How Do You Think the Asian Passenger Air Transport

The Asian passenger air transport marketplace will stable and growing rapidly. The latest Airbus Global Market Forecast (GMF), released in December 2010, shows that key drivers for the marketplace are the replacement of aircraft for newer more eco-efficient models in mature markets, dynamic growth in new emerging markets, the further growth of low-cost carriers – particularly in Asia-Pacific and Europe, further market liberalisation and capacity growth on existing routes. In 2010, views on whether low-fare airlines would continue to flourish in Asia varied. Three factors regulation, population demographics, and socioeconomic trends -drove this calculus. Although the target consumer base for AirAsia was enormous -more than 500 million people lived within three hours of AirAsia's hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, more than Western Europe's entire population -the failure of Asia's regulatory environment to keep pace and the uncertain demand for low-fare services created uncertainty. Those who sold airplanes, airports or advice tended to be of the opinion that low-fare carriers would redraw Asia's socioeconomic map, offering affordable international travel to millions and thereby fostering the integration of a region divided by water, politics, and poor infrastructure. Analysts who saw a large and growing market predicted that budget airlines would tap pent-up demand among less affluent Asians, who typically travelled by bus and hardly expected attentive service. Since the global economy peaked in the second half of 2006 and even during the recession of 2008-2009, Asian carriers had seen increased success. â€Å"We're seeing that people in Asia travel as soon as they have some extra money in their pocket,† said Don Birth, president and chief executive officer of Abacus, a distribution services provider†) Although average incomes were lower in Asia than in Europe, Timothy Ross, an analyst for UBS, said that the region's lower average incomes should boost rather than constrain demand for cheap fares. Other analysts argued that there had traditionally been too few bilateral agreements that allowed new low-fare carriers to fly between countries and too few of the satellite airports that the airlines needed to keep costs low. In that vein, budget airlines such as AirAsia were hoping for increased cross-border travel in the wake of the December 2008 Asean open skies agreement. The agreement allowed carriers based in the region to make unlimited flights between all 10 Asean member states. Although it would be 2015 before the agreement was fully implemented, it was a positive step forward. For instance, in January 2010, the Indonesian Transportation Ministry announced it was gearing up for the country's full participation in the Asean air transport liberalization plan and intended to inc1ude five of Indonesia's twenty-seven international airports in the implementation. † Although this was only a small proportion, it was a symbolic start. â€Å"Liberalization tends to be infectious, and the germs of change are in the air,† concluded Peter Harbison, the executive chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. ‘ As more and more countries opened their skies, AirAsia was quick to start cross-border joint ventures, most notably in Thailand and Indonesia. AirAsia prompted increased passenger travel with its 2007-2008 â€Å"To Malaysia with Love† campaign. The campaign celebrated 50 years of nationhood for Malaysia, and offered travelers affordable fares â€Å"starting from MYR0. 50 (about 15 cents), available for all destinations to/from its Malaysian hubs. ,,36 Cheaper airfares were also made possible by the low-cost carrier terminal at Kuala Lampur Airport, with a throughput of about 10 million passengers annually. Even though, external, industry-wide challenges -particularly the escalating cost of fuel -also posed a threat to AirAsia. As the lowest cost carrier in the world, the company suffered more from high fuel prices, as they were a higher percentage of total costs, than any other airline (assuming similar equipment and seat density). Surcharges and baggage fees covered some of this but the airline was conscious that if it loaded on the full charge, it might find no demand on some flights due to a high base price (e. g. inimum or zero fare plus taxes, fees and surcharges). To offset this eventuality, AirAsia did a lot to improve operations and efficiency and also saw the benefits of the fuel efficient Airbus 320 help to maintain its low-fares brand position. To retain its cost advantage in the wake of the global recession, AirAsia entered into an alliance in January 2010 with Jetstar, the low-fare subsidiary of Australia's flag carrier, Qantas. This was the first time two leading budget airlines had collaborated in this fashion. The alliance allowed the companies to explore joint aircraft purchasing, passenger and ground handling services cooperation and the transportation of each other's passengers in the event of a disruption. Assuming the focus of the alliance was on cost sharing for services and aircraft procurement, it might prove effective. AirAsia had played the game very well and had ambitious growth plans to keep ahead of the pack. Time would tell if Fernandes and his team could maintain the company's position as Asia's -or perhaps the globe's -most successful budget airline. But what were the business implications for AirAsia if oil prices remained above $100 a barrel for the foreseeable future? Little possibility. Between slim and none The pattern in other regions suggested that once rules start to relax, growth follows. In the United States, the upsurge of budget carriers saw passenger numbers rise nearly 50 per cent in the five years following deregulation, compared with four per cent for traditional airlines. In 2010, low-fare carriers now had more than a third of the market. In Australia, Virgin Blue took only three years to win a 30 per cent market share. The growth of low-fare carriers had great potential to spill over into the broader tourist and business travel economy: having more air passengers generates higher demand for hotel rooms. This connection had been seen in Australia, where Virgin Blue took nearly one-third of the domestic market from Qantas Airways (which responded in part by setting up Jetstar). This resulted in a sharp upturn in demand for economy hotels, such as Accor. â€Å"In many cases, it's entirely new business that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for cheap air tickets,† commented Peter Hook, general manager for communications at Accor Asia Pacific . In addition, low-fare carriers might offer options for Asian travelers to mix business with pleasure, as many North American and European business travelers did, by extending trips or bringing family members to accompany them. Ultimately, Fernandes pointed out, budget airlines in Asia had an advantage in that Asia had almost no interregional highways and no high-speed international rail. â€Å"There's a lot of sea in between,† he said. â€Å"Air travel is the only way to develop interconnectivity in Asia. â€Å"

Synopsis of “The Corporation”

Sypnosis Sypnosis of â€Å"The Corporation† The documentary, â€Å"The Corporation† was written by Joel Bakan, Mark Achbar, and Jennifer Abbott. It starts off by describing corporations as jig saw puzzles, saying that if one piece of it is removed or lost, it will not function properly. The documentary describes that everything in a corporation has a place and a common purpose. It states that everything and everyone works together for a common end. Corporations are then compared to â€Å"monsters† trying to obtain as much profit as possible.In the film, corporations are defined as â€Å"one form of business ownership† and as â€Å"a group of individuals working together to serve a variety of objectives. † A corporation’s most important objective is profit and it will not let anything stand in its way of getting it. The documentary explains how the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution created enormous growth in corporations. Corporate lawye rs started to realize they wanted more power. The 14th amendment was passed to give every â€Å"person† equal rights.This amendment was meant to free slaves, but corporations manipulated it in a way to apply to capital and property. Corporations were given rights as â€Å"special persons’ that were designed to be concerned only for their stockholders. All they want is to make as much money as possible at any given time. To corporations, there is no such thing as enough profit. All of them are designed to complete certain characteristic to deliver results as soon as possible.The characteristics of corporations are callous concern for the feelings of others, incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, reckless disregard for the safety of others, deceitfulness: repeated lying and conning others for profit, incapacity to experience guilt, and failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors. These faults of corporations have put life of all species i n a constant decline. Most CEO’s of corporations do not realize the bad that their companies are doing to the world. Many have not even been to the sites of their main actories to have the opportunity to see the horrible conditions of workers. Corporations manipulate our minds through media to buy their products starting at a young age. It is a terrible thing for them to do, but unfortunately it works. Most children start begging their parents for toys they see on television at a very young age. Parents seem to give in as their children explain that they just â€Å"have got to have† the new toy. Towards the end of the documentary, it starts to reveal some real life situations where corporations have tried to break the law.It shows when the RGBH hormone was being put into milk without consumers knowing the true health issues it could cause. Another corporation was trying to charge citizens in Bolivia a fourth of their income for water, even though they only made two dol lars a day. In order for Coca-Cola to continue making money during Hitler’s dictation, they came out with a new drink called Fanta Orange. They continued to make millions of dollars even while millions of people were being killed. During the same time, IBM, along with other United States corporations were trading with Germany to make profits during the Holocaust.Many corporations have grown global and the government has lost total control over them. Capitalism has become the new â€Å"high-priest† of all systems. In order to have more power, industries and the government work together. As everyday people we do not realize how the things we do can harm our environment. Even just doing our jobs can be hurting the people around us, depending on the companies we work for. The best thing to do is if you do not agree with the actions of a corporation, then stand up to them or do not buy or use their products.

The fail city---Philadelphia, PA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The fail city---Philadelphia, PA - Essay Example It has an art and culinary mix that is reflective of its ethnic mix of Irish, Scottish, and German immigrants in the seventeenth century, then followed later mostly by immigrants from southern and eastern Europe such as Poles, Italians, Hungarians, etc. and followed again by another immigrant wave of African-Americans during a period called as their Great Migration in the early twentieth century. Before the European settlers and colonizers came to Pennsylvania, this state is the home of the Delaware native-American tribe as well as other Indian tribes like the Iroquois, Shawnee, Erie, and Susquehannock. Pennsylvania is one of the original thirteen states which declared independence from Great Britain. Although its state capital today is Harrisburg, it is Philadelphia which has a rich historic legacy in most important events of American history, like the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the signing of the Constitution (1787), as it was the preferred meeting place of the Founding Fathers. Philadelphia once surpassed Boston as a chief seaport in the mid-Atlantic seaboard. This paper examines the success factors of Philadelphia from an anthropological, economic, and political viewpoint during its heyday. Discussion Philadelphia had always been the center of most human activities since its early time as a European settlement. As such, its success can be viewed from an anthropological angle or perspective because it was, and still is today, a melting pot (or salad bowl) on the East Coast. The original settlers of Philadelphia were the Indians and a first wave of European colonizers was the Dutch, followed by the British, and then a bit later, by the Swedes. The resulting mix of various European settlers intermarried with the natives. This mixture of peoples produced a tolerant attitude towards other cultures and got the best aspects of each culture to make the present culture of Philadelphia today which is progressive, flexible, and open to new ideas. The peopl e of Philadelphia are composed mostly of white Europeans (almost 82%) who are non-Hispanic with the next big majority being either black Americans or African- Americans (non-Hispanic origin). Besides these two, there are also many ethnic groups in the city’s population such as Native Americans (descendants of the remnants of original tribes) and Asians such as Pakistanis, Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Cambodians. The composition of Philadelphia’s population is truly cosmopolitan hence it is similar to New York City in terms of ethnic diversity. The different groups learned to live with each other in peace due to close proximity and tolerance for their differences. Philadelphians have learned to accommodate, cooperate and collaborate in the racial politics of culture (Baker 130). Although anthropology has four main areas of concentration in terms of study (the sociocultural, biological-physical, archaeological, and lastly, linguistics anthropology) it is th e sociocultural aspects of Philadelphia’s anthropology which can best explain its success as a big, modern city. This is to examine the city in terms of its sociocultural features such as in social patterns, religious beliefs, and cultural practices, as defined (American Anthropological Association, para. 2) because it determines justice, balance of

Retention assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Retention assignment - Coursework Example taurant management has successfully employed a retention strategy leading to a sustained employees low turnover, improved productivity and consequently the company has grown tremendously in the food and beverage industry. The company focuses on three primary one of which includes training and hiring the right people to each job specification. With this strategy, the company management occasionally undertakes recruitment policy reviews in order to enhance retention as per Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) strategy (http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/retention.cfm). In 2008, the company trained its employees on enhancing productivity through focusing on the mission statement and actual service delivery. Consequently, the company reversed declining share growth to 11 consecutive record reports back from 42% share losses to a remarkable 12.4% share growth. The success was achieved when employees were retained and trained to reverse the errors in shares instead of possible layoffs (Taylor 23). Secondly, the company regularly conducts employee climate surveys using the 36o degree evaluation strategy. Under this approach, the management conducts performance evaluation with total focus on all spheres of employee including interpersonal relationship in the workplace. The strategy helps the managers to assess workforce attitude and job satisfaction and make changes before employees quit. Through this Strategy, Starbuck has improved its production and raise its employees by 66% from 2003 to 2013 (Liebowitz 17). Certainly, this is a tremendous recipe for the companys growth since high employees means higher productivity and subsequently increase in profits. Through employing the right people and training them, Starbuck has achieved companys growth. In addition, conducting employees evaluation and surveys on job performance has led to the retention of employees and increase in the

Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct - Essay Example There is an urgent need to remind members how important it is to follow these rules in the performance of their assignments so that high ethical standards can be maintained and avoid controversies. In this connection, it is important for the profession to be strict with regards to observing standards formulated by its professional bodies in terms of accounting and auditing ethics and conduct. A member must at all times endeavor to observe the code of conduct that governs their profession. Rule 102 – this rule pertains to integrity and objectivity. This means accountants should maintain at all times honesty in performing his work and avoid conflicts of interest that may be damaging to that integrity and objectivity by assiduously observing independence. Expectations of the code is a CPA will not knowingly misrepresent facts, make materially false or misleading entries or fails to correct those erroneous entries when there is an opportunity to rectify them. Violations of this ru le was shown in the case of Mr. Robert E. Allgyer of Lake Forest, in the state of Illinois, for alleged violations of the Codes of Professional Conduct of the AICPA and also in relation to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 102 (e) about a rendition of professional services for Waste Management, Inc. wherein there was improper conduct by him. The integrity of Mr. Allgyer was questionable due to his issuance of an Order instituting Public Administrative Proceedings which the SEC construed as negligence on his part. However, Mr. Allgyer entered into a compromise settlement with thInstitutingich he was fined $50,000 and also suspended from his professional practice for two years, with a right to re-apply for the privilege of practicing before the SEC only after the lapse of five years. I think the disciplinary actions taken against him were too harsh (professional suspensions) considering that he paid the substantial civil monetary penalty of $50,000 (AICPA, 2012b, p. 1). Ru le 102 (e) of the SEC now allows it to sanction any individual CPA in addition to public accounting firms, the firms they worked for and their audit committees. This new rule change refers to negligence on the part of individual CPA which constitutes as improper conduct and a violation of professional standards of conduct applicable in the instant case (With a controversial change to rule†¦, 1999, p. 1). Rule 201 – this rule refers to professional competence and cares with regards to the handling of financial documents. It means any member must be competent in terms of academic theories (continuing professional education credits or CPE) and adequate work experiences. Moreover, this rule requires due professional care during rendition of any professional services by ensuring proper planning before any work is started, make adequate supervision during the performance of professional services and ascertain if there are enough valid data, documents and all relevant informati on for a reasonable conclusion or a proper recommendation with regards to all services standards (NYSSCPA.org, 2009, p. 1).  

NASA Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NASA Project - Essay Example Multiple measurements and models have been put in place to improve and create an understanding hence improving on precision. Sea surface temperature comprises a three grid map in the western part of Atlantic is 2500 lines and 3900 samples. Mediterranean Sea is 2048 lines and 4096 samples and Mediterranean area which are 220 lines and 1350 samples. It is considered to be the most known sources of NO2 are in the combustion engines, pulp mills and thermal power stations. Its consequences include rivers are loaded with excess of this nutrient, excess deposits will pollute large water bodies. On the human consequences, the eyes, throat, nose and repertory system irritates when one come in contact with it. If a person gets exposed more often, it will lead to a chronic bronchitis which may lead to asthma disease. Children are at the high risk of being infected with respiratory infections. The intention of Giovanni interface is to provide an introduction to learners on environmental issues globally, regionally and also touches on local climatic changes. It is normally used by teachers and learners. This has been set on the DICCE-G basic portal to create relevance in detail thus enabling the user to come up with local climate change and thus expanding the idea into a global perspective. Giovanni is an application used alongside with the web in order to investigate the earth’s scientific data. It collects and analyzes data without necessarily downloading the data. It is also an interactive online infrastructure. Giovanni is used by researchers, teachers, policy makers, modelers, proposal writers and students. In order to use a Giovanni a web browser is required. The procedures are self explanatory and thus easy to

In what ways did 20th century conflicts, however broadly defined, Essay - 1

In what ways did 20th century conflicts, however broadly defined, change the nature of Western introspection - Essay Example Many writers, philosophers and thinkers in general were disillusioned and this was reflected in their art and writings. In this paper, I would be discussing how conflicts in the 20th century affected Western introspection with the main idea being conflicts made people focused more on the darker side of the human soul particularly in the inherent desire for violence. As a result of this investigation, there was a profound desire to expose it and make people realize that these events occurred but should never be repeated. An increasing sense of national awareness and nationalism led to many events that eventually culminated into two world wars having the intensity and scale never seen before and claimed millions of lives. The Germans, proud of their race and superior technology and eager to replace the United Kingdom as the dominant global power, precipitated the two world wars. France, Britain, United States, Italy, Russia and other nations were to become involved in the wars that would eventually change the notion of violence and inhumanity. (p. 61) The intensity of the fighting and the efficiency of armaments exposed many people to scenarios replete with violence and inhuman tendencies. ... Auschwitz and many other concentration camps provided many macabre scenes of death. Jews and other non-Aryan races were made to undergo experiments, forced to do labor and eventually exterminated by different methods in the hope of determining which is the most efficient (p. 63). The darker side of humanity made its presence fully known. Nevertheless, the prisoners of concentrations were not the only one severely traumatized. Soldiers and civilians alike saw their comrades and loved ones lose their life and limbs by efficient bombs, bullets and knives all directed to them by living and breathing humans also. Randall Jarrell painted a picture of how dehumanizing the war was with the death of a gunner by flak and the washing of his remains out of the turret like nothing happened (p. 62). Through the writings of survivors, we come to know of a world where violence prevailed and where humans plunged themselves into the darkness of their soul. What the world wars were able to do was to destroy any preconceived and romanticized notion of prosperity, justice, humanity and equality. Nevertheless, it became a catalyst for individuals like Jean Paul Sartre (p. 71-73) and Erich Maria Remarque (53) to take a more proactive role in exposing the evil capacities of human beings and to make them remember the atrocities of war. The crucial experience of war and captivity enabled Sartre, Remarque and other writers of this period to build a positive moral system and express it thru literature. The stage in human history where the two wars occurred changed Western thoughts about armed conflicts and made them appreciate on diplomacy. Many nations became more conscious of the need for peace and strived to achieve some semblance of it. More importantly, it made thinkers ponder

The Victorians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Victorians - Essay Example A woman had to be virgin a so as to be considered a potential wives. She had to remain innocent as well as not having sexual or love thoughts before marriage. Such a requirement was not expected for men. Women were believed to have sexuality as their controller hence needed to be regulated hence the society demanded unquestionable compliance from a woman while no man was expected to do so. After marriage, a woman’s rights, identity and poverty ceased. The husband supervised her completely as per the law, owning the children, her property as well as her. Wife beating and rape was legal. Women held a significant position in marriage since they cared for household, servants as well as management of finances; however, men viewed them as overly emotional as well as mindless controlled by sexuality. Whatever a woman did was not seen to be as important as the work of a man. Motherhood could be separated from anything sexual almost all the time. Sex was not for pleasure for them but mainly for bearing kids. Sex for pleasure was viewed scandalous and dirty. Purity was significant for mothers to get appreciation. Mothers needed to be religious because religion supported women’s view of sexual satisfaction and passion. With lack of religious faith, a woman was unable to inspire sexual propriety within her daughter, hence not fit t be a mother. Adultery for men was allowed but for women it could lead to divorce. Adultery for men could only lead divorce if it were compounded by a different matrimonial offence for instance dissertation or cruelty. Prostitution was legal at this time and it was the second category. There was no that much difference between mothers and prostitutes in the sense that men saw all women as whores. However, prostitutes were referred to as the fallen women whom deserved disrespect and shame. All other professions were nt meant for omen except

PHI445 FInal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

PHI445 FInal - Assignment Example One thing each company or organization needs to be aware of is that as much as businesses evolve, so does ethical norms. It is therefore important for each company to have a constant update to its business ethics. Non Profit Company: The American Future Fund American Future Fund or AFF is an organization started back in 2008. Individuals working with Mitt Romney during the 2008 bid for the Republican US Presidency pioneered it as non-profit making organization. The fund â€Å"advocates conservative and free-market principles† (Jacobson, 2012). The organization was established under 501(c) (4) US tax code, it is therefore allowed by law to raise an unlimited amount of money, but restricted to use this money for campaigning as its primary purpose. Ethical Problems the organization is facing For non-profit making organizations, most of their ethical issues can be summarized into seven key problems. As outlined by Santicola, (2006) these issues include tainted money, compensation, privacy, stewardship, conflict of interest, impropriety, and honesty/full disclosure. Any organization that is directly involved in politics is likely to face many ethical problems in its line of operation. AFF is not an exception, and since its inception, it has faced a number of lawsuits relating to its ethics. The main problems include the use of tainted money, compensation, appearance of impropriety, and honesty and full disclosure. ... The Iowa Democratic Party was convinced that AFF was using tainted money in running the ads and filed for a complaint with Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure, to determine AFF’s donors. In February 2011, AFF faced another accusation by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), for tax violation. CREW seeks an investigation into AFF, where it has substantial evidence to question the organization’s honesty and disclosure. This suit also factors in other ethical issues that make the organization’s ethical standards questionable. Such issues include spending the organization's money to ask voters to vote against democrats, yet the mission of the organization is to support republicans to office. This is an appearance of impropriety since their methods may be arguable in court, but they are ethically inappropriate. AFF being a 501(c) (4) organization under US tax code, it is â€Å"allowed by law to raise an unlimited amount of money, but restricted to using this money for campaigning as its primary purpose†. In a bid to counter a decision made by Citizens United Supreme Court, AFF used more than $300 million to elect the 112th congress (CREW, 2011). This is a clear indication of compensation where the fundraisers of the organization are using donor funds for their own self-gain. With such claims directed towards the organization’s ethical standards, the organization is likely to face three major problems. First, the organization can end up being dissolved by the court if proven guilty of violating the tax code in its functions. Second, the organization ends u using many of its funds because of the various lawsuits that question its ethical standards. Thirdly, AFF is

Explain and discuss real property concepts Essay

Explain and discuss real property concepts - Essay Example This paper examines the real property concepts with regard to ownership, rights acquisition, disposal and transfer. The main difference between land and chattels is that land is immobile while chattels are built or placed on land. The ownership of property, real or personal, is determined by a court of law and arises where a person wants right to them. One can obtain rights that are enforceable by a court of law called the title on property based on the rules within a particular jurisdiction. The right to use varies from possession to usage and disposal of property. A person is granted rights upon the possession of a product and this is not different in the case of real estate. The law dictates that a person in possession of land can take legal action against another found trespassing on such property (Miller, 2012). This is brought out as a caution and to avoid cases of disorder. The person interfering with such property therefore needs to demonstrate superior right for the court to accede to such interference. The legal position for the transfer of property is by sale or as a gift. This is from the previous owned consensually to the potential owner and that also means a transfer of title. A will may be used in this case as it allows the distribution of the wealth of the deceased. In the case of a conflict of interest as witnessed in many real estate cases, the courts are called upon to rank the cases and subsequently resolve the conflict (Miller, 2012). These differences mainly arise due to inconsistencies and conflicts nor interest where the owner of the property transfers the valid title to another who is not vetted. These conflicts may also arise from fraudulent operations or mistakes. The identification of real property follows a verifiable and legal description of such property. The law provides that such description should make use of natural and manmade

Discuss Chaucers poetic methods Essay Example for Free

Discuss Chaucers poetic methods Essay Discuss Chaucers poetic methods in presenting evil in the pardoners prologue and tale in the light of this comment.  In Chaucers time, the nature of evil related to any committing of the 7 deadly sins, consisting of greed, pride, blasphemy, sloth, avarice, wrath, lust and envy. The pardoners prologue and tale is comprised of many of these sins, the pardoner himself demonstrating the majority. Other characters, such as the 3 rioters also embody many of these sins. This essay will explore these characters as well as their evil natures and formulate an opinion how Chaucer presents evil in the pardoners prologue and tale. The pardoners evil nature is initiated from his physical description in the general prologue. He is described as having hair as yelow as wex and hood we wered noon a description immediately illustrating him as a rule breaker, as for most clergymen it was assumed they would cover their hair. In addition to this, he is described as having such glaryng eyen. In the medieval times, this amounted to the suggestion of evil; therefore, Chaucer has constructed the pardoner in such a way to ambiguously imply he may be somewhat evil. Critics, such as Spearing, have noted that the pardoners repellent outer appearance reflects his inner corruption. The description of his fake relics, such as the sayle that saint peter hadde and oure lady veyl are used to demonstrate his evil intentions; taking advantage of the peasants good faith by tricking them into buying fake relics, that are nothing more than pigges bones. From the onset, Chaucer has incorporated the theme of evil within the pardoner and has maintained this throughout the prologue and tale. The prologue outlines the pardoners admittance to his evil nature, and suggests he may even be proud of this. He boldly states that his sermons are constructed around the well-known Latin biblical phrase, radix malorum est cupiditas loosely translated as greed is the root of all evil. The missing word omnium from this is used to demonstrate his lack of biblical knowledge, which is emphasised by the repititon of this phrase throughout. In medieval times, it was common and often expected, for members of the church to know and practice in Latin. The pardoner admits to using pieces of Latin to saffron my predicacioun. This cooking imagery may suggest that he only uses Latin to reinforce his false position, and therefore highlighting his evil nature, and may relate to the sin of gluttony as he is referencing food, again reinforcing the evilness of his character. The pardoner states in the prologue, in the form of a confession, that he preche of no thyng but for coveityse. The repetition of this ironic language along with the shocking imagery that is portrayed through his rhetorical question will I live in poverte willfully? and his admittance to taking money from the povereste widye in the village paints an evil picture of the pardoner who is merely driven by greed. Some critics, such as Georgianna believe in the historical school of thought, and note that the pardoner is merely a vehicle for the substantial embodiment of the churchs abusement. It has been suggested and argued amongst several other critics that Chaucer had no other motive when constructing the pardoners character other than to criticize and highlight the wrongdoings of the medieval church. Many fake pardoners lived amongst the medieval audience, and carried out the same evil methods as the pardoner, all for the same motive; greed. As a result of this, anticlericalism grew popular amongst the peasants very quickly. Therefore, it can be suggested that the pardoners character was constructed in such a way to shine light on his evil nature and to draw parallels with the medieval church. The pardoners tale is a sermon against four particular sins; gluttony, blasphemy, gambling and drinking. He talks at length of each of these particular sins, giving biblical examples that he has twisted to his benefit, such as Adam and also his wyfe who were dryven for that vice. The pardoner is suggesting that gluttony was the downfall of Adam and Eve, when in fact it was temptation. To sermonize against drinking is massively ironic as the pardoner has admitted to needing a draughte before being able to think of a moral tale to tell the pilgrims irony in itself seeing as he should not have to think about a tale of morality. The fact that the pardoner is guilty of committing the very sins he preaches about only adds to his evil nature. Many critics, such as Ruth Nevo, suggest that the pardoner is a character in his own tale that he tells. The novelle that the Pardoner tells the pilgrims consist of three rioters. He begins by stating the setting of the three men; in the develes temple metaphorical for a tavern. The three rioters are established as sinners from the very beginning, already being guilty of committing two of the seven deadly sins; drinking and blaspheming. The repeated suggestion of a brotherhood and addressing each other as brethren has underlying irony as each rioter is ultimately killed by each others greed. It has been suggested that as the rioters are not named, and therefore are nt personally addressed, that they have been constructed to suggest the embodiment of sin. Their deaths are quick and do not have much effect; instead, the focus is on the sins that they do commit. This stresses that their evil natures are what caused their own deaths. However, it can be argued that although the pardoner presents evil in the pardoners prologue and tale, the fact that he acknowledges this suggests he is fully aware of his evil nature. Koff suggests that the pardoner is not so much evil as he is bold. This can be argued to an extent, as he does admit to being a ful vicious man, yet states that a morale tale yet I yew telle kan. This can be portrayed as being ironic, as he is fully aware of his evil nature, yet still believes that he can preach against the sins he so readily admits to committing. In addition to this, Chaucer does incorporate some good nature into the novelle in the form of the old man. It has long been questioned as to whether he is the personification of death himself, and therefore cannot die, or whether he is merely an instrument used to emphasise the evil nature of the three rioters. His addressing of the three rioters as sires in comparison to the rude greetings of the rioters compares and relates age and innocence; the old man may have been faithful during his lifetime and therefore God will not take his life. In contrast, the young sinful rioters quickly come to their death through their own lack of faith. To conclude, I believe that a sinister exploration of evil is truly presented in the pardoners prologue and tale. Chaucer uses characterization of the pardoner and three rioters to present how corrupt medieval society was, as well as how readily sins were committed. The pardoners simile of as dooth a dowve sittynge on a berne to describe how he sees himself is used as an antithesis of his own character; as a dove carries religious connotations of peace and purity; the opposite to what the pardoner is. Despite infiltrating some holy and pure characters, such as the Old man, he only further emphasises the lack of good in the other characters. Overall, Chaucer constructs the prologue and tale in such a way to present several layers of evil in the Canterbury tales.

Commercial Accounting Essay Example for Free

Commercial Accounting Essay Commercial accounting is an accurate account of business transactions, it can only be acquired if both cash and credit transactions are performed, recorded, and recognized in such a way that there can be no duplication and the transactions are recorded under commercial accounting. The system known as double entry book keeping or the commercial accounting system that records both aspects of transactions, also it records credit transactions in cash accounting the day of the receipt. The single entry in accounting for example: there is a sale, where the transaction is complete after the exchange of cash for goods. In commercial accounting the date in which the transaction was made needs to be recorded regardless to whether it was paid or it wasn’t. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles better known as (GAAP) is the collection of standards and practices that are required to be used by business’s to record and present the results of their financial activities and their records of what they owe, established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). These accounting principles are standardized and used for the many private and publicly traded companies in America today. Every economic event within business must be associated with and recorded by a specific entity and business records must not include the personal assets or liabilities of the owner. If an idea holds no impact on a decision maker, investors, or creditors, then the relating (GAAP) principles do not have to be followed. (GAAP) requires the use of accrual basis accounting rather than cash basis accounting, this is imposed on businesses so that investors have a minimum level of consistency in the financial statements they use when analyzing businesses for investment purposes. The accrual basis of accounting over the cash basis of accounting in commercial accounting and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) is different depending on whether you run a large scale business or a small business. Cash basis is used mostly by small businesses where owners and creditors want a simple way to understand the financial statements and to understand whether there is a profit or loss in the business. Accrual basis is used by large businesses and when revenue is earned expenses are accrued. Cash basis gives you a clear picture of your cash flow, but does not give you a good idea of business in the long term because you are not recording income when it is actually earned. Accrual basis accounting accurately matches your income and expenses and if not managed carefully you could lose track of your actual cash flow, with accrual basis transaction statements they are recorded in which the events occur. You don’t have to wait until you see the money, or actually pay money out of your checking account, to record a transaction. References (Investopedia.com) (Wiley PLUS)

Strategic Essentialism In Reducing Gender Inequalities Sociology Essay

Strategic Essentialism In Reducing Gender Inequalities Sociology Essay A position of strategic essentialism is important in ensuring that gender inequalities are reduced. Discuss with reference to the evolution of feminist theory and action in the Global South. A central issue in feminist debates over essentialism is whether there are any shared characteristics common to all women that unify them as a social group other than their biological and physiological predispositions. Many feminist theorists of the 1980s and 1990s (Scott, 1988; Fraser, 1989; Spelman, 1990) rejected essentialism on the grounds that human phenomena cannot be reduced to essentialist monolithic categories, and that universal claims about women presuppose an essential womanness (Spelman, 1990) that all women share, despite the racial, class, religious, ethnic and cultural differences among them, emphasizing instead questions of difference and identity. Essentialism was presumed to be a negative aspect of feminism: One use of a theory of discourse for feminist politics, then, is in understanding social identities in their full socio-cultural complexity, thus in demystifying static, single variable, essentialist views of gender identity. (Fraser, 1991, p. 99). To maintain that femininity predisposes women to certain (nurturing) jobs or (collaborative) styles of work is to naturalize complex economic and social processes and, once again, to obscure the differences that have characterized womens occupational histories. An insistence on differences undercuts the tendency to absolutist and essentialist categories. (Scott, 1988, p. 47). At the same time, an anti-anti-essentialist argument was raised (Stone, 2004), arguing that anti-essentialist claims denied women the motivation to work together as a collectivity. Within this current, strategic essentialism has been an influential strand. While it recognizes that essentialism is descriptively false as it denies the real diversity of womens lives and social situations, it defends essentialist claims in the sense that they are politically useful (multilateral organizations such as the United Nations tend to treat women as if they comprise a unitary group) and socially influential. This argument is especially relevant regarding (womens) social movements, which many believe require a deep notion of shared position and identity. Oppressed groups can deploy essentialism strategically as it enables them to organize common forms of identity and sustain a sense of solidarity. Throughout this essay I will use case studies from the Global South to argue that the emphasis on co mmonalities is especially useful when tackling gender inequalities, but that the possible solutions must adapt to local conditions (taking into account a countrys history and culture), and that the ideological neoliberalism has played an important role in fragmenting the representation of women as a homogenous unit of analysis. Mohanty (1998) argues that western feminist scholarship has produced an image of third world women as a homogeneous and powerless group, often represented as victims of particular socio-economic systems (women as victims of war crimes, women as refugeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), on the basis of a shared oppression. The focus should instead be on the common differences (the common experience of social exclusion, for instance) as the basis for solidarity and collective mobilization, which are achieved through an active engagement with diversity. Issues like poverty and (gender) inequality require collective bargaining despite the involvement of actors polarized along caste, class, gender, linguistic and ethnic lines (Emmerij et al, 2009), as is the case in the case study that follows. The Sangtin (literally meaning friendship in Awadhi, a language spoken in parts of Uttar Pradesh) writers, a group of seven female village-level NGO activists from the hierarchical state of Uttar Pradesh, in India , put forward a collective critique against institutional patriarchies, thus enacting a politics of solidarity among themselves, despite the differences within womens collectives the activists come from diverse caste and religious backgrounds. Their critiques are directed at Nari Samato Yohana (NSY), a donor-funded NGO and a World Bank Initiative that works to empower poor rural women. The writers highlight the paradoxes of NGO politics as these organizations can be both empowering in theory (through the encouragement of grassroots activism) and elitist in practice (in the form of donor-driven priorities and evaluations). They analyze processes of hierarchical character of donor-driven womens empowerment organizations that often disregard rural womens knowledge and expertise. Womens NGOs in Uttar Pradesh are being increasingly pressured by funding agencies, which attach no value to grassroots work until that work is measured by the standards of the funders. Furthermore, these NGOs that are aiming to empower poor women in rural communities are staffed and dominated by Hindu and upper-caste grassroots workers, while rural-based, less formally educated workers find themselves at the margins of institutional spaces, with little say on the running of the organization (Nagar Sangtin Writers, 2006). More generally, the activists challenge the popular perception that NGOs are potential agents for diffusing development and enabling empowerment, because hierarchical processes within NGOs can impede their stated goals of empowerment, class differences reinforced through the hierarchical structures of NGOs (male- and upper-caste-dominated). Thus, the Sangtin writers are not mere victims of the hierarchical processes as Mohanty would argue they are represented by some western feminist texts as they resist and challenge. The role of global initiatives and institutions in addressing gender inequalities is significant. Although the UN Decade for Women and the four global womens conferences held in Mexico, Copenhagen, Nairobi and Beijing between 1975 and 1995 did not find as much common ground between women worldwide as anticipated, the conferences elevated gender equality to the center of the global development agenda and internationalized the issue of womens equality (unless development is engendered, it is endangered). The consensus was that women should lead development rather than the earlier view, in which women were seen as being affected positively or negatively by economic development policies, and were integrated into the development process as victims. Both views, however, assume that all third world women have similar problems and needs. Despite this shift in the development discourse that has moved women from the periphery to the center and acclaimed them as the holders of solutions to glob al problems, the poverty of the worlds women has increased and intensified. Global economic and political processes (i.e. globalization) have exacerbated economic, racial and gender inequalities. Jain (2005) points to a restlessness within the womens movements that has led to a partial failure of the movement to reach the next stage of development. Differences of location, race, class, sexuality, and religion have at times been emphasized at the expense of the commonalities that can build strength to move forward. It is important to emphasize, however, that the existence of gender inequalities have radically different, historically specific explanations as the next case studies will show. Thus, superficially similar situations cannot be treated as identical. Furthermore, as Lourdes Arizpe argues, the construction of gender in every society is a cultural phenomenon. The way in which these differences are constructed will depend on the culture of every society, and it is through the use of cultural analysis that gender inequalities can be understood (Arizpe, cited in Jain, 2005). The case studies (based on Chant McIlwaine, 1998) involves analyzing the challenges women face in two very different countries Malaysia and Zimbabwe and to specifically see how gender inequalities need to be tackled and addressed in each case. On one hand, Malaysia has experienced high levels of economic growth in the last few decades, mainly due to export-oriented industrialization. It is an ethnically heterogeneous and pluralistic society. Social indicators reflect relatively high levels of human development, but when these are differentiated by gender it appears that men have made greater gains than women in most areas. The adult literacy rate among women is 75.4% compared with 87.8% among men. In terms of political participation, in 1994 women represented only 10% of seats at local and parliamentary levels and 7% of ministerial posts. Employment opportunities have increased and diversified in the context of rapid industrialization, but the ethnic Malay have been granted preferential access to opportunities. On the other hand, Zimbabwe is an ethnically homogenous country, in a transition from a white-dominated British colony to a democratic black republic. Although the government has focused on post-colonial restructuri ng and nation-building, gender issues have not been entirely sidelined. Women were of significant importance in the liberation war for Zimbabwe, by proving food, shelter, clothing and paramedical and intelligence services. Their active participation led to the new independence government to take active steps towards gender equality by setting up, in 1981, a Ministry for Community Development and Womens Affairs (MCDWA). Zimbabwe is still a predominantly rural country, with only 30% of its population residing in urban areas in 1992, and remains a patriarchal society. In the case of Malaysia, womens issues are then seen through the lens of political representation, and addressing gender inequalities should be put in the context of ethnic inequalities. A specific solution would be to introduce quota systems to increase the number of women in political office and to enable women to fully participate in and influence decision-making. In the case of Zimbabwe, land access for women is a maj or problem given the patriarchal nature of society where most of the land parcels are owned by men. As such, land redistribution should be incorporated into the debate on how to reduce gender inequalities. A countrys history, culture and ethnic diversity, among others, should be taken into account when addressing gender inequalities, because while women might share a common experience of oppression -whether in Malaysia or Zimbabwe the specific policy measures needed will vary significantly. Women in the Third World have had to bear the brunt of globalization this is not an essentialist claim, but a generalization based on statistical evidence. Poor women are hardest hit by the degradation environmental conditions, wars, famines, privatization of services and the dismantling of welfare states (Mohanty, 2003). The structural adjustment programs many poor countries have had to adapt in order to receive loans from the international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have disproportionately squeezed women out of public sector employment, for example. Amy Linds (2002, 2003) research on Ecuador, however, challenges monolithic and globalized representations of women as victims of the globalization process, which have been made more difficult by a shift to neoliberalism and local women organizations most of which of a working-class and rural in nature becoming the new targets of development policy. Since the early 1980s successiv e Ecuadorian governments have received loans and implemented IMF/World Bank inspired structural adjustment programs (SAPs), which have had gendered impacts in the economy. These neoliberal policies affect women differently, the impact of which depends largely upon womens class, race, ethnicity and geographical location. As stated above, women in general have tended to lose out in this process, but this is particularly true for poor, rural indigenous women. Some women (especially women working within the state) have gained as a result of privatization policies and decentralization. Neoliberalism has had two opposing effects. On the one hand, it has provided the framework under which diverse political movements and actors have converged to challenge and reflect dissatisfaction with the neoliberal economic model and the lack of democratic progress under Abdalà ¡ Bucaram Ortizs presidency. A visible womens movement emerged as women activist in political parties, NGOs, rural and community based organizations, in political parties and in human rights organizations became increasingly frustrated with their marginalized roles under the new politico-economic system. They all invoked a form of strategic essentialism in an attempt to challenge the state and remake the nation in order to give women a greater voice in state policy affairs, and participated in the national strike leading up to President Ortizs removal from office. At the same time that women (as a unitary group) were rising to challenge President Ortizs policies, neoliberalism has exacerbated the differenc es between the women movements and fractured them. In the neoliberal context, economic and social disparities between women working with the state (state feminists) and poor, rural indigenous women who are the targets of state policies have become more apparent. This may contribute to a further fragmentation of a unified feminist movement, Lind (2003) argues, which is now characterized more by separate struggles than by any unified notion of a social movement, in the process of becoming a remnant of the past. Since neoliberalism positions women as clients for the states resources they are positioned in competition with each other for such resources. In short, while there is overlap between all the feminist strands, there is growing disagreement between feminist policy makers and activists regarding where women fit in the development arena, and whether there speak with a single, or multiple, fragmented voices. In conclusion, essentialist and anti-essentialist positions are located at the extreme ends of a spectrum. Addressing inequalities from these extremes does not represent a viable position. In order to move away from the essentialist/anti-essentialist dichotomies it is important to understand women not as completely different from each other, and at the same avoiding to assimilate them into a single dominant identity. Therefore, we need to look to the middle ground between essentialism and gender skepticism to find ways of talking about women that neither do violence to our diversity, nor represent us as inconsolably different (Heyes, 2000). Furthermore, women should neither be portrayed as victims to be rescued or heroines that hold the key to lift their countries and communities out of poverty. These extreme stances do not help in understanding the solutions that are needed to address women discrimination and inequalities. It seems that the best way forwards is for the struggle for gender equality to be channeled at various levels and through a variety of initiatives from the involvement of local womens groups, to NGOs at local, regional and international levels, governments and multilateral institutions and by not homogenizing their experiences. There will always be a framework of collective solidarity through which women can address the issue of gender inequality. Word count: 2302

the 5 women :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Louie, Jason   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3/6/04   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chinese 2 5 °   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The five women in the family did not get along well together. They were backstabbing each other and no one trusted each other. They fought about position in the family. The woman with a higher number is the lower ranked wife. Everyone wanted to be the higher ranked wife so that they get the best care from the husband and the servants. They had to live in the same home together, which caused many problems. They were not able to live peacefully with one another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scariest woman is the Fourth Wife because she was able to kill two people in two days. First, she killed Yan’er by leaving her out in the cold to freeze to death. Second, she tells the secret about Third Wife’s affair. Third Wife gets hanged in the forbidden room with gallows. The reason why Fourth Wife is scary is because she is able to kill people when she gets angry. If you make friends with her and tell her some secrets, she can blackmail you with the information. If you don’t comply with her, she can kill you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I feel that the women in the movie are living a hard life because they all have to live together without liking each other. Everyone goes behind each other’s backs and betrays each other. If no one tried to compete for position in the family, no one would hate each other. Everyone would get along fine and no one would have to die. For example, Second Wife had two different sides to her. One day, she would be happy for you. The next day, she will treat you very badly. If she doesn’t do this, the family would be in a lot better situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fourth Wife killed Yan’er for her own benefit. Yan’er was killed because she broke the rules of the home. Although, Fourth Wife didn’t want Yan’er to die, she had to make her sit outside in the cold to protect her reputation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fourth Wife also killed Third Wife. However, it was because she was drunk. When she was drunk, she wasn’t able to control herself and put herself together. This was irresponsible of her. Because of her irresponsibility and selfishness, two people had to die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If I were the Fourth Wife, I would try to find a way to become a better person instead of the selfish and irresponsible person I am.

Age Of Jackson Essay -- essays research papers

The Age of Jackson, written by Arthur M. Schlesinger, focuses on the long lasting effects of Andrew Jackson on democracy and American politics. The novel starts off with Jackson’s life story, a lowerclass boy from the west, raised by a single mother. After finding financial success on his own, he became well known for his military exploits, being a crucial factor in the Battle of New Orleans, and the acquisition of Florida from the Spanish. After the brief account of Jackson’s life, the author moves on to his administration, and stays with that topic for most of the book. By the time Jackson came to power, the nation had been drastically changed by the Industrial Revolution. The simple, pastoral, agricultural lifestyle was being replaced by the manufacturing world, of cities and factories. Politically, the nation was in great turmoil. There was still an everlasting debate among men in power, over what should prevail, the rights of the states, or the rights of the Federal Government. If not for several personal reasons, Jackson would have been a staunch advocator of states rights. The right to vote was still a major issue, the middle class feeling robbed of power in governmental decisions, the upperclass feeling threatened by the growth of the middleclass. However, Jackson brought with him many new ideas and principles. Since he himself had very modest roots, he sympathized with the middle and lower classes. He had worked for everything he had of value in life, and he acknow...