IMF †International Monetary Fund

IMF – International Monetary Fund Free Online Research Papers IMF International Monetary Fund On, 1st July 1944, World War II, perhaps the darkest age of the human race, was about to end. The allies have landed in Normandy, and the fall of the Axis powers was inevitably near. Already, the economic visionaries and idealists have gathered at Bretton Woods to discuss the future economy of the upcoming peaceful times. After twenty-two days of meeting, twenty-nine participating nations signed the articles of agreement and the International Monetary Fund was established, with its noble goals to provide a world of economic cooperation, to maintain a fixed exchange rate, to safeguard against any nations misfortunes and disequilibrium, and to achieve a world economy that would reduce the possibilities of isolationism and therefore, war. Yet, after fifty years of commitment to that noble goal, after providing more than $100 billion dollars to developing nations, the program is facing grave opposition and a possible end to its organization. Anti-IMF organizations have begun to wage a vicious campaign named 50 years is enough against the IMF and the World Bank. Did the IMFs service to the world economy have a negative effect? Or is it because the environmental, political, financial and humanitarian concerns outweigh the positive economic gains of the organization? Or has the rapid advancement of the world economy made the once useful organizations services obsolete? A closer examination of the organization and its workings, its problems, and its opponent’s positions reveals the answers to these questions. The International Monetary Fund officially started operating on March 1, 1947. The philosophy behind the organization was mainly influenced by two men: Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes. They were both heavily influenced by main economic and political events of the 1920s and 1930s: the economic depression connected with isolationist policies of the thirties and the rise of extremist political forces in Germany and the Soviet Union. Most of the experts thought that these events were more or less a consequence of the collapse of the international trade system in the interwar years. We share this view to this day: an isolated country is much more prone to be subject to destructive political forces of the left or of the right, as examples abound, than a country fully integrated in world economic cooperation . But the two disagreed on the method of bringing about that world economy that will prevent such depressions and related political dangers. John Maynard Keynes, a brilliant British economist proposed a world reserve currency system, which would be governed by a central bank. However, the view which prevailed was that of U.S. delegates led by Harry Dexter White, who opted for a system based on the relatively free movement of goods with the dollar as the international currency . In the end, the IMF was established to promote international monetary cooperation by maintaining fixed exchange rates among the currencies of different nations . To accomplish this, the Fund was to make short-term loans to nations which had temporary balance of payments deficits (i.e., when the net imports of a nation exceeded its exports). The three to five years loans would then allow a nation to recover from its imbalance without having to resort to devaluing its currency . These loans are given out according to a quota that is set for each country. The quotas consist of the capital each country has paid in, usually twenty-five percent in gold and the rest in the member nation s currency. A member nation can exchange a portion of its quota to buy another nations currency, usually in dollars, German marks, or Japanese yen. These funds in turn can be used to support the borrowing countrys currency on exchange markets or to pay off creditors while it gets its economy back in shape. However, the IMF was unable to foster the fixed exchange system. The inflation of many countries made devaluation of their currencies inevitable . Finally, on August 15, 1971, the fixed rate system complete collapsed when the United States abandoned the gold-exchange standard. Many critics speculated that the IMF would fade into oblivion since its primary role maintenance of fixed rates was eliminated . The agency, however, survived. The IMF actually substantially expanded its roles in the World economy. When it no longer had fixed exchange rates to justify its existence, IMF turned to lending for balance of payments deficits as its primary function. Between 1970 and 1975 the volume of the Funds lending more than doubled in real terms, and from 1975 to 1982 it increased by a further 58 percent . With its generous loan commitments to more than 30 nations totaling more than $30 billion per year, it is no doubt that its contribution to economic stability has been significant. When Turkey experienced a severe balance-of-payments crisis in the late 1970s, the IMF arranged a two-year, $450 million credit in 1978, and a three-year $1.6 billion credit in 1980. Turkey, for its part, agreed to successive currency devaluations, higher domestic interest rates and cuts in government spending and subsidies. The results were successful: inflation fell from 94% in a year to 30%, while economic growth rate rose from 1% to 4%. Even politically, Turkey was saved by IMF, and returned to civilian rule . In Jamaica, heavy taxes, curtailed investment, crop failures, poor sugar prices and falling tourism revenues combined to create an economic disaster. Jamaica soon became the largest borrower from the IMF. After the Harvard educated Seaga became elected, he secured a $650 million three-year line of credit from the IMF. Combined with a resurgence in investor confidence (partially due to excellent leadership, and perhaps also as a result of the IMF loans), IMF aid stabilized and improved the Jamaican economy modestly. Inflation fell from 30% to less than 7% in less than two years. Perhaps the best example illustrating the importance of IMF is its admission of an aid to Mexico: The Fund, created near the end of World War II to encourage trade and help a few industrial nations stabilize their currencies, had been forced by Mexicos near-bankruptcy and subsequent severe strains in Argentina and Brazil into a new, activist role, designed to hold together a world financial system under enormous stress. Some are already describing the fund as the worlds bank of last resort, the institution that will stand behind third-world countries and their bankers trying to guarantee the good faith of both borrower and lender . Yet, as IMF approaches year 1997 its fiftieth anniversary it has become the target of various attacks. Most of these attacks are concerned with the issues of politics, financial policies, humanitarianism, and the environment. It seems that in the single-minded attitude that the IMF takes to bring about recoveries of economies has its immeasurable costs. The IMF, in its attempts to stimulate the economies of third-world countries and to devaluate their currencies, often lead to environmental destruction and severe cuts in the nations social welfare programs. Critics claim that the women and the poor often become the victims of these recovery or stimulation processes. The structural and financial policies of had wide-ranging effects recently in Argentina , where the IMF structural adjustment policies have been blamed for the current economic downturn. The recessional climate has occurred due to a loss in confidence in the economy as a whole, and trade liberalization (IMF policy) keeping wages low. Although employment may be high in the short-run, it is unsustainable as the public will spend less causing muted profits and ultimately private sector cutbacks on investment and employment, giving a stagnant economy. Also, the peso became fixed to the dollar, which was designed in theory to give stability to the currency and provide the basis to build a healthy economy. However, fixed exchange rates have not worked historically and this is no exception, I feel, because Argentinas main trade is with Europe and Southern America, not the USA. My view is that the IMF tried to force policies upon a country when they need the whole world to be in similar oper ation in order to see a successful outcome as the theory suggests. Other policies seen in examples such as Honduras, Kenya, South Africa and Bolivia include the reduction of price controls, increased interest rates, export promotion, decreased government expenditure and privatization . Reducing price controls, enables more trade but causes huge price rises, often including vital basic goods and services such as food. This can be worsened by export promotion which encourages land use to alter to cash crops thereby creating expensive and high demand land, plus dependence on other international commodities which suddenly also become more expensive. When you combine these factors with lower wages as illustrated by the Argentina example, it is becoming more and more difficult for marginal families to get by and just survive day-to-day life. Increased interest rates have caused massive reductions in inflation and therefore prices, leading, as history suggests, to a stagnant economy. This is worsened by the decrease in government expenditure, freezing the public sector, and also worsening the health and education systems which produce the future workforce of the country. To secure the future of infant industries and small businesses, a dynamic economy is required, the main reason why governments seek to lend in the first place, only brought by protectionism in the early stages. Although privatization increases efficiency, it creates mass unemployment and helps to only widen the already unequal distribution of income within such countries; therefore government control is very necessary. In concluding, it is important to realize that the IMF ultimately loans single countries money on the promise of implementing policies, and this money given is used to pay back international banks. The donor countries are often forced into this as there is no other alternative open to them, but ultimately the IMF are the only organization that do what they do , so where would some countries be without them? To help the countries recover from economic crises, IMF often encourages the construction of unpopular dams, mines, and timber harvests to create a large amount of foreign exchange. In Guyana, South Africa, such an IMF insured gold mine caused the largest cyanide spill in human history. The result was the pollution of Guyanas largest river, which suffered a severe cutback in wildlife and became unusable for the inhabitants. Such environmental and social concerns have created a strong force of opposition to the IMF organization . Political scientists also question the policies of IMF and its effects on the countries that rely upon it. Because of IMFs neutral stand on politics, the fund will serve as a safety net for any nations economy regardless of whether it is democratic or despotic. As a result, many politicians believe that IMF helps maintain despotic rule in third world countries, and that mismanaged economies are kept going under the loans of IMF. Where as without it, there might have been change for the better. So, after fifty years, IMF and the World Bank have come to be viewed as mixed blessings. But nevertheless, it was successfully committed to its original goals to bring about cooperation in world economy, and to bring about stability and prosperity. Economics was the sole concern of the Bretton Woods convention, and economics had been the sole aspect that IMF is concerned with. And it has been more than successful in that field. Little did the founders of IMF know that maintaining the world economy would come at a price of lost social programs, lost personal liberties, and destruction to the environment? But the final question of whether it is more important to promote the economy or to protect those who would be victimized by an IMF plan is simply too subjective. Research Papers on IMF - International Monetary FundAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationTwilight of the UAWDefinition of Export QuotasLifes What IfsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Project Managment Office System

Human Resources Strategy in Multi Unit Service Organisations Assignment

Human Resources Strategy in Multi Unit Service Organisations - Assignment Example According to the research findings the hospitality industry mostly comprised of small and medium organisations, often administered by the owners. It provided series of suitable services and attractions within local range. However, with respect to global perspective, the appreciation of customers and corporate effectiveness of hospitality industry started to transform during 1950s with the growth of large scale groups or hospitality chains. These hospitality chains are devoted to the long-standing business plan to global expansion, demonstrated by the numerous brands. These expansions have predictable outcomes for the organisational structure as the hospitality businesses are becoming increasingly large, multi-site corporations, regulating business operations and manipulating the supply chain from central production to arranged service distribution systems. This structural transformation resulted in a rising hierarchy of management in order to control complex network, including the se lection of multi-unit managers. In present times, the hospitality sector is ruled by global brands and chains. The succeeding development of managerial structures and arrangements has been characterised by a prerequisite of ‘middle management layers’ with respect to multi-unit managers. Such managers create the level of direction instantly upon division managers and are vital interface between the divisions and the strategic hierarchy of the administration. (D'Annunzio-Green & et. al., 2004). Purpose of the Study The report is intended to gain an understanding of the role of multi-unit manager in one of the biggest hospitality chains named Westin Grand Hotel. The investigation is focused on obtaining information from the employees including role of multi-unit managers, selection, training, remuneration, business and other conversion matters in Westin Grand Hotel of Munich. It also identifies the human resource strategies designed by Westin Grand Hotel for business opera tions. The purpose of this report is to recognise the importance of multi-unit managers in service organisations and understand their job roles and significance. Human Resource Strategy in Hospitality Organisations Traditionally, human resource was more suitably named as â€Å"personnel†. In this role, professionals are liable for recruiting, employing, compensating, program planning, negotiating, and managing collective bargaining settlements, strategy development, workers record keeping and serving as a channel for employee opinions and concerns. Role of human resource experts are expanded to include communications, training, safety, employee relations and recognition and reward programs (Rutherford & O’Fallon, 2007). Human resource strategy in hospitality organisation is directorial in nature. A nationwide tendency in human resource is to shift from directorial role to the combination of human resource in strategic planning. This drive was supported by growth of hum an capital or human asset in a company. Human assets can be described as talent, judgement and cleverness of organisation’s employees. In large hotel chains, human assets are regarded as one of the three constituents of organisations which include intellectual assets, customers and operational assets. The measurement of human resource strategy as competence can be identified as improvement in systems, intellectuality, dexterity, performance, assertiveness and enthusiasm (Boella & Goss-Turner, 2005). According to a

Strategic Plan on Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Plan on Toyota - Essay Example The end of the first quarter of 2012 saw Toyota having 217 associated firms, as well as 511 subsidiaries all over the world. Moreover, while ranked 25th in the world, it is number nine in sales, number 74 in assets, and number 32 in terms of market value (Forbes.com LLC, 2012). Its range of automobile products includes commercial automobiles, which includes trucks, minivans, as well as passenger vehicles. Among its subsidiaries are Daihatsu, specializing in compact cars and min-cars, and Hino, which specializes in buses and trucks. Its main range of passenger cars includes subcompacts, compacts, luxury cars, sports vehicles, SUVs, mid-size vehicles, and recreational cars. In the US, it also has the luxury brand Lexus (Reuters, 2012). The latest stock performance figures give Toyota a market capitalization of $128.9 billion, and a share price of $81.41. This share price figure is down somewhat from year highs of about $88, but up from year lows of about $70. Its current P/E ratio of 17.66 is much higher than competition, the closest being Honda, which is trading at a P/E ratio of 15.44. It leads all automobile players in market capitalization, though it is behind the likes of Volkswagen and Honda in terms of margins and operating metrics. (Google, 2012). Snippets of the corporate strategy of Toyota can be gleaned from news relating to its planned reduction of product output in Japan, by 10 percent from 2012 levels, to around 3.1 million vehicles by 2014. This is to be done with no impact on the employment rolls in the country, with the projected output for 2012 being higher than that 2014 figure, at 3.6 million vehicles (Reuters, 2012b).This is coupled with news relating to planned capacity increases in some subsidiaries, particularly India, where production is slated to expand to 310,000 units per year, an increase of about 50 percent from current production levels. The focus is on sedans and hatchback vehicles

Examining the gender inequalities at work

Examining the gender inequalities at work Many feminists concentrate on gender inequality, particularly inequality in paid employment. Postmodernists place little emphasis on paid work, but both Marxist feminist and liberal feminists see employment opportunities as crucial to understanding gender inequalities. Liberal feminists have argued that a combination of legislation and changed attitudes can open up economic opportunities for women. Equal opportunity legislation In 1970 the Equal Pay Act legislated that women should be paid the same as men for doing the same or broadly similar work. In 1984 an amendment stipulated that women should get equal pay for work of equal value. The 1975 Sex Discrimination Act made discrimination on the grounds of sex illegal in employment, education and the provision of goods and services. Legislation was further strengthened by the 2006 Equality Act required all public bodies to take an active role in removing illegal discrimination against women. Despite these changes in the law, and considerable increases in recent years in the proportion of women who work in Britain, women remain disadvantaged at work: The proportion of the labour force who are female has risen considerably. In 1971 92% of men of working age were employed and 56% of women. By 2005 80% of men were employed and 70% of women (Social Trends 2006, p.52). In 2005 42% of women were part-time workers and 10% of men. In 2004 67% of women with dependent children worked (Social Trends 2006, p.54). Gender and earnings Women continue to be less well paid than men. In 1970 women working full-time earned 63% of the average full-time male wage; by 2005 they were still only getting 82% of the average male wage (EOC, 1997, 2002a; New Earnings Survey 2005). Horizontal segregation where men and women tend to have different types of job also continues. Women tend to be employed in areas such as personal services, administration, hotels and restaurants. Most routine clerical and secretarial workers are women, as are most primary teachers. Men tend to dominate in areas such as manufacturing, construction and transport. The proportion of women managers and professionals has increased recently. The Women and Work Commission (2006) found 75% of pharmacists, 40% of accountants, almost 50% of lawyers and over 30% of doctors were women. The Equal Opportunities Report (2006) reveals the absence of women in elite positions across a number of occupations, and comments that at the present rate of progress it would 50 years before half of top directors were women and 200 years before women were equally represented in the House of Commons, whereby as many female MPs as male MPs. Vertical segregation continues i.e. men predominate in higher paid jobs whilst women predominate in lower paid ones. For example, in 2005 83% of directors and chief executives were men, 74% of waiting staff were women. Men predominate in all the higher paid lobs except personnel, training and industrial relations managers; while women predominate in all the lower-paid jobs except sports and leisure assistants, where the number of men and women are equal. Generally, the more senior the position, the lower the proportion of women. According to the Equal Opportunities Commission report Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain? (EOC, 2006), women are under-represented in elite positions. In 2004 only 9% of senior judges, 10% of senior police officers and 13% of national newspaper editors were women. Women held only 10.5% of the directorships of the FTSE 100 companies and 19.7% of MPs and 27.3% of cabinet ministers were female. Although most teachers are female, in 2004 only 31.8% of head teachers were women. In 2005, less than 1% of senior ranks in the armed forces and only 10.2% of senior police officers were female. The report notes some improvements in the representation of women but calculates that at current rates of change it would take 40% before 50% of top directors were female, and 200 years before there were as many female as male MPs. LINK SOCIAL WORK TO ABOVE.+REPHRASE MUCH OF ABOVE/SUMMARISE/CUT+CARE SECTOR STATISTICS Explanations for gender inequalities Textbook pp. 124-131 Functionalism Human capital theory suggests that women are less valuable to employers than men because they are less committed to work and more likely to take career breaks to raise children. This gives employers less incentive to promote women and invest in their training. However, a study by Peter Sloane (1994) found that gender continued to influence pay even when qualifications and experience were taken into account. Catherine Hakim preference theory Hakim (2004) argues that women now have more choice, and inequality stems from personal preference. Women have better labour market opportunities than ever before due to amongst others the contraceptive revolution from about 1965. The equal opportunities revolution and the expansion of white collar occupations as well as the expansion of jobs for secondary earners. This has led, according to Hakim, to the emergence of three types of women: Adaptive women who combine both paid work and family. This group is about two thirds of women who seek flexible or part-time work. Another type is described as work-centred women, these women are a minority who focus on career and fit family life around it, this group is less than 20% of women, so men will continue to dominate the workplace. Finally, home-centred women are women who prefer not to work. This group is about 20% of women, including some who are well qualified. Crompton (1996), however, found no evidence of clear-cut categories among women working in banking and pharmacy in Britain and France. Houston Marks (2003) found many factors other than personal preference influenced womens attitude towards paid employment. Abbott et al (2005) criticize Hakim for ignoring structural constraints which limit and shape womens choices. ***CONTINUE FROM HERE -P126 (P121-130) The dual labour market theory The dual labour market theory developed by Barron Norris (1976) distinguishes between: The primary labour market of well-paid, fairly secure jobs with prospects; The secondary labour market of poorly paid, insecure jobs with few prospects. Employers try hard to attract and retain primary workers, who are seen as key to the success of their enterprises, but secondary workers are seen as easily replaced. It is difficult to transfer from the secondary to the primary labour market, and women tend to be concentrated in the secondary sector. This is due in part to employer sexism but also to factors such as lack of unionization. Beechey (1986) sees women as a cheap reserve army of labour, brought in during economic booms but thrown out during slumps. This creates flexibility for capitalists and depresses overall wage levels. Women tend to be in the reserve army because: they are often not in unions; they may be prepared to work for less if their wage is a second income; they are seen as combining work with domestic responsibilities. However, this theory cannot explain horizontal segregation. Also, the continued growth of female employment suggests that women are not being used purely as a temporary, reserve army of workers. McDowell (1992) applies post-Fordist theory to female employment. Post-Fordism suggests that there has been a move away from mass production to more flexible production of specialist products. Businesses keep a core of highly skilled workers, but most other workers are temporary or part-time, or work is contracted out to other firms. Women tend to be concentrated in the more flexible jobs, particularly part-time work, although some have benefited from gaining core jobs. Research by Lovering (1994) found evidence to support this theory in some companies but not in others, suggesting that post-Fordist trends affect only some workers. Some feminists stress the role of male trade unionists in restricting womens opportunities. Walby (1986) argues that in some areas (for example, engineering) trade unions have used exclusion to disadvantage women, while in industries such as textiles, women have been disadvantaged by confinement to certain lower-paid areas of work. Low-paid work ensures that women are more likely to take on domestic responsibilities than men. Radical feminists see patriarchy rather than capitalism as the main cause of female disadvantage. Stanko (1988) argues that sexual harassment in the workplace is used to keep women in their place. Men use their power in the workplace to protect their position. Women in jobs such as bar work and secretarial work are sexualized, and are not taken as seriously as workers or considered for promotion. Adkins (1995) goes further, arguing that sexual work has become integral to many womens jobs. In service sector jobs where women have contact with men they are expected to engage in sexual servicing: looking attractive, engaging in sexual banter, tolerating sexual innuendo and so on. The Women and Work Commission (2006) argues that reform, legislation and tackling sexist socialization can solve the problem of unequal pay. They argue that: Gender stereotyping in schools, in careers advice, and in work experience programmes, is based on traditional roles. This results in the concentration of women in lower-paid occupations. The Commission pointed out that the media could challenge these cultural expectations two thirds of forensic science students are now women. Combining work and family life leads to women taking career breaks and working part-time. Gosling (2005) found a single year working part-time before returning to full-time work led to a 10-15% reduction in pay, largely due to the quality of the part-time work available. Women need more opportunities for lifelong training. Workplace practices often disadvantage women. Job evaluations which rank male-dominated jobs more highly than female ones, even though these jobs have a similar skill level, need to be challenged. 1302 ADD GENDER ROLE AND STEREOTYPES AS PROHIBETER OF SEXES CROSS OVER TO DOMINENT SEX CAREER ROLES. 1605-1626

Comapring Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and

Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's Travels and Voltaire's Candide       A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man. How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent means of objective criticism and most often satire. A child's curious nature and hunger for knowledge would bring about an unbiased questioning of social structures, minus the brainwashing of these very institutions, and his or her vulnerability would expose any societal dangers present. This child-like scientist would see the truth as it is.    This same premise may be applied to literary works. A naive character or narrator may be used as a child-like scientist, who reveals social truths to the audience through his or her naivete. As Maurois has noted, in writing about Candide, by Voltaire," It was novel of apprenticeship, that is, the shaping of an adolescent's ideas by rude contact with the universe" (101). Jonathan Swift also takes this approach in his work Gulliver's Travels, where Gulliver, the main character, provides a naive point of reference.    The satires Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and Candide, by Voltaire, both make use of naivete to convey satirical attacks on society. In both works, litotes [understatements] are made of extremely absurd situations, which further illuminates the ridiculous nature of a situation. Characters in each novel are made vulnerable by their overly trusting natures. This is taken advantage of, and these characters are left e... ... Ideas. New York: D Appleton and Company, 1929. * "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels." Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors. Ed. M.H. Abrhams et al. Sixth ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1995. * Lawler, John. "The Evolution of Gulliver's Character." Norton Critical Editions. * Maurois, Andre'. Voltaire. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1932. * Mylne, Vivienne. The Eighteenth-Century French Novel. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 1965. * Pasco, Allan H. Novel Configurations A Study of French Fiction. Birmingham: Summa Publications, 1987. * Quintana, Ricardo "Situation as Satirical Method." Norton Critical Editions: Jonathan Swift Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Robert A Greenberg. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1961. * Van Doren, Carl. Swift .New York: The Viking Press, 1930.   

Economic development in poor countries Essay

Seen by some as the greatest opportunity to enlarge the free market or by others as the greatest danger that humanity has ever encounter, the problem of globalization has urged the great spirits of humanity to debate its impact upon the entire human community. For the super-powers of the world globalization is a well-known and acceptable phenomenon. It could be because the economy of the G8 has been statistically improved since we are all one. Anyhow, all the rich and average countries of the world start to embrace and lead a strong propaganda in favor of it. What about the poor countries that are not entitled to an opinion about the invasion of their countries? The impact of globalization in these countries can be irreversible and determinant for their future. The first major impact is evidently the economical one. For the industry and the internal market, globalization could mean a total freezing of any chance to survive on the free market. Obviously the products from the developed countries tend to be of a better quality and the prices are often smaller than the national brands. This is a double blade possibility. Either the economy of the poor countries will collapse and will be destroyed forever, or there is the chance that the main national producers would start introducing the necessary quality into their products. Anyhow at first, the national economy will suffer and the poor countries will become poorer than before. On the other hand, the second-hand products have full access to these countries. They may seem to be a good thing, especially because the people do not have the possibility to afford new goods, like cars, electronic gadgets and even clothes. As everything is free to merchandise, there is the risk of becoming ‘junk’ country that can be used as a garbage bin for the products unusable in more developed countries. Anyhow the less developed countries should be careful about anything that gets in. Even if the tendency is to accept all the things that come from the rich countries, there must be prudency and conscious choice. We must admit that it is very hard to choose what to adopt when the general tendency is to promote globalization. Each country must analyze its economical situation to see if it is compatible enough. One way or the other, they will have to cope with any situation given. The new global order has also been characterized by increased financial volatility Analyzing from the Third World debt crisis of the early 1980s to the Mexican breakdown of 1994-95 to the current Asian debacle, financial crises have become more and more threatening. With increasing privatization and deregulation, the discrepancy between the influence of financial forces and of the governments and increases the potential for a global breakdown steadily enlarges. If this is the case, we must analyze the current crisis through which the entire planet is suffering from. It is a real and down-to-earth example of how an earthquake in the economy of the great can affect the less unfortunate. The crisis involves the US economical superpower together with the Asian market and the EU developing economical system. For USA, the crisis is marked by stock fluctuations and an unstable market. The price of oil drops rapidly and several industries are brought to bankruptcy. Now, the world’s superpowers can deal with the crisis easily. For example, the rescue project for the US is merely under 1% of the GDP. As the economy of the country is weaker, the percentage involved is growing. The case of Germany speaks out, as the investment for getting out of the crisis will affect more than 25% of their GDP. Now if this is the case of a developed country then a poor country could enter in a financial collapse just by trying to maintain them to a level of decency. The current crisis is a real challenge for the globalization system and conception. It affects us all but for sure it can kill some economies and bring them down for good. The truth is that the entire world begins to be linked to some economic giants and when they start collapsing, everyone goes together with them. Another issue of globalization is the free work-market. It is a positive thing that people can work wherever they want and wherever they are appreciated for their qualifications. There is also the risk of economical nomads. These economical nomads are represented by the companies that tend to move their factories in the poorer countries; for the single reason that there the wages are smaller as the production stays the same. This nomadic attitude appears to be beneficial for the company itself, but closing a factory in one country in order to re-open it in another is definitely a hit for the economical situation of entire regions. There is the example of Nokia that speaks out clearly this approach. Nokia Company closed a factory in Germany to open one in Romania. The only reason was that a Romanian employee could be paid with wages from 300-1000 euro, as a German was paid with amounts from 3000 euro and up. The economical balance changed for both Germany and Romania. Anyhow, it is a fact that when the wages become larger, the company will move out in another poorer country. On the other hand this discrepancy between wages for the same production turns out to be the premises for the enrichment of a certain elite. Income inequality rose markedly both within and between countries. In the United States, the median real wage rate was lower in the latter year. Inequality rose to levels of 70 years earlier, and underemployment, job insecurity, benefit loss, and worker speedup under â€Å"lean† production systems all increased. Insecurity is functional. As it is the greatest weapon that can be used to form certain groups of interest that tend to manipulate all the economical situation to their own convenience. The gap in incomes between the 20 percent of the world’s population in the richest and poorest countries has grown from 30 to 1 in 1960 to 82 to 1 in 1995, therefore the Third World conditions have in many respects worsened. Incomes have fallen in more than 70 countries over the past 20 years. Some 3 billion people, that mean half the world’s population, live on fewer than two dollars a day. Other 800 million suffer from malnutrition. In the Third World, unemployment and underemployment are common. Massive poverty survives side-by-side with the influential elite. More than 75 million people a year are seeking asylum or employment in the developed countries. The Third World governments allow virtually unrestricted capital flight and seek no options but to attract foreign investment. The premises that have made globalization possible are the very conditions that are now threatening it. The communication breakthroughs that enable global mass production can also expose its horrors: unemployment, dropping wages, social and economical insecurity. The tools that make possible overnight wealth for a handful of global speculators also make possible overnight global financial panic. Globalization should be handled like a very fragile pot that can break into many pieces any moment. As for the poor countries, they are the only ones who can decide whether globalization has a positive effect or a negative effect. Well, that is theoretically speaking. Practically, they have no choice. Sooner or later the wave will get them and they will all have to suffer the consequences. The general consideration of the entire world could be finding efficient ways of preventing the worse to happen. Until then, the socio-political factors will decide if in real life everything functions like we know it in theory. References: 1. The Threat of Globalization, Edward S. Herman, New Politics vol. 7, no. 2 (new series), whole no. 26 Winter 1999; 2. Progressive Globalism: Challenging the Audacity of Capital, William K. Tabb, Monthly Review, February 1, 1999; 3. Statement on Globalization, UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, May 11, 1998; 4. The Three Rounds of Globalization, Ashutosh Sheshabalaya, The Globalist, March 14, 2000; 5. Globalization on Trial, Rumina Sethi, Tribune (India), June 27, 2004.

BM0421 Essay - 3616 Words

BM0421 Business Research Analysis Student Name: Qiumi Lv Student Number: W14006495 Word Count: 3112 Contents 1. Part 1 (a)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.........†¦.†¦...2 2. Part 1 (b)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦....2 3. Part 1 (c)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...3 1. The Research Method and Questionnaire†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.....3 2. The design decisions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...3 4. Part 2†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......5 1. (i)..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.....†¦.5 2. (ii).†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.....10 3. (iii)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 4. (iv)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.†¦15 5. (v)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....†¦..†¦18 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..22†¦show more content†¦For example, the questionnaire produced for the Light Rail Transit system, which has gain more and more popular in few decades. Traveling by train, particularly the light rail, becoming a more convenient and convenient trip mode. Secondly, the following step is deciding on response categories. There are some questions of the questionnaire including the basic information of participants, such as age, gender, income and family status. The information could assist with the company to know the other factors whether influence their response, and then the company would have a more suitable plan. The third part of designing the questionnaire is writing questions with considering the developing objectives. And then, ordering the questions, putting them in an order that will be logical and ease respondents. For instance, the LRT has the options under consideration, but the budgetary constrains mean that decisions must be made about which of these to priorities. So, a few questions with the rating scale, helping the company realizes which one is more important for customers. Furthermore, there is a question regarding the price, which might be another factor that the company should be think about. In the end of questionnaire is layout and writing a cover letter/introductory statement. The questionnaire needs to construct a clear, logical, professional and pleasing layout and design. Moreover, the cover letter generally includes the