Argentina Business Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Argentina Business - Term Paper Example Most of the city’s population comprises of youth between the ages of 17 to 40 who form the majority of our target market in any environment because their high income levels produce high purchasing power (Brown, 1999). We note that the nation’s economy has a high nominal GDP per capita which provides for a high purchasing power of its citizens, which is suitable for our entrance into the market. Moreover, the nation boasts of the latest technology in infrastructure, in the world. The land, air and water transportation systems are well developed, even in the rural areas. This will enable safe and effective transportation of our exported vehicles to and within this nation. In addition, the country’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean presents an added advantage in transporting the exports to our customer(s). Argentina has some of the biggest and busiest ports and harbors in the world, these include Port of Mar del Plata, Port Belgrano and Port of San Antonio Oeste. All of these ports are located on the Atlantic Ocean, making shipping exports to the country our most effective option. Moreover, Buenos Aires serves as a key distribution hub for the South American continent thereby expanding our company’s market potential (Brown, 1999). Customs requirements in Argentina are different among different groups, such as citizens, diplomats and visitors. Seeing that our potential buyer is a resident of Argentina not only owns a national car dealership business, but Diplomatic Franchise as well; he is also involved in importing cars for his diplomatic clients. We should, therefore, meet the requirements of exporting diplomatic and conventional vehicles. Argentinian customs requirements for exportation of diplomatic vehicle maintain that any person importing diplomatic cars must be licensed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; I have confirmed our potential client’s registration with the ministry, so this will not be a hindrance in doing busines s with him. The ministry is also mandated with ensuring that all imported diplomatic vehicles are brand new or less than 5 years old. Argentinian laws also require that the vehicles and all its documentation should be under the importer’s name; therefore, we must ensure that all the documentation pertaining the vehicle's registration is done under our client’s name. The requirements further stipulate that the vehicles should be shipped into the country six months after the arrival of the importer; thus, we cannot export vehicles to the nation if our client is out of the country. Moreover, the Argentinean government requires that the importer owns an original passport and at least two original bills of lading; he should also possess the original vehicle(s) purchase invoice and have the property title registered in his name. Vehicle taxation in Argentina is based on the Cost Insurance and freight (CIF) values of the vehicles. The rates are 80% of the CIF for conventional vehicles, 100% for diesel cars and 65% for motorcycles. Importation of vehicles that do not have local equivalents in Argentina attracts quotas to limit importation and encourage purchasing of locally manufactured vehicles (Rock, 2001). On the other hand, the UK customs requireme

Modern Presidents and their Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Modern Presidents and their Policies - Essay Example As great a plan the New Deal seems to be, its' constitutionality was challenged in the Supreme Court. Initially, it was deemed unconstitutional. The role of the government is limited, to prevent it from becoming a totalitarian or dictatorship. Part of the limited powers includes that government's interference in businesses be as minimal as possible. However, the New Deal was a plan proposed in need to combat the Great Depression. It was when Roosevelt threatened to increase the number of Judges on the Supreme Court that the Supreme Court reversed its' decision and granted the New Deal constitutional. The New Deal had three components: direct relief, economic recovery, and financial reform (Keith, et al 289). The direct relief component was aimed toward the approximately one-third of the population that was hardest hit by the Great Depression. The economic recovery component was designed to restore and stabilize the economy overall. Lastly, the reform component was to bring about changes that would correct the instability of the market that was caused by the Depression. As part of the direct relief, many programs were created. ... Many of the major economists praised these work relief programs, calling them, "appropriate responses to the critical situation" (Keith, et al 658). The economic recovery can in part be seen in almost all aspects of the programs. The financial reform, however, was specific in programs such as the National Recovery Administration, the regulation of Wall Street, the Agricultural Adjustment Act farm programs, the insurance of bank deposits (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 1933) and the Wagner Act which encouraged labor unions (Keith, et al 658). Overall, the New Deal had successes and failures. For example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation reestablished the American faith in banks. The CWA, Civil Works Administration, had about four million workers, which of course was a great success. Some of the programs were even designed for minorities, like the Indian Reorganization Act which proved to have a positive outcome for the Native Americans. One of the best programs was probably the one designed for decreasing unemployment, known as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) (Keith, et al 709). The WPA provided work for approximately eight million Americans. Their projects included mostly construction and repairing of schools, hospitals, and the like. Aside from achieving programs dedicated to economic reforms, the New Deal passed a law, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 that banned child labor and set a minimum wage (Keith, et al 708). The New Deal did indeed have a lot of successes. However, there were a few limited failures as well. For instance, the Social Security Act was established to provide pensions for workers in old age, benefits to victims of industrial accident, unemployment

Paragraphing in Academic Writing Essay Example for Free

Paragraphing in Academic Writing Essay Although it often seems that paragraphs can take an infinite number of forms, there are really only a few formats for paragraphing in formal, academic prose. What makes paragraphs seem unique to the reader is the style of the writers prose, not the actual format of the information. There are four main types of paragraphs in academic prose: the standard paragraph, the explanatory paragraph, the evidential paragraph, and the introductory paragraph (whose format is sometimes mirrored in the conclusion). Note that the rules and formats described here apply to formal, academic prose, as opposed to paragraphing in newspapers, business, or electronic discourse. Each kind of writing has its own conventions, that is, rules and rhetorical strategies unique to a particular form of composition. In poetry, for example, line breaks contribute to the poems rhythm and overall message and mark the poem as a poem, not as another kind of writing. Conventions in paragraphing can vary from one kind of writing to another as well. In newspaper writing, paragraphs are one to three sentences because the narrow columns used in newspapers make even the shortest paragraph seem long. In electronic discourse, shorter paragraphs and more listing is used because it is more pleasing to the eyetaking advantage of the internets more visual features. A. Standard Paragraph Format Standard paragraphs are the most frequently used paragraph format and most of your essay paragraphs should follow this format. Standard paragraphs contain the following elements in order: 1. Most begin with a topic sentence that makes the main point to be discussed, analyzed, or argued within that paragraph. On very rare occasions, the paragraph may begin with a transition from the last paragraph, followed by the topic sentence for the new paragraph. Paragraphs do not begin with quotations or other kinds of evidence. Evidence must be introduced after the point of the paragraph is made and explained. 2. Following the topic sentence, there is an explanation and/or further development of the point proposed in the topic sentence that clarifies and expands on this point. This explanation adds to the readers understanding of the point. 3. Following the explanation or development of the point, the writer introduces evidence. Introducing evidence includes informing the reader who the information comes from and where (i.e. author and article or book title or foundation, etc.). Such an introduction is an important part of source documentation and helps the reader understand where the evidence portion of the paragraph begins and how the evidence is being used. It is literally a signal to the reader that you have stopped talking and your source has started talking. 4. Once introduced, you provide the actual proof or evidence. This may come in the form of supporting evidence like statistics or quotations or other kinds of softer evidence like anecdotes or eye-witness accounts. Evidence is presented primarily as a paraphrase or summary, with only an occasional pithy, apt quote. It is limited to a few lines, so that the primary focus of the paragraph is on the writers point. Evidence must also be cited properly once given, using parenthetical documentation. (See your textbook for more information on citation.) This parenthetical documentation provides additional, helpful information that pinpoints even more accurately where the evidence can be found and signals the reader that you are going to resume speaking on the topic. 5. After providing proof, you must always explain the meaning of the evidence and tie its meaning to the point you are making so that the reader understands it the way you understand it. Never let evidence stand on its own merit; it must be interpreted for the reader, in light of the point being made, so that the reader understands the meaning and relevance of it. Otherwise, the reader may see the evidence in a different light or be completely lost as to its significance. Thus, evidence must always be explained, even if it seems self-evident to you. Working out the explanation of the evidence is also a helpful check on your own insights. If you cant explain your evidence in light of your point, then it probably doesnt support the point you are making. 6. The paragraph closes with either a summation of the main point or some kind of transition to the next point. This reminds the reader of the argument in progress, its essential points, and the connection between points. B. Explanatory Paragraphs Explanatory paragraphs are used to allow the writer to expand on and explain particularly complex points before providing the reader with a lot of examples or evidence. In particular fields, like the sciences or philosophy, such paragraphs are common in writings that attempt to explain or analyze difficult ideas, theories, or concepts. An explanatory paragraph can also be used to summarize someone elses ideas or concepts that you plan to utilize in your own paper. Essay conclusions are often a kind of explanatory paragraphs because they summarize and reiterate the main ideas discussed in the paper. Explanatory paragraphs contain the following elements in order: 1. Begin with a topic sentence or a transition. 2. Following the topic sentence, there is an in-depth explanation without corroborating evidence, although if the explanation is of someone elses ideas, you must cite this person. 3. The paragraph closes with either a summation. C. Evidential Paragraphs Evidential paragraphs are sometimes used to allow the writer to provide more evidence for a particular point made in a standard paragraph. These paragraphs act as an extension of the point made in the previous paragraph by supplementing the points with further, important evidence. In some fields, like in psychology where individual case studies are often used, there are occasions when there will be several evidential paragraphs for each sub point since the amount of evidence gathered is important to the proving of the point. Evidential paragraphs contain the following elements in order: 1. Begin with a topic sentence or a transition that reiterates the main point of the previous paragraph to remind the reader of the point under consideration. Paragraphs do not begin with quotations or other kinds of evidence. 2. Next, the writer introduces the next piece of evidence for the point as outlined for standard academic paragraphs above. 3. Then the writer provides the actual proof or evidence, followed by the necessary documentation as outlined above. 4. Next, writer must again explain the meaning of the evidence as outlined previously. [Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 as needed to provide additional, corroborating evidence. To avoid unwieldy paragraphs, keep in mind that a paragraph must have a sense of unity and that usually academic paragraphs run about 1/2 a double-spaced page in length. Therefore, put like evidence together in a paragraph, but use separate evidential paragraphs for items that defy categorization or if you have an overwhelming amount of evidence that you feel must be presented.] 5. The paragraph closes with either a summation of the point and, perhaps some kind of transition to the next point. D. Introductory Paragraphs All essays contain some kind of introductory paragraph or paragraphs. Often, this is where we feel that we can be the most creative in our writing because there are so many ways to begin an essay. Introductory paragraphs usually begin with a hook to draw the reader into the paper and, most often, end with the overall thesis of the paper. Sometimes the thesis includes a forecast of the papers major points. The hook might be a pithy quote, a brief anecdote, or hypothetical situation. Hooks can also be overviews of the problem or of current research on the subject. When using a hook, keep in mind that it should be handled like evidence; thus, it must be clearly introduced, documented, and explained. And, like evidence, it should be pithyshort and to the point. You dont want the reader getting lost in the hook and never get to the point of the paper. In short papers, of 900-1200 words, introductions are usually one paragraph in length. In longer papers, they may run two to three paragraphs. In books, they could run to a whole chapter. Stereotypically, the academic conclusion is merely a repeat of the essays main points and overall thesis. A truly innovative conclusion may repeat the essential point, but suggest other avenues to pursue with the topicsuggesting your awareness that you are only one voice in an on-going discussion of the topic. E. Standard Paragraph Checklist Use the following checklist to analyze the format of your papers paragraphs. If a particular paragraph does not fit the standard format, re-evaluate it: does it at least fit the format of an explanatory, evidential, or introductory paragraph and is its format consistent with the purpose of the paragraph?

Emerging Market Firms vs Multinational Corporations

Emerging Market Firms vs Multinational Corporations A fresh breed of determined MNC is intensifying on the world, presenting both opportunities and challenges for conventional and well established multinationals. These new competitors hail from apparently unlikely places, emerging countries such as China, Russia, Brazil, India and even Indonesia and South Africa. They are vibrating the entire industries, from automobile and electronics to information technology and telecom services, and altering the systems of global competition. (Business Week, 2006, p. 42). 21st century has carried away with several new opportunities and challenges due to the events and improvements in the recent past. The impact of these developments is felt more on the developing countries as these rapidly progress in terms of financial and market growth therefore getting closer to the emerging markets. Developing countries such as China, India, Indonesia and Brazil play an important role in the world economy, entrepreneurs and corporate companies in these emerging markets are aiming to build a world class and internationalised firms. The main ambition of these Emerging Giants is to make the most of new opportunities and to be able to compete against international MNCs. So it is increasingly essential for the firms in emerging markets to get a clear understanding of these market opportunities and challenges to succeed in todays global economy. A clear picture of the current state affairs shows that though firms have been rigorously smacked by the economic crisis and t he drop in demand, the most of emerging firms have, so far, endured the test and prevented the collapse of their recently built international structures. However, there are a rising set of firms that appear to challenge these odds, and score stunning successes in their battles against MNCs. These firms, so called Emerging Giants, offer some imperative stuff in how emerging markets can craft endearing approaches. This report provides a general framework for developing world-class firms from emerging economies and the challenges and opportunities faced by these firms to become an Emerging Giants. Shock Opportunities faced by firms in emerging markets: Nowadays, many firms from emerging economies are making the world astonish and become very familiar. For the past two decades, waves of globalisation have removed protectionist hurdles in the emerging markets. A foreign competitive pressure started to flow through the world economy, from firms in emerging economies like India, China, Brazil and Russia. These firms are looking to become world class global players just as Tata Steel rose from India and Sony emerged from Japan in earlier stages of globalisation. Once these emerging economies entered themselves into the world economy, multinational enterprises from Europe, America, Korea, and Japan were assaulted. Many domestic firms lost the market share and forced to shed off their businesses. However, a few organisations battled hard and survived. They held their own businesses against the blitz, restructured their organisations, utilized new opportunities, and developed international companies that made their global rivals astonish and made them think. Challenges faced by emerging market firms: Whilst companies from the emerging economies continue with their expansion of international business, they are faced with an enduring issue are they capable to manage their accumulated assets economically on a global scale. Emerging firms are facing many challenges particularly due to inappropriate organizational structure, talent shortage, cultural differences, and lack experience in international business management. While facing specific challenges in various sectors and industries, emerging giants often come across common difficulties. One key issue about this dominance is that MNCs may use their supremacy and influence to interfere in the host governments finance, economic and political policies for their own growth (Harrison, Dalkiran, Elsey, 2000). The significant challenge for these emerging companies is to successfully compete with MNCs which have two fundamental advantages over emerging economy firms. First challenge is MNCs are well conventional, and hence have advantages of incumbency: Reputation, infrastructure, brand image, latest technology, organisational structure and access to vast resource funding, contacts, distribution network and supplier (Malchow Moller, N., Markusen, 2007). But firms from emerging markets do not have these advantages in order to compete against the multinationals. The worst part is that they come from economies that experience severe market breakdown. They lack the infrastructure and HRM that makes a multinational firm. With developed markets getting increasingly saturated, Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are trying to expand their business globally. Global businesses have enormously increasing due to fact that decreasing of barriers in the international trading. Because of this fact most of the multinational enterprises storming in to emerging economies in order take the advantage of the conditions and opportunities for future growth. Local consumers have a wider choice after the arrival of multinational corporations . As a result local firms from emerging markets are left with very fewer opportunities and the influx will restrict the emerging firms growth. When emerging economies open-up, local firms are forced to fight against MNCs with their poor economy and hence they cannot invest more in RD, advertising and marketing which are some of the essential aspects in order to compete with multinational enterprises. They are also in the back foot due to meagre infrastructure, supply and distribution network. Even while emerging companies are able to evade some of these obstacles and settle on a path of rapid development, they are hindered by the low domestic management talent group in their attempts t o develop a world class organisation. In theory, emerging firms can triumph over some of these barriers by accessing global markets for technology, finance and talent (Lipsey, 2002.). However, in prevailing conditions, different rigid and reputational obstacles often make this choice difficult to implement. Because of this reason, management in emerging economies are evidently worried about being thrown out in their domestic market by MNCs wh en their domestic markets provide space to global competition. Last 2 decades have seen a wave of countries opening up to the world economy; the challenge for potential emerging giants is more extreme than before. Competing against MNCs: Multinational firms from developed markets have an imperative advantage over emerging economies firms-access to the excellent organisational infrastructure. For example, U.K. MNCs have access to the British financial markets, which eases them to raise low-cost finance structures in great quantity. They have world-class talent available through a well-built white-collar labour market and also they could able to develop good quality products using Research development centres, marketing and advertising techniques. They are ahead of firms from developing countries with latest and advanced technologies developed by pioneering firms. Having all these advantages, wouldnt Firms from developed countries make use of business opportunities in emerging economies better than the emerging economy firms themselves? However, emerging market firms have a significant advantage over the firms from international companies. There are some reasons why firms from emerging economy can potentially turn the disadvantage of functioning in an emerging economy into an advantage, and may counteract the incumbency benefit of MNCs in terms of their technology, brand image and access to capital. First, sophisticated market MNCs looking to take advantage of business opportunities in developing markets are faced with some challenges that emerging market firms have to contend with. For example, firms from developed countries look to exploit professional talent in emerging market. However, the firm has to deal with the excellence uncertainty in the labour market, and learn ways to find skilled professional to serve global market needs. It also has to study to operate with poorly built infrastructure. Emerging economy manufacturers have a distinct advantage over foreign MNEs in dealing with local institutional voids for example-they have significant experience and cultural knowledge in dealing with these issues. In fact, MNCs managers, spent their years of experience with a well-built infrastructure, are often are unable to deal with institutional issues that make it difficult to access consistent market information, and/or configure business partnerships based on trustworthy con tracts. Emerging economies businesses, in contrast, have extensive knowledge of these institutional voids, and are able to manage them around through relaxed collective mechanisms and a deep knowledge with their environment. Second, MNCs are often hesitant to tailor their commodities and distribute them to each country that they function in. This is especially true for western MNCs with a very successful business in large sophisticated markets in Northern and Western Europe. For these firms, it is too expensive and big headache to alter their goods and services to suit distinctive behaviour just to make use of what they see as risky and small business prospects in emerging economies. Their cost structure is also an important factor because it will be difficult for them to manufacture goods at price which is optimal for emerging markets. Firms in emerging markets, in contrast, have advantage over these constraints.

Race Stereotyping Leads to the False Accusation of Kabuo Miyamoto Essay

Race Stereotyping Leads to the False Accusation of Kabuo Miyamoto David Guterson based his novel, Snow Falling On Cedars, during a racially charged time of history. This book takes place during the time period of 1940 to 1955. The setting of this novel is a small town, Amity Harbor, on the island of San Piedro. This is a small island, and Amity is the largest town on the entire island. This island is home to Japanese strawberry farmers and one-man gillnetting boats. This novel is based around the murder trial of Carl Heine Jr. The accused man is Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese gill-netter as well as a World War II veteran. By non-fiction facts, from historical documents, and fiction facts from the novel itself, Kabuo Miyamoto was accused solely because of his race. On December 7, 1941, aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. About half the United States fleet was at Pearl Harbor at the time. More than 2,400 American servicemen and civilians were killed. Another 1,200 were wounded. Eight battleships of the Pacific Fleet were damaged or sunk, though the fleet's aircraft carriers were at sea. Hundreds of aircraft were destroyed. The same day, or shortly thereafter, the Japanese launched attacks against Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Guam and Wake Island. Because of the swift advances of the Japanese military, many Americans concluded that an invasion, either of Hawaii or the West Coast, was inevitable. (Leitich 1) In February 1942, Lieutenant General John DeWitt, the commanding general of the Western Defense Command, which included California, Oregon and Washington, urged the evacuation of all Japanese American citi... ...anese decent then they are the ones that fought against and killed American soldiers during World War II. Many of the American’s of Japanese decent fought and died for the same country, the same cause, and the same humanity that the American soldiers did, but this was never looked at, never taken into consideration, and never respected. Works Cited Guterson, David. Snow Falling On Cedars. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. Internment Camps. Ed. 04/15/2001. . Japanese Internment. Ed. Lamb, Judith. St. Francis Xavier School. 04/5/2001. . Leitich, Greg H. Japanese American Legal History: Internment/Relocation. 04/17/2001. 04/5/2001 .

A shot by shot analysis of a major scene in Hitchcocks Notorious :: essays research papers

The 3rd Major Scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scene begins by fading in on the back of the silent man’s head (Cary Grant) in Alicia’s bungalow. Then the camera zooms out while sweeping right to give the first full shot and view of both of the main characters. They are shown seated at a table, with many empty bottles of liquor and glasses. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then a tight reverse over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face (Cary Grant) is next. Devlin then proclaims: â€Å"There's one more drink left apiece. Shame about the ice.† 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot but of Alicia’s face this time. Where she asks a question about what Devlin says. Devlin then answers her question about the ice when the shot is still on Alicia. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now the shot reverses again to a tight shot of Devlin’s face over Alicia’s shoulder. He then asks Alicia a question: â€Å"Why do you like that song?† 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the shot reveres again to an over Devlin’s shoulder shot tight on Alicia’s face. She begins to smile and laugh. Then Alicia gets suddenly serious and says: â€Å"There’s nothing like a good love song to give you a good laugh.† 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face where he answers Alicia’s question. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediately reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face, where she is shown yawning with her hand over her mouth. Then Alicia asks: â€Å"It’s too stuffy in here isn’t it?† Devlin answers while the shot remains the same. Alicia leans in towards Devlin and asks him another question: â€Å"What about †¦ we have a picnic?† 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot then reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face. He then answers her question with a question. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reveres again to a tight but brief over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face where she begins to stand up. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot changes to a full shot of Devlin and Alicia where she continues to stand. The camera follows them up as they now both fully rise, thus revealing more than just there faces in over 9 shots. Alicia states that they should go outside, while Devlin has a drink in hand. She then asks if Devlin is going to finish his drink. Devlin says that he is and takes down the rest of the drink leaving only a few drops, as Alicia gazes into his eyes. A shot by shot analysis of a major scene in Hitchcocks Notorious :: essays research papers The 3rd Major Scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scene begins by fading in on the back of the silent man’s head (Cary Grant) in Alicia’s bungalow. Then the camera zooms out while sweeping right to give the first full shot and view of both of the main characters. They are shown seated at a table, with many empty bottles of liquor and glasses. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then a tight reverse over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face (Cary Grant) is next. Devlin then proclaims: â€Å"There's one more drink left apiece. Shame about the ice.† 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot but of Alicia’s face this time. Where she asks a question about what Devlin says. Devlin then answers her question about the ice when the shot is still on Alicia. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now the shot reverses again to a tight shot of Devlin’s face over Alicia’s shoulder. He then asks Alicia a question: â€Å"Why do you like that song?† 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the shot reveres again to an over Devlin’s shoulder shot tight on Alicia’s face. She begins to smile and laugh. Then Alicia gets suddenly serious and says: â€Å"There’s nothing like a good love song to give you a good laugh.† 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face where he answers Alicia’s question. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediately reverses again to a tight over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face, where she is shown yawning with her hand over her mouth. Then Alicia asks: â€Å"It’s too stuffy in here isn’t it?† Devlin answers while the shot remains the same. Alicia leans in towards Devlin and asks him another question: â€Å"What about †¦ we have a picnic?† 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot then reverses again to another tight over the shoulder shot of Devlin’s face. He then answers her question with a question. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shot reveres again to a tight but brief over the shoulder shot of Alicia’s face where she begins to stand up. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next the shot changes to a full shot of Devlin and Alicia where she continues to stand. The camera follows them up as they now both fully rise, thus revealing more than just there faces in over 9 shots. Alicia states that they should go outside, while Devlin has a drink in hand. She then asks if Devlin is going to finish his drink. Devlin says that he is and takes down the rest of the drink leaving only a few drops, as Alicia gazes into his eyes.

Human Development Essay

Taking a look at the Human Development Index map of Africa, which can be seen on (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) on the web; it shows that many of Africa’s countries are very underdeveloped.7 One of the obvious reasons for why countries is Africa are underachieving is because of how poor is the strength of their economy compared to others. As it is well known, Africa is very rich in mineral resources as many other states rely upon their, possessing most of the known minerals types of the world. Africa’s economy is more reliant on agriculture than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. Secondly, the economic development of virtually all African nations has been hindered by inadequate transportation systems. Most countries rely on road networks that are composed largely of dirt roads, which become impassable during the rainy seasons. Road networks tend to link the interior of a country to the coast; few road systems link adjacent countries.9 To show how poor and how bad economy crisis is in Africa, one ought to take a look at their food crisis and the growing volume of food imports. Whereas Africa imported an average volume of 1.96 million metric tons of agricultural products in the years 1961-63, by 1980-82 this figure had risen to 11.2 million metric tons at an annual value of over $6.8 billion (over one-seventh of the total value of Africa’s imports in 1982).Owing to foreign exchange constraints, most African countries have had to rely increasingly on food aid to meet their imported food requirements.10 The commercial sectors of most African states rely heavily on one or a few export commodities. The bulk of trade occurs with industrialized nations, which require raw materials and sell industrial and consumer goods. Trade between African states is limited by the competitive, rather than complementary, nature of their products and by trade barriers, such as tariffs, and the diversity of currencies. Looking at the economy of Europe, a sharp contrast in strength and influence can visibly be seen. Europe has long been a world leader in economic activities. As the birthplace of modern science and of the Industrial Revolution, Europe acquired technological superiority over the rest of the world, which gave it unquestioned dominance in the 19th Century. An important impetus for growth since the mid-20th Century has been the formation of supranational organisations such as the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unlike Africa, Europe has highly developed transport systems, which are densest in the central part of the continent. Many countries in Europe use well maintained transportation systems to transport important goods such as water transport which plays a major role in the European economy. Almost all European countries maintain national airlines, and several, such as Air France, British Airways, Swissair, Germany, and Netherlands are major worldwide carriers.13 Looking at both economies and trade, it is unquestionably obvious that Europe conducts substantial international trade compared to Africa. For Europe, much of its trade is intra-continental, especially among members of the European Union, but also engages in large-scale trade with countries of other continents. Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands are among the world’s greatest trading nations. A large portion of European inter-continental trade involves the exporting of manufactured goods and the imp orting of raw materials. Europe’s agricultural sector is generally highly developed, especially in Western Europe. The agricultural sector in Europe is helped by the Common Agricultural Policy, which provides farmers with a minimal price for their products and subsidized their exports, which increases competitiveness for their products. This policy is highly controversial as it hampers free trade worldwide (protectionism sparks protectionism from other countries and trade blocs: the concept of trade wars) and is violating the concept of ‘fair trade’.15 Africa’s economy is more reliant on primary products (i.e, agricultural and mineral) than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. About three fifths of African farmers are subsistence farmers tilling small pots of land to feed their families, with only a minimal surplus that can be sold for other goods.16 However, there are significant number of large farms that grow cash crop such as coffee, cotton, cocoa, and rubber; these farms, normally operated by large corporations, cover tens of square kilometres and employ large number of labourers. Africa’s geography is unsuited to trade and thus hampers its economy. The centre of the continent, at least on the western side, is an almost impenetrable rainforest that greatly impedes the transit of people of goods. Some of the wealthiest parts of South Africa are blocked from the rest of Africa by the Kalahari Desert, while the Sahara creates an obvious barrier to trade. While Africa has a number of great river systems such as those of the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Zambezi, it is not nearly as well-linked rivers as are other areas such as Europe. Moreover, many of the rivers are blocked by rapids and cataracts that require vast development projects if they are to be bypassed. The wetness of the roads and tracks makes transport difficult and hazardous. In addition Africa is cut off from the sea to a greater extent than any other continent. To enforce even more problems to Africa; there is an increasing amount of desertification occurring in Africa where the deserts, especially the Sahara are becoming larger, enveloping area around them, leaving less space for land. This process is partly due to the deforestation of areas of forest; with no roots to hold soil in place, it blows away leaving an infertile desert. Europe has a well developed financial sector. Many European cities are financial centres with the City of London being the largest.19 The European financial sector is helped by the introduction of the euro as common currency. This has made it easier for European households and firms to invest in companies and deposit on banks in other European countries as exchange rate fluctuations are now non-existent in Europe. As mentioned above, Europe’s economy is superior to that of Africa, so what can Africa do to improve it’s economy or perhaps what can it take from the Europe economy as a model. Professor J A. van Ginkel held a conference on the ‘Knowledge and Development in Africa’; here he talked about ways to improve Africa’s economy however not only by getting the economic policies right.20 Prof van Ginkel mentions that there is now substantial evidence that institutional weakness in many African countries is a critical obstacle to economic performance.21 From the surveys he conducted on the obstacles to business in Africa it highlights the damage caused by: the unpredictability of changes in laws and policies, the unreliability of law enforcement, and the impact of corrupt bureaucracies.22 Unless governments eliminate these kinds of obstacles then it is unlikely that the economy whether it is just locally in certain parts of Africa or on a national front will flourish. An aspect of the Europe model that Africa can learn from is the aspect of knowledge. No commodity is more expensive than â€Å"knowledge†. An Africa without a sustainable, strong knowledge sector of its own will always remain in a dangerously dependent position. Research and training institutions on the continent can make a critical contribution in at least three ways: by making the most of existing indigenous knowledge; by accessing the vast reservoir of existing global knowledge, as well as the ongoing advances in understanding, and adapting them to suit specific local conditions; and by helping to find innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.23 In terms of human resources, it was highlighted in the ‘Seminars of Anticipation’ that African developments suffers from a tragic paradox: on the one hand, elites trained in Western world are too many (and most of them stay in the US or in the EU because they cannot find well-paid qualified positions in Af rica, or because their skills do not correspond to African needs); while on the other hand the well-trained intermediate executives required to manage a modern economy are cruelly missing in Africa (higher technical experts, management executives, civil administrators†¦). To conclude, this essay has looked the economies of both Europe and Africa and compared and contrast both of them. It has also provided information about both economies in terms of trade and finance. A brief history was provided which looked at the relationship between Europe and Africa and to the days of ‘colonisation’. Reasons as to why both regions are on different levels economically were provided to show how dominant and rich Europe was and how poor and underdeveloped Africa was. The Africa food crisis was mentioned to give an account of how poor Africa was against other regions. In addition ways that Africa can improve their economy thus bringing it more power and strength so that it can compete with other regions was provided, for example making sure Africa had the aqeduate education so that it learn. Many Africans move to the west so that they can have higher education which is not available in Africa and tend to stay there once they have completed their studies. This is detrimental to Africa’s development and thus a solution to the problem would be to support the creation of a complete curriculum. This would lead to a massive contribution to the development of vocational and technical education in Africa thus improving Africa’s economy. So as it can seen, the economies for both Europe and Africa are at this present time in contrast to each other but there is hope for Africa to become more dominant and influential in world affairs if the correct adjustments and policies are introduced to improve them. References Fawcett, L., & Hurrell, A., Regionalism in World Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995, pg 43  Ravenhill. J, Africa in economic crisis, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1986, pg 9  www.ciaonet.org/isa/rajo