Breast Cancer Information Essay Essay

Breast cancer is the malignant form of tumor that develops from the breast cells and is the most common form of cancer invasive in women worldwide. This is considered second in malignancy after skin cancer in women. It starts from the inner lining of the milk ducts and spreads to the surrounding tissue. Breast is composed of microscopic cells, which multiply in an orderly manner with older cells being replaced by new cells. Uncontrolled multiplication of cells in a progressive manner is the phenomenon in cancer. Milk duct is the most common spot for the cancer to begin and this form is also known as â€Å"ductal carcinoma. While most breast cancer cases occur in women, male breast cancer is also rarely present. Breast cancer has two forms: invasive and non-invasive. Invasive form of breast cancer is where the cancer cells reach the nearby tissue from inside the lobules. In such cases, cancer cells reach the lymph nodes and reach other organs through metastasis. Liver, lungs and bones may get affected. The cancer cells may even reach other body parts by traveling through bloodstream or lymphatic system. Non-invasive form of breast cancer is where the cancer cells are limited to the origin i.e. inside the lobules. It is usually the pre-cancerous stage where cancer cells haven’t actually spread outside the place of origin and are â€Å"in situ†. This over a period of time develops into invasive breast cancer. The type of breast cancer determines the treatment to be carried out in each case. For breast cancer to be diagnosed it is important that its symptoms be known. The signs of breast cancer that are evident to the patient include headache or pain. Sometimes a rash or swelling may develop. Symptoms are what the doctor can detect like thickening of the tissue in the woman’s breast. Presence of lumps is not a sure sign of cancer as lumps need not be cancerous every time. It is important to get a health check up done by professional in case of lumps. Here are some known signs and symptoms which women report before the detection of breast cancer and need be diagnosed for analysis: 1. Redness of skin 2. Lump formation in the breast 3. Pain in armpits or breast not during menstrual cycle but otherwise 4. Swelling in the armpits(lumps) 5. Nipples of breast turning sunken or inverted 6. Change in size and shape of breast 7. Rash present around the nipples 8. Thickened tissue of breast 9. Discharge which may be that of blood from the nipples 10. Peeling, scaling or flaking of skin of nipples or breast It must be noted that these symptoms are not confirmatory indicators of breast cancer but are only a possible sign of malignancy. It may rather be a cyst or infection that causes such symptoms. In cases where diagnosis gives positive results, further treatment and course of action needs to be started by the medical professional. Determination of cancer type and its grade and also if genetic mutation is responsible for it or if it is hormone receptive is to be done. Positive breast cancer determination gives rise to the need for determining whether the cancerous cells have spread to other organs, tissues or bones. Effective treatments can cure the cancer or prevent it from spreading further. Local or systematic treatment based on the size, nature and extent of tumor is carried out post diagnosis. Surgery and radiation are means of local treatment where cancer cells are tried to be destroyed without affecting the other body parts or remaining body. Breast-sparing lumpectomy or mastectomy in aggressive form where the entire breast may have to be removed can be done as a part of the surgery. Systematic treatments involve targeting of bloodstream in the entire body and are given through mouth to reach target cancer cells. Toxic drugs such as cyclophoshamide or methotrexate may be used in such treatments. Biological treatment is the most recent form where therapy is used to strengthen the immune system to fight the cancer cells and curb the growth of cancer cells which have protein in higher levels. Which treatment regimen is adopted for a patient depends upon the age, type and stage of cancer. Since women over 50 years of age are most likely to develop cancer, early diagnosis can prevent cancer from happening altogether in many cases. Breast cancer screening tests are recommended in women over 40 years of age which are tests done without the  presence of any symptom. Detection is done by self exams, check up by medical experts or clinical mammography. Women who have family history of cancer must undergo the early screening tests as they are at higher risk of developing the malignancy through genes. Although causes of breast cancer are not ascertained, there are many factors that can be considered for its likelihood in females. As age progresses, the risk of developing breast cancer grows. Genetics also play a major role. Breast cancer is more common in such women whose close relative had ovarian cancer. If a woman had developed the non-invasive problem ever in her life, she is quite likely to develop breast cancer again in lifetime. Breast lumps at some stage can turn into cancer later on. For women with dense breast tissues, the chance of developing breast cancer is always higher. It is very crucial that a breast cancer gets diagnosed for the treatment to begin. The doctors have wider range of options to begin and judge the patient’s progress and prevent metastasis from occurring. Staging of cancer, i.e. the extent to which cancer has evolved in patient’s body can be determined only after its diagnosis. Further survival rates are highly dependent upon the type, stage and location of cancer. Women can keep away breast cancer by eating healthy diet, drinking less alcohol and breastfeeding their children besides being physically active in their routines. Breast cancer can be managed through surgery or chemotherapy or both in case needed. Risk of reoccurrence is a prominent factor during treatment and thus prevention is always better than cure.

Blackmores Company

The company has many options in its bid to enter into China. The company has the option of using the resource-based view of strategy. This strategy has a coherence and integrative role that places it at a better position than other mechanisms of strategic decision making. This is in view of the fact that companies are not restrained only by imagination. They are limited by their own capabilities, by competition, by technology, and by the demands of their customers. The strategy of many businesses is usually concerned with the match between the internal capabilities of the company and its external environment (Peteraf 1993).The opportunity for the company to sustain competitive advantage in Shanghai will be made possible by its strengths and determined by its capabilities. The companywill use its distinctive capabilities as these are those which cannot be copied by competitors, or can only be replicated with great difficulty. This is even after these competitors realise the benefits w hich they yield for the originating company (Montgomery 1995). The distinctive capabilities that the company can use are varied.Government licences, statutory monopolies, or effective copyrights and patents are the company's distinctive capabilities that it will focus on. However, in light of the competition, it can use equally powerful idiosyncratic characteristics that it has built built in competitive markets. These include patterns of customer or supplier relationships, strong brands, and skills, routines and knowledge which are embedded in the company's teams (Montgomery 1995). The strength of the brand will be particularly be taken into consideration as this will strongly determine whether the products are accepted by the targeted clients or not.The issues of the diverse cultures of the Chinese people will be taken into consideration and it will also be ensured that the products are also branded in Chinese in addition to the English language (Montgomery 1995). Skills of employ ees will also be an important factor in entering the Chinese market. The company will recruit a considerable number of locals beforehand who are specialized on various levels from manufacturing to marketing. This will help it gain entry easily into the market and also penetrate the market faster.In this way, locals will not feel alienated to the company and its products (Shelby 2002). The company will identify its distinctive capabilities and then will surround these with a collection of reproducible capabilities, or complementary assets. This will enable the company to sell its distinctive capabilities in the China market in which it will operate (Day, and Montgomery 1999). The company will use its resources such as capital, equipment, the skills of individual employees, finances, patents and individual managers.Competitive advantage may not be achieved from individual resources. It is achieved through the synergistic integration and combination of sets of resources (Shelby, Morgan 2004). The company will also integrate the industry based strategy in the enty to the China market. The fundamental imperative of using the industry-based strategy will be to achieve competitive advantage, and therefore, superior financial performance. The company has been making good profits and this should serve as leverage as this indicates customer satisfaction with its products.The company will choose will have the option of modifying its structure or selecting one of the three generic strategies. It will also manage the activities of its value chain (Shelby 2002). In following the results in recent research in emerging economies which China is part of argues that an institution-based starategy will also be used by the company. This will be in line with view of international business strategy. The instituiton based strategy is positioned as one leg that helps sustain what is known as the â€Å"strategy tripod†. The the other two legs consisting of the resource and indus try based views (Peng, 2002).The company will concentrate on two areas of substantive importance when venturin into the Shnghai market. It will consider antidumping as an entry barrier. The company will ensure that its products, vitamin and mineral supplements are of quality and are not seen by the target China market as dumped products. this will aslo take care of the subsequent rejection of the company's products by consumers. It will look into the options of competing in and out of China as Shanhai being a big city can serve as a focal point for the company to market and sell its vitamin products (Peng, 2002).Using the institution based strategy , the company will also rely on grouping together of companies with similar interests, that is, those manufacturing and selling vitamin products. The company will will identify companoies whose work it is interested in and see if they can make a merger deal or a joint marketing deal. This could help the company in establishing itself in C hina by corporating with companies that already have cut a niche in the Chinese market. However, this is subject to the conditions of the market. The company intends to enter solo in the Chinese market.It will only consider the possibility of group marketing and mergers if the market is tough. This is not something that is anticipated as the company intends to market its products aggresively using experience form other country markets it has ventured into (Barney, 1997). Reference Barney J. 1997. Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management 17. Day, G. S. , and David B. Montgomery. 1999. Charting new directions for marketing. Journal of Marketing 63 (special issue): 3–13. Montgomery C. A. 1995. Of diamonds and rust In C. A Montgomery (ed) Resource Based and evolutionary theories of the Firm, Kluwes, Boston.Peng, W. M. 2002. Towards an Institution-Based View of Business Strategy. Asia Pacific Journal of Management. Volume 19, No. 2-3, 251-267. Pete raf M. A. 1993. The Cornerstones of Competitive Advantage: A Resource Based View Strategic Management Journal 14. Rumelt R. P. 1991. â€Å"Strategic Management & Economics† pages 5-29. Schendel D Strategic Management Journal, Vol 2. & Teece D. J. Shelby, D. H. 2002. Foundations of Marketing Theory; Toward a General Theory of Marketing. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Shelby, D. H. , Morgan, R. M. 2004. Review of Marketing Research. Volume 1, 155-205.

Acme Garage

The purpose of this report is to analyze the current structure of the system used by Acme Garage to maintain the stock, purchase, vendor and transaction details and provide the updated structure with new proposed solution. This new solution can help Acme Garage to implement a single point of contact for all kind of transaction instead of using manual books for maintain job details and access database for customer and vendor details. Acme Garage is using Job books to maintain the details for certain job with all parts details that are used in the job with the customer linked to this. Maintaining the historical data of these kind of job books is not easy. Maintaining the excel for stock is not a good idea with orders in a filing cabinet. We have provided the report with the details which are presented below:   Acme Garage is a car repair company that have 2 major section administrative and mechanics section. Kim is working in office and maintain all order, jobs, customer and stock data in different form i.e. database, excel and manual copies. Bill and ben works as mechanics in the garage and record the job data on paper with the parts used in job and labor charges. Key issues of the current system are as below: The current system is used by Kim who have understanding of computer as she used excel to maintain stock and customer and vendor access database to create, retrieve and update ,delete the data. It is easier to create the application that can use the existing customer and supplier data in backend and create new tables to store rest of data. In this we have provided the present system that will get used by Kim who will have complete understanding the PC as they will get used the excel sheet for maintaining the client and stock and access the vendor the database for accessing for deleting, updating, retrieving and creating.  Ã‚   After analyze the current system it observed that stock management process should be automate and customer and supplier database should be in a single database. Order data also be integrate with this system. Based on the new proposed system below are the ER Diagram, class diagram and DFD   Below is the class diagram which was created with the help of tables that were used in this project: Below is the updated DFD which was created with the new details of the class diagram and we have provided the relationship also:   Below is the modeling for the data that is based on the diagram of the ER and we have provided the relationship among both of them: As per the new proposed system I have identified below tables with their primary and foreign keys. Below I have provided all the table names and their data types with the foreign and primary keys:   Acme Garage needs to implement a new system to manage all transactions related to customer, supplier and job. Based on the requirements below are the functional and Non-functional requirements. Programming prerequisites determination sets up the premise for an understanding amongst clients and contractual workers or suppliers (in business sector driven undertakings, these parts might be played by the promoting and advancement divisions) on what the product item is to do and in addition what it is not anticipated that would do. Programming prerequisites particular allows a thorough appraisal of necessities before outline can start and lessens later overhaul. It ought to likewise give a reasonable premise to evaluating item costs, dangers, and calendars Functional Requirements: Most necessities definition concentrates for the most part on practical prerequisites, which are based upon the normal working of the item or framework to be made. Working regularly is compared with item/framework highlights for which you may have a menu or catch decision, for example, recognize a client, select a thing to arrange, and compute the sum due. Non-functional Requirements: Nonfunctional necessities allude to an entire slew (I've distinguished more than 30) of qualities including execution levels, security, and the different "ilities, for example, convenience, dependability, and accessibility. Constantly, prerequisites definers get wrapped up in how the item/framework is relied upon to work and dismiss these additional components. In the above we have provided both the requirements that are non-functional and functional those are used in the system.   The proposed business solution have captured the information of customer, supplier and JOB. The new system is designed in such a way that it would be able to cater below functions from UI. Below we have provided the details of the UI that can be used for the solution of the proposed business and also the reports that are used in the UI so that we will have all the details at one place.  Ã‚   The new system required some cost to be implement below is the cost calculations Total time required to implement is about 500 hours at a rate of 120$ so final cost will be 60000$. Project is viable as the cost can be recovered within a years’ time so that the project will delivered successful. Here, we have explained the feasibility and also the cost and time that are needed for the execution of the project. By looking at that we will have all the details which will used in the project.   This project can be implemented in 2 modes I choose to prefer 2 nd option to implement the solution so that KIM can access the system from anywhere and also customer and suppliers can also be access the system and setting the data and making and receiving the payment from online system. We have described about both the 2 modes in the above which can be used in the project. Further maintenance is required for the above proposed solution as this system runs over internet so below could be the maintenance requirements Acme is using manual data entry in excels and paper work with some data in database so chances of mistakes can be higher and duplicating the data is another major concerns. This new system help them in getting the correct and real time view of stock and help them in generating more revenue and interacting with suppliers and customer on daily basis. So, here we have provided the revised DFD and all the updated tables with their primary keys and types of data so that we can distinguish between older and new version. Looking for an answer 'who will do my essay for cheap',

Diversity among individuals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diversity among individuals - Assignment Example Nurses, patients, and other stakeholders play a fundamental role in both health promotion and health education. In light of this observation, it is important for these parties to embrace diversity and subsequently understand how diversity-related practices influence education. The aforementioned teaching principles, learning styles, and teaching methodologies aid in the understanding of critical issues in the health sector. In the process, these aspects make it possible for scholars to identify areas of education that make the highest difference in the society as far as health and education are concerned. Most importantly, teaching principles, learning styles, and teaching methodologies make it possible for education to target specific issues and problems that subsequently promote positive outcomes in both health promotion and disease prevention (Bensley & Brookins-Fisher, 2009). In a bid to overcome differing views, health care providers address disease prevention and health promotion from the community or local level upwards. Given that health concerns differ from one community to another, the idea is to have health care providers customize their approach to disease prevention and health promotion towards the community, local population, or the society they

Ethics in Digital Content Sharing Research Paper

Ethics in Digital Content Sharing - Research Paper Example The PIPA works the same as the SOPA; with its main function also being the blocking, the sites that sell copyright materials. The stop online piracy act and the Protect IP Act have however not been amended yet. The two bills gave rise to a new procedure to take down the sites; the site is only those that violate the laws The creative commons, on the other hand, is a nonprofit organization whose main aim is to enable the use and the sharing of knowledge and creativity through free legal tools. The creative commons offer copyright licenses that are easy to use; these licenses provide a standardized and a simple way to give the public the permission to share and use creative works. The licenses let one to change the default copyright terms easily to some rights reserved, this license enables one to modify the copyrights terms to the best desired terms. The creative terms aimed at realizing the potential of the internet fully giving a new era of growth development and productivity The SOPA and the PIPA faces many critiques with many opponents proposing the stoppage of the two, the main question to ask however before criticizing the bills is "is copyright infringement right? Doesnt it violate the ethics, the privacy, and the security of the digital content?" Looking at the aims of the bills, the two of them are important as they protect copyright infringement. The SOPA is more functional as it goes, as it requires the operators to show the sites that steal the U.S media properties (Schmitz, p.220) Since the infringement of copyrights is illegal in many of the states, then the bill are important. It is, however, beneficial to understand that piracy and the copyright infringement leads to job losses; this is because it deprives content creators of profits. The legislation of the two bills will revamp a broken system that does not prevent criminal behavior. The bills face, however, face a lot of critics

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

Supervision - Essay Example The third issue is that Barbara does not appear to appreciate the needs of special education students or the approaches which should be adopted vis--vis this particular group of learners. As regards the second, the issues are more directly related to Barbara's bilingualism and her relationship with the parents. Indeed, as may be deduced from the case study, rather than facilitate the development of a relationship between Sondra, the teacher, and the parents, Barbara quite effectively functions as an obstacle to the evolution of such a relation. In other words, the issues in this case are, in one way or another, directly related to Barbara's attitude towards, not just Sondra, but the teachers she had previously worked with. 2) It is difficult to categorically state that the identified issues could have been avoided but one may posit that their consequences could have been minimised had Sondra taken a firmer stand with Barbara.

The Duality of Human Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Duality of Human Nature - Essay Example The Duality of Human Nature So man’s fundamental nature must play a part in the duality of human nature. In the end, it comes down to the path an individual decides upon despite being influenced by society and man’s fundamental nature. The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a perfect example of the duality of human nature. Many people have pondered why some people give into their evil nature, and others give in to their good nature. A reader might have the same question about Dr. Jekyll. Why did Dr. Jekyll give in to Mr. Hyde? A Cherokee legend gives the best answer: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." The answer is clear; Dr. Jekyll fed Mr. Hyde more than he fed Dr. Jekyll. Every time Dr. Jekyll drank the potion, he fed his evil side, or Mr. Hyde. The first time he drank the potion, Dr. Jekyll felt â€Å"at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked†.

Physical Architecture Layer Design Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Physical Architecture Layer Design - Coursework Example It involves the plan for the hardware and software used in the system, security of the system, communication infrastructure and global support. It is at the physical layer architecture design that a decision on the type of physical architecture of the system is made. The architecture can be chosen from server-based, client-based or client –server architectures depending on the system to be designed. Architectural components The components of a physical layer can be widely grouped in two categories, mainly hardware and software (application). Hardware components may include the computers (clients and the servers) and the network used in the system while the software components comprise data storage, data access logic, application logic and presentation logic. Software components are as vital for the running of the system as the hardware.(Wixom, 12) Among its many functions are: data storage; achieved by documenting data in the CRC cards, presentation of the information to the u ser while accepting the user commands through the application logic and processing needed to access data like database queries through data access logic. The hardware components on the hand include the physical computers and the networks connecting the computers to form a distributed system. The computers can either be sever or client. Different arrangement of the computers gives different physical architectures. Physical architectures Physical architectures are composed of clients (I/O hardware used by user, PCs and terminals), servers (mainframes, minis or micros) and network (hardware and software to connect client to server) and are grouped in three categories namely client based, server based and client server based. (Denis, 2) In Server based architecture, the server performs all the four application functions presentation logic, data access logic, application logic and data storage. The client only need basic hardware like the monitor and keyboard to communicate with the serv er. Upgrading this type of architecture can be quite expensive beside the fact that the server can become overloaded since the server does everything which may result to system failure. (Kendall, 8) As opposed to Server based architecture, in Client based architecture the client does most of the work as the server just deals with data storage functions. All the logic resides in the client computer while data is stored in the server computer. All the data must travel over the network to the server for processing which may lead to a lot of network traffic. This type of architecture is simple to develop but hard to maintain. Client-server architecture is more preferable as compared to server and client based architecture since it balances processing between the client and the server unlike the two other architectures. It is the mostly used architecture in modern system among the three architectures. The client computer mainly deals with the presentation and application logics while dat a access and data storage logics are handled by the server computer. There are two or more tiers available for this architecture depending on the partitioning of the application logics. Scalability is one of the major advantages of client-server archi

UK Construction Law (Business lease and landlord breaching contract) Essay

UK Construction Law (Business lease and landlord breaching contract) - Essay Example The time of tenancy is certain and the lease can not be continued indefinitely. In your case, the length is fixed for a period of 15 years. At the end of that term, he would have had to yield up possession of the property to you. The only way that you can take possession of the house from your tenant before expiration of the lease period is by exercising your right of forfeiture. It entitles you to bring the lease to an end for the breach by the tenant of any of the covenants. Forfeiture in your case will be for Breach of Repair covenant by tenant. I am not yet informed whether the lease contained a break clause which would have entitled you and/or the tenant upon service of notice as provided for in the lease. The ‘put and keep’ clause in the lease which is a full repairing and insuring lease is termed a covenant i.e. an undertaking by your tenant to the effect that he will keep the property in good condition and carry out repair if there is some damage to the building. In your case, the external cladding of the building is damaged and it has not remained effective enough to keep the rainwater out, which is causing damage to other parts of the building. REMEDIES FOR LANDLORDS In general the following remedies are available to a landlord for breach of repair covenant by a tenant. He can claim damages for the beach of covenant. In this case, the damages would be equal to diminution in the value of his reversion. He can seek specific performance of the tenant’s obligation to repair as per the covenant. The court allowed specific performance in Rainbow Estates Ltd v Tokenhold [1999] Ch 64. But the tenant can avoid specific performance if he can prove your intention of dismantling the building He can seek forfeiture of the tenancy for breach of covenant to repair. The landlord has to follow the Procedure as under in order to exercise his right of forfeiture. (1) He has to prepare a Schedule of dilapidations in accordance with the following chart . Dilapidations are items of disrepair. These are caused by the tenant not following his covenant of keeping the property in good repair. Preparation of the schedule of dilapidations is necessary as it will be a piece of evidence in the action for possession of property to be filed in the court. In your case, the chart would be as follows Ref Location Defect Remedy Cost in ? 1.00 Roof 1.01 Leaking in some places Water proofing Water stains and mold towards the South Eastern side of the warehouse 2.00 External Cladding Damaged Will have to be replaced Total cost (2) He has to serve an interim schedule on the customer. (3) He has to serve notice under s 146 of the Law of Property Act, 1925. The instructions do not mention whether your lease provides for a period of notice dutring which the tenant can remedy the breach. In such circumstances, the said notice must be in writing and give the tenant reasonable time to repair. After the introduction and coming into effect of the Civil Proc edure Rules, however, its requirements are to be observed before the building is inspected and schedule for dilapidation is prepared. The Civil Procedure Rules provide guidelines for the conduct of parties in Part 56 Position of the tenant Before taking any action for breach in case of a tenancy for more than 7 years and more than three years remaining Leasehold Property (Repairs) Act 1938 applies to that tenancy. The landlord has to inform his tenant about his right to serve a counter notice. The minimum period of this notice is 28 days. The tenant has a

Ethics in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Ethics in Business - Essay Example This is sufficient reason for the company to sell the company. Since plastic industry is making losses it is ethical to sell the company to a company with other intension and in this case it is sold to Rooney who intends to introduce automation, and to replace all present employees. The employees should not be replaced but trained if not absorbed in the mother company. The company should be ready to take this short term costs that the yearly losses of $ 4 million. The matter of environmental conservation is of great concern. Since I have not read the report of chemical composition in our manufacturing firm. This is because it was written in foreign language. Though am aware of the contents of the report, it will be right for me to say no when questioned by a report. The reporter is a whistleblower to the nation asking me to provide information of the company, because the information will cause panic to the employees and the community members. This is because of the chemical that is feared to affect their lives. It is ethical before whistle blowing to be sure of the information and let the information be evaluated, tested and audited. The issue at hand should be declared by the management and not the individuals. This is because the individuals need to be protected and therefore need for confidentiality. My concern for the proposal is high. This is because the major competitor is from Japan. It is wise to use a local agent who is close to the politician to get the proposal. The agent must follow the law of agency by getting a 10% commission as agreed when he gets the proposal. The agent has violated the terms by asking extra $100000 and this is unethical. This is fraud because the request of the agent could be higher than the project and this is not acceptable .As a project manager I will try to explain to him to accept the initial offer so as to avoid fraud because it may collapse the project when it starts. I would review the terms for the agent and it

Generation Gap Essay Example for Free

Generation Gap Essay Generation gap can be defined as an opposed division between younger people and older ones. It can be perceived in cultural as well as political fields of society nowadays. Nevertheless, the differences may begin to be bridged in diverse ways within those main fields. On one hand, the existence of clear contrasts between generations as language, fashion and art values may be easily appreciated in the Media, even the streets with graffiti and all kind of artistic works. What are well known among youngsters are the wide variety of codes they are able to create and manage, like the linguistic codes; the clothes they choose to design and wear and even the music they play and listen to, which are changing constantly in order to make adult people feel away from their own matters. In addition, it seems that revolution is an irreplaceable subject kept alive by young people exclusively. What they think is that their ideas are the best ones for he Worlds welfare, especially in the political and social fields. On the other hand, this distance between generations has existed since Ancient times when the elder people ruled all the societies and they were respected and even worshipped in several cases like the Greek and Romans civilizations. It seems that at present times, old people are sent to places of retirement and it may difficult and in the worst situation, impossible to participate in society decisions at all. Nevertheless, what Globalization cannot change nowadays are values. They have never been altered like love, solidarity, wisdom and common sense and they would be thought as bridges between distant generations. In conclusion, the generation gap may produce some misunderstandings in numerous senses whereas it will exist as part of evolution of human beings. However, it would seem to be a challenge to create new bridges to connect both sides through common cultural and political devices.

The West, Middle East And Orientalism Essay Example for Free

The West, Middle East And Orientalism Essay The Middle East has become a focal point in the last fifty years because of concerns regarding the regions role in economics, international security and politics. There is urgency in developing peace and development for the region: its position in the world’s oil markets and its role as gateway between Europe and Asia are critical reasons for the interest. There has been an exhaustive amount of literature aiming to analyze and develop solutions for the region developing a consensus to what has to be done has proven to be difficult and even if accomplished, implementation has been problematic. One point of suggests that the difficulty in the region stems from cultural reasons. Orientalists contend that the culture of the people in the Middle East which is predominantly Islamic is one of the reasons for the developing conflicts. The purpose of this paper is to survey existing views on this perspective and to assess the validity of the arguments presented. In doing so, the paper will be able to define how culture affects the peace, order and development in the Middle East based on historical and current studies of the region. Perspectives of Orientalism The term orientalism was coined to delineate the geographical divide between the Europe and the Americas with Asia. This reflects the more recent use of the â€Å"west† to refer to the occident and â€Å"east† to refer to the orient particularly during the colonial expansion in the 20th century. Though the term was originally developed as a geographical term, the more significant application is in its use to imply a cultural divide that in turn is the core of conflicts held against the â€Å"west†. In Cole’s review of Bernard Lewis What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response, he cites that Lewis uses orientalism to characterize and develop his insights regarding the Middle East’s situation . Lewis uses the west as a standard to define what is wrong with the policies in the region. The approach is not just used to assess the current state of affairs in the region but reaches back historically with the study of the Ottoman Empire versus Central and Western Europe. According to Ismael Hossein-Zadeh, orientalist perspectives have had resurgence after the September 11th attacks. He considers that development an effort to understand the reasons behind the tragedy and at the same time an effort to develop the protagonists and antagonists of what was to be the war against terrorism. In this light, the Middle East and Afghanistan were modeled according to their difference with the Allies and the most distinct difference being the culture of the region . Stefan Lovgren reflects that this view of the Middle East is steeped and history as evidenced as far back by the Crusades . Ideologically, there are significant similarities: in the middle ages, the focus was to deliver the region from the domination of Arabs of Christendom’s birthplace and today, the objective to liberate the region from the supporters of terrorism. Evaluating Orientalism In Edward W. Said’s review of Samuel Huntingtons article The Clash of Civilizations he criticizes the War of the Worlds scenario presentation of the cultural and religious conflicts . Huntingtons approach is distinctively orientalist because of his use of cultural or civilizations to illustrate his theories. Said’s view is that Huntington is only â€Å"reinforcing defensive self-pride than for critical understanding of the bewildering interdependence of our time† . One of the key difficulties in orientalism is that there seems to be too much focus on superficial differences. This is not to imply that cultural differences have to be considered but rather, there is little historical perspective given to the economic, political and strategic factors. For example, Nanda Shrestha and Kenneth Gray reflect that the current conflicts between the West and the Middle East and all other conflict in recent history belie a two hundred years of good relations in terms . Using an orientalist approach, one culture or group is evaluated based on what is considered a more superior culture. In such a scenario, one group ultimately is considered to be superior to another thus its use as a standard. This then leads to conflict because either of the perception that a culture is being judged as inferior or because of the action on enforcing judgment or the will of the â€Å"superior† nation to the other in what is seen as in consideration of the interest of the other. It should be noted that this is not the motive of orientalism but is often used as the justification of extraterritorial action not just in the Middle East but the rest of the world as well. Conflict and Orientalism Cole points out that one of the difficulties in orientalism is that it tends to lumps together issues and then gives it a cultural or ethnic label that rarely represents all the individuals involved in the issue. According to him, when the terms Middle East is used the connotation is of Islamic insurgency which does not represent the majority of the countries in the region in either religion or sentiment . Bernard Lewis considers the current points out that this has lead for Moslems to fell that they are being persecuted and has led to resentment and mistrust of the west, particularly the United States . The cycle then continues on with Middle Eastern leaning towards orientalist views in dealing with other countries. Which, to be expected only further encourages conflict and misunderstanding among the parties involved. In Shrestha and Gray’s evaluation of Huntingtons article clash of civilization theory is that it should be considered as an â€Å"ideological work underpinning a neoconservative agenda for a global American Empire than a work of scholarship or accurate representation of historical reality† . Evaluating the Conflicts Lewis suggests that the evaluation of the conflicts should not focus so much on the disparities suggested by orientalist but rather on the competition because of common interests in terms of economy, politics and security . His view is supported by Lovgren whose study of the city of Jerusalem, one of the most contested cities in history and a goof microcosm of the region, reflect that history has shown that various cultures and civilization have co-existed well enough. He cites that most conflict has developed from territorial, economic and political disputes rather than from cultural differences . Furthermore, Kunihiko Imai that there has been greater tension not only in the Middle East but in the world as a whole because of greater exposure and interdependence among nations . Common stakes and conflicting interests are considered as one of the main causes of conflict. The discrepancies between the developed and lesser developed countries is creating tension and brings to the surface questions regarding the fairness of today’s global economics and politics . At the same time, J. J. Nance points out that there is also realization that issues like terrorism are global issues that have gained the attention of the international community that may not necessarily be in the interest of some country’s sovereignty . Nance uses as an example the aviation industry which has been among the hardest hit after the September 11th attacks: the aviation industry is typically one the highest grossing industries of any country, generating billions of dollars in tax revenue. Educator Henry A.  Giroux also points out that the conflicts that develop can also be attributed to the lack of cultural literacy which is the development of context and understanding of other cultures which has created â€Å"politics of difference† that gives little margin for real communication . Hossein-Zadeh supports this view: he believes that there has been little effort in addressing the root of the conflicts and religion and culture are used as a convenient scapegoat for the conflicts . There is no denying the impact of culture and civilization. It affects all aspects of society, creating the dimensions and forces that shape individuals . Orientalists’ perspectives have merit in that societies have their own motivations and capacities that either allows them to become more developed than another. However, considering communication and technology today which has created unprecedented channels for global interaction the distinction of what the West and Middle East encompasses is becoming blurred. As much as one would want to consider the Middle East as a far off and alien region to the West, the irony is that most recent leaders of the region have been educated in the West . Conclusion It is easy, if not convenient, to use cultural or regional characterizations to explain conflicts but this provides little option for the creation of satisfactory solutions. The real albeit more difficult issues to deal is whether there is fairness in economic policies; whether there is basis of foreign military presence; whether there is religious, racial and social discrimination; whether there tolerance for differences; and whether issues are not being misconstrued because of differences in perspective or objectives. There is little consideration of the underlying issues that was created the existing status quo and leaves too much to speculation and assumption. Therefore, any attempt to tackle with the issues in the Middle East must not be limited to this perspective and if used, should not consider it as indicative for the region. In conclusion, issues can not be fully assessed and solution can not be fully developed from orientalist perspectives alone. These perspectives consider only a snapshot of the issues that have to be dealt with. Reference http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/533230/posts http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1028_041028_jerusalem_conflict.html

Human resource Management in International Expansion

Human resource Management in International Expansion In todays global environment when expanding a business in to another country IHRM would play a handle new key role. There can be identified very clear 6 differences between domestic and international HRM. They are more HR activities, need for broader perspectives, the more involve with employees personal life, risk exposure, broader external influence, changes in emphasis as work force mix of expatriates and locals. IHRM is concern with staffing policies, recruitment and selection, remuneration, motivation, training and development, performance appraisals, promotion, retirement, redundancy and lay off, industrial relations and foreign assignments. Expatriates are the employees who is working and temporarily residing in a foreign country. They could be PCNs, TCNs or HCNs. Due to the development of technologies such as telecommunication, satellite and computer technology and lower cost in going business globally has made the IHRM much more important and easy to manage when compared to the last to few decades. For any organization that have global operations all around the world IHRM would play a Key factor for the company success. Session 2 When a organization do business internationally, understanding the cultural deferences among the countries is very essential to be successful in the long run. This is because operations starting in another country, if there are huge cultural difference among the parent and the subsidiary companies would face varies implications. According to the Hofsteds there are 5 cultural damnations. Power distance This is the extent to which power is distributed unequally among the employees in between the higher positions and the lower positions. Eg India is a high power distance culture (even have a cast system) and USA is a lower power distance culture. Individualism vs collectivisms In a individualistic country people would priorities them self ( USA) where as collectivism country people would priorities group needs. Uncertainty avoidance People would try to minimize risk they face in a situation ( avoiding paralysis through analysis ) usually countries with long history and traditions have a high uncertainty avoidance. Countries such as USA well come higher risks. Masculinity/femininity Masculine- tough value dominant Eg; success, money, satiates, competition Feminine- tender values dominant such as personal relationships, care for others, quality of life etc. When we take Sri Lanka for a example I think we have feminine culture even though have many masculinity futures. The best example for this is during the tsunami situation whole county get together to help the tsunami victims within ours. Cross-cultural communication Similarly, among various countries cross-cultural communication is very necessary so that they can understand each others through religion, culture, art, literature, foreign policies, fiscal polices, etc. such type of bridges of understanding will help to lessen and minimize the gap between two culture. Thirukkural, a noted tamil poet, who has been translated in more than twenty five languages and who had been famous for ethical themes and brevity, has very aptly remarked on power of speech: The goodness called goodness of speech IS goodness which nothing can reach Since gain or ruin speeches brings Guard against the slips of tongue Weight the words and, speak, because No wealth or virtue words surpass. They overspeak who do not seek A few and flawless words to speak (Gupta .reprint 2004) It is said that speech is grater than words, mind is greater than speech, will is grater than mind consciousness is greater than will, meditation is greater than will and power of understanding is greater than meditation.sanakumara, surmonzing narad atma vidya or brahmavidya (knowledge of the supreme) says : power of understanding beings sine quo non for proper meditation, thats is greater than meditation. If we cannot correctly understand and discriminate good and bad, truth and untruth and discriminate between good and bad, truth and untruth, and the like pairs of opposites, how can we meditate? Thus there is no doubt that the power of understanding is linked with speech, one of the tools of communication. Session 3 There are many activities effecting the IHRM in a organizational context. Industrial relations, health and safety, management style, authority structure, organizational structure, leader ship style and etc. And organization could implement a different structures such as global product division, global area division and global matrix structure depends on the situation, subsidiary age and size structure adopted. Controlling of subsidiary would have both formal and informal control systems. Formal methods would be structure, reporting systems, budget and targets where as informal methods would be cooperate culture and personal relationships. we know some of the transferable HRM policies such as physical layouts, use of technologies, holiday entitlements, quality circles depending on the culture, motivation and leadership style, performance appraisals and etc. company expatriates would have to perform the key activities when implementing the procedures in subsidiary an at the same time adopt the suitable local norms, standards and value in to the system to make it more localize the operations. Improving the performance, implementation of corporate culture, solve technical problems, handling of sensitive information, reduces risk, improve trust and team working skills are some of the important functions that expatriates should perform during a foreign assignment. Future more political stability, country infrastructure, technology and resources available in the country, organizational and national cultural differences should be looking to when implementing IHRM policies. Session 4 When starting a subsidiary in a foreign country, there are many reasons why expatriates are needed. Teaching a new process, setting up a new branch, facilitating the knowledge transfer between parent and the subsidiary, helping branch to implement a matrix integration is some of the purposes. This would also depend on the relationship between parent and subsidiary, amount of investment, other host country environment factors. Depending on the host culture, size and the maturity of firm, relative importance of the subsidiary, moral and ethics balancing of standardization and localization of HRM could be done. Localization would be the recruitments, holidays, leave procedures and etc. according to Huo the best IHRM practice ought to be the ones best adopted to culture and national environment. Developing staff members investing in human capital, career development, good working conditions and good management practice could help the organization to retain and attract skilled and qualified labour force in to the organizations. In Sri Lanka Mas holdings is a very good example for a organization which is practicing this method Session 5 There are many ways of staffing international operations. They are ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric and regiocentric. Each of this method has it own advantages and disadvantages. Most of the companies use ethnocentric approach at the initial stage and move to polycentric approach after some time. Eg;- after operating Sri Lanka for many years Coca Cola has appointed a Sri Lankan as a country head for the first time. Organizations use expatriate for international assignment as position filling, management and development and for organizational development. They could be assigned for varies time periods and would have many roles to play as expatriate such as agent of control/socialization, network builder, boundary spanner, language node, transfer of knowledge etc. Non-expatriates are people who travel internationally, yet no conceder as expatriate as they do not relocate to another county.. Examples for non-expatriates are auditors, inspection department, regional managers etc. even though its a glimmers life on first site non- expatriates would have high level of stress because of family working arrangements, health concern and host culture issues. Even expatriates would face lot of difficulties such as spouse and family problems, lack of cultural sensitivity, reluctant to change and adopt, them us mentality, home country mentality and etc. There for organizations must use most appropriate method when selecting a person for a expatriate job. Session 6 When recruiting a expatriate for a international assignment organizations has to be extremely concern. This is because expatriate failure is extremely costly for an organization. Career advancements financial incentives, interest in countries, interest to travel are the factors that motivate the expatriates. For expatriate to be successful in a foreign assignment they have to have the job knowledge and motivation, job related skills, be flexible and adoptable, helpful family situations and extra cultural openness. Expatriate failure could be defined as premature return or under performance during the a foreign assignment. There could be varies reasons for early return of a expatriate but direct cost of the failure is extremely high for the organization. Eg- salary and training cost, airfares, relocation expenses, exchange rates, replacing the failed manager etc. indirect costs would be the damagers to the relationship with stake holders, family relationships, and negative effects on the local staff members. There are four phases in cultural adjustments which expatriate has to go through in a foreign assignment. They are, Tourist every thing is new and enjoyable Crisis/ cultural shock see differences and negative side off the new culture Pulling up Adjustment There is a high possibility of expatriate to exit during the cultural shock period. There for in this each stage organizations would have to take many steps to easy the situation.. Eg- food, customs, cultural values(seniority), home sickness etc. Session 7 Training and development of expatriates is essential for the success of a intentional assignment. This is because expatriates are send to subsidiaries to show how systems and procedures work, ensure adoption and motivation of performance. There for cultural differences and business out comes attitudes and how it effects the behavior, facts about the target country, skill building and language is some of the areas that organization should look in to. Effective pre-departure training should include cultural awareness programmes, preliminary visits, language training, non traditional assignments and training etc. future more practical assistance for relocation, find accommodation and schooling, future language training, would also contribute to adaptation of expatriates and his family members to settle down. Many methods could be use ot train the expatriates and many examples Some off them was showing videos, giving case studies, role play and anointing a experience mentor. Session 8 Multinational organizations would face lots of performance management issues and expatriate re-entering career issues. Performance management is also a way of controlling the subsidiaries. It also contribute shape the organizational culture. HCNs and non-expatriate performance would have to be evaluated separately. Appraisal of host country nationals could be done with standardizes company evaluation form. But customization of the form according to the local staff should be done to get the maximum benefits to the all parties. Performance evaluation criteria would be done on hard goals, soft goals and contextual goals. When evaluating the performance of a non- expatriate stress associated with constent air travel, family relationship issues should also be considered. Expatriate performance would be evaluated on how well he/she achieve organizational targets, relationship and network build up with key parties, implementation of cooperate culture in the organization and etc. evaluation results would also have a impact from who is doing the appraisal, frequency, timeliness and use of standards and customization of the appraisal form. Re-entry of expatriate after completion of foreign assignment would also have to be given consideration. Preparation, physical relocation, transactional readjustments are the phases which have to go through again. To retain the staff in the organization and repatriation pre-departure career discussions, naming a contact person, succession planning and etc could be done. Eg- decrease of living standards, children schooling issues and etc. Session 9 For a multinational organization to be successful they should have a good compensation package in place for their employees. This is because different countries different currencies, labour laws and customs are in place. There for expatriate pay should be determine according to cost of living, hardship, currency fluctuations, health care, housing, taxation and education expense of children. To determine the compensation package awarded to the expectorates going rate approach and balance sheet approach can be used. Even though both approaches have its advantages and disadvantages the balance sheet approach is the most commonly used system in multinationals. Balance sheet approach would consider about the goods and services cost, housing cost, income tax and reserves when determining the benefit package. Session 10 When a organization do business with a another country to make this transactions successful knowing the business ethics and social customs are very essential. Different countries have different values, practices, and taboos which you have to understand and be respectful. From country to country the way they use first name, title, position and states, dining practices, tipping, gift giving, and that an traveling etiquettes, greetings, superstitions and taboos differ. Japanese people shows and have a grate respect to the business card and exchange and consider are in tipping as a insult. Different countries have different meal times, number of courses. Eating every thing in the plate or leaving some thing in the plate could be reason to be offended in some cultures. Some times its better not to know what is in your plate which you are serve to eat and be restrain form giving comments on the foods. ( it is better to eat without knowing whats in the plate (eg- dog meat, snake meat) without offending your counter party.) When going abroad for business deal proper dressing, footwear and packing and even and quality luggage could add some value to your transaction. Male and female relationships would also in a differ from culture to culture and it is wise not to use you are hummer during a business meetings . holidays and holy days also differ from country to country according to the religion they and practice and the traditions. And organization should looking to this because many cultures do not make any business decisions in holy days. Even though bribery is conceder illegal, unethical and immoral it almost take place all over the world. But if an organization is doing this kind of transactions they would have to be extremely careful because it could lead to fines and damage of organization reputation.

Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work Essay examples -- Cy

Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work  Ã‚   Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism. First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth. The overall feeling which one procures after reading Cyrano de Bergerac is a kind of nostalgic sadness. Because the first half of the play is very up-beat, very elated in style, the rather grim ending is that much more bitter. As the play opens, there is much merrymaking and festivity in preparation for the play. The sheer happiness of all of the colorful characters is transferred to the reader almost instantly. The mood is portrayed very well as being light and bubbly, an overall good feeling. The next major shift comes when Cyrano enters and, after riding himself of Montfleury, puts on the spectacle wherein he demonstrates not only his impeccable verbal dexterity, but also his fencing abilities - and both at the same time. This whole scene causes a strong reaction from the audience, and in turn, the re... ...ls of the romantic revolution, the nobility of spirit and individuality must be preserved, and intellect, whether you had it or not, was part of this, because part of being individual was coming up with some of your own ideas, possessing uniqueness of thought. Once again, this evokes a certain emotional response from the person who interprets this pseudo intellectualism, and the feeling the reader has about it is an integral part in the establishment of an identity with the characters. In conclusion, it has been shown that the primary vehicle for the expression of an authors ideas and concepts about a character is the emotional response which is depicted by the characters actions. In romantic works, because of the importance that emotion played in the romantic revolution, the appeal to emotions is the distinct and definitive factor of a good romantic play.    Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work Essay examples -- Cy Analysis of Cyrano de Bergerac as a Romantic Work  Ã‚   Appeal to emotions, individualism, and intellectual achievement were three important elements of Romanticism. This essay will explore the degree to which Cyrano de Bergerac exemplifies these elements of Romanticism. First and foremost is the appeal to emotions. All of the other facets of romanticism can be related to the emotional appeal in Cyrano de Bergerac. Because strong emotional appeal is perhaps the most important method used by the author to create identity with the reader, especially in romantic works, the actions which elicit the emotional responses must, then, show a great deal about the character. The character's motives and philosophies can be determined through his actions. Because Cyrano de Bergerac was written in the romantic style, certain intellectual and emotional principles exist throughout the play, which will now be observed in depth. The overall feeling which one procures after reading Cyrano de Bergerac is a kind of nostalgic sadness. Because the first half of the play is very up-beat, very elated in style, the rather grim ending is that much more bitter. As the play opens, there is much merrymaking and festivity in preparation for the play. The sheer happiness of all of the colorful characters is transferred to the reader almost instantly. The mood is portrayed very well as being light and bubbly, an overall good feeling. The next major shift comes when Cyrano enters and, after riding himself of Montfleury, puts on the spectacle wherein he demonstrates not only his impeccable verbal dexterity, but also his fencing abilities - and both at the same time. This whole scene causes a strong reaction from the audience, and in turn, the re... ...ls of the romantic revolution, the nobility of spirit and individuality must be preserved, and intellect, whether you had it or not, was part of this, because part of being individual was coming up with some of your own ideas, possessing uniqueness of thought. Once again, this evokes a certain emotional response from the person who interprets this pseudo intellectualism, and the feeling the reader has about it is an integral part in the establishment of an identity with the characters. In conclusion, it has been shown that the primary vehicle for the expression of an authors ideas and concepts about a character is the emotional response which is depicted by the characters actions. In romantic works, because of the importance that emotion played in the romantic revolution, the appeal to emotions is the distinct and definitive factor of a good romantic play.   

John Sayles Movie, Matewan :: Films Movies Essays

John Sayles' Movie, Matewan Writer and Director John Sayles movie Matewan, portrays the town of Matewan, West Virginia during their historic struggle out of feudalism in the 1920's. Because a single large company owned everything in Matewan, it was nearly impossible to rise out of the feudal relationship, especially since preaching the ideals of capitalism could easily result in losing all of one's property and material possessions. While feudalism can easily be written off as a economic and social structure of the past, this notion is easily proven false in Matewan; the people of Mingo County had no choice but to follow the orders of The Stone Mountain Coal Company. Hence, when the ideals of capitalism were introduced to the Matewan people by Joe Kinnehan they were stunned and shocked by what he was suggesting. Of course, The Stone Mountain Coal Company were more than shocked, they were outraged and adamant about not letting the workers of Matewan be part of any union. What do the feudal and capitalist economic systems represent? The Webster dictionary defines capitalism as, "an economic system characterized by open competition in a free market and by private or coperate ownership of the means of production and distribution." In Matewan, the idea of capitalism was first introduced by communist and union man himself, Joe Kinnehan. He urged the coal miners to realize the choices they could make and not to let a coal company make the decisions for them. He explained that this would entail all joining together and standing as one while demanding higher wages and better worker conditions. Not until the citizens of Matewan comprehend the feudal system they are living under, can they hope to change. The story of Matewan West Virginia portrays the struggle that an entire town underwent before they could release themselves from the grip of The Stone Mountain Coal Company. The coal miners of Matewan were bound in a feudal relationship and had no choice but to stay in it because The Stone Mountain Coal Company owned the entire town. Without continuing to work for the coal company, the residents of Matewan were sure to starve.

Epic of Beowulf Essay -- Beowulf Poem Poet Poetic Essays

Beowulf The epic poem Beowulf is a story of heroes and monsters, good and evil. The poem tells about the accomplishments and deeds of a legendary Geatish hero who first rids the Danish kingdom of Hrothgar of two demonic monsters: Grendel and Grendel's mother. Later in the story, Beowulf meets a dragon, kills it with the help of Wiglaf, but dies of wounds. No one knows who wrote Beowulf. It was not really written in the way that literature is written now. It is an epic poem, meant to be spoken aloud, very few of them were ever written down, and very few of them survived into modern times. Known as the first poem of the English literature, Beowulf is the major literary monument of Old English literature and of Anglo-Saxon England. The original work was written around the year 1000. The myth that Beowulf embodies has captured the modern imagination and placed the poem among the masterpieces of world literature. The poem documents the values, questions, and attitudes of the time and explores themes that are still engaging and fascinating. Beowulf is the oldest known piece of literature in English. Main Characters Of The Play Beowulf: The title character and hero. He is first the prince of the Geats and becomes their King. He is often referred to as the son of Edgetheow. Hothgar: The old, once great King of the Danes whose hall, Heorot is attacked by Grendel. Grendel: The monster who attacks Heorot. He attacks Heorot because he is jealous of the friendships and happiness of the Danes. Grendel's Mother: Has no name of her own. She is a monster and gives Beowulf just as difficult fight as her son does. The Dragon: The enemy that finally kills Beowulf. It guards a great tresuarehoard, and when... ...be different. Mothers and fathers will weep again for their dead children. The black raven, the wolf and the eagle will find a feast on the battlefield. The Geats will be people wandering without a homeland once our enemies come in upon us.' It appears that Beowulf's death signals the end of the Geatish people and the glory they won during Beowulf's reign. Works Cited: The Norton Anthology New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company R.D. Fulk (1991). Interpretation of Beowulf: A Critical Anthology Indiana University Press Harold Bloom (1987). Beowulf: Modern Critical Interpretations New York: Chelsea House Publishers Stanly B. Greenfield (1982). A Readable Beowulf Southern Illinois University Press Donald K. Fry (1968). The Beowulf Poet Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. George Clark (1990). Beowulf Boston: Twayne Publishers

Political Risk Analysis Kenya 2012

Political Risk Analysis KENYA Table of contents Kenya covers an area of 582,646 square kilometers. The land stretches from the sea level (Indian Ocean) in the east, to 5,199 meters at the peak of the snow-capped Mount Kenya. From the coast, the altitude changes gradually through the coastal belt and plains (below 152 meters above sea level), the dry intermediate low belt to what is known as the Kenya Highlands (over 900 meters above sea level).The monotony of terrain in the low belt is broken by residual hills, masses of broken boulders and inselbergs. Settlement is confined to places where water can be found. Wildlife are masters of the greater part of the low belt. The famous Amboseli Game Reserve and Tsavo National Parks are situated here. The Great Rift Valley bisects the Kenya Highlands into east and west. Mount Kenya is on the eastern side. The Highlands are cool and agriculturally rich. Both large and small holder farming is carried out in the highlands.The Lake Victoria Basin is dominated by Kano plains which are suited for farming through irrigation. The northern part of Kenya is plain and arid. However, a variety of food crops do well through irrigation. Kenya is located approximately 8-10 hours flying time from major European cities, and about 16-20 hours flying time from North American cities. 1. 2. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country. The average annual temperature for the coastal town of Mombasa (altitude 17 meters) is 30. 0 Celsius maximum and 22. 40 Celsius minimum, the capital city, Nairobi (altitude 1,661 meters) 25. 20 Celsius maximum and 13. 60 Celsius minimum, Eldoret (altitude 3,085) 23. 60 Celsius maximum and 9. 50 Celsius minimum, Lodwar (altitude) 506 meters) and the drier north plain lands 34. 80 Celsius maximum and 23. 70 Celsius minimum. There is plenty of sunshine all the year round and summer clothes are worn throughout the year. However, it is usually cool at night and early in the morning. The long rains occur from April to June and short rains from October to December.The rain-fall is sometimes heavy and when it does come it often falls in the afternoons and evenings. The hottest period is from February to March and coldest in July to August. The annual migration of wildlife between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya takes place between June and September. The migration of almost two million wildebeest, zebras and other species is nature's greatest spectacle on earth. 1. 3. POPULATION Kenya’s population has rapidly increased over the past several decades, and consequently it is relatively young. Some 73% of Kenyans are under 30.In 50 years, Kenya’s population has grown from 7 million to 43 million. Kenya is a country of great ethnic diversity. Most Kenyans are bilingual in English and Swahili. Kenya has a very diverse populati on that includes three of Africa's major sociolinguistic groups: Bantu (67%), Nilotic (30%), and Cushitic (3%). Kenyans are deeply religious. About 80% of Kenyans are Christian, 11% Muslim, and the remainders follow traditional African religions or other faiths. Most city residents retain links with their rural, extended families and leave the city periodi-cally to help work on the family farm.About 75% of Kenya’s population lives in rural areas and relies on agriculture for most of its income. Nearly half the country’s 42 million people are poor, or unable to meet their daily nutritional requirements. The national motto of Kenya is Harambee, meaning â€Å"pull together. † In that spirit, volunteers in hundreds of communities build schools, clinics, and other facilities each year and collect funds to send students abroad. 1. 4. BACKGROUND OF KENYA’S ECONOMY (1960-2010) Kenya is the largest economy in east Africa and is a regional financial and transportat ion hub.After independence, Kenya promoted rapid economic growth through public invest-ment, encouragement of smallholder agricultural production, and incentives for private (of-ten foreign) industrial investment. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual average of 6. 6% from 1963 to 1973. Agri-cultural production grew by 4. 7% annually during the same period, stimulated by redistrib-uting estates, diffusing new crop strains, and opening new areas to cultivation. After experiencing moderately high growth rates during the 1960s and 1970s, Kenya's eco-nomic performance during the 1980s and 1990s was far below its potential.From 1991 to 1993, Kenya had its worst economic performance since independence. Growth in GDP stagnated, and agricultural production shrank at an annual rate of 3. 9%. In-flation reached a record 100% in August 1993. In the mid-1990s, the government imple-mented economic reform measures to stabilize the economy and restore sustainable growth, including lifting nearly all administrative controls on producer and retail prices, im-ports, foreign exchange, and grain marketing. Nevertheless, the economy grew by an annual average of only 1. 5% between 1997 and 2002, which was below the population growth estimated at 2. % per annum, leading to a decline in per capita incomes. The poor economic performance was largely due to inappropriate agricultural, land, and industrial policies compounded by poor international terms of trade and governance weaknesses. Increased government intrusion into the private sector and import substitution policies made the manufacturing sector uncompetitive. The policy environment, along with tight import controls and foreign exchange controls, made the do-mestic environment for investment unattractive for both foreign and domestic investors.The Kenyan Government's failure to meet commitments related to governance led to a stop-start relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, both of which suspended support in 1997 and again in 2001. During President Kibaki's first term in office (2003-2007), the Government of Kenya began an ambitious economic reform program and resumed its cooperation with the World Bank and the IMF. There was some movement to reduce corruption in 2003, but the government did not sustain that momentum. Economic growth began to recover in this period, with real GDP growth registering 2. % in 2003, 4. 3% in 2004, 5. 8% in 2005, 6. 1% in 2006, and 7. 0% in 2007. However, the economic effects of the violence that broke out after the December 27, 2007 general election, compounded by drought and the global financial crisis, brought growth down to less than 2% in 2008. In 2009, there was modest improvement with 2. 6% growth. In May 2009, the IMF Board approved a disbursement of approximately $200 million under its Exogenous Shock Facility (ESF), which is designed to provide policy support and financial assistance to low-income countries facing exogenous bu t temporary shocks.The ESF re-sources were meant to help Kenya recover from the negative impact of higher food and in-ternational fuel and fertilizer costs, and the slowdown in external demand associated with the global financial crisis. In January 2011, the IMF approved a 3-year, $508. 7-million ar-rangement for Kenya under the Fund's Extended Credit Facility. To a considerable extent, the government's ability to stimulate economic demand through fiscal and monetary policy is linked to the pace at which the government is pursuing reforms in other key areas. The Privatization Law was enacted in 2005, but only became operational as of January 1, 2008.Parastatals Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), Telkom Kenya, and Kenya Re-Insurance have been privatized. The government sold 25% of Safaricom (10 billion shares) in 2008, reducing its share to 35%. Accelerating growth to achieve Kenya's potential and reduce the poverty that afflicts about 46% of its population will require c on-tinued deregulation of business, improved delivery of government services, addressing structural reforms, massive investment in new infrastructure (especially roads), reduction of chronic insecurity caused by crime, and improved economic governance generally.The gov-ernment's Vision 2030 plan calls for these reforms, but realization of the goals could be de-layed by coalition politics and line ministries' limited capacity. Economic expansion is fairly broad-based and is built on a stable macro-environment fos-tered by government, and the resilience, resourcefulness, and improved confidence of the private sector. Despite the post-election crisis, Nairobi continues to be the primary commu-nication and financial hub of East Africa.It enjoys the region's best transportation linkages, communications infrastructure, and trained personnel, although these advantages are less prominent than in past years. Kenya faces profound environmental challenges brought on by high population growth, de-forestation, shifting climate patterns, and the overgrazing of cattle in marginal areas in the north and west of the country. Significant portions of the population will continue to require emergency food assistance in the coming years. Kenya is pursuing regional economic integration, which could enhance long-term growth prospects.The government is pursuing a strategy to reduce unemployment by expanding its manufacturing base to export more value-added goods to the region while enabling Kenya to develop its services hub. In March 1996, the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda re-established the East Afri-can Community (EAC). The EAC's objectives include harmonizing tariffs and customs regimes, free movement of people, and improving regional infrastructures. In March 2004, the three East African countries signed a Customs Union Agreement paving the way for a common market.The Customs Union and a Common External Tariff were es-tablished on January 1, 2005, but the EAC countrie s are still working out exceptions to the tariff. Rwanda and Burundi joined the community in July 2007. In May 2007, during a Com-mon Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit, 13 heads of state endorsed a move to adopt a COMESA customs union and set December 8, 2008 as the target date for its adoption. On July 1, 2010, the EAC Common Market Protocol, which allows for the free movement of goods and services across the five member states, took effect.In October 2008, the heads of state of EAC, COMESA, and the Southern African Development Communi-ty (SADC) agreed to work toward a free trade area among all three economic groups with the eventual goal of establishing a customs union. If realized, the Tripartite Free Trade area would cover 26 countries. 2. POLITICAL CRITERIA 2. 1. GENERAL From the moment Kenya became independent, they went through lots of big changes. In 1962 the KANU-KADU coalition government was formed. The coalition government included both Kenyatta and N gala.The country was divided in 7 regions and each one of the regions had its own regional assembly. After forming the coalition, the principle of reserving seats in the parliament for non-Africans was abandoned and the first open elections were held in May 1963. In 1964 Kenya became a republic, and constitutional changes further centralized the government (Wikipedia – September 2012). When in 1978 Daniel Arap Moi became president in an authoritarian and corrupt manner, there were several changes in the politic of Kenya.Moi reduced the power of the Kenyatta’s men in the cabinet by identifying them to be traitors. Also although the parliament started off as coalition during the whole presidency of Moi there was only one party who had all the power. Even after being requested by United States to have multi-party system Moi declined. In the end because of the local and foreign pressure Moi was forced to accept a new party so that the multy-party could be restored. Moi won the elections in 1992 and 1997 where he used fear and electoral fraud to win (Wik-ipedia – July 2008).In 2002 Moi was not able to present himself in the presidential elections because it is stated in the Kenya’s constitution that a present cannot be in the presidential elections more than three times. Moi unsuccessfully tried to promote Uhuru Kenyatta, as his successor. Moi’s former vice-president Mwai Kibaki was elected president by a large majority. International and local observers reported that the 2002 elections to be generally more fair than those of both 1992 and 1997 when Moi was elected as president. Kibaki lost quickly much of its power because his regime was too close linked with the Moi forces.The continuity between Kibaki and Moi became one of the reasons for the self-destruction of Kibaki’s regime. In 2007 Odinga attacked the failures of the Kibaki regime. In December Odinga won majority of the seats in the Parliament, but the presidential elections votes were divided. In the end it became never clear who won the elections, still the election committee stated that Kibaki was the winner. Odinga accused Kibaki of corruption which resulted in several big confrontations between followers of Odinga and Kibaki. The European Union did not agree with the outcome either because of the detected fraud in the presidential elections.As relation mass protest were triggered, bring-ing simmering ethnic tensions. The protest and the ongoing violence between several groups continued and became worse over the months. Between December and February 1. 500 people died and 600. 000 people became homeless. The United Nations tried to settle and offered a compromise whereby Kibaki stayed president and Odinga became Prime Minister (Chartis – February 2008). In August 2010, a reference date taken on a new Kenyan constitution. The new Kenyan con-stitution restricted the power of president which would benefit to the parliament and re-gions .The reference date was accepted by the majority of parliament and passed peacefully. 2. 2. THE POLITICAL BALANCE OF POWER Various people speak of the heritance of Moi when looked at Kibaki and the amount of pow-er he has. Moi reduced the power of the cabinet – this resulted in more power for him, the president. When Kibaki became the president he had his first years as much power as Moi had in his years. But the second time Kibaki became president there were many protests against him becoming the president. Many people and also Odinga accused him winning unfairly.United Nations stepped in and made Odinga prime minister and shortly after that the Kenyan constitution changed. With the new Kenyan constitution rules Kibaki, or the pre-sent president, is not allowed to appoint more than 50% of the ministers. The rest of the ministers can be chosen by the prime minister. In this way the president is never able to al-ways have full support by his ministers. Nowadays you can speak o f a power-sharing cabinet in Kenya. The cabinet is fifty percent Kibaki appointed ministers and fifty percent Odinga appointed ministers.At the moment we can speak of balanced coalition when we look at Kenya. 2. 3. PRESENT GOVERNMENT AND HIS ATTITUDES AND PROGRAMS Although many opposed of Kibaki to become the president Kenya again in 2007 he did by some say an outstanding job. The country is compared to the Moi years much better man-aged and has by far more competent personnel (Wikipedia – October 2012). Many sectors of the economy have recovered from collapsing in 2003. So did many state corporations who had collapsed during the Moi years have been revived and are performing profitably. Also the infrastructure has been going through changes.Several ambitious infra-structural and other projects are planned or ongoing. Kibaki also introduced the Constituency Development Fund, this was introduced in 2003. The fund was designed to develop resources across regions and to control imbalances in regional development. The CDF program has invested in putting up new water, health and education facilities. There was also special attention for the remote areas of Kenya; these areas were usually overlooked during projects (CDF – official website). Another fact is since the presidency of Kibaki the dependence of Kenya on aid by western donors has been decreased.The country is still getting funded significant but is now finding more fund by internally generated resources, such as tax. During Kibaki presidency, Kenya was more democratic and freer than before. When Kibaki came to power in 2003, he gave away free learning in primary school as well as in secondary school. This resulted in increase of number of children in primary- as in secondary school. 2. 4. POLITICAL STABILITY IN KENYA Before August 2010 all the power laid in the hands of the president. Ex-president Moi for example used his position for his own benefits.After the new Kenyan constitution the powe r changed of only one person, the president, too have it shared with the cabinet. With the new Kenyan constitution it results in a more stable government. When we look at the further the cabinet of Kenya will go through huge changes starting from 4 March 2013, because the general election will then be held. So far Kibaki did not state that he will run in the president elections next year. Odinga will be participating as well as several other ministers, for example: the Deputy prime minister and the Cooperative minister (Wikipedia – October 2012). . CRITERIA RELATED TO DOMESTIC ECONOMY 3. 1. GENERAL INFORMATION Most of Eastern Africa's economy is centralized in Kenya, although this gives them a power-ful position they still suffer from corruption and the low prices of their most important ex-port products. Lately the government has lacked investing in infrastructure which leaves them in danger of losing the position of the largest economy in Eastern Africa. The government is a ccused of the lack of attempting to stop the corruption which opened the doors to a lot of scandals within Kenya's economy.This has led to a deduction of financial support options. Recently Kenya have had a lot of setbacks like: high food and fuel import prices, a severe drought and reduced tourism resulted in rise in the interest rated and an increased cash re-serve. 3. 2. GDP The GDP in 2011 was $ 72, 34 billion, in 2010 this was $ 68,9 billion and in 2009 $ 2,6 billion. GDP growth in % Because of violence used during the elections plus the global financial crisis have led to a deduction in the GDP, in 2008 the growth was only 1,7% but luckily the economy rebounded since the year 2009.Now in 2011 the growth was only 4,3% due to the inflation and currency depreciation. The GDP per capita was $1,700 in 2009 and in 2010 and increased to $1,800 in 2011. If you would compare this with the rest of the world this leaves Kenya on the 195th place in the, which is dangerously low when we lo ok at the risk of doing business with Kenya. Year PPP growth 20051398. 7034. 74 % 20061490. 4066. 56 % 20071592. 9866. 88 % 20081604. 9250. 75 % 20091616. 1430. 70 % 20101675. 9183. 70 % Even though historical facts do not look good, the forecast concerning the GDP are looking better.The GDP is likely to increase due to expansions in tourism, telecommunications, transport and construction and recovery in the agriculture, one of the most important sec-tors for Kenya's GDP. 3. 3. MOST IMPORTANT SECTORS AND PRODUCTS As mentioned before, one of the most important sectors in Kenya’s economy is the agricul-tural sector, forestry and fishing accounted for 24% of the total GDP, 18% of the wage em-ployment and 50% revenue from exports. Especially the tea production and export are likely to increase because of prosperous weath-er forecasts; the coffee industry has stagnated and is not likely to increase in the near future.The most profitable sector in Kenya is the service sector with t ourism dominating that sec-tor. About 63% of all GDP is generated by tourism. Most tourists come from Germany and the Uniting Kingdom; they are attracted to the coastal beaches and the big game reserves. The tourism sector had a downfall because of negative attention in the media and the unsafe environment. The government is currently addressing the security problems within Kenya by introducing a tourism police and by launching marketing campaigns in key tourist origin markets.The most important sectors are: consumer goods (mobile, batteries and textile), agriculture, oil, aluminum, steel, cement and tourism. 3. 4. INFLATION RATE Inflation in consumer prices in % The inflation rate in 2011 was 14%. As we can see on the chart the inflation rate fluctuates a lot which means it will have a negative effect on the analysis on the risk. The Kenyan inflation rate has been on an average of 12,6%, from 2006 until 2012. The ultimate high was 31,5% in May 2012 and 3,2% in October 2011. On the following chart we can see the inflation rate more specified in recent times.Even in the last months there has been a lot of fluctuation in the inflation rate. The main reasons for the fluctuations are droughts and uncertainty in the import and export prices. 3. 5. THE GROWTH OF THE POPULATION The current total population is 43,013,341 (July 2012). In this chart we can see that the population always has had a steady growth. 3. 6. DOMESTIC INFRASTRUCTURE Kenya has an extensive road network of 152887 kilometers but most of the roads are in bad state unfortunately. For example of the total of 63. 800 ilometers of high way only 8,868 are paved. There is currently a project designed for creating links between all major and minor roads and to rehabilitate 20. 000 kilometer of roads in the urban centers. Kenya has a state owned railway corporation which is managing the single track railway station. It runs from Mombasa through Nairobi to the Ugandan border. Certain institutes are investing in the railway corporation to make it viable. The government is working on making the railway a private owned company. Either way, the Kenyan railway station is in a bad state.Kenya has a port located in Mombasa; it has a freight throughput of about 8. 1 million tons. Kenya has an airport that recently has changed from a state owned company to a public/private company. This has been successful since Kenya now is the key gateway to Africa Communications Overall Kenya has a well-established communication system More than 90% of the population has access to GSM signals. Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation provides international direct dialing and subscriber trunk dialing, mobile telephones, telex, facsimile, data communication and related services.Substantial investment for the expansion of these facilities is under way and various internet providers have made their entry into Kenya. 4. CRITERIA RELATED TO FOREIGN ECONOMY Economic Cooperation, Regional Integration & Trade T he East African Community (EAC) countries – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burun-di – transformed into a fully ? edged and enforceable customs union on 1 January 2010. They adopted a common external tari? (CET) with three bands: 0% (raw materials and capital goods), 10% (intermediate goods) and 25% (? nished goods). Tari? of up to 100% are appli-cable to products that are deemed to be sensitive to member states. These include maize, rice, cement, sugar and dairy products. Members will continue to collect customs receipts separately until a revenue sharing mechanism can be agreed. Furthermore, the EAC Common Market Protocol came into force on 1 July 2010, potentially allowing for the free movement of goods, services, people and capital in a zone with a com-bined population of some 135 million people. Given the large amount of legislation that needs to be amended in all countries to comply with the protocol, the transition is expected to proceed slowly.Kenya has alr eady taken signi? cant steps to domesticate and embrace the provisions of the protocol. A task force charged with reviewing national laws and aligning them with the Common Market Protocol has completed its report. Areas that need harmonization include investment, tax, labor, education, standards, competition, transport, communications and ? nancial services. The report was forwarded to the attorney general who was expected to prepare a miscellaneous amendment bill to be tabled in parliament. Non-tari? barriers (e. g. road blocks, varying quality standards, the ine? ient functioning of the port of Mombasa and other red tape) continue to impede the free trade in goods and add to the costs of doing business. The replacement of paper-based customs administration practices with an electronic inter-face system, Simba, is a strong step towards enhancing competitiveness and trade facilita-tion. With the bringing into operation of Simba customs checks are subjected to computer-ized scanning and fewer physical checks are undertaken. The programme has enabled im-porters and exporters to lodge their documentation on line.In 2012, the Simba upgrade is expected to increase automation of goods clearance across all Kenyan border crossings. 4. 1. IMPORT 2011 While Kenya had just spent 3. 3 billion US Dollars on merchandise imports in 99’, they imported goods worth to 13. 49 billion US Dollar in 2011 which is an increase of over 400%. The depressed performance during the 2008-09 was due to a number of adverse shocks including the post-election violence in early 2008, a severe drought that affected most parts of the country, high international commodity prices and spillover effects of the global financial crisis, but the econ-omy rebounded in 2010.Import Products The major import products for the year to June 2011 were oil, manufactured goods, chemi-cals, machinery and transport equipment. The increase in the value of imports was mainly due to imports of oil, machinery an d transport equipment, and manufactured goods. Oil imports accounted for 24. 2% of the total import. International oil prices increased from USD 74. 8 per barrel in June 2010 to USD 112. 15 per barrel in June 2011. Imports of machinery and transport equipment accounted for 28. 9% of total imports, and increased from USD 3 212 million to USD 3 942 million.This was due to the ongoing infra-structure development. Imports of manufactured items, mainly intermediate goods, accounted for 14. 8% of the im-port bill and increased from USD 1. 625 million to USD 2. 021 million while chemicals ac-counted for 13. 5%. Major Import Partners Kenya’s major import partners for merchandise are (2011): 1United Arab Emirates13. 0% 2China12. 1% 3India11. 6% 4South Africa5. 8% 5United Kingdom4. 6% 4. 2. EXPORT 2011 Kenya had received 2. 2 Billion US Dollar in 99’, while they could increase their receiving for ex-ports in 2011 to 5. 77 Billion US Dollar.This is an increase of about 260%. The depressed performance during the 2008-09 was due to a number of adverse shocks including the post election violence in early 2008, a severe drought that affected most parts of the country, high international commodity prices and spillover effects of the global financial crisis, but the economy rebounded in 2010. Export Products The agricultural sector continues to dominate Kenya’s economy, although only 15 percent of Kenya’s total land area has sufficient fertility and rainfall to be farmed, and only 7 or 8 per-cent can be classified as first-class land.It is the mainstay of Kenya's economy, contributing over one third of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS:Tea, coffee, horticultural products, pyrethrum, pineapples, sisal, tobacco and cotton. TOP 1 – TEA Kenya is one of world`s top producers and exporters of high quality tea and coffee. Value of the produce was boosted by the average auction price TOP 2 – HORTICULTURE The robust flower industry in Kenya sees flower exports ac-counting up to 35% of all Europe’s flower imports. The good performance recorded in the horticultural sub-sector was due to improved external demand.OTHER EXPORTS:Beside this also iron, steel, petroleum products, cement, arti-cles of plastics, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, and leather are exported Textile is Kenya’s leading manufactured export. Soda ash (used in glassmaking) is Kenya’s most valuable min-eral export and is quarried at Lake Magadi in the Rift Valley. SERVICES: Transport, tourism and telecommunications services are the top three service exports in the country. Kenya’s services sector, which contributes about 63 percent of GDP, is dominated by tourism. TOURISM: In 2011 tourism experienced signi? cant gains with earnings rising by 32. %. The United King-dom continued to be the country’s main departure point for tourists with 203. 290 arrivals. Tourism is the second most important source of foreign exchange. To maximize on this growth trend, the Government is working together with the private sector in carrying out marketing as well as in strengthening linkages between tourism and the rest of the economy. Major Export Partners The market for Kenyan exports has been transformed over the years due to changing policy environment, regional integration and other initiatives providing market access to 12 key trading blocks.The initiatives include the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Cotonou ACP/EU Partnership Agreement, and the AGOA initiative, among others. COMESA is Kenya’s key export market, absorbing about 35% of total exports. The European Union market is the second most important, absorbing about 30% of total exports. Kenya’s major export partners for merchandise are (2011): 1COMESA (e. g. Uganda, Tanzania etc. )35. 0% 2European Union30. 0% 3United States5. 6% 4Pakistan4,2% 5United Arab Emirates4,1%Ke nya's relations with Western countries are generally friendly, although current political and economic instabilities are sometimes blamed on Western pressures. ? 4. 3. THE IMBALANCE IN TRADING Kenya is largely a trade deficit country. The negative balance of trade occurs because the country's exports are vulnerable to both international prices and the weather conditions. Since independence, Kenya has enjoyed close international relations, particularly with the western countries. It is also a member of several regional trade blocs, such as the COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) and the EAC (East African Community).These blocs are key components of Kenya’s trade volumes. The 2011 Kenya’s trade performance was mainly affected by rise of oil prices globally which led to increase in the import bill and the depreciation of the Kenya shilling, while exports remained stagnant. The gap between imports and exports, also called current account deficit, now sta nds at above 10% of GDP – one of the highest in the world! Today, Kenya’s main exports don’t even earn enough to pay for its oil imports, 4. 4. KENYAN CURRENCY The recent history of Kenyan currencyOn 14 September 1966, the Kenyan shilling (KES) replaced the East African shilling at par, although it was not demonetized until 1969. The Central Bank of Kenya issued notes in de-nominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 shillings. Locals in Kenya call the Kenyan shilling also â€Å"Bob†. The Kenyan Shilling: Development of the Kenyan shilling Overview of the development of the Kenyan shilling (blue) compared to the US Dollar (red) between 2002 and 2012. Exchange rate in October 2012: EUR / KES 1 Euro = ca. 110,38 Kenya shilling 100 Kenya shilling = ca. 0,91 Euro EUR / USD 1 Euro = ca. 1,29 US Dollar 100 Kenya shilling = ca. ,18 US Dollar 4. 5. KENYAN MONETARY POLICY The year 2011 was tumultuous for the monetary authorities in Kenya with high inflation rates and a h eavily depreciated currency. The month–on-month inflation rate averaged 12. 9% from January to October and peaked at 19. 7% in November 2011 against a target of 5%. The high rate of inflation was mainly driven by a rise in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices and transport charges. The food and non-alcoholic beverages index rose by 26. 2% compared with October 2010 while the transport index rose by 26. 22%. The rise in transport index reflected the sharp rise in fuel prices.According to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the euro-area currency crisis also had a desta-bilizing effect on the price level. Inflation is expected to drop to single digits in the next two years thanks to improved production of food and stability of fuel prices. In 2011 the Kenyan shilling depreciated (=im Wert gefallen) by a margin of 25. 2% against the US dollar (USD), dropping from an average of KES 81. 11 per USD 1 in January 2011 to KES 101. 51 in October 2011. It depreciated against the euro (EU R) from an average of KES 108. 29 per EUR 1 in January to KES 139. 07 in October 2011.To arrest the fall of the Kenyan shilling, the monetary policy committee (MPC) progressively increased the central bank rate (CBR) from a low of 6% in January 2011 to a high of 18% by December 2011. The inflationary pressure experienced in 2011 and the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling can directly be traced back to the Central Bank of Kenya policy adopted in 2010, when it cut the central bank rate from 7% in January to 6% in December. This was meant to revive lend-ing and stimulate the economy through increased consumption. The policy was highly suc-cessful as evidenced by the 5. 6% growth attained in 2010.However increased consumption pushed up consumer prices and put pressure on the Kenyan shilling as it heightened demand for imports, which rose from USD 11,283 million in year 2009/10 to USD 13,659 million in year 2010/11. Furthermore, in year 2010/11, domestic credit increased by KES 254. 4 b illion (23. 4%) against a target of KES 205. 9 billion (18. 9%). The excess credit growth reflected a stronger domestic demand than previously estimated. 4. 6. KENYAN’S DEBT SITUATION Kenya’s external debt (or foreign debt) External debt is that part of the total debt in a country that is owed to creditors outside the country.This is not to be confused with actual government debts. The debtors can be the government, corporations or private households. The debt includes money owed to private commercial banks, other governments, or international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. List of countries by external debt (End of 2011): External debt. (in USD)per capita% of GDP 1 United States14,710,000,000,00050,266103 2 United Kingdom9,836,000,000,000156,126390 3 France5,633,000,000,00074,619182 4 Germany5,624,000,000,00057,755142 5 Japan2,719,000,000,00019,14845 Italy2,684,000,000,00036,841108 7 Netherlands2,655,489,600,000226 ,503344 8 Spain2,570,000,000,00018,26084 16 Austria 883,500,000,00090,128200 92 Kenya 7,935,000,00020025 The debt service ratio The debt service ratio is the ratio of debt service payments (principal + interest) of a country to that country’s export earnings. A country's international finances are healthier when this ratio is low. The ratio is between 0 and 20% for most countries. For example, if a country has export revenue of ? 100bn and pays ? 15bn interest payments on its external debt, then its debt service ratio is 15%.A rising debt service ratio is often the sign of an imminent economic crisis. Debt service ra-tios may rise because of: †¢A fall in exports †¢Lower price of commodities which are main exports of a country. †¢Higher Borrowing †¢Higher interest rates increasing cost of debt repayments †¢Devaluation increasing cost of external repayments. 5. CONCLUSION All in all Africa has a big potential for exports and investments as there are sti ll big growth opportunities. Kenya has the greatest growth potential in the Sub-Saharan area followed by South Africa. However there are some recommendations to bear in mind (e. . Letter of credit, creditworthiness check,†¦ see list at end of paper) Following there is an overview of the key advantages and disadvantages for exporting to or investing in Kenya: +- Stable economy and good eco-nomic prospectspolitical instability ? political riskBUT: increasing political stability since peaceful referendum in 2010 ? adoption of a new con-stitution Favourable strategic geographical position and access to export mar-kets (? Eastern Africa) corruption and impunity (=Straflosigkeit) BUT: High efforts to bring the problem under control: since 2010 ?Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission forced high-profile cabinet ministers to step aside and the International Criminal Court publicly named perpetra-tors of violence (=Gewalttater) Membership of the largest African common market, the EAC (Easter n African Community), COMESA and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ? enables the free movement of goods and ser-vices across the member statesInadequate infrastructure for absorption of economic devel-opmentBUT: High efforts to catch up on infrastructure English languagewidespread poverty ? crime Mombasa seaport ? most impor-tant seaport + Nairobi ? olitical and economic stronghold in the Eastern African Areacompanies are often undercap-italized ? risk of late or non-payment Small time difference Small taxes and levies (=Abgaben) Low wages compared to European countries and well trained em-ployees Emerge of a middle class with increasing purchasing power Kenya plays a major role in the Eastern African economy. Mombasa is the most important seaport in Eastern Africa and Nairobi is the economic and political stronghold in this area. One big plus for exports to or investments in Kenya is that the country has a quite stable economy. Even there were some setbacks in the p ast (e. . violence during the last elections in 2008, global financial crisis) the outlook for Kenya’s economy and GDP is quite favourable for the future. Due to the expansionary of fiscal measures and by structural business reforms driven by the IMF the economy of Kenya will further improve in the past few years. Addi-tionally the recovery of agricultural production and investment in infrastructures will also contribute to the dynamism of the economy. These are quite good prerequisites for potential exporters and investors. Even if Kenya’s investment prospects are quite attractive they had been marred by political risk for a long time.Violence during the election in 2008 frightened away many potential investors. The turning point for Kenya was the peaceful referendum in 2010 where a new country’s constitution was decided (? separation of powers). The peacefulness around the referendum had a huge positive impact on the country. Following this event Standard and Poors increased the credit rating to level B+ which brings Kenya closer to a score that foreign investors regard as an all-clear signal. Nevertheless exporters and investors need to be careful about the political situation in Kenya as new elections will take place in March 2013.The electoral campaign carries significant risks of a resurgence of the violent confrontations within the ethnic groups in Kenya. Our opinion is that Kenya has a huge potential for exporters and investors. It has a solid eco-nomic basis and political stability is already improving, so we would export to or invest in Kenya. Our recommendation prior to do export or investment is the following Exporters/Investors†¦ †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ need to check the local partner/customer in Kenya carefully It is very important to have a reliable, reputable partner in Kenya.Creditworthiness should be checked prior to doing business with them. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦insist on payment by letter of credit Especially when doing business w ith a customer/partner the first time it is advisable not to sell under open payment terms. It could than occur that the exporter would never receive his money. A letter of credit is used to eliminate the risk such as unfa-miliarity with the foreign country, customs or political instability. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ should not admit corruption Corruption in a foreign country is also indictable in Austria. Austrian exporters may also be reliable for their Kenyan partners.Therefore it is advisable to agree on anti-corruption clauses in the contract. In case an Austrian exporter would admit corruption the export insurance will not be valid anymore. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ need to consider and watch the political situation When political unrests occur it may be advisable to stop exports until the unrests have calmed down. 6. SUMMARY MILESTONE HISTORYThe independent Republic of Kenya was founded in December 1963. JOMO KENYATTA was the first president (until 1978). Kenyatta's long presidency provided the co untry with stability. GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES †¢580. 000 km2 †¢42 million inhabitants †¢Capital City: Nairobi Language: English, SwahiliThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator with the Indian Ocean to its south-east. It is bordered by Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya has a land area of 580. 000 km2 (7 times bigger than Austria) and a population of about 43 million residents. It is to stress out that 75% of the population is younger than 30 years. Its capital and largest city is Nairobi. English is the language of choice when doing business in Kenya and is also used in Kenyan schools.Swahili (also called Kiswahili) is the national language of Kenya. It is a unifying African language spoken by nearly 100 percent of the Kenyan population. CLIMATIC CONDITIONSKenya has a warm and humid climate along its coastline on the Indian Ocean, which chan ges to wildlife-rich savannah grasslands moving in-land towards the capital. Nairobi has a cool climate that gets colder ap-proaching Mount Kenya (5. 166m), which has three permanently snow-capped peaks. 1. OVERVIEW OF THE COUNTRY 2. POLITICAL CRITERIA 2002 transitional election 2007 accusation of electoral ma-nipulation resulted in violent riots in KenyaAugust 2010: peaceful referen-dum in passing a new constitution Kenya has seen significant political changes in the last decade. The his-toric 2002 transitional election, in which the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) defeated the long-ruling Kenya African National Union, created a major political shift and inspired optimism among citizens about the future of their country as a multiparty democracy. Kenyans went to polls in large numbers for the December 2007 general elections, but the elections turned violent after accusations of electoral manipulation. More than 1. 00 Kenyans died and more than 600. 000 were displaced. Peace was r estored following the signing and enactment of the National Accord and the creation of the Grand Coalition Government (GCG), a power-sharing deal ending a political stalemate between President Mwai Kibaki of the Party of National Unity and Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement. The National Accord also set out an ambitious reform agenda including a review of the country’s constitution. In August 2010, a largely fair and peaceful referendum resulted in pass-ing a new constitution.The new constitution was a landmark NEW ELECTIONS IN 2013 risk of new post-electoral vio-lence and rumorsachievement for the GCG as it enforces broad changes to the govern-ance framework, including: a new devolved system of government; reduced presidential powers, a reformed electoral process, more defined separation of powers between the three branches of government; land reform; and an expanded bill of rights. Government institutions, civil society, political parties and citizens face an am bitious and challenging period as they enact the reforms dictated by the new constitution.Kenya’s political dynamics also are likely to be influenced by the outcome of the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings in which six prominent Kenyans are accused of involvement in the 2008 post-election violence. It is not yet clear whether the charges will be upheld by the ICC. Kenyan leaders are under increasing pressure to continue rebuilding their country and to avoid a repeat of the 2008 post-election crisis as the country heads into general elections in 2013. 3. KENYA’S DOMESTIC ECONOMY DOMESTIC ECONOMY The economy experienced moderate growth in 2011 but is expected to rise modestly in 2012 and 2013 respectively.The year 2011 witnessed drastic currency depreciation and rapid inflation, both of which are ex-pected to stabilize in 2012 and 2013. Youth unemployment constitutes 70% of total unemployment. In 2011 Kenya’s economy recorded â€Å"checked† gro wth, primarily driven by financial intermediation, tourism, construction and agricultural sectors. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the first nine months was estimated at 4. 2%, down from 4. 9% in the same period in 2010. Overall, growth in 2011 was curtailed by an unstable macroeconomic environment characterized by rising inflation, exchange rate depreciation and high energy costs.The country also experienced limited rainfall in the first half of 2011, which affected aggregate food production. In January 2011, the Kenyan government was forced to ask the IMF for support to counter the mounting financing pressures caused by a widening current account deficit. Certain other structural constraints, such as widespread corruption and poor infrastructure, also continued to undermine Kenya’s growth potential. 4. KENYA & FOREIGN ECONOMY IMPORT While Kenya had just spent 3. 3 billion US Dollars on merchandise im-ports in 99’, they imported goods worth to 13. 49 bill ion US Dollar in 2011 which is an increase of over 400%.The depressed performance during the 2008-09 was due to a number of adverse shocks including the post election violence in early 2008, a severe drought that affect-ed most parts of the country, high international commodity prices and spillover effects of the global financial crisis, but the economy rebounded in 2010. IMPORT PRODUCTS The major import products for the year to June 2011 were oil, manu-factured goods, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment. The increase in the value of imports was mainly due to imports of oil (International oil prices increased) IMPORT PARTNERS1. United Arab Emirates -> 13. % 2. China -> 12,1% 3. India -> 11. 6% 4. South Africa -> 5,8% 5. United Kingdom 4,6% EXPORT Kenya had received 2. 2 Billion US Dollar in 99’, while they could in-crease their receivement for exports in 2011 to 5. 77 Billion US Dollar. This is an increase of about 260%. The depressed performance during the 2008-09 w as due to a number of adverse shocks including the post-election violence in early 2008, a severe drought that affect-ed most parts of the country, high international commodity prices and spillover effects of the global financial crisis, but the economy rebounded in 2010.EXPORT PRODUCTSThe agricultural sector continues to dominate Kenya’s economy, alt-hough only 15 percent of Kenya’s total land area has sufficient fertility and rainfall to be farmed. Tourism currently is Kenya’s third largest foreign-exchange earner after tea and horticulture (flowers) EXPORT PARTNERSCOMESA (East-South Africa) -> 35. % European Union ->30% United States -> 5,6% Pakistan -> 4,2% United Arab Emirates -> 4,1% IMBALANCE IN TRADING Kenya is largely a trade deficit country.The negative balance of trade occurs because the country's exports are vulnerable to both interna-tional prices and the weather conditions. The gap between imports and exports, also called current account deficit, n ow stands at above 10% of GDP – one of the highest in the world! Today, Kenya’s main exports do not even earn enough to pay for its oil imports. ECONOMIC COOPERATION, REGIONAL INTEGRATION & TRADE COMMON EXTERNAL TAFFIFF VISION STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITYThe East African Community (EAC) countries – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi – transformed into a fully-fledged and enforceable customs union on 1 January 2010 allowing for the free movement of goods, services, people and capital in a zone with a combined population of some 135 million people. The next phase of the integration will see the bloc enter into a Monetary Union and ultimately become a Political Federation of the East African States. They adopted a common external tariff (CET) with three bands: 0% (raw materials and capital goods), 10% (intermediate goods) and 25% (finished goods).Tariffs of up to 100% are applicable to products that are deemed to be sensitive to member states. These includ e maize, rice, cement, sugar and dairy products. The Vision of EAC is a prosperous, competitive, secure, stable and politically united East Africa; and the Mission is to widen and deepen Economic, Political, Social and Culture integration in order to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa through increased competitiveness, value added production, trade and investments. EAC has a combined population of more than 135 million people, land area of 1. 2 million square kilometres and a combined Gross Domestic Product of $74. 5 billion. This bears great strategic and geopolitical sig-nificance and prospects of a renewed and reinvigorated East African Community 5. CONCLUSION POTENTIAL OF KENYAAll in all Africa has a big potential for exports and investments as there are still big growth opportunities. Kenya has the greatest growth potential in the Sub-Saharan area after South Africa. However there are some recommendations to bear in mind (e. g. Letter of credit, creditwort hiness check,†¦) ADVANTAGESRISKSStable economy and good eco-nomic prospectspolitical instability ? political riskBUT: increasing political instability since peaceful referendum in 2010 ? adoption of a new constitution Favourable strategic geographical position and access to export mar-kets (? Eastern Africa) corruption and impunity (=Straflosigkeit) BUT: High efforts to bring the problem un-der control: since 2010 ? Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission forced high-profile cabinet ministers to step aside and the International Criminal Court publicly named perpetrators of violence (=Gewalttater) ADVANTAGESRISKSMembership of the largest African common market, the EAC (Eastern African Community), COMESA and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ? enables the free movement of goods and ser-vices across the member statesInadequate infrastructure for absorption of economic devel-opmentBUT: High efforts to catch up on infrastruc-ture English languagewidespread poverty ? crime Mombasa seaport ? most impor-tant seaport + Nairobi ? political and economic stronghold in the Eastern African Areacompanies are often undercap-italized ? risk of late or non-payment Small time difference Small taxes and levies (=Abgaben)Low wages compared to European countries and well trained em-ployees Emerge of a middle class with increasing purchasing power OUR RECCOMENDATIONS Exporters/Investors†¦ †¦ need to check the local partner/customer in Kenya carefully It is very important to have a reliable, reputable partner in Kenya. Cre-ditworthiness should be checked prior to doing business with them. †¦insist on payment by letter of credit Especially when doing business with a customer/partner the first time it is advisable not to sell under open payment terms. It could than occur that the exporter would never receive his money.A letter of credit is used to eliminate the risk such as unfamiliarity with the foreign country, customs or political instability. †¦ s hould not admit corruption Corruption in a foreign country is also indictable in Austria. Austrian exporters may also be reliable for their Kenyan partners. Therefore it is advisable to agree on anti-corruption clauses in the contract. In case an Austrian exporter would admit corruption the export insur-ance will not be valid anymore. †¦ need to consider and watch the political situation When political unrests occur it may be advisable to stop exports until the unrests have calmed down.