variable cost in the unit product cost. From its definition, Variable costs are the costs that vary with corresponding changes in the level of production. Thus, we can say variable costs are directly proportional to the volume of production. The technique is majorly for short term decision making instances rather than for outside purposes. Other methods of costing may include manufacturing cost that does not consider differentiating the costs into either fixed or variable costs (Drucker, 1999). In manufacturing cost, we consider the direct materials, direct labor and manufacturing overhead. Under this managerial accounting concept, a logical relationship between direct materials inventory and the expenses (direct labor and manufacturing overhead) incurred in the production of the end product which is delivered to the market for sale. In this case, the inventory does not fully absorb the firm’s costs. The method considers cost of goods sold to be made solely as a variable cost because it does not include fixed manufacturing overhead from the cost of inventory. Since fixed inventory is always expensed in the current period, it is normally treated as a periodic cost as the capitalizing cost which forms part of the inventory cost is often referred to as product cost (Maskell & Bargerly, 2003). When marginal costing is used to mean the cost of goods which only includes variable in its unit product cost, then variable costing may also be linked to this meaning. Variable costing

Friday, October 18, 2019

Changes in the European Euro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Changes in the European Euro - Essay Example The dollar advanced 0.2 percent on 11th February 2011 to 83.43 yen. The euro declined 0.1 percent to 113.06 yen. B. Identify two or more factors that might account for the changes in the value of the U.S. dollar with respect to the Euro. The US dollar rose as against most of the currencies as Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt stepped down and handed power to the military, stoking demand for the safety of U.S. assets. US dollar gained third week in line against euro. Euro was weak also due to the news of President of Germany’s central bank resigned. The US jobs data are unlikely to encourage the Federal Reserve to change its loose monetary policy, which would help buttress the dollar. There was not sign of increase in interest rate of the euro-zone nations by the ECB hence that took away the support of euro as against US dollar. Referring to ‘the economics of Foreign Exchange and the Balance of International trade’ chapter, the supply of dollars offered in exch ange for a foreign currency, such as the Euro, depends on the willingness of dollar holders to purchase Euro.

Handling customer complaints in hospitality Essay

Handling customer complaints in hospitality - Essay Example This essay examines the various ways through which resources and activities can be reconfigured to accommodate and reduce variability in the handling of customer complaints. CAPACITY The main structural features of hospitality have significant implications for the management of operations in the sector. These structural factors also influence the nature of operations in hospitality. The most important of these structural considerations are related to the effect of seasonality on demand for the hospitality industry (Hayes, 2011). Most activities that are attractive to tourists also play a significant role in leisure consumption at the local level are highly seasonal in terms of feasibility and entertainment. Take Skiing as an example, it plays a role in both tourism and leisure, and at the same time an activity confined to winter and as such localities and operations relating to the provision of facilities and services are time limited (Hill, 2012). Likewise, outdoor activities depend on warm weather such as water sports are limited to summer unless one is in the tropical and sub-tropical locations. Most of the time ‘the operational season’ can be exceedingly short in ‘extreme’ tourism destinations, lasting between six weeks to two months. During which time suppliers seek to maximize on profits from tourism activities to generate sufficient income to cover the full year (Sloan, 2009) However, these structural considerations extend beyond seasonality. Location and distance from key centers of population, while essentially geographical in nature, may lead to the impact of peripherals on hospitality provision (Barrows, 2009). Peripheral locations suffer poor communications and access, and incur competitive disadvantage associated with destinations that offer the same opportunities and facilities, but found closer to the main urban areas with near excellent transport points. For example, Island locations have been the subject of wide study due to the specific influence that insularity brings on the performance and nature of the hospitality sector. Maintaining operations in remote areas can bring in  a challenge in hospitality (Jones, 2002). SERVICESCAPE AND PROCESS DESIGN The business ownership within the hospitality industry can be termed as another operational consideration. The weighing scale between large, chain-owned multiples and small, independent operators in the hospitality industry outlines the way the industry operates and how businesses are shaped (Krajewski). In most parts of the developed world there is a trend of increasing multiple operation and ownership, either by means of various forms of management or franchise or a direct model. This enacts requirements and standards on the operational standards adopted in these businesses. In other destinations mainly in the developing world, hospitality operations experience substantial contrast between micro operations of local entrepreneurs and big multinati onal operations in terms of market activities food or souvenir. Some states in the developing world that have pushed forward the early stages of growth in hospitality based on multinational investment currently recognize the importance of micro businesses to the future sustainability of the hospitality industry (â€Å"Managing service quality†). In hospitality customer expectations vary considerably across the sector on the basis of the type of business, where it is located, and the price-value benefit that

Operations Management Workforce Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Management Workforce Planning - Essay Example This again will adversely affect the bottom line of the company. At a glance, it might appear very simple and rudimental to determine the actual manning complement for a certain operation however, a deeper scrutiny of the process will reveal the complexities involved such as the unpredictable fluctuation of demand vis--vis a fixed operating capacity comprised. The proponent used a simple accounting approach to determine and consolidate the cost component of each staffing plan. From here, the proponent tabulated the different data given in the case problem afterwhich, he proceeds in summing up the total cost per plan and simply compares each cost to know which alternative yields the least cost. Further to the quantitative analysis, which is actually just a comparison of the costs, the proponent attempts to account for the other effects of the different plans like employee morale, customer service and operations. The case problem requires the proponent to analyze three Workforce Planning model based on a given set of forecasted weekly demand, production rate per product and various costs like regular wage, overtime cost, hiring and firing cost. The problem further requires the proponent to evaluate each of these options based on other aspects of the business such as employee morale, operations and customer service. The setting of the problem is in Newmart International Manufacturing where three products are two be produced without incidents of run outs or back orders. IV. THE WORKFORCE PLANNING MODELS As mentioned in the case problem, the proposed Workforce Models to address the demand of the coming quarter are: 1) Level Workforce where the proponent simply hires the additional manpower required and keeps them all throughout the succeeding weeks; 2) Original Full-time Workforce plus over time does not engage in firing or hiring employees rather and 3) Adjusting the workforce depending on the requirement per week where the company is engaged in a weekly hiring and firing of employees. V. ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION Based on the tabulation shown below, it is clear that among the three options, the original 75 fulltime workers of the company are still sufficient in meeting with the forecasted demands. It is also inferred that employee morale and other organizational elements have been adversely affected by frequent hiring and firing. The proponent therefore suggests applying option B to address the requirement of the company. This option will not only yield the lowest cost, i.e., US$ 609,588 there is but more importantly, it will maintain, if not enhance employee morale, customer service and the overall performance of the business operation. Bibliography: Heizer, Jay and Render, Render. "Production and Operations Management".4th

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 122

Essay Example The third contrasting feature according to Berman was the culture. She states that the language is probably the same, except that a few words have a distinguishing accent. Berman goes ahead to add, ‘England for example has a rigid class culture that one does not violate without consequences’. This can be better explained that people in England observe culture more seriously as compared to people in America. The new culture that Berman was exposed to was different and by all means, she had to be well accustomed to it especially knowing that her grandmother was from England. Along with that, the sea side was different with the farm side due to the swimming experience that one was prone to endure while there. Back at the farm, there was no swimming experience in the form of leisure. According to Berman, the farm was hectic. She describes that they used to work extremely hard but little income. According to her statement, the work at the farm involved picking berries, feeding the pigs which apparently ate a lot and were still not adding kilos, the chicken that were there also did not lay eggs, the cows did not produce much milk so the income we got at the farm was quite low. Life at the sea side was quite different. There was not much work to be done that involved farm animals. Thus Berman presumed life at the sea side was more appealing as compared to the farm life. A comparison between the two environments is the existence of school children. According to Berman, â€Å"the sea and country will lose their prominence to the hustle and bustle of school†. This means that both the sea side life and farm side life have the similarity where school children are existent in both environments. Being born in the USA, I think is the best thing because everybody wants to come to the States to make their dreams come true. Well, I was born in the USA and I have lived there with my parents for close to seven years. After my

Ethics and corporate responsiblity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics and corporate responsiblity - Essay Example This is because, the subjection of employees to unpleasant working conditions serves to lower their morale, while at the same time exposing them to dangers, hazards and risks associated with the workplace, which in turn lowers the productivity of the workers, due to injuries, illnesses and intolerable working conditions. The Colberia’s indigenous population is subjected to intolerable working conditions, where the natives have to walk five (5) miles into and out of the jungle to harvest plants that are used in the manufacturing of the drugs by the CompCARE pharmacy, often carrying baskets that weigh up to fifty (50) pounds, when full, yet the indigenous workers are only paid $1 a day. The subjection of the indigenous population to such harsh working conditions, while still paying them the meager pay is unethical on the part of PharmaCARE. Further, the living conditions of the Colberia’s indigenous population is pathetic, while compared to the living standards of the PharmaCARE executives, with the natives living in primitive huts that have neither running water nor electricity. In contrast, the company’s executives live in a luxury compound that has luxurious facilities such as golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts. Similarly, the company’s rank-and-file workers are subjected to hazardous working conditions, where they are exposed to toxins and other pollutants that have affected their health drastically, causing most of them to fall ill and thus lose most of their productive working time to sick leaves. Further, the company has failed to take responsibility over the illness of the workers,and is instead threatening to sack the workers who have raised concern over the non-conducive working conditions they are exposed to. Thus, the PharmaCARE’s treatment of the Colberia’s indigenous population and its rank-and-file workers versus that of its executives is inequitable,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 122

Essay Example The third contrasting feature according to Berman was the culture. She states that the language is probably the same, except that a few words have a distinguishing accent. Berman goes ahead to add, ‘England for example has a rigid class culture that one does not violate without consequences’. This can be better explained that people in England observe culture more seriously as compared to people in America. The new culture that Berman was exposed to was different and by all means, she had to be well accustomed to it especially knowing that her grandmother was from England. Along with that, the sea side was different with the farm side due to the swimming experience that one was prone to endure while there. Back at the farm, there was no swimming experience in the form of leisure. According to Berman, the farm was hectic. She describes that they used to work extremely hard but little income. According to her statement, the work at the farm involved picking berries, feeding the pigs which apparently ate a lot and were still not adding kilos, the chicken that were there also did not lay eggs, the cows did not produce much milk so the income we got at the farm was quite low. Life at the sea side was quite different. There was not much work to be done that involved farm animals. Thus Berman presumed life at the sea side was more appealing as compared to the farm life. A comparison between the two environments is the existence of school children. According to Berman, â€Å"the sea and country will lose their prominence to the hustle and bustle of school†. This means that both the sea side life and farm side life have the similarity where school children are existent in both environments. Being born in the USA, I think is the best thing because everybody wants to come to the States to make their dreams come true. Well, I was born in the USA and I have lived there with my parents for close to seven years. After my

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Native Americans vs. African Americans Essay Example for Free

Native Americans vs. African Americans Essay In today’s society there are many people living in poverty. All across America there are different projects and reservations where the less fortunate reside. Statistics show that mostly minorities live in these different locations. Native Americans and African Americans are two of the more popular races living in these places. The group suffering the most in these situations is the youth. Although both Native American and African American children living on a reservation or in the projects experience a terrible community, have little to no faith, and a broken family structure, African American youth living in the projects have it worse than Native American children living on a reservation. First, one of the most common living situations for less fortunate African Americans is in the projects. A project is a public living environment that is government owned. Although these buildings are government owned they are far from nice looking. Most of the buildings have no windows, are run down, dirty, and old. The government’s main goal is to maintain affordable housing not to make them the best looking homes in town. The projects aren’t a good environment for a child to be raised. Throughout these neighborhoods different gangs can be found. These gangs are built to defend the different areas in the projects. The gangs bring major violence to the area and are one of the main causes of death. At a young age children join these gangs and are raised to be violent. Many of them decorate the buildings they are living in with graffiti expressing their gang colors, symbols, or motto. In contrast, while Native American youth also live in poor housing, the environment is safer than the projects. A reservation is an area set aside for a specific type of land use or activity, or for use by a particular group of people, mostly Native Americans. Similar to the projects, houses on a reservation are old, beat down, and dirty. The houses on a reservation are government owned as well. Although these two locations are very similar they also differ. The reservation is a safer place then the projects. On the reservation there is a couple cases of mild violence but they aren’t as severe as the violence in the projects. Therefore, the reservations environment is a better environment than the projects. Secondly, many of the young people have no faith growing up in the projects. A lot of them believe their only way out of the projects is to become a basketball or football player or to become a top selling rap artist. At as young as sixteen years of age most African American males end up in jail, deceased, or selling drugs. A lot of them are also lead to believe that if they don’t do what every other man on the streets is doing, then they won’t make it anywhere in life. On the reservation the kids believe their only way out is to become NBA players or â€Å"powwowers†. Powwower’s are traditional Native American cheerleaders or dancers. Much like the African Americans growing up in the projects, the life expectancy rate for those living on a reservation is in the mid forties. Considering that both of these locations are in the United States mid forties is very young of age. Many of these people don’t live very long because they don’t have enough money to take care of themselves as well as their families. They also aren’t able to live a healthy lifestyle which shortens their days. Death is common in the two locations which leaves these two young groups wondering what’s beyond the age forty. Lastly, family structure is very important in a household. In the projects many of the homes lack a very strong family structure. Children growing up in the projects nine times out of ten don’t have both parents in the home. Most of them are drug dealers, alcoholics, prostitutes, or doing any and everything to try and provide for the child. Although these parents are trying to provide for their children a lot of the time they are also on welfare. Moreover, these children’s parents aren’t ever around, they sometimes go days without having anything to eat. Many of the young men follow after the footsteps of their father, older brother, or uncles which is why this cycle has continued for so long. Native Americans typically stick together as a unit. According to Sherman Alexie, an award winning author who grew up on a reservation, â€Å"Native American children are taught to be suspicious of Caucasian people. † Native Americans teach this to their children because there are many people in America that are against minorities and believe that just because they are the majority they’re better. A lot of the parents on a reservation go from job to job not being able to keep one job for a long period of time. Many of these parents are also alcoholics. On the other hand, some of these families on these reservations are very family oriented unlike the African American families in the projects. These Native American families have up to seventeen family members living in one house. They keep their families very close and are very supportive of one another rather then being against each other like African Americans. The parents watch over their children to make sure they don’t go down the wrong path in life. Although these families are experiencing hard times they cheer each other up and manage to smile every once in a while. Therefore, the Native Americans family structure is stronger then African Americans. In conclusion, Native American youth living on a reservation have it better then African American youth living in the projects. Both of these minorities are going through some hardships. From alcoholic parents to not having anything to eat they both are suffering as young children. Native American families provide a safer living environment, work harder, and look after one another, where as African Americans are against one another, on the streets all day, and are strongly associated with violence. As the years go on these families are hoping that the government will separate people in the projects and those living on reservations and provide them both with a better living situation. If these environments are separated the United States will be one step closer to eliminating violence in America.