Hazardous materials Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hazardous materials - Research Paper Example Hazardous material may take the form of gases, liquids or solids. Hazardous materials are known to be corrosive, toxic, reactive and inflammable. This paper will focus health care hazardous health care material. It will focus on the source, impact and prevention of hazardous material. Hazardous health care waste is produced as a result of diagnosis, treatment, research and immunization of human beings. They are classified as general and hazardous material generated in the health care facilities and institutions (Upton, 2003). It is produced during administrative procedures in the health care facilities. The hazardous materials include pathological, infectious material, sharps, genotoxic material, pharmaceutical waste, chemical waste and radioactive materials. The source of the material determines the composition of the waste. These wastes are also generated from the mortuary, drug manufacturers, laboratory and research centres as well as health care facilities and institutions. Infectious material contains pathogens, for example, bacteria, virus and fungi in sufficient concentration to cause a disease or harm in a susceptible host. Pathological materials consist of tissues, organs, body parts, blood and other body fluids which are considered to be infectious. Genotoxic wastes include cytostatic drugs, urine, feces and vomit from a patient who has been treated using radioactive, cytostatic drugs and chemicals (Upton, 2003). Pharmaceutical materials include expired, spilt or contaminated drugs and vaccines. Radioactive material includes liquids and gases containing radioactive material as well as the excretion products of a patient treated with radioactive substances. Health care hazardous waste exposure can lead to disease or injury. The hazardous attributes of the health waste may be due to several characteristics. These include genotoxic characteristics, radioactivity, containing infectious agents, containing

Human behaviour Essay Example for Free

Human behaviour Essay Arthur Millers The crucible is a play that shows the extremes of human behaviour both good and bad. In this essay I will be discussing these extremes and also hope the essay will help me conclude whether the best or the worst of human behaviour is presented more strongly. I will also aim to link these themes to events, which would have affected the author at the time the play written. I will give examples of each type of behaviour and conclude. I will start by explaining about the background of the crucible. Arthur Miller wrote it in 1950s America but it is set in Salem 1692. Salem was a puritan community that because of the time had very little scientific knowledge so blamed any unexplained happenings on witchcraft. If someone was accused of witchcraft and confessed they were saved from being hanged but if they denied the charges then they were almost definitely hanged. This is how the witch-hunt began, people would be accused and they would confess and blame others and in turn the others accused would accuse someone else. Millers reasons for writing this play were mainly because the events happening in the 1950s America. At this time in America a modern day witch hunt was taking place. But instead of witches they were hunting communists. Communism is a political theory that states that everyone in society is equally wealthy. Russia had already had a communist revolution and communism had spread to China also. This was the cause of much conflict in Vietnam in which America was heavily involved. The American government was afraid that communism would spread to America and the people would overthrow the government. Also communism clashes with the right wing policies of the American government. Senator Joseph McCarthy was a main figure in this and so this was called McCarthyism. They tackled the threat of communism by passing laws to restrict the actions of communist supporters. Arthur Miller himself was accused of being a communist and like many others would have been questioned about his friends, family and political beliefs and also asked to name others involved. In response to this Arthur Miller wrote the crucible to try and show how the hysteria in the 1950s was similar to the hysteria in Salem 1692. The worst of the behaviour in The crucible is shown mainly in the character Abigail Williams. Abigail is from the very beginning a central character in the play and uses most of her time in the play to seek revenge on one woman, Elizabeth Proctor. She manipulates the court and the other girls into helping her with her plan under the pretence of doing Gods work. It is clear from the very beginning of the play that Abigail bears a grudge against Elizabeth from the language used. Cold imagery is used when Abigail describes Elizabeth; Its a bitter woman, a lying, cold, snivelling woman(act1). The reason for this is because John Proctor, Elizabeths husband had an affair with Abigail and Elizabeth subsequently sacked Abigail. Abigail is still in love with John and hopes that if Elizabeth is hanged then John will want her back. Miller helps us understand the passion of the love Abigail feels for John by the hot imagery used; I have a sense for heat, Johnand I have seen you looking up, burning in your loneliness(act 1). Abigail realising her power over the court goes about accusing anybody she can think of. There are a few people however who doubt her however Elizabeth, John and reverend Hale but none of them can stop her. She carries on accusing people up until the end of act three where John Proctor confesses to the court that he had an affair with Abigail and calls her many names whore and Harlot. Abigail then realises that John does not love her and she steals all of her uncles money and runs away with Mercy Lewis another of the girls. Abigail is a character who is selfish and manipulating and one who shows no compassion to those who she falsely accuses. I think this character was not one that the audience would ever feel sorry for because of the way she is portrayed by Miller. I myself felt angry at the character and I think this was because she shows no remorse and even while other characters see the error of their ways and try and put things right she never even attempts to clear her conscience. Another Character who displays one of the worst examples of behaviour is Reverend Parris who is Abigails uncle. Although he does not cause as much trouble as his niece he is a character that is portrayed by Miller as a self-absorbed and selfish. This is portrayed in many ways; one of them is in Act 1 when although he is upset about his daughter he still has time to question Abigail about their actions in the woods. This may have at first seemed like concern for his child (Betty) but then miller slowly brings the audience to realise that he is only worried that his reputation may be damaged a quote which shows this is But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely me enemies will, and they will ruin me with it(act 1). Another is that he is extremely vain and thinks that he deserves the deeds to the house set aside for the minister and although he now owns the house he still talks of more money he needs. John Proctor says something that really sums up Parris vanity Since we built the church there were pewter candlesticks upon the altar But Parris came, and for twenty week he preach nothin but golden candlesticks until he had them(act 2) which shows even though he preaches the puritan way of life he wants the luxuries no-one else is allowed. Even at the end of the play when most of the characters are trying to help John Proctor the only thing Parris is worried about is himself and that there will be a rebellion against the church if Proctor is hanged. Parris pathetic character is shown most prominently at the end mainly in the stage directions which show him sobbing because he has no money and is once again concerned for himself when he starts talking about how much danger he is in You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!

Alcohol Abuse and Native Americans Essay -- Substance Abuse

The impact of various kinds of substances to cultural groups has historically been precipitated by the significance of particular substances on different cultural groups (Moore, 2010).This is mainly because the long term usage of these substances leads to the integration of the consumption of the substance into the cultural patterns of the given group. One such group that has been affected by the extensive usage of a particular substance is the Native American community. According to the Associated Press (2014, August 28), as noted on the MSNBC website, out of ten deaths among the Native American population, one is Alcohol related. Additionally, the prevalence of Alcohol consumption among the Native American population relates to the fact that it’s associated with the various cultural events that define the way of life of Native Americans. Therefore, the focus of this paper shall be on the cultural aspects, effects and prevalence of Alcohol among Native Americans. Par ticularly, the paper shall outline a brief introduction of the Native American culture and the prevalence of Alcohol in this culture; compare the aspects of alcohol abuse between the Native Americans and the African Americans; analyze the particular effects of alcohol in the body; and demonstrate the cultural impact of Alcohol abuse among the Native Americans. The Native American Culture and Alcohol Prevalence Native Americans refer to a Nation of related tribes that form the indigenous peoples of the North American Continent. They form one percent of the United States population where 500 tribes are now recognized by the government (Substance Abuse Policy Research Program, n.d.) The history of the Native Americans stretches beyond the European settleme... ...vation of normal livelihoods. Works Cited Moore Gay (2010, July 25) Native American Alcoholism -- Myths, Reality & Solutions. American Diversity Report. Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (n.d.) Key Results: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Abuse Treatment. Web 2 Feb 2015. http://saprp.org/knowledgeassets/knowledge_results.cfm?KAID=11 The Associated Press (2014, August 28) 1 In 10 Native American Deaths Alcohol Related. Web 2 Feb 2015. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26439767/ns/health-addictions/t/native-american-deaths-alcohol-related/ U.S. National Library of Medicine (2011, November 7) More Than A Third Of Teens Turning To Alcohol, Drugs: Study. Healthday: U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 2 Feb 2015. "http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_118411.html" http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_118411.html

The Various Roles of the US President

The US President is the head of state of the United States, the chief executive of the federal government, as well as the commander in chief of the US armed forces. As such he is probably the most powerful person in the world who wields considerable powers derived from the US constitution, the super-power status of the US, and the influence and prestige of his office. The office of the US Presidency has evolved over the years and is no more the same as envisaged by the country's founding fathers; the powers of the President now depend as much on the constitutional provisions as on historical precedents, the nature of the times, and the qualities of the president himself. This essay briefly describes the various roles of the US President with specific reference to the presidency of George W. Bush. 1.Expanded Role of the Presidency: From the time of the first US President (George Washington) to the end of the 19th century, the presidency had a limited role restricted mainly to the execution of policies made by the Congress. As the US became a world and industrial power in the 20th century, a stronger presidency was required for managing the country's foreign policy and its growing domestic economy. The Great Depression of the 1930s and the Second World War saw a further expansion of the President's role-a role that persists to date. Apart from the force of circumstances-industrialization, war, depression, terrorist attacks etc., certain strong presidents, e.g., Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt helped to expand the powers of the office by the force of their personalities and decisive actions at appropriate times. (Greenberg and Page, 355-359) 2.Ceremonial Role: The President of the United States is the head of the government as well as the head of state, unlike in most other democracies in which the two duties are usually shared by a monarch and a prime minister or a president and a prime minister. Hence the US president also fulfills a ceremonial role such as attending funerals, celebrating anniversaries etc. otherwise reserved for the head of state. (Ibid. 360) 3.Executive Role As chief executive of the federal government, the US President is invested with broad executive powers to run the day-to-day affairs and working of the government. He does so mainly by issuing executive orders that carry the force of law, to the heads of federal agencies for directing their operations. Other types of executive orders may be national or homeland security directives issued by the President. Under the executive powers, the President nominates, and the Senate confirms, the heads of all executive departments and agencies, together with hundreds of other high-ranking federal officials. For example, one of the first executive orders of President G.W. Bush was the nomination of John Ashcroft as the Attorney General in December 2000.1 Other types of executive orders issued by the US President include implementation of important policy matters, especially in times of national emergencies. For example, Franklin Roosevelt ordered the internment of japanese-Americans during WW2 through an executive order; Presidents Johnson and Nixon used executive orders to lauch the affirmative action programs, and President Bush established the Office of Homeland Security in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. (Ibid., 371) 4.Legislative Role: Although the US Constitution gives the powers of legislation exclusively to the Congress, the President has come to play an important role in this sphere too. Much of the legislation is drafted by the Congress at the initiative of the President who gives his proposals through his annual State of the Union Address, or through special messages to the Congress. The President's powers of persuasion, plus his ability to influence public opinion are critical in getting his proposed legislation passed by the Congress. In addition, his veto powers-he can veto any act of the Congress that stands unless the two-thirds majority of both houses over-ride the veto- is also gives a substantial say in the making of laws. (â€Å"Powers of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) If the same Party as the President's controls the Congress, as at present, the requirement of veto seldom arises as the Congress endorses most of his proposed legislations.2 For example, President Bush has been able to get the PATRIOTS Act passed comfortably despite its controversial curtailment of the American citizens' civil liberties. 5.Foreign Policy Leader and Commander-in-Chief: Article II of the US Constitution grants a lead role to the President in the foreign policy domain and his position as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces further consolidates that role. US Presidents have complete powers to formulate the country's foreign policy and do not require endorsement of the Congress in the area. For example, Roosevelt and Nixon did not need any permission, for recognizing the governments of communist Soviet Union and China respectively, even though their acts were reversal of long-standing US policies (Greenberg & Page, 364). Similarly, President Bush has introduced a policy of ‘pre-emption' as opposed to the long-standing US foreign policy of containment without the need of endorsement from any other agency. 6.Economy One of the key responsibilities of the President in the domestic area is the management of the country's economy. Such a role has become obligatory for the President since the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the government started to play a greater role in the regulation of the economy. President Bush's policy of major tax cuts and increased defense expenditure has resulted in record budget deficits but inflation still remains low. 7.Judicial Role The US President has the constitutionsl powers of nominating federal judges including those of the Supreme Court, subject to confirmation by the Senate. He can also grant pardon to anyone breaking a federal law. Most Presidents have used these powers to appoint judges of like political thinking, e.g., conservative/ Republican Presidents appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court while liberal/ Democrat Presidents do the opposite. For example, President George W. Bush has nominated John Roberts Jr. as Chief Justice to the Supreme Court and Samuel Alito as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. (â€Å"George W. Bush† Wikipedia)

A Raisin in the Sun: Poem of Insecurities Essay

The dreams of the characters in the Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry illustrated the theme of Langston Hughes poem. Lena, Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha all lived under the same roof, but their aspirations were all different. Being the head of the house, Lena just wanted her children to live the lives they imagined for themselves. Walter’s dream was to invest his mother’s money in a liquor store and to create a better life for his son Travis. Beneatha in the other hand wants to use her mother’s money to become a doctor when she got out of college and Ruth wants to be wealthy. A Raisin in the Sun was a book about â€Å"dreams deferred† and in this book Loraine Hansberry fluently described the dreams of the Younger Family and how their dreams became a destructive weapon on their family. Lena Younger, Walter and Beneatha’s mother was a widow who devoted her life to her children after her husband died. When she retired she was waiting for her husband’s insurance money to arrive. With the ten thousand dollars in her hand, Lena decided to buy a 3500 dollar house at Clybourne Park and she was also going to put some money in the bank for Beneatha so she could go to medical school. Those were her dreams, they were so simple and ordinary and also beautiful. She expected everyone to be delighted and surprised of the things she had done with the check and indeed they were, except for Walter. While Lena got her pie in the sky, Walter was upset his mother had spent the insurance money on the house and thought it wasn’t fair that Beneatha got some of it for her medical school while he got nothing for his liquor store business. Walter always discussed his dream thoroughly to his family and talked about how it would make their lives different, but Lena, who always wanted her son to be happy, trustingly gave the rest of the insurance money to Walter. Holding the money in his hands, Walter thanked his mother and appreciated the trust she had in him. Walter then gave the money to his buddies so that they could get him the liquor license without realizing that they betrayed him. This is how a dream can become destructive for others. As his dream crumbled into pieces, he began to regret that he didn’t listen to his mother, wife, and sister. He not only destroyed Beneatha and his dream but Ruth’s as well. Ruth was pregnant during his moment in despair and forgave and encouraged him to start everything over. Ruth, whose dream was to be wealthy and to have a fine family, calmly accepted the fact that her dream was only a dream. To her, it was a consolation that her husband had come back to reality after his unsuccessful dream. It is not essential to keep a dream alive, reason why is because if you don’t accomplish your reverie you’ll spend your whole life complaining about it. Ruth was not about to do that, she sucked it up and forgave Walter. Beneatha was upset to hear that Walter didn’t put anything in the bank for her medical school. Sad and depressed that the reality turned out differently from her dream, Beneatha gave up hope of becoming a doctor. Fortunately, her friend Asagai kept her dream alive and convinced her that there was still hope and ream in the world and that she should forget about the money because if her father did not die then she would have never gotten the chance. So Beneatha went with Asagai to his homeland, Nigeria, to practice her medical career. Conclusively, the family forgot their despair and moved to the new house for a new life. Although they knew it was tough to start everything over, but for them, it was as if their lives had just begun. Lorraine Hansberry had successfully illustrated the four main characters in the story as human beings with desires, dreams, aspirations, conflict, foibles, and strength. And it was â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† that expressed those dreams and desires and how they ended up as â€Å"dreams deferred.†

The Imperfect Tense in Spanish

The Imperfect Tense in Spanish The imperfect tense in Spanish is the tense that expresses action in the past that has not been completed, that occurred habitually or frequently, or that took place over an indefinite period of time. It contrasts with the preterite tense, which expresses​ an action that took place at a definite time or has been completed. English does not have an imperfect tense per se, although it has other ways of expressing the concept of the Spanish imperfect, such as by context or by saying that something used to happen or was happening. The preterite and imperfect tenses are often referred to as the two simple past tenses of Spanish. The imperfect tense can also be contrasted with the perfect tenses of Spanish, which refer to completed action. (Although the usage is no longer common, the English perfect is sometimes a synonym of complete.) Spanish has past perfect, present perfect and future perfect tenses. By itself, the term imperfect tense usually refers to its indicative form. Spanish also has two forms of the subjunctive imperfect, which are nearly always interchangeable. The imperfect is known as the pretà ©rito imperfecto in Spanish. Forming the Imperfect Tense The indicative imperfect is conjugated  in the following pattern for regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs: Hablar: yo hablaba, tà º hablabas, usted/à ©l/ella hablaba, nosotros/nosotras hablbamos, vosotros/vosotras hablabais, ustedes/ellos/ellas hablaban.Beber: yo bebà ­a, tà º bebà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella bebà ­a, nosotros/nosotras bebà ­amos, vosotros/vosotras bebà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas bebà ­an.Vivir: yo vivà ­a, tà º vivà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella vivà ­a, nosotros/nosotras vivà ­amos, vosotros/vosotras vivà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas vivà ­an. The subjunctive form in more common use is conjugated as follows: Hablar: yo hablara, tà º hablaras, usted/à ©l/ella hablara, nosotros/nosotras hablramos, vosotros/vosotras hablarais, ustedes/ellos/ellas hablaran.Beber: yo bebiera, tà º bebieras, usted/à ©l/ella bebiera, nosotros/nosotras bebià ©ramos, vosotros/vosotras bebierais, ustedes/ellos/ellas bebieran.Vivir: yo viviera, tà º vivieras, usted/à ©l/ella viviera, nosotros/nosotras vivieramos, vosotros/vosotras vivierais, ustedes/ellos/ellas vivieran. Uses for the Imperfect Tense One of the most common uses of the present tenses is to tell of past actions that did not have a clear beginning or end. These may involve situations or repeated actions that occurred over an indefinite period of time. A simple example is Asistà ­amos a la escuela or We attended the school. Use of the imperfect tense indicates that it is unimportant when the attendance began and ended- in fact, asistà ­amos could be used even if the speaker is still a student at the school as long as the students attended in the past. Note that there is a subtle meaning of difference from the preterite equivalent, Asistimos a la escuela, which also could be translated as We attended the school. The preterite suggests the speaker no longer attended the school, or that the reference is to a specific time. Similarly, the imperfect is used in specifying the background of another event. For example, Nos conocimos cuando asistà ­amos a la escuela, or We met each other when we were attending the school. Conocimos is in the preterite from because it refers to an incident that occurred at a specific time, but the background portion of the sentence uses the imperfect. Translation of the imperfect to English depends on the context. The most frequent translations for asistà ­amos include we attended, we used to attend, we were attending, and we would attend. Sample Sentences Using the Imperfect Tense Spanish imperfect verbs (in boldface) with possible English translations are shown below. Él cantaba. (He used to sing. The English translation shows how the activity occurred over an indefinite, extended period of time.)Ella escribà ­a la carta. (She was writing the letter. Note that in this and the above example, out of context the verb doesnt indicate when or even whether the action came to an end.)Yo conocà ­a a Eva. (I knew Eva. Conocer can mean to know or to meet. The use of the imperfect here shows that the activity took place over an indefinite period of time, so knew makes sense here.)Una mujer murià ³ en el hospital mientras estaba bajo custodia. (A woman died in the hospital while she was in custody. This sentence shows the use of the imperfect for background.)Cuando era estudiante, jugaba todo el tiempo. (When he was a student, he would play all the time.)Dudo que mi madre comprara alguna vez esa revista. (I doubt that my mother ever bought that magazine. The imperfect is used here because the possible event wouldnt have happened at a particular time.)U n gran buffet estaba a la disposicià ³n de ellos para que comieran todo lo que quisieran. (A huge buffet was at their disposal so they could eat whatever they wanted. Note how the context requires different ways of translating the subjunctive.) Key Takeaways The imperfect tense is one of the two Spanish simple past tenses, the other being the preterite.The imperfect tense is used when the beginning and end of the action are unknown, unspecified, and/or unimportant.One common use of the imperfect is in describing events that serve as background for another event.

buy custom Tourism and Leisure Organizations essay

buy custom Tourism and Leisure Organizations essay Tourism is the business or industry of providing information, accommodation, transportation and other services to tourists and leisure is time spent away from work, business and domestic chores. According to the Collection of Tourism Expenditure Statistics, tourism grew by 6.6% compared to the previous year. This essay explores critically the relationship between Tourism and Leisure organizations and the Macro business environment. Tourism is a main contributor of GDP of many countries around the world. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how various issues affect tourism and the leisure organizations. The relationship between the business macro environment, tourism and leisure organizations can be categorized into Economic, Social, Political and Environmental factors. Economic Factors The leisure organizations face a lot of competition within the industry and the enlightened consumer has more variety to choose from in terms of destination and other tourist activities. Managers of leisure organizationshave to strategize so as to have competitive advantage over their competitors. Inflation and economic crisis, affect the spending power of the tourist, the destination they choose and the frequency of the leisure activities. Between 2008 and 2009, international tourism declined by about 4-6%, and there was slow growth of 1% of African market (UNWTO World Tourism Barometer 2009, Vol 7). The economic and tourism boom causes increased growth of leisure organizations, which in turn, raises competition (Conrady 2010, p. 75). The Economic crises also affect the level of expenditure for the leisure organizations to market their products and services. Economic crisis and the job cuts result in declining travel volumes for the suppliers. Even when the economy starts improving, not all areas of tourism and the service providers, recover as some are inched out and lose their niche market with entrance of new suppliers. Competition is determined by supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitutes and threat of entry. Social-cultural Factors There is a rowing interest in arts and culture in tourism and the leisure organization need to be able to respond to this demand. A study carried out in Germany showed that 63.3 % of the people travel for cultural reasons. Therefore, art and cultural tourism seem to be increasing in popularity (Survey on Cultural Tourism by Gebeco/TMA/UPB 2009, p.5). A lot of tourists are opting to visit new regions (rural and urban attractions instead of the traditional beach and skiing attractions).There is health tourism here the main reason for travel is personal well being and health by centering the leisure activities to health resorts, spas and mind wellness centers. The destination spas and health resorts present a broad selection of services aimed at improving the well being and relaxation of the mind. They also offer specialized services such as weight loss and other holistic treatments. Festival and events tourism is also common as people travel to celebrate global, national and regional f estivals like Pilgrimages to Israel and Mecca. As a result of recent interest in staying healthy, and to escape the sedentary lifestyle, activity holidays have become necessary too and service providers need to incorporate these activities in the tourism packages offered to people. The business managers for these leisure organizations have to identify a niche market, and adjust to the new tourist trends and still remain profitable while providing the best services to clients. Technological factors Technology in the tourism and leisure activities has brought a lot of changes in this industry. New technology is introduced every so often, and managers of the leisure organizations need to keep abreast with the new gadgets and services available. The main areas in tourism that may be affected by the use of technology are the transport, accommodation and administration functions. Technology seeks to improve on the existing modes of transport to make the safer, faster and bigger. This is through improved engines, aerodynamics and reduction of fuel consumption. Other technological trends that tourism and leisure managers need to be aware of are that the internet can be accessed through other devices, for example, Bluetooth; I sscent technology (Briggs 2011, p.47). Environmental Factors Tourism and leisure organizations are affected by the concern to preserve the environment where they have their activities. This aims to reduce the impact of tourism on the environment, and tourists decision on destinations is also influence by the need to be eco friendly (Conrady Buck 2011, p.93). The number of people choosing eco-friendly tourism holidays is growing faster than those choosing other holidays (Smith-Starmer 2004, p.1).It is essential to conserve the environment, since most tourist attraction are natural resources, which are easily, depleted. Tourism and leisure organizations have to make sure that, the tourist numbers are maintained at a level that does not need exceed the natural habitats capacity. Political factors The political situations in various places that are tourist attractions affect the volumes and frequency of tourism. Tourist fears for their safety and will avoid such places and this affects tourism. In 2009, the unrest in Thailand affected tourism and scared away potential tourists especially Chinese out bound tourists, which are their greatest tourist source (Arlt 2010, p50). Governments policies that affect tourism play a vital role and impact tourism and leisure organization. For tourism to thrive, the government must be committed to boosting tourism growth. This is through attractive environment for leisure organizations to invest in, its commitment to the conservation of the tourist attractions and resources. Tourism can only thrive if the government realizes the impact tourism can have on the economy. Therefore, reduce restrictions that prevent visitors from visiting the specific countries. The laws should also be able to protect the tourist when in those countries, and as lo ng as the tourists feel safe they will market those destinations. In conclusion, the political, economic, social cultural and environmental factors form the macro environment in the tourism industry. It interacts with the tourism and leisure organizations, and this relationship changes from time to time, there for all the stake holders should work to ensure harmony. Buy custom Tourism and Leisure Organizations essay

An Introduction to Present Participles and Gerunds

An Introduction to Present Participles and Gerunds Things arent always what they seem. For instance, although weve known for centuries that the sun doesnt move around the earth, we still use the expression rising sun. And even though rise is ordinarily a verb, in this expression (with the -ing ending) it functions more like an adjective, modifying the noun sun. To top things off, we call rising a present participle, yet present participles dont really tell us much about time (past, present, or future). Leaving the astronomical issues to Neil deGrasse Tyson, well stick to English grammar. In particular, the question What is a present participle? In one respect, the present participle is a simple, straightforward construction. Whether rising or setting, eating or drinking, laughing  or  crying, waking or sleeping,  its formed by adding -ing to the base form of a verb. No exceptions. After that, however, it gets a little more complicated. For one thing, the label is misleading. Its true that the present participle (in the following example, sleeping)  sometimes seems  to indicate present time: He looks at the sleeping  baby. But when the tense of the main verb changes to the simple past, the time of the present participle appears to change right along with it: He looked at the sleeping  baby. And when the main verb points to the future, the present participle again tags along: He will look at the sleeping  baby. The truth is, the present participle really doesnt mark time at all. That job is reserved for the main verb and its auxiliaries  (looks, looked, will look). And for this reason, among others, many linguists prefer to use the term -ing form rather than present participle. The Multiple Personalities of Present Participles Weve already seen another peculiarity of the present participle (or -ing form): it has multiple personalities. Though based on a verb, the present participle often works as an adjective. In our examples so far, the present participle sleeping  modifies the noun baby.  But thats not always the case. Consider how the -ing words are used in this quotation, variously attributed to Confucius, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Vince Lombardi, and American Idol veteran Clay Aiken: Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. Both falling and rising function here as nouns - specifically, as objects of the preposition in. When a verb plus -ing does the job of a noun, it reveals its secret identity as a gerund,  or verbal noun. (The term verbal, by the way, refers to any verb form that serves in a sentence as a noun or a modifier,  rather than as a verb).   Then again, when an -ing word is combined with a form of the auxiliary verb to be, it functions (once again) as a verb: The price of oil is rising. This construction is called the progressive, which in fact is the most common use of the present participle in English. The present progressive is made up of a present form of to be plus a present participle (is rising). The past progressive is made up of a past form of to be plus a present participle (was rising). And the future progressive is made up of the verb phrase will be plus a present participle (will be rising).   Source Our Greatest Glory Is Not in Never Falling, But in Rising Every Time We Fall. Quote Investigator, May 27, 2014.

Reforms in Competition Policy in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reforms in Competition Policy in the UK - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in any business environment, competition is a vital element that brings about both positive and negative results. This is because it is seen as a sort of reward for innovation and efficiency, it is also enhances productivity within any given country or region. In addition, competition ensures that customers can get low price and more choices. Besides this, their living standards are raised. Indeed, if competition is supported by the right competition policies, then a country can be well on its way to achieve economic prosperity. In this context, policies in this area are necessary to ensure that trade practices are regulated, undue competition is restricted through legislature and that markets are strengthened so that businesses can become viable in the global market. Competition policies are designed to ascertain that the financial market is opened up. Besides this, it also floats the country's currency and decreases trade barriers. T here are a number of direct benefits that come out of competition policies to businesses; some of these include low costs for utilities like electricity, telephones and other telecommunication charges. Transportation costs are also reduced like rail freights and port. However, country's undertaking such policies should be aware that this involves a high cost to them. There are a large number of parties that are affected negatively by this kind of scheme. The first are industries, the second are households, the third are industries and even regions n general. Households are the ones who have to bear the burden of job cuts and consequently loss of income spiralling from competition policies. Prime Minister Gordon Brown believes that the function of competition policy is to promote competition and to reinforce markets. He believes that its purpose is to regulate the business environment such that purchasers and challenges can be protected. In addition, incentives in business mustn't be obliterated; they should still be able to create, invest and take risks. Recent changes in competition policy have been centred along these latter mentioned principles. The UK parliament has looked at merger laws that were passed in the competition policy of 1998. This merger law has been placed under scrutiny by parliament through the Enterprise bill. This Bill that was passed in the year 2000 was designed to regulate mergers within the business environment. The law stipulates that mergers should be made only when they do not limit competition. Mergers that give such indications are to be taken to the Office of Fair Trading. This body will determine whether the merger should be subjected to further scrutiny under the Competition Commission which has the mandate to halt or allow progress of the merger. These reforms are aimed at providing some additional safeguards against unfair trade practices. Some business owners contemplating mergers may have unfair possession of assets if the mergers are completed thus justifying the need for regulations. There are a number of services that have blockages in regards to mergers. An example of an unhealthy merger that was prohibited in the year 1999 was the Manchester United/ BSkyB merger. Such a merger would present considerable problems to the business environment surrounding media communications. Firstly, the merger was going to give the media Company undue vertical privileges that would inhibit other players in the industry. Consequently, this effect would then trickle down to the final consumer and cause dissatisfaction because only one company has exclusive privileges and will therefore have more market power. Restrictions of competitive agreements and dominant positions in the market Competition policies in the recent past also regulate provision of services that are outside the traditional domain of any business. This has received a lot of emphasis after technological advancements.

Worldview defended Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Worldview defended - Essay Example My worldview does not allow me to go deep within the same-sex marriage ideology as it is not only different but also vehemently opposed by my ancestors who have brought solid reasoning in front of me. Even though marriages bring couples in close association with one another, the most basic point that must be understood is that of empathy – to understand where the couples are coming from. My worldview framework is thus set from the perspective that marriages bring human beings together and thus there must be a basic pattern upon which marriages must last. It will help resolve the ambiguities if traditional marriages are encouraged as these bring out the best amongst both men and women. Same-sex marriages do not bring any sanity to the related ranks and only make things look gloomier than they are within the world. My worldview is therefore in complete favor of a traditional form of marriages because they bring results which are long-lasting and positive for the family. The same -sex marriages are inherently different from traditional marriages because either of them comes up with divorce in the end, and there is more reason why same-sex marriages lead to such breakups from a strategic perspective. I am hopeful that if the worldview has to change for the better for the people who live near to me, then there is a requirement that same-sex marriages should be bolstered with people who have a good perspective towards life and who want to be successful at building their relationships in a very pragmatic manner.

Communication Privacy Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communication Privacy Management - Essay Example The research question for this paper was; what are the ways in which the CPM theory can be used to enhance consumer management approaches in a business organization. This question seeks to explore ways in which organisations can build systems that can be used by its employees in identifying effective ways of collecting and managing consumer information. The question offers effective ways that can be used to ensure that the business manages to develop and manage consumer experiences for purposes of enhancing their loyalty in the business. The hypothesis for the research was; organisations can build effective competitive strategies by developing and marinating consumer privacy in their operations. This research hypothesis proceeds to examines ways that can identify the need to have such strategies for developing consumer privacy issues in the business. For this research, the respondents picked for the data collection process were invited into an on-campus lab for purposes of being inte rviewed on websites and sell music and other products using e-commerce. After getting consent to take part in the interview process, the respondents were given ten minutes to browse through the site and make some orders for music CDs and other products being sold. After the browsing process, the respondents were given questionnaires to fill and explain their experiences while interacting with the site.

Silent Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Silent Film - Essay Example Accessing these materials is, however, not a straightforward path, especially when investigating a new topic. Proper researching, though, leads one to find these archives that contain materials that are so much back dated. This paper, therefore, seeks to explore the archives bearing information on Charlie Chaplain with an aim of stating the lesson learnt from the topic. It will then explain how the topic was identified, the interest it raised over time, how the topic was narrowed, and the obstacles and dead-ends met during the research and the keywords searched that worked best and why they worked. Charlie Chaplain was a wealthy man who made millions through acting in the period of silent films. He was one of the funniest men during his era. He is a funny character who speaks better for himself even though his speech is of silent nature. He could send everyone who watched him into laughter, including those who did not want to laugh. Chaplain inhabited four hubs of jocularity between Fifth Avenue and Dearborn where he brought laughter to the shifting crowds (Kitty 10). His mode of dressing entailed a miserable pair of trousers and a bedraggled coat tails. He was also familiarized with an amusing midst of a minute mustache (Kitty 14). Chaplain was a big name, celebrated for the hilarious performances made in public concerts. He could receive several performance invitations, including the one mentioned in the Los Angeles Times. It provided, â€Å"Chaplain to shine: A citizen’s Vigilance Committee from Venice was out last night searching for one Charlie Chaplain, who is to be in the parade and catch the first ball in the opening game of San Francisco – Venice series.† (Green III1). Chaplain became so famous that at one time a crowd of about 500 people mistook Francis LaPlant and followed him down state street thinking that it was Chaplain. LaPlant thought the crowd wanted to lynch him and ran to a nearby medicine store where police ‘saved ’ him by taking him to his home (Hartford Courant 9). Chaplain produced several humorous antics, which included ‘For the Commonwealth’, ‘Who Pays’ and ‘Work’. As a result of his fame, Chaplain’s value rose. According to the Madison Square Theatre Schedule in New York, Chaplain was valued at $12,500 per week by 1915. According to an article, the management of the theatre offered Chaplain a lump of up to $25,000 as salary in order to engage him (Kingsley III4). Charlie Chaplin was so funny that in some instances he was referred to as the funniest and most vulgar human in the entire universe. In his piece, ‘The Woman’, for example, decent people would be infuriated due to the vulgarity in it. Its nature left the audience angry in their own laughter. This, however, is seen as demeaning his work as he seems to have no self – limit. His talent enables him turn impossible crowds into sheers of laughter. When he gets h is trousers down, however, mixed reactions will mostly likely fill the air, and parents might start restricting their children from attending Chaplin’s concerts. Harry Hamill was once quoted saying, â€Å"†¦In my judgment Chaplin descends to the lowest depths of vulgarity in almost every case.† Another man, A. C. F. said: Even the men will no longer think him funny or clever if he continues

Voting in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Voting in the United States - Essay Example Originally, the Constitution of the United States did not have specific definitions for the people that were eligible to participate in the voting process. It is believed that in most of the states, Caucasian males were given the right to vote; these people had to be owners of property and had considerable amounts of taxable income. For women, they were only allowed to take part in the voting process in New Jersey, provided they met the set requirements effectively. Currently, democracy in the United States has grown and developed significantly, with many people getting eligibility to participate in the voting exercise, which is meant to give the country new leaders to steer its economic growth and development. However, despite these constitutional provisions, sections of people have not been participating in the voting process in many of the years when elections have been held. This trend has been growing, which is something that has prompted research into some of the possible cause s in the developing trend in some of the Americans.

Silent Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Silent Film - Essay Example Accessing these materials is, however, not a straightforward path, especially when investigating a new topic. Proper researching, though, leads one to find these archives that contain materials that are so much back dated. This paper, therefore, seeks to explore the archives bearing information on Charlie Chaplain with an aim of stating the lesson learnt from the topic. It will then explain how the topic was identified, the interest it raised over time, how the topic was narrowed, and the obstacles and dead-ends met during the research and the keywords searched that worked best and why they worked. Charlie Chaplain was a wealthy man who made millions through acting in the period of silent films. He was one of the funniest men during his era. He is a funny character who speaks better for himself even though his speech is of silent nature. He could send everyone who watched him into laughter, including those who did not want to laugh. Chaplain inhabited four hubs of jocularity between Fifth Avenue and Dearborn where he brought laughter to the shifting crowds (Kitty 10). His mode of dressing entailed a miserable pair of trousers and a bedraggled coat tails. He was also familiarized with an amusing midst of a minute mustache (Kitty 14). Chaplain was a big name, celebrated for the hilarious performances made in public concerts. He could receive several performance invitations, including the one mentioned in the Los Angeles Times. It provided, â€Å"Chaplain to shine: A citizen’s Vigilance Committee from Venice was out last night searching for one Charlie Chaplain, who is to be in the parade and catch the first ball in the opening game of San Francisco – Venice series.† (Green III1). Chaplain became so famous that at one time a crowd of about 500 people mistook Francis LaPlant and followed him down state street thinking that it was Chaplain. LaPlant thought the crowd wanted to lynch him and ran to a nearby medicine store where police ‘saved ’ him by taking him to his home (Hartford Courant 9). Chaplain produced several humorous antics, which included ‘For the Commonwealth’, ‘Who Pays’ and ‘Work’. As a result of his fame, Chaplain’s value rose. According to the Madison Square Theatre Schedule in New York, Chaplain was valued at $12,500 per week by 1915. According to an article, the management of the theatre offered Chaplain a lump of up to $25,000 as salary in order to engage him (Kingsley III4). Charlie Chaplin was so funny that in some instances he was referred to as the funniest and most vulgar human in the entire universe. In his piece, ‘The Woman’, for example, decent people would be infuriated due to the vulgarity in it. Its nature left the audience angry in their own laughter. This, however, is seen as demeaning his work as he seems to have no self – limit. His talent enables him turn impossible crowds into sheers of laughter. When he gets h is trousers down, however, mixed reactions will mostly likely fill the air, and parents might start restricting their children from attending Chaplin’s concerts. Harry Hamill was once quoted saying, â€Å"†¦In my judgment Chaplin descends to the lowest depths of vulgarity in almost every case.† Another man, A. C. F. said: Even the men will no longer think him funny or clever if he continues

Thomas More Utopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thomas More Utopia - Essay Example It appears that everyone has a common desire for the best life attainable. "Utopia" is the word used to denote the best life attainable. Since each person has their own unique vision of Utopia, the only universally agreeable description of Utopia is, "the ability for each person to live in their own vision of paradise." Humanity should strive to obtain that ability. Thomas Moore's Utopia was a description of such an ideal land where social structures had been molded to afford evry individual this very ability to have the fullest from life.In following paragraphs we examine the description of a compelling aspect of humn life viz.religion as dealt in Thomas Moore's UTOPIA. Moore began his description of religious practices in his utopian society with the statement that there were no fetters on religious practices. There was multiplicity of religions. For instance, people worshipped awe inspiring natural object such as the sun and some worshipped even local heroes and distinguished personalities-past and present. Such worshippers were divided in their treatment of such objects of worship. While many treated such objects of worship as ordinary deities others equated them to Supreme God. Moore distinguishes between such believers and a layer of wiser and deeper persons who did not have such identifiable objects of worship but who ," adored one eternal, invisible, infinite, and incomprehensible Deity; as a being that is far above all our apprehensions, that is spread over the whole universe, not by His bulk, but by His power and virtue; Him they call the Father of All, and acknowledge that the beginnings, the increase, the progress, the vicissitudes, and the end of all thin but to Him alone. And indeed, though they differ concerning other things, yet all agree in this, that they think there is one Supreme Being that made and governs the world, whom they call in the language of their country Mithras"(Moore, Book II).In Moore's world, idol worship was clearly distinguished from the concept of the essence of Supreme Being and it was common to find both idol worshippers and believers in essence of the Supreme Being .However it was clearly understood that even idol worshippers acknowledged the limitations of their idols and had an overall belief in the existence of a Supreme Being. In Utopus several religious superstitions had been rationalized and the people were not only willing to hear the merits of various religions but also to adopt and follow them. The role of priest in the society was acknowledged and all the functions and duties they could attend to were identified. Religious intolerance in violent and seditious manner was not al lowed as utopians had a bitter experience in the past of the divisive qualities of religion and their land had suffered under subjugation due to that. Moore writes," he made a law that every man might be of what religion he pleased, and might endeavor to draw others to it by force of argument, and by amicable and modest ways, but without bitterness against those of other opinions; but that he ought to use no other force but that of persuasion, and was neither to mix with it reproaches nor violence; and such as did otherwise were to be condemned to banishment or slavery"(Moore, Book II). Such a law was made not only to preserve societal peace but to prevent daily bitterness amongst

Compare and Contrast Great Depression Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast Great Depression Essay The 1929 stock market crash and the subsequent ‘great depression’ was the biggest economic crisis that the world has experienced. The depth and length of the crisis and the suffering that it caused is legendary. Therefore when the global financial crisis struck in 2007, many rushed to proclaim that we were about to experience another depression on a similar scale, or at least what some have termed a ‘great recession’. This essay will compare and contrast the two economic crises to analyse the key similarities and differences between the two. To do this, the essay will firstly provide an outline of the conditions that led to the 1929 crash in the economy. Moving on from here the essay will then look at the policy responses that were implemented to tackle the crisis before analysing the conditions that precipitated the 2007 financial crisis and the policy responses, to draw out the similarities and differences of each of the crises, and to ascertain were any lessons learned during the current global crisis from the policies of the great depression era. Finally the essay will conclude with a discussion of the main points raised by the analysis of both crises and a look at the future prospects for recovery. Capitalism is a system of economic development that has crises as an inherent feature. Many crises have occurred both before and after the 1929 stock market crash, however the length and depth of the great depression has made it the point of reference for judging the severity of a financial crisis. Much debate has occurred over the causes of the great depression. While many see the late October 1929 New York stock market crash as the defining feature of the crisis, the reality was much more complex and multifaceted. As (Teichova 1990, p.8) suggests, the great depression was â€Å"the deepest, all embracing (agricultural, industrial, financial, social and political) and longest crisis with catastrophic consequences†. As well as this, although the United States led the way, this crisis was global and the rest of the world also experienced depression. So, any analysis of the great depression must look at the various factors that caused and perpetuated it. The 1920s in America hav e been described as the roaring twenties. After the devastation of the first-world-war, during the 1920 to 1925 period US and international economies were experiencing a boom. During that period, world mining and manufacturing output grew by nearly twenty percent (McNally 2010, p.63). However, in terms of inequality the poor were less poor but the rich were  getting richer at a rate of four to one. As well as this, four fifths of American had no savings compared to twenty-four thousand families at the top who held a third of all savings combined (Canterbery 2011, p.13). During the boom, ninety percent of all Americans saw their incomes fall in relative terms (McNally 2010, p.64). A factor in this was an increase in union-busting and anti-labour laws which increased income inequality. As well as this, agriculture, coal mining and textile industries were suffering from a post-war hangover which saw their profitability decline and in many instances wiped out. This inequality which concentrated wealth in so few hands led to a huge increase in consumer credit which in turn sparked off rising levels of private debt and a massive speculative bubble in the form of a property boom in Florida (Canterbery 2011, pp.13-14). The mania of speculation was not confined to proper ty and between May 1924 and the end of 1925, there was a huge eighty percent rise in stock prices. The trend continued and as Galbraith (2009, p.16) has suggested, â€Å"in early 1928, the nature of the boom changed. The mass escape into make believe, so much a part of the speculative orgy, started in earnest†. During 1928, the Times Industrials (a pre-cursor to the DOW) gained a huge thirty-five percent, from two-hundred and forty-five points to three-hundred and thirty-one points. To maximise their gambling profits, many investors financed their purchase of stocks with borrowed money, with speculators buying one-thousand dollars of stock by putting down one-hundred dollars (Canterbery 2011, p.15). Of course, capitalism’s bubbles must always burst, and this was no exception. The US real economy was showing signs on a slowdown long before the stock market crash. However, on Wednesday October 23rd 1929, a drop in the stock market lost four months of previous gains and the following day panic selling began. This was briefly halted by a meeting of the nation’s biggest bankers who promised to pool their resources to halt the slide. Their efforts however were futile and on ‘Black Tuesday’ October 29th the bottom fell out of the market, giving up all of the gains of the previous year (McNally 2010, p.65). Most economists agree that the great depression that ensued lasted for over ten years. Its economic impact was striking as GNP fell from a peak of $104.4 billion in mid-1929 to $56.6 billion in 1933. Its social impact was even more harrowing as twenty-five percent of the US civilian labour force was unemployed by 1933, the worst point of the  depression (Canterbery 2011, p.18). There are a number of competing explanations as to why the crisis was so severe. Explanations can be grouped into the two categories of monetarist and non-monetarist. For example, in a mixture of the two Ben Bernanke (1983) suggests that there were three interlinked factors that propagated the great depression. The first was the failure of financial institutions, in particular commercial banks. The percentage of failing banks in 1930 was 5.6% jumping to 12.9% in 1933 and this left a situation whereby in 1933 there were half the number of banks that had been operating in 1929 (Ibid, p.259). Bernanke goes on to cite defaults and bankruptcies as key, with the ratio of debt service to national income going from nine percent in 1929 to nearly twenty percent in 1933. This was pervasive across all sectors with home mortgages; farm mortgages, personal debtors and even state governments defaulting on their obligations (Ibid, p.260). However, key to Bernanke’s view was the correlation of the financial crisis with macroeconomic factors. The crux of this view was that the financial crisis affected the macro-economy by reducing the quality of certain financial services, primarily credit intermediation (Ibid, p.263). In line with the monetarist view, it could also be argued that the Federal Reserve did not help matters. Its policy at the time was only to increase the credit base in line with requirements of trade, which essentially meant that as businesses were afraid to borrow, the Federal Reserve did not increase the money supply. Somewhat similar to the monetarist elements of Bernanke’s analysis is that of Friedman and Schwartz (1971,pp. 359-60) who argue that the crisis that originated in the United States was a domestic construct which was prolonged and deepened by a failed policy of failing to cut the discount rate, which meant a failure to provide credit and expand the currency. Kindleberger (1986a) taking a similar monetarist position but focusing more on international factors suggests that the world depression stemmed from reparations and war debt, the overvaluation of the pound, the return to the gold standard in Britain and an undervalued French franc. These factors were aggravated by a fall in commodities and a rise in stocks in New York. From a non-monetarist perspective US government actions were no better, with the introduction of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in mid-1930, sparking of a wave of protectionist tariffs around the world and a trade war which saw world trade figures nosedive (Canterbe ry 2011, p.19). The  deflationary process was exacerbated by the huge levels of unemployment, which combined with other factors to initiate the ‘multiplier/accelerator’ interaction, reinforced by wage-cut enforced under-consumption as wages fell for manufacturing production workers by at least thirty-one percent between 1929 and 1933, as well as debt deflation and international interactions (Devine 1994, p.166). While this was happening, consumer prices only fell twenty percent during the 1929-33 period. This, as Devine points out helps to explain that falling consumption was a major factor in the decline in GNP during this time, more so than previous or subsequent recessions (Ibid). There are others such as Temin (1976) who suggests that monetarist explanations are wrong, and it was consumption and spending that declined first, therefore leading to a tightening of the money supply. Therefore, it was not monetary factors alone that caused the depression. Taking a different approach to explaining the depth and length of the depression, Kindleberger cites the lack of a lender of last resort as the major factor preventing any form of fast recovery (Kindleberger 1986b, p.4). This he suggests was due to Britain’s inability after the First World War, and the United States’ unwillingness to act in that regard. What each of these arguments above show is there is still no consensus on the policy responses that would have prevented such a deep depression occurring. Such a lack of a consensus has also been a feature of the current global crisis. Since the global financial crisis broke out, many have rushed to make comparisons between it and the great depression. However, before one makes these comparisons, an analysis of the fundamental differences in the nature of the capitalist system between now and then must be undertaken. After the World War boom in output and the post-war move to Keynesian economics, which essentially saved capitalism from self-implosion, the emergence of neoliberal capitalism in the latter 1970s in the form of Reaganism in the US and Thatcherism in Britain ushered in a new era of capitalist development that was distinctly different from its previous incarnations. This period of capitalist modification saw the creation of the era of what Canterbury has termed ‘casino capitalism’ (Canterbery 2011, pp.83-121). He suggests that this era began with three powerful forces converging. These were; monetarism, which Milton Friedman advised Regan would bring down inflation with minimal effect on employment or production, the influence of the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœneo-Austrians’ who sought to reduce state influence over entrepreneurs through deregulation and finally, the pervasive idea that less taxes on the rich produced the trickle-down effect (Ibid, p.83). Regan’s policies during this era, continued under the Clinton administration gave huge power over to Wall St through deregulation, and contributed to a huge shift from production to financial services. As the financial sector grew its asset base, it became a much bigger part of the national economy. This can be seen in the fact that between 1978 and 2005, the financial sector grew from 3.5 percent to 5.9 percent of the US economy in GDP terms. To put this in perspective, from the 1930s to around 1980 the rate of growth for the financial sector was roughly the same as that of the non-financial sector. However, from 1980 to 2005 financial sector profits grew by eight-hundred percent, compared with two-hundred and fifty percent for the non-financial sector (Ibid, pp.116-117). This form of capitalism, where value and profit are not ‘produced’ but the result of speculation is a form that gives huge power to unelected rating agencies and bankers to set the agenda, which even governments and international institutions find difficult to alter. It was under this system of capitalism that the global financial crisis emerged. Many different arguments for the causes of the global crisis exist and whilst it can be difficult to pin down the exact causality because of its global nature, there is agreement on a number of factors. Just like its sister crisis the great depression, before the global crisis struck, the global economy went through a boom period with the world economy growing at a faster rate between 2001 and 2007 than in any other period in the past thirty years (Wade 2008, p.23). Most agree that the crisis was sparked by the subprime mortgage bubble collapse in the United States. However this spark was not the sole cause of the crisis. Just l ike the great depression, the factors that caused the crisis were numerous. Although signs of an emerging crisis first appeared in 2006-7, it was not until 2008 when banks such as Lehman Brothers were going to the wall and financial assets were crashing that the full extent of the crisis was realised. As a result, flows of credit dried up and economies the world over started to suffer. However, this crisis was not solely a monetary crisis and had deeper dynamics at play. In particular, the financialisation of capitalism being built upon debts as a means of making profit (McNally 2010, p.86). The subprime  mortgage crisis is illustrative of this. For example, in the year 2000 there was $130 billion of subprime lending in the US, backed up with $55 billion of mortgage bonds. Yet by 2005, those figures had jumped to $625 billion in subprime loans backed by $500 billion in securitised bonds (Ibid, p.103). The ‘speculative orgy’, as Galbraith termed it speaking on the 1929 crash, was back with a bang. What exacerbated the orgy more was the creating of innovative financial instruments in the form of credit default swaps (CDS) and other debt securities. For example, by 2006 the CDS on mortgage bonds was eight times the value of the bonds themselves, so when the crisis hit, that wealth was wiped out (Ibid, p.103). The European context experienced similar problems as contagion spread throughout the world economy. Trade imbalances within the Eurozone created by the power of the German economy, in particular its exports produced vast wealth within Germany, generating credit that was more than was required for domestic demand. The result was an outflow of cheap and easy credit to peripheral European states. This in turn with low interest rates created the basis for a speculative property bubble in places such as Ireland and Spain, and a rise in consumer debt across Europe (Avellaneda and Hardiman 2010, pp.4-5). This, coupled with the ECB having light regulatory practices and liquidity responsibilities, and the fact that the Euro project created an quasi-federal state with a centralised monetary and exchange rate policy, but had no fiscal control over individual states led to a disaster of structural design in the Euro which prevented adequate policy responses from individual states, who instead we re burdened with a one size fits all, centralised Franco / German led response. It is clear that the immediate causes of the crisis were centred on â€Å"excessive debt leverage or imprudent lending† (Wade 2008, p.27). Much of this debt leveraging was in the form of the complexly structured credit securities, like the CDS, and when market panic set in following the collapse of Lehman, and this huge default risk pushed investors towards the tipping point. However, as Bernanke (2010) has pointed out, many factors were at play. Although the most prominent was the prospect of losses on the subprime market when the housing bubble burst, the system vulnerabilities as well as shortfalls in government responses explain the severity of the crisis. For example, the â€Å"sudden stop† in June 2007 of syndicated lending of asset backed securities to large borrowers. Other factors included the  overreliance of banks on short-term wholesale funding, deficiencies in private sector risk management, an over-reliance on ratings agencies, excessive leverage on the part of households, businesses and financial firms, statutory gaps in regulation on special purpose vehicles and a failure of existing regulatory procedures worldwide (Bernanke 2010). Although causality had similarities between the United States and Europe, the policy responses to deal with the crisis have been markedly different. Quite early into the crisis, perhaps learning from pa st mistakes from the great depression, the US government approved various Keynesian inspired fiscal stimuli and financial and auto sector bailouts. In particular, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion rescue fund for the banking sector which bought toxic loans at reduced rates (Nguyen and Enomoto 2011). This policy has been seen to be a relative success with an estimated final cost of $32 billion to the United States taxpayer (Congressional Budget Office 2012). In contrast to this, the European solution has been overwhelmingly austerity based, and the cost of the crisis being mainly burdened by the taxpayers of Europe. In particular, the Irish taxpayer’s bill for the bailout of one bank, Anglo Irish will cost the taxpayer more than the total final cost of the TARP program in the United States. In this regard, it does not seem that lessons from the great depression have been learned in a European context. When we look to the rates of unemployment over the past number of years, it seems like the American policy of stimulus may be working slightly better than the European austerity agenda. For example, in the US unemployment rose sharply after the onset of the financial crisis going from 4.6 percent in 2007, to 7.2 percent in 2008, 9.3 percent in 2009 and 9.7 percent in 2010. However, in 2011 there has been a decline in unemployment to 9 percent (Index Mundi 2012). The European Union (twenty seven members) on the other hand has seen its unemployment rate grow from 8.3 percent in 2006, to 9 percent in 2009 and 9.7 percent in 2011(United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2012) to a current figure of 11.7 percent (Eurostat 2012). So, how does the global crisis match up to the great depression? It is obvious that there are a number of similarities between the two crises. For example, with both crises there was an extended period of economic growth preceding the crashes. Each of the crisis periods also saw speculative bubbles based on the flow of easy credit  which fuelled both property based and stock market excess. Both crises also saw staggering drops in Industrial production and increases in unemployment. However, there are also key differences between the great depression and the global crisis. Primarily, the nature of the capitalist system has cha nged fundamentally from productive industrialisation to financial capitalisation. The policy responses of governments have also showed that lessons have been learned, especially in the American case, where Keynesianism and central bank intervention has been preferred to the Laissez-faire attitude during the great depression. In a European context, the decision to make taxpayers foot the bill for the losses of financial speculators marks a departure from the policies of the great depression where speculators suffered heavy losses. There are of course other key differences between the two crises in-so-far as although initially the global crisis seemed every bit as bad, if not worse than the great depression, there are now signs that this may not be the case. For example, by measuring from the peaks in industrial production the decline in industrial production in the nine month period from April 2008 was at least as severe as in the nine months following the June 1929 peak (Eichengreen and O’Rourke 2009). Similarly, in that initial nine month period, global st ock markets were falling even faster than in the Great Depression and World trade was also falling much faster than in 1929-30 (Ibid). However the authors of this study have revised their analysis for 2012 and it paints an altogether different picture. The levels of industrial production had shown shoots of recovery over the past couple of years but growth of global industrial output now appears to be slowing. The upturn had been promising, but this follows months when production was essentially stagnant. Notably in the Eurozone, industrial production declined (Eichengreen and ORourke 2012). Since initial early forecasts, global trade had showed signs of recovery â€Å"But trade is now also fluctuating without direction, at levels barely higher than those of April 2008† (Ibid). As the authors also point out, while equity markets have recovered to a large degree compared with their initial drop, â€Å"it is worth observing that world equity markets remain considerably below pre-crisis levels† (Ibid). The somewhat gloomy outlook is confirmed by the latest United Nations ‘World Economic Situation and Prospects’ pre-release document which states; Four years after the eruption of the global financial crisis, the world economy  is still struggling to recover. During 2012, global economic growth has weakened further. A growing number of developed economies have fallen into a double-dip recession. Those in severe sovereign debt distress moved even deeper into recession, caught in the downward spiralling dynamics from high unemployment, weak aggregate demand compounded by fiscal austerity, high public debt burdens, and financial sector fragility (United Nations 2012, p.1). So, although there are signs that the global crisis may not be as severe as the great depression, recent economic forecasts do not suggest that there will be a clear path to recovery in the near future. Capitalism has been proven to be susceptible to crises and cycles of boom and bust. The two cases here have been the most high profile of those crises. It does seem that some of the lessons of the great depression have been learned to reduce the severity of the global crisis. However, only time will tell if these lessons will ultimately stop a double dip global recession and if lessons can be learned from the global crisis for the inevitable next financial crisis that will come down the line.

Background Of Online Banking In Vietnam Marketing Essay

Background Of Online Banking In Vietnam Marketing Essay Introduction The explosion of Internet technology has revolutionized todays economic globally. The changes and innovation of technology has altered the way banking industry can offer its services to customers. A makeable online banking has emerged as the most important online transaction platform for e-commerce, e-shopping, internet stock trading or online auction (Lee, 2009). Internet banking is utilized as a medium with faster transaction speed and lower handling fees (Kalakota and Whinston, 1997). Furthermore, there is no additional software needed when customers conducting transactions on websites (Polasik and Wisniewski, 2009). With the improved online security, customers not only can check their balances on banks websites; online banking allows conducting transactions that are more complicated such as transferring funds, paying bills or even writing checks. Their trustworthiness on online has nevertheless increased (Tan amd Teo, 2000). Banking industry has initiated a paradigm shift from traditional brick and mortal branches to online. In banks websites, customers serve themselves without the need of frontline staff. To this, banks benefited from staff reduction, lesser branch sizes, and paper-related works (Tan and Teo, 2000; Compaq, 2001). According to Burham (1996), the establishment of website consumes less than US$25,000 in which the website maintenance also costs less than US$25,000 annually a big different as compared to maintain a branch. For the customer point of view, convenience and efficiency are the great motivation for them to use online banking (Bruno, 2003). Customers do not need to go to bank, queue up, waiting or constrained by banks operating hours. It offers customers anytime, anywhere banking facilities (Lassar et al., 2005). There is a rapid growth of customers in using online banking services. The report of International Data Corporation (IDC) report shows that the online banking users has surpassed a total of one hundred million by 2004 (Maenpaa et al., 2008). The importance and advantages of online banking has prompted banking industry to rethink their strategy and for long-term survival, most of the banks go online (Tan and Teo, 2000). To stay competitive in the global market, developing countries like Malaysia and Vietnam have tentatively launched their online banking. Malaysia has actively developed e-banking since the mid of 2000 (Poon, 2008). Vietnam Government emphasis strongly on telecommunication development and has implemented internet in order to increase e-commerce usage (Chong et al., 2010). Although Malaysia and Vietnam are from the Southeast Asia region, elements like legal, cultural, social, political, and technical influence among both countries are different. The different elements ad d further the complexity in using online applications (Tarasewich et al., 2002). The degree of different cultural context in both nations will influence the typical ways on how online applications are applied in an online banking system (Zakaria and Stanton, 2003). Beyond the recognition diverse in cultural aspects on consumer behaviors, there is a need to improve the conceptual underpinning the similarities and differences across both countries by understanding the factors that predict customers intention in using online banking. To attract more customers engaging in online banking, it is crucial for banks to develop channel characteristics that are preferable by customers. This paper analyzes the customers attitude towards online banking in both Malaysia and Vietnam context and their preference factors in accepting online banking channel. An in-depth understanding of consumer perceptions and behavior are needed to be understood in order to enhance online banking functionality. For early adopter countries like Malaysia and Vietnam, the ultimate success of online banking still depended on customers willingness to use online banking. Thus, it is important to identify the antecedents of customer acceptance towards online banking. Comprehending what are essentials enticing customers to use online banking will provide management great insight in developing effective strategies to remain competitive in the industry and hold market share. In our research, we rely on the technology acceptance model (TAM), in particular perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in linking with behavioral intention to use online banking. The framework is then synthesized with other antecedents such as trust to study customers confidence in their decision to try a new technology; and government e-readiness factor in both nations of Malaysia and Vietnam. We begin the paper by exploring the background of online banking in both countries. Following by examining the theoretical used and hypothesis developed. After that, description on methodology and analysis is provided. We performed results, discussions on findings, limitations of the study, implications of study, and finally, conclusions. Background of Online Banking in Malaysia In Malaysia, the advancement in ICT has embarked a wide range E-business implementation in many companies. By launching Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) as a mean to facilitate businesses through a host of privileges that entail world class services and infrastructure as well as financial incentives, Malaysia has captured a total revenue of US$383.5 million from E-commerce in 2000 and the figure boosted up to US$9336.2 million in 2005 (MDC, 2003). Banking institutions have actively exploited the opportunities that arise from these developments. Since 2000, many banks anticipated in developing Internet banking (Poon, 2008). The electronic revolution in Malaysian banking sector has historically started by introducing Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) by 1981, which provide customers the extending banking hours beyond office hours (Jawahitha et al., 2003). This computerized telecommunication device provides customers the convenient to access to financial transactions in a wider geographical locations. After that, another service channel was introduced in the early of 1990s, namely tele-banking. This service is eventually connected with Automated Voice Response (AVR) technology. However, Malaysian banks showed little interest as public showed a relatively low interest of response rate (Jawahitha et al., 2003). With the strong emphasis and encouragement by government in the usage and adoption of personal computer, banking environment has undergone a more drastic revolution by offering online banking services through their interactive company websites in 2000. Maybank is the first bank that provides online banking services in Malaysia through www.maybank2U.com portal. It was then followed by Hong Leong Bank, Southern Bank and Multi-Purpose Bank. (Suganthi et al., 2001). At present, there are 24 banks offering online banking facilities. Online banking is getting its popularity in Malaysia. It has received overwhelming responses from customers due to its convenience and has proven advantage in reducing costs. The number of online banking subscribers has increased from 3.2 million in 2006 to 7.5 million in 2009, with the population penetration rate from 11.6% (2006) to 25.9% (2009) (www.bnm.gov.my). Apparently, this positive sign has enlighten the banks to continuous seeking ways to enhance the use of electronic applications more comprehensive and effectively. Nevertheless, consumers are demanding for better transparency, integrity and communication of online banking services. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors that influence the use of online banking. The strength and capability of financial institutions to harness appropriate ICT strategies is crucial to continue to position themselves for better success in this new era through customer retention and growth in the market share. Background of Online Banking in Vietnam In the mid-1980s, the Communist Party of Vietnam formally ended its centralized planned economy and began to adopt economic reform program, widely known as doi moi or Renovation, as a mean to open itself to the world. Since that, Vietnam has started to appear as one of the important economy emergence in Asia Pacific area (Phan, 2008). The first entry of Internet was in November 1997. Given this opportunity, Vietnamese companies have increased their emphasis to implement computerized system and IT facilities in their daily business operations. However, most of the commercial websites are mainly used for promotion purposes instead of real existent of online transactions. (Huang and Swierczek, 2008). Vietnams industrialization has led to rapid ICT growth. Under the Overall Plan on Developing E-Commerce, Vietnamese Government encourages more companies to implement e-commerce in their business operations (Peoples Daily, 2006). In order to stay competitive in the challenging marketplace, companies encode e-commerce implementation as a vital element in their business strategy. As of 2000, the Internet penetration rate has reached 0.3 percent (0.2 million users) of the population. In 2009, the Internet users have surged to a total of 22 million, presented a 25.7 percent of total population (Internet World Stats, 2009). Vietnam Government started to focus on service sector by realizing its feasibility and effective impact on the overall business. The Government aims to stimulate efficient e-commerce development by encouraging people to use it (Chong et al., 2010). With that, online banking is viewed as an important tool or medium to leverage the success of e-commerce implementation. Vietnamese banks have made efforts to establish inter-bank networks to support online payments. The system processing of commercial banks have been improved and banks applied more advanced software and application programs (english.vietnamnet.vn). However, there is a lack of integrated technical system between organizations and banks to provide customers a more structured and systematic payment system. Furthermore, the lack of law and regulations establishment regarded to online banking issues still remained undefined which have led to many difficulties in dispute settlement. As online banking in Vietnam is getting popul ar and offer banks better cost-effective solution, therefore this study aims to examine factors that influence the acceptance of online banking in the country. Technology Adoption Model It has been found that users attitudes and behavior towards acceptance of a new information system indicated a critical impact towards the successful technology adoption (Davis, 1989; Venkatesh and Davis, 1996; Succi and Walter, 1999). This is due to the fact that, the more users accept new information system, the more they will try and start to use it (Succi and Walter, 1999). Given these, researchers have been trying to find factors that influence individual in accepting new technology. One of the most popular and utilized model of technology adoption is the technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis et al, 1989; Davis and Venkatesh, 1996; Al-Gahtani, 2001). As online banking is one type of technology innovation (Lin and Lee, 2005), we propose the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical foundation in this study to predict users online banking usage and preference, which in turn, determined users beliefs towards the online banking system (Joaquin et al, 2009). There are two important components in TAM, which are perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU). The first determinant refers to the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance (Davis et al., 1989). In the context of online banking, it refers to the degree on how effective an online banking system assists in productivity, work, and cost-saving (Rao, 2003). Perceived ease of use is the degree to which the prospective adopters expect new technology adopted to be free effort regarding its transfer and utilization (Davis et al., 1989). In this context, the easier adopters find it to learn and use online banking system, the higher the potential he or she will adopt it (Chong et al., 2010). Although many studies showed TAM is a useful, valid and reliable model (Jeyaraj et al., 2006), many researchers have extended the model by adding different variables based on the types of information system or technology they studied. A critical review from Legris et al. (2003) revealed that there is a need to include other components in order to have better explanations and broader view in new technology adoption. In this cross-cultural study, trust and government e-readiness components are added in order to have better picture in their decision on online banking adoption. The two additional components can be varied as they posit different cultural backgrounds within these both countries. Perceived Usefulness In the model of TAM, perceived usefulness is a significant factor affecting in the acceptance of information system (Davis et al., 1989). It is also has been found to have direct effect towards online banking adoption (Eriksson et al., 2005; Pikkarainen et al., 2004). Similarly, Numerous papers have been studied about perceived usefulness on online banking. For example, Wong et al. (2003) explored that perceived usefulness has positive significant effect on behavioral intention towards online banking in Taiwan context. The study concluded that Taiwanese exploit online banking systems as they find the system is useful and comfortable to use. Pikkarainen et al. (2004) further indicated that perceived usefulness was found to be the most influential driver in online banking service. The findings explained that users choose to use online banking because of it anticipates better advantages as compared to other delivery channels. In Thailand, perceived usefulness is significant among Thai consumers intention to use and it has became a prominent encouragement for them to use online banking services (Jaruwachirathanakul and Fink, 2005). In this research context, perceived usefulness refers to consumers perceptions in using Internet as a financial transaction medium in order to enhance their banking experiences. These perceptions will influence consumers attitude toward online banking and their intention to use it. The main reason users start to use online banking services as they find the systems are useful and convenient during their transactions. Therefore, we test the following hypothesis: H1. Perceived usefulness has a positive association with consumers intention to adopt the online banking. Perceived Ease of Use Besides perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use is found as one of the important influential in adopting new technology (Davis et al., 1989). Perceived usefulness is the extend on how effective Internet and its applications in assisting consumers to accomplish tasks; on the other hand, perceived ease of use is the degree on how easy to use Internet as a medium to complete tasks (Toà ±ita et al., 2004). The beliefs of a person on the difficulty to use online systems will affect his or her intention to continue to use a technology (Davis, 1989). In the words, the complexity of certain online applications will tend to discourage or slow down technology adoption (Rogers, 1995). Various studies have offered insights on the significant effect of perceived ease of use on behavioral intention. According to Moon and Kim (2001), information systems not only should be easy to use, it should also stress on user friendly features. With that, users will feel less threatening and have more confident when using it. Eventually, this implies that perceived ease of use will affect the users perceived credibility during their interaction and exchanges on Internet. In a subsequent study, Wang et al (2003) documented that perceived ease of use had a significant effect on behavioral intention. This is highly related to users that have higher self-efficacy towards computer usage. The finding indicated that Taiwanese views interfaces and applications on banks websites are understandable and online banking is easy to apply and use. In a later study, Amin et al (2008) also revealed that there is a positive relationship between perceived ease of use and mobile banking adoption. By understanding that perceived ease of use will affect consumers attitude and intention, therefore it is important to identify the latent dimensions of this construct in online banking. Thus, we hypothesized that: H2. Perceived ease of use has a positive effect on consumers intention to adopt the online banking. Trust Trust is a crucial factor in many transactional relationships. Trust exists when one party is confident with anothers reliability and credibility (Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Ranaweera and Phrabu, 2003). According to Eriksson et al. (2005), trust is defined as the perceptions towards security and reliability of online banking system from the perspective of customers. The issue of online banking is more critical in comparing to offline banking (Al-Somali et al., 2008). As online banking transactions required sensitive information and access to critical files which transferred via Internet (Alsojjan and Dennis, 2006; Suh and Han, 2002). Therefore, it adds further the complexity to examine online banking trust as the interpersonal trust not only relying between banks and customers, but also between customers and information system (McKnight and Chervany, 2001-2002). To this, Grà ¶nroos (2001) concluded that the professionalism in the aspects on intelligent systems and operations is importan t in building customers trust. Collectively, customers have doubts on the overall security policies in online banking. Especially new adopters in developing nations like Malaysia and Vietnam have found to have less confident in trying online banking due to security reason (Gerrard and Cunnningham, 2003). In many banking websites, security technology like encryption, password, identifiers, or inactivity automatically logs users off the account are implemented to reduce the overall risk during transaction process and the same time increase customers trustworthiness in using the system (Hutichinson and Warren, 2003). In Malaysia, a total number of 500 respondents from different banks customers have been investigated and found that security factor showed the highest Cronbach alpha score. This indicates that security and trust towards online systems are ultimately important in order to encourage customers to start to use online applications. Therefore, the major concern for banks to implement online banking falls on the extent to how customers perceived trustworthiness of a particular system (Poon, 2008). In the study of Al-Somali et al (2008), trust has found to have significant impact in influencing customer attitudes towards online banking usage in Saudi Arabia community. Whereby, Sathyes (1999) identified security and privacy as the biggest obstacles towards the adoption of online banking in Australia. Thus, it is clear that without trust, customers will avoid making any transactions in virtual online environment. Although the consequence of trust in business-customer relationship has been established, the trust construct in virtual online banking is still in a somewhat ambivalent manner, especially in developing countries context. Thus, we proposed the following hypothesis: H3. Trust will have a positive effect on consumers intention to adopt the online banking. Government Support Government plays a vital role in creating institutional environment to encourage the nation to adopt online banking services. In the efforts of government by investing heavily in the aspects of availability and quality of labor, technical infrastructure, policy, work force training and maintaining have nevertheless prepared banks a better platform to foster online banking service (Gibbs et al., 2003). It has been observed and verified in the previous studies that governmental support either in projects funding or adoption schemes have leveraged technology diffusion in a shorter period of time (Tan, 2000). For example Tan and Teo (2000) mentioned in their study that Singapore Government has successfully promoted the adoption of electronic data interchange (EDI) through educational program (Burn, 1995). In Malaysia, with the launch of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) which is fully supported by government in 1996 has prepared Malaysia a great advancement into the thriving of ICT world. One of the key efforts of MSC is to provide the necessary facilities and technical skills for local and foreign businesses through its flagship applications and business services. With the implementations of electronic government, multi-purpose identification card, smart schools and telemedicine, government have tentatively encouraged the citizens to conduct transaction online. Vietnam, an emergence fast growing economy country has started to invest and improve its ICT infrastructure throughout the country. Rahn Wood, a senior executive of Techcombank, said that, although online baking remains unfamiliar in Vietnam, but it has foreseen to be potentially welcomed by Vietnamese people (VietnamNet, 2009). Although most of the people in Vietnam still prefer offline banking, there have seen an overwhelming increased usage in online banking, mobile banking, home banking, phone banking and other card and e-payment services. This phenomenon is particularly significant in the Ho Chi Minh capital (VietnamNet, 2009). Government should play the role to encourage citizens in order to increase the usage rate in online banking. Thus, we hypothesized that: H4. Government support has a positive effect on consumers intention to adopt the online banking.

Essay on Social Position Reflected in Roxana and Emma :: Roxana and Emma Essays

Social Position Reflected in Roxana and Emma   Ã‚   There were severe conflicts between the City party and the Country party in 18th century Britain. The Country party, mainly composed of gentry, was based on landed interest and the City party made money through trade and was based on moneyed interest. The Country party passed the Landed Property Qualification Act to maintain their power. However, this act merely encouraged more men of wealth to buy country estate, in many cases displacing old landed families who truly represented the  ¡Ã‚ °landed interest. ¡Ã‚ ±[1][1] We can see this changing of power through these two works, Roxana and Emma. Daniel Defoe was born in London, so he naturally engaged in City party. Roxana ¡Ã‚ ¯s background is mainly city while that of Emma is the little country society called Highbury. As we can see the difference of the background of two works, we can also find some different attitude toward City and Country in these two works. I will write about these differences in point of the conception of g entleman, rank and different attitude to City lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Defoe indicates that younger sons who have careers in law and trade are the backbone of the English Nation. The uneducated eldest son is an insult to the word gentleman: he is a man of no use to himself or to others.[2][2] He thinks that trade is more important than land. We can find this attitude in Roxana. Roxana says,  ¡Ã‚ °a true bred Merchant is the best Gentleman in the Nation; that in Knowledge, in Manners, in Judgement of things, the Merchant out-did many of the Nobility ¡Ã‚ ± (Roxana 170, The page numbers of further references from Roxana will be put in parentheses in the text).   She also says  ¡Ã‚ °That an Estate is a Pond; but that a Trade was a Spring ¡Ã‚ ±(170). The Dutch merchant also says that  ¡Ã‚ °the Tradesmen in London, speaking of the better sort of Trades, cou ¡Ã‚ ¯d spend more Money in their Families, and yet give better Fortunes to their Children, than, generally speaking, the Gentry of England from a 1000 l ¡Ã‚ ±(170). We can know that Roxana has a very positive view to a merchant from this. She thinks that a merchant is better than gentry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, it is viewed differently, as shown in Emma. When Emma talks about the father of Mrs. Elton, she says like this :  ¡Ã‚ ° a Bristol ? merchant, of course, he must be called; but, as the whole of the profits of his mercantile life appeared so very moderate, it was not unfair to guess the dignity of his live of trade had been very moderate also ¡Ã‚ ±(Emma, 164).