Managerial Economics Week 7 Individual Work Assignment

Managerial Economics Week 7 Individual Work - Assignment Example The information asymmetry by the buyer will enable him/her to go for more quality tests on the product. An experience good is a good in which its prices and quality are in question by the consumers. After the consumption, the consumer will then be able to ascertain the quality of the product. Consumers then are more likely to pay higher prices for the product because lower prices by the notorious firm will raise the consumers’ eyebrows. Consumers will also be able to question whether there are some problems, which cannot be observed in the market but only upon consumption. Higher prices indicate how genuine the product can be thus consumers will go for the product at higher prices. Good branding of the products will also contribute towards higher prices by consumers (Holt, 2009). In the long-run, consumers will opt to paying lower prices. The decision to pay lower prices results from the fact that one gets to know the quality of the product after its

Friction Lab Essay Example for Free

Friction Lab Essay Discussion and Review Whenever a body slides along another body a resisting force is called into play that is known as friction. This is a very important force and serves many useful purposes. A person could not walk without friction, nor could a car propel itself along a highway without the friction between the tires and the road surface. On the other hand, friction is very wasteful. It reduces the efficiency of machines because work must be done to overcome it and this energy is wasted as heat. The purpose of this experiment is to study the laws of friction and to determine the coefficient of friction between two surfaces. THEORY Friction is the resisting force encountered when one surface slides over another. This force acts along the tangent to the surfaces in contact. The force necessary to overcome friction depends on the nature of the materials in contact, on their roughness or smoothness, and on the normal force but not on the area of contact or on the speed of the motion. We find experimentally that the force of friction is directly proportional to the normal force. When an object is sitting on a horizontal surface the normal force is just the weight of the object. However, if the object is on an incline then it is not equal to the weight but is calculated by N= mg cos ÃŽ ¸. The constant of proportionality is called the coefficient of friction,  µ. When the contacting surfaces are actually sliding one over the other the force of friction is given by Equation 1: Ffr =  µk FN where Ffr is the force of friction and is directed parallel to the surfaces and opposite to the direction of motion. FN is the normal force and  µk is the coefficient of kinetic friction. The subscript k stands for kinetic, meaning that  µk is the coefficient that applies when the surfaces are moving  one with respect to the other.  µk is therefore more precisely called the coefficient of kinetic or sliding friction. Note carefully that Ffris always directed opposite to the direction of motion. This means that if you reverse the direction of sliding, the frictional force reverses too. In short, friction is always against you. Friction is called a non-conservative force because energy must be used to overcome it no matter which way you go. This is in contrast to what is called a conservative force such as gravity, which is against you on the way up but with you on the way down. Thus, the energy expended in lifting an object may be regained when the object descends. Yet, the energy used to overcome friction is dissipated, which means it is lost or made unavailable as heat. As you will see in your later study of  physics the distinction between conservative and non-conservative forces is a very important one that is fundamental to our concepts of heat and energy.  A method of checking the proportionality of Ffr, and FNand of determining the proportionality constant  µk is to have one of the surfaces in the form of a plane placed horizontally with a pulley fastened at one end. The other surface is the bottom face of a block that rests on the plane and to which is attached a weighted cord that passes over the pulley. The weights are varied until the block moves at constant speed after having been started with a slight push. Since there is no acceleration, the net force on the block is zero, which means that the frictional force is equal to the tension in the cord. This tension, in turn, is equal to the total weight attached to the cords end. The normal force between the two surfaces is equal to the weight of the block and can be increased by placing weights on top of the block. Thus, corresponding values of Ffr,and FN can be found, and plotting them will show whether Ffrand FN are indeed proportional. The slope of this graph gives  µk. When a body lies at rest on a surface and an attempt is made to push it, the pushing force is opposed by a frictional force. As long as the pushing force is not strong enough to start the body moving, the body remains in equilibrium. This means that the frictional force automatically adjusts itself to be equal to the pushing force and thus to just be enough to balance it. However, there is a threshold value of the pushing force beyond which larger values will cause the body to break away and slide. We  conclude that in the static case where a body is at rest the frictional force automatically adjusts itself to keep the body at rest up to a certain maximum. But if static equilibrium demands a frictional force larger than this maximum, static equilibrium conditions will cease to exist because this force is not available and the body will start to move. This situation may be expressed in equation form as: Equation 2: Ffr ≠¤  µsFN or Ffr max =  µsFN Where Ffris the frictional force in the static case, Ffr max is the maximum value this force can assume and  µsis the coefficient of static friction. We find that  µsis slightly larger than  µk. This means that a somewhat larger force is needed to break a body away and start it sliding than is needed to keep it sliding at constant speed once it is in motion. This is why a slight push is necessary to get the block started for the measurement of  µk. One way of investigating the case of static friction is to observe the so-called limiting angle of repose. This is defined as the maximum angle to which an inclined plane may be tipped before a block placed on the plane just starts to slide. The arrangement is illustrated in Figure 1 above. The block has weight W whose component WcosÃŽ ¸ (where ÃŽ ¸ is the plane angle) is perpendicular to the plane and is thus equal to the normal force, FN. The component Wsin ÃŽ ¸is parallel to the plane and constitutes the force urging the block to slide down the plane. It is opposed by the frictional force Ffr, As long as the block remains at rest, Ffr must be equal to W sin ÃŽ ¸. If the plane is tipped up until at some value ÃŽ ¸max the block just starts to slide, we have: Equation 3: But: Hence: Or: Thus, if the plane is gradually tipped up until the block just breaks away and the plane angle is then measured, the coefficient of static friction is equal to the tangent of this angle, which is called the limiting angle of repose. It is interesting to note that W cancelled out in the derivation of Equation 3 so that the weight of the block doesnt matter. PROCEDURE This experiment requires you to record measurements in Newtons. Remember that in SI units the unit of force is called the Newton (N). One Newton is the force required to impart an acceleration of 1m/s2 to a mass of 1 kg. Thus 1 N = 1 kg.m/s2. You can convert any kg-mass to Newtons by multiplying the kg-weight by 9.8 m/s2, i.e., 100 g = 0.1 kg = 0.1 x 9.8 = .98 N. 1. Determining force of kinetic or sliding friction and static friction a. The wooden blocks provided in the LabPaq are too light to give good readings so you need to put some weight on  them, such as a full soft drink can. Weigh the plain wood block and the object used on top of the block. Record the combined weight in grams and Newtons. b. Place the ramp board you provided horizontally on a table. If necessary tape it down at the ends with masking tape to keep if from sliding. c. Begin the experiment by setting the block and its weight on the board with its largest surface in contact with the surface of the board. Connect the blocks hook to the 500-g spring scale. d. Using the spring scale, slowly pull the block lengthwise along the horizontal board. When the block is moving with constant speed, note the force indicated on the scale and record. This is the approximate kinetic or sliding frictional force. Repeat two more times. e. While carefully watching the spring scale, start the block from rest. When the block just starts to move, note the force indicated on the scale and record. You should notice that this requires more force. This force is  approximately equal to the static frictional force. Repeat two more times. Determining coefficient of static friction using an inclined surface a. Place the plain block with its largest surface in contact on the board while the board is lying flat. b. Slowly raise one end of the board until the block just breaks away and starts to slide down. Be very careful to move the plane slowly and smoothly so as to get a precise value of the angle with the horizontal at which the block just breaks away. This is the limiting angle of repose ÃŽ ¸ max. Measure it with a protractor (see photo that follows for an alternate way of measuring the angle) and record the result. You may also want to measure the base and the height of the triangle formed by the board, the support, and the floor or table. The height divided by the length of the base equals the coefficient of static friction. Remember: c. Perform two more trials. These trials should be independent. This means that in each case the plane should be returned to the horizontal, the block placed on it, and the plane carefully moved up until the limiting angle of repose is reached. DATA TABLE 6 Height Base Length ÃŽ ¸ max  µs Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Calculations 1. Using the mass of the block and the average force of kinetic friction from Data Table 1, calculate the coefficient of kinetic friction from Equation 1: 2. Using the mass of the block and the average force of kinetic friction from Data Table 2, calculate the coefficient of kinetic friction for the wood block sliding on its side. Record your result and see how it compares with the value of  µkobtained from Data Table 1. 3. From the data in Data Table 3, 4 5 compute the coefficient of static friction,  µsfor, the glass surface on wood, the sandpapered surface on wood, and wood on carpet, etc from each of your three trials. Calculate an average value of  µs.Record your results in your own data sheets. 4.  From the data obtained in Data Table 6 calculate  µsfor wood on wood from each of your three trials. 5.  Calculate an average value of  µs. Record your result on the data sheet. Questions A. How does the coefficient of static friction compare with the coefficient of kinetic friction for the same surfaces and areas? B. Why is it important to reduce friction during the operation of machinery? C. How does grease or oil affect the coefficient of friction?

PEST(EL) Analysis of Finland and Chine

PEST(EL) Analysis of Finland and Chine Finland is a parliamentary republic government with a multiparty political system based country lead by the head of state which is the president. Finland president hold a period of 6 years term with maximum two consecutive term elected by the Finnish. Both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister dominated by the president after the parliamentary elections. They are the head of government and having the executive power to the government including the EU issues. Women in Finland are treated fairly great. They represented 38% of the seats in the 200 members of parliament in the year of 2003. Besides, part of them holding important positions like foreign minister, speaker of parliament and so on. The most significant position of Finnish ladies ever hold is president in the year 2000 by Tarja Halonen and primes minister by Anneli Jaatteenmaki in March 2003. Economic Factors Finland is a highly industrialized country with GDP of $181.4billion in year 2009, over 40% from the GDP are from the contribution of exporting goods and services. The primary economy sector in Finland is service sector which contribute about 65.7% and followed by manufacturing sector in producing metals, chemicals, and so on. Taxation system in Finland is very difference with the other countries. Finnish hold their own tax card to prevent the card holder from getting highly taxed by their government. Those people without tax card are taxed 60% from all the income they obtained. The most significant industry in Finland is Nokia, which is one of the world largest and notable mobile phone producers. Due to the highly success of the development of Nokia in Finland, this enable Finnish have the opportunity to own mobile phone and also connect to the internet much earlier before this becomes common in the United Stated and other countries in the world. Social Factors Finland hold the population over 5.32 million inhabitants, a part from the whole populations, there is 2.7million of them are workforce and 2.5 million from them are employed. Public sector is the most popular sector the Finnish to contribute in. Major ethnics group in Finland include Finns, Swedes, Lapps, Sami, Roma, and Tatars, and majority of them roughly about 91% speak in Finnish. Besides, large numbers of them are believed in Lutheran. In the education system of Finland, children who reach the age of 9 years old are compulsory for them to start school. The attendance and literacy rate in Finland are almost hundred percent. This is among the higher in the ranking of education index in the word. Free meals will be provided for students who study in primary and secondary schools. Besides, the government absorbs the tuition fees, which mean there are 0 tuition fees for their full time students. Technological Factors Staying ahead Finland has long been recognized for the success of the work it has done to promote innovation and the results speak for themselves in many areas. Finland cannot afford to rest on its laurels. This identified a number of shortcomings, most particularly in the area of business support and making it easier for small businesses and start-ups to access the support and incentives that already exist. Finland has international links that need to be strengthened in research, the university world, and business. Being able to tap into the dynamism of the globalization process going on around us more effectively is a challenge facing many other countries as well as Finland. Staying ahead of the competition is a must. Greater sustainability One of the fundamental trends under way and one highlighted by Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation is the growing emphasis on the need for greater sustainability and reducing unnecessary wastage of the worlds dwindling natural resources. Addressing this challenge will call for a range of new innovations based on a much lower level of resource usage than we accept today, innovations that have a smaller footprint across the entire life cycle of products and services. The need for these types of innovations is perhaps most obvious in areas such as renewable energy, but ultimately it is also likely to be felt across all the products and services that people interact with in one way or another. Clean technology Finland has already made great strides in developing energy-efficient systems and technologies, and is committed to doing more in this area. The country is expected to be one of the fastest-growing renewable energy markets in Europe over the next five years, and wants to be one of the EUs leading users of renewable energy per capita by 2020. A number of initiatives are under way to promote the development of environmental technologies and services in Finland, including the Cleantech programme and the new Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation that has been created to focus on advanced RD in the energy and environment sector, alongside the other five centres already in place. Known as CLEEN, its research agenda will address issues such as carbon-neutral energy generation, distributed energy systems, sustainable fuels, smart grids, efficient energy use, resource-efficient production technologies and services, recycling, and waste management. Legal Factors Welfare State and Rule of Law form the Basis Finland is a welfare state. The state and the municipality of residence have to guarantee everyone a worthwhile existence and offer equal opportunities for a balanced and active life. People also have to have sufficient knowledge of their rights and responsibilities. A system of legal safeguards guarantees that these rights are upheld. Societal stability, the quality of the judicial system, good governance and effective legal safeguards are important competitive factors in ever more global and integrated markets. Strategic Action towards 2012 within Legal Policy Increase the flexibility of legal proceedings. Improve the equality of the citizens in legal safety cases. Improve the efficiency of crime prevention and broad-based criminal policy. Better support and compensation systems for crime victims. Rapid enforcement of criminal responsibility. Increase the prevention of disruptions of payment. Improve the fairness and efficiency of the collection of claims. Assess the up-to-datedness of family and inheritance legislation. Strategic Action towards 2012 on Governmental Level Strengthen structures supporting good law drafting. More effective evaluation of the alternatives to and effects of legislation. Support cooperation in order to create functional democracy. Create opportunities and forms for civil participation. Promote the enforcement of rights within the EU. Stress the development of practical forms of cooperation for the prevention of international crime. Emphasise clarity, transparency, good governance and the protection of fundamental rights in the activities of the EU. Why do you think Finland tops the chart for overall ranking of the Best Countries in The World? Finland education is ranked number 1 in the world. Finland has set education as a national priority and believes that future generations do not have prospects for a healthy lifestyle if the population is not well educated. Finland quality of life is ranked number 4 in the world. The standard of living in Finland is better. The Finland citizen has lots of holidays so families can actually spend time together. Finland economy dynamism is ranked number 8 in the world. Finland or the Republic of Finland has a mixed economy which is highly industrialized. The country located in the northern Europe has rich natural resources like gold, silver copper, timber and limestone. The country also has deposits of iron, lead, zinc, chromium and copper across the country. Service, which is the largest economic sector of the country, forms more than 67 percent of the total and the next sector, manufacturing accounts, for more than 30 percent of the economy of Finland. PESTEL Analysis for China Political Factors The primary system in China is socialist system. The Constitution is the fundamental law of the state and entitled with the highest legislative power. All other laws and regulations shall be consistent with it. It has been amended four times since its adoption and will be continuously optimized to better suit the changing environment. The National Peoples Congress (NPC) is the Chinas fundamental political system. It is composed of representatives from provinces, autonomous regions, direct municipalities and the military. Chinese Communist Party (CPC) is the ruling party with other eight political parties. The eight parties are parties participating in the discussion and management of state affairs in cooperation with the CPC instead of parties in opposition. This leads to relative stable politic in China. A unique form of political risk occurs in China, and this is the constant battle between the countrys central government and the provincial and local governments over applicable law, and observance or non-observance of it. This makes companies operating in China hard to know exactly what the rules are. Economic Factors Since 1949, the Chinese government has adopted planned economy system for 30 years. Though this system contributed to the stable, planned developments of the Chinas economy, it also limited the economy development and sapped its vitality. The Chinas economic reforms began first in the rural areas in 1978 and shifted to the cities in 1984. The implementation of reform transforms Chinas economy into a socialist market economy. China is the fastest growing major economy in the world, with an average growth rate of 10% for the past 30 years. Chinas embrace of the World Trade Organization and foreign direct investment is unprecedented and contributes significantly to its growth success. China overtook Germany as the worlds biggest exporter of goods in 2009. Its booming investment and consumption are helping to rebalance the world economy although Beijing has refused to let the yuan rise against the dollar since the global financial crisis began in mid-2008. However, there is numerous weaknesses challenge the economic growth of China. One of the most serious weaknesses is the conflict of interests between central government and local government. Local officials primary priority has been to promote themselves and their careers by pushing for high investment rates and output levels whereas central officials are more concerned with excessive investment, unsold inventories, and local policies risking nationwide price inflation. Besides, corruption is mainly a government phenomenon in China. Corruption especially affects government handling of a wide range of local problems such as economic reforms and the need to compensate losers in the process of modernization. Social Factors There are around 1.3 billion inhabitants in China. The Chinese government tries to control its population growth by strict family planning policy, with the goal of one child per family. However, the policy is conducted with exceptions in rural areas and for ethnic minorities. For religion, Buddhism is most widely practiced, with an estimated 100 million adherents. Traditional Taoism also is practiced. China is still an industrializing agrarian society and has a long way to go to attain an industrial society, so most of the people do not have access to the best of Chinas recent improvements. Most modern Chinese young adults do not go to college, to which entrance is obtained by passing the Gaokao, a standardized test at the end of the year. In the year 2000, less than 50 percent of the population finished junior high, and less than 15 percent finished senior high or vocational school. In 2000, only 3.6 percent of the population went to college. Amongst high school and vocational schoo l graduates, less than one tenth had the chance to go to college. There is one private car per 120 people. In China, people with associates degrees and above comprise less than 5% of the population. Technological Factors Cement industry of China has many technological advances compare to other countries. China cement industry focuses on energy-saving, consumption reduction, environmental protection, quality and productivity improvement, and clean and intensive production for sustainable development. China has developed 60 types of special cements with independent intellectual property rights such as high strength cement, silicate cement, and oil well cement. New suspension preheater (NSP) sintering system is the main processing equipment of a NSP cement production line. China has been developed advanced NSP technologies of 1000-5000 t/d sintering systems. The design of 10000t/d NSP sintering system has also been completed and three production lines are under construction. Electricity consumption of cement production largely depends on grinding process in normal circumstances. In China, the combined power consumption of NSP plants has decreased from 125kwh/t in the 1980s to 95kwh/t today in some moder n plants, mainly due to the adoption of advanced technologies and equipments, such as advanced roller mill and high efficiency separator. Environmental Factors There are some current environmental issues in China. Poor land management and excessive industrialization on fragile grasslands is driving to desertification in China. Besides, the climate change is exacerbating the problems. Unrestrained development and industrialization throughout the country makes China particularly vulnerable to growing changes in the climate due to rapidly increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the worlds atmosphere. Desertification is engulfing ecosystems with sand and reducing already scarce arable land and creates eco-refugees. Chinas economy based mainly on heavy industry and coal for cheap energy emits high levels of greenhouse gases, ultimately accelerating global warming and climate change. To alleviate the short-term effects of climate change, China has started to use artificial precipitation and other experimental means. The Chinese government also has begun to adopt stricter energy conservation legislation and increase and international coop eration to combat threats that climate change may bring to China. Legal Factors The judiciary in China means law-enforcement activities conducted by the countrys judicial organs and organizations in handling prosecuted or non-prosecuted cases. Sources of law are as follow: 1982 Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China The Constitution of the PRC guarantees the basic rights and interests of citizens. Chinas Constitution has been amended for four times since its adoption in 1982, most recently this year on March 14, 2004 when the National Peoples Congress voted to include formal guarantees of human rights. NPC Statutory Law and Other Legislative Enactments China has intensified legislative action on enacting and revising laws and regulations in accordance with its having become in late 2001 a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Up to the end of 2003, around 440 laws and law-related decisions enacted by the NPC and its Standing Committee, more than 1,000 administrative regulations enacted by the State Council and 10,000 local ordinances had been formulated. International Treaties Though the 1982 Constitution does not specify the treatment of international law in relation to the laws of the PRC, in practice the legislative approach has been to automatically incorporate international law as part of PRC law. If, however, the PRC has made a reservation to a provision of a treaty, this aspect or provision of the treaty is not implemented in the law. Case Law In theory, each case stands as its own decision and will not bind another court. However, in practice lower peoples courts judges often attempt to follow the interpretations of the laws decided by the Supreme Peoples Courts.

Linda Mcquaigs Shooting The Hippo: Causes And Results Of Debt :: essays research papers fc

Linda McQuaig's Shooting The Hippo: Causes and Results of Debt Linda McQuaig's most recent book, "Shooting the Hippo" is about the causes and results of the debt. It is a look at both the factual causes and the arguments which are merely presented to us through the various elements of the media. McQuaig delivers an insightful overview of the extensive media coverage which has bombarded us over the past few years. "With the excitement of a mystery writer, McQuaig tells the real story behind the debt." . This book explains the history of the deficit myth, and enables people such as myself who are not experienced in these types of problems to get to the heart of the arguments presented so frequently about our financial situation. I found her book an inspiration which will hopefully help us all to devote ourselves to the enormous challenge which we will face in the future. We are responsible to inform and educate ourselves, our friends, our families and neighbours in the difficult days ahead. To explain McQuaig's title I'll briefly describe the beginning of the "mystery." A baby hippo, born in a zoo, is to be shot because of recent government cutbacks which leave nothing to feed or care for the hippo. This image grabs the attention of the reader and leads to numerous other examples which McQuaig uses to break down the popular myths about the deficit. McQuaig, determined to expose one by one, several of the current myths about the state of the Canadian economy, backs up her arguments with interviews and publications. These include: a chief statistician at Statistics Canada who has been working on the statistics of social spending since the middle '60s; the man at Moody's bond rating service in New York who is in charge of setting the credit rating on our federal debt; and noted economists, among others. The book goes on in its investigation as to why the recession in Canada was the worst of the world's most powerful nations. It is noted that if there is a simple way to explain the reason for most of the recession then it will in turn account for most of the increase in the debt. McQuaig also presents a bit of history of banking, monetary systems, and the struggle of the conflicts between the rich minority and the rest of us. All of this is presented in a very readable and interesting manner. McQuaig asks an intriguing question to all of us. Are we prepared to see our social programs sacrificed in order to reduce the deficit?

Justifications for the Institution of Slavery during the Antebellum Era Essay

In Chapter 11, it was stated that â€Å"Slavery is primarily a labor system intended to produce wealth for landowners†¦It increasingly became a capitalistic enterprise intended to maximize profits. As such, it was tied to a growing international web of economic relations. † By 1820, the South became the world’s largest producer of cotton. Cotton required continuous development, land, labor demand and a global system of trade. As such, it depended increasingly on the slave-based economy. However, the Upper South was experiencing a long depression and it affected prices. To survive, either the planters move or stay and diversify. Diversification meant shifting to grains and to selling slaves. Soon, the internal slave trade became a multi-million dollar industry. Until the 1830’s, slavery was explained as a â€Å"necessary evil. † However, the call for abolition of slavery was becoming stronger and they had to change their justification for maintaining slaves to make it more acceptable. The Southerners started to label slavery as â€Å"a positive good. † They based their justifications on five sources – the bible, history, the Constitution, science and sociology. The biblical justification makes reference to the curse imposed upon Ham, Noah’s son and the various verses from both the Old and New Testament reprimanding servants to always obey their masters. For its historical justification, they pointed out that all ancient civilizations were based on it and most likely even the current civilization depended â€Å"on the servitude of the blacks in America. † The Constitution was their reference to its legal justification which refused to abolish slavery and various laws passed protecting it such as the overseas slave trade and mandate for returning slaves to rightful owners. They also turned to science and twisted the data an conclusions to justify that blacks were an inferior race based on the cranial shape and size and must, therefore, submit to their destiny â€Å"to work for the superior Caucasians. † Lastly, the sociological justification was made more clear by the paternalistic statement as advocated by George Fitzhugh that the â€Å"’Negro is but a grown child and must be governed as a child’ and so needed the paternal guidance, restraint and protection of a white master. † Be that as it may, to free the blacks would mean â€Å"giving up our beautiful country to the ravages of the black race and amalgamation of the savages. † On the humanitarian side, they said that it would be heartless to release them especially after seeing that the blacks can only be industrial laborers working like slaves for meager pay from which they will have to use to pay for shelter, food and clothing. They will be a burden to the white people who have to compete for the same job and a burden to themselves for having to fend for themselves without the nurturing protection of a master. These justifications were had to be well-thought of so that it would not run contrary to the prevailing ideological directions of the American society at that time which espoused â€Å"individual liberty, mobility, economic opportunity and democratic political participation. † Moreover, they cannot afford to antagonize the probably envious non-slave owning whites that they had to emphasize â€Å"white superiority regardless of class. † The truth of the matter is that behind all these justifications, the real motive is money. By 1860, the crop per value of a slave is $125. Enslaved women increase their value whenever they give birth to healthy children. A prime field worker which sold for $600 in 1844 can go as high as $1800 following a cotton boom. All things told, what mattered most is that slavery is profitable.

Botswana: A Diamond in the Rough Essay

1) The Harvard case, Botswana: A Diamond in the Rough, describes the exceptional case of Botswanas sustained economic rise from near absolute poverty to a country with a 10% average annual GDP growth for more than four decades. This case shows that healthy economic gains can be achieved by a mixture of formal institutions and ad hoc substitutes for missing institutions. When Botswana gained its independence in 1966, the country lacked many of the institutions deemed essential for economic growth by most prosperous developed nations. These absent institutions included a central bank, a national currency, basic administrative structures, market institutions, and the ability to connect to the global markets and apply external tariffs. Yet, Botswana was unique among its neighbors in that it held institutions such as a stable, democratic government supported by a charismatic leader and a constitution which upheld the liberties of a free press, legal transparency, and property rights. Botswanas institute of government also lacked the discriminatory practices and internal strife present in many of the neighboring countries. Botswana was able to supplement its lack of many formal institutions with substitute ad hoc solutions which filled many gaps. The countrys initial lack of its own central bank and national currency was supplemented with the countrys use of the South African Monetary Union until Botswana was able to establish its own currency and central bank in 1976. Similarly, Botswana relied on the South African Customs Union (SACU) for application of import tariffs used to raise tax revenue and protect infant domestic industries. Gaps left in the countrys infrastructure by weak public funding and an underdeveloped private sector were patched with help from financing and administration given by multinational firms, development institutions, as well as the creation of some of its own formal institutions. The most prominent of these situations was the countrys brokered relationship with the DeBeers Corporation which provided the country which technical expertise in a highly profitable industry, the establishments of diamond townships complete with working infrastructure, as well as a much needed source of  revenue. Botswana also used funds derived from development aid organizations and the financing agents such as the World Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency to substitute for its lack of private equity markets and banks. In addition, the country used the publicly traded company, Botswana RST, to attract foreign investment to aid in fully exploiting their natural resource potential. Investors in this company included multinational mining firms including AMAX and Anglo-American. Botswanas history of stability and protection of intellectual property rights also contributed to private foundations and major drug companies such as Harvards AIDS Institute, Bill and Melinda Gates AIDS initiative, and Merck helping to combat the brutal onslaught of the AIDS virus in the country. Botswana used a series of national development plans established by its Ministry of Finance and Development to guide future government spending. Contributions and returns from foreign investment were reinvested into infrastructure and education, while budget surpluses were stockpiled to hedge against sudden drops in revenue caused by potential downturns in the diamond market. Institutions such as the Mineral Right in Tribal Territories Act vested mineral rights in the central government rather than the hands of the tribal leaders while the two special funds, the Public Debt Service Fund and the Revenue Stabilization Fund, were established to funnel mining revenues into loans for local authorities and parastatal bodies. The Botswana Housing Corporation was a formal institution which used diamond revenues to finance construction projects while the Botswana Power Corporation and the Water Utilities Corporation were created to serve similar functions for electricity and water. The Botswa na Development Corporation, National Development Bank, and the Botswana Enterprise Development Unit were charged with allocating diamond revenue to diversify the economy. Botswana’s institutional development was a process. It began with virtually no formal institutions. Informal solutions led to the development of formal institutions, which allowed for Botswana’s idiosyncratic economic stability. 2) The most evident pro of nationalizing Botswanas diamond industry would be to achieve the short-term gains by selling stockpiled diamonds. Unfortunately, doing so would cost Botswana years of established credibility as it would require the country to renege on their previous agreements with the DeBeers Corporation. Such an action would deter future investors into Botswana, as well as cause the loss of their largest foreign investor, DeBeers. Loss of the DeBeers connection would cost Botswana the future gains associated with continued expertise in the field of diamond mining, infrastructure improvements historically provided by DeBeers in areas servicing the mines, and also the administrative capability of a major international corporation. The most significant con would likely be the loss of DeBeers as a steward of the cartel practices necessary to preserve the price premium associated with stockpiling diamonds. If left to navigate the sales and stockpiling of diamond by itself, the country would face the historically difficult task for a poor government that relies heavily on commodity sales to self-regulate commodity sales, and thus government revenues, while still balancing the demands of maintaining the cartel. 3) The extent to which Botswanas model is replicable outside of Botswana would certainly depend on a variety of factors some within the control of central governments, and others environmentally or socially determined. The presence of an extremely valuable natural resource(s) is a key component in Botswana growth model. While other countries also share this component, many lack the peace and stability associated with a stable government body and a tolerant society. Botswanas government offers stability and social climate free of the restrains presented by ethnic, tribal, and religious conflicts. Additionally, mining interests are centrally controlled and not subject to regional battles over mineral wealth. Likewise, discrimination between groups is not a prevalent issue in this country. Botswana also benefited from Tsekedi Khamas strong leadership in bringing new policies to the forefront and unifying the countrys economic policies among the various tribal groups. The countrys adherence to prudent social and macroeconomic policies also held a large role in the creation of an  atmosphere of growth and foreign investment. The credibility established through years of sound economics practices, legal transparency, property rights, stable government, and free press created a more welcoming environment for foreign investment than many other developing nations. The extent to which this model is replicable outside of Botswana depends on the level of faithfulness to the social and macroeconomic policies described above and a working mix of formal institutions and adequate substitute organizations. Although a full range of formal institutions are not necessary to achieve continued economic growth, substitutes must arise where the institutions are lacking to provide the necessary functions lost by their absence.

Free Essays on Theatre

Youth theatre is described as a performance whose main purpose is to enrich the audience’s lives in some way during the course of the production. â€Å"How Da B-52 cockroach learned to fly† is an excellent example of a performance for youth theatre. The play is based on an award-winning children’s book by Lisa Matsumoto. Although the book was written for a younger audience, both children and adults alike find humor and educational value in â€Å"How Da B-52 Learned to Fly.† With the help of exuberant performers, unique props and a creative set, the story of how the B-52 cockroach was a successful example of what youth theater should be. The play is centered on Kimo the cockroach and his brothers. The play is done in story form with two narrators, one who is telling the story and the other who is listening and asking questions about the major characters. The major conflict that Kimo encounters is trying to fit in and gain acceptance amongst the rest of the insects in the insect kingdom. The insects all view the cockroaches as being lazy with no good traits that could help out there society. Kimo travels through out the insect kingdom in search of a task that he and his brothers could do to gain respect and be accepted into the animal kingdom. Kimo and his brothers try to do all kinds of tasks like be movers with the ants, or deconstruct workers with the termites but they are never really able to pull off those tasks. Kimo comes close to giving up because it seems as though there is nothing that they can do to help the insect kingdom. In the end Kimos persistence pays off he is given wings and he and his brothe rs create there team of human attackers and for all there hard work the queen bee honors them. Dialogue of the play is almost entirely spoken in pidgin. The story is told from a young girl to a boy. By making pidgin the dominant language it made the play unique. When I think of plays, I usually think of Shakespe... Free Essays on Theatre Free Essays on Theatre Youth theatre is described as a performance whose main purpose is to enrich the audience’s lives in some way during the course of the production. â€Å"How Da B-52 cockroach learned to fly† is an excellent example of a performance for youth theatre. The play is based on an award-winning children’s book by Lisa Matsumoto. Although the book was written for a younger audience, both children and adults alike find humor and educational value in â€Å"How Da B-52 Learned to Fly.† With the help of exuberant performers, unique props and a creative set, the story of how the B-52 cockroach was a successful example of what youth theater should be. The play is centered on Kimo the cockroach and his brothers. The play is done in story form with two narrators, one who is telling the story and the other who is listening and asking questions about the major characters. The major conflict that Kimo encounters is trying to fit in and gain acceptance amongst the rest of the insects in the insect kingdom. The insects all view the cockroaches as being lazy with no good traits that could help out there society. Kimo travels through out the insect kingdom in search of a task that he and his brothers could do to gain respect and be accepted into the animal kingdom. Kimo and his brothers try to do all kinds of tasks like be movers with the ants, or deconstruct workers with the termites but they are never really able to pull off those tasks. Kimo comes close to giving up because it seems as though there is nothing that they can do to help the insect kingdom. In the end Kimos persistence pays off he is given wings and he and his brothe rs create there team of human attackers and for all there hard work the queen bee honors them. Dialogue of the play is almost entirely spoken in pidgin. The story is told from a young girl to a boy. By making pidgin the dominant language it made the play unique. When I think of plays, I usually think of Shakespe...

ol grande Essay

ol grande Essay ol grande Essay GURL I JUST NEED ANSWERS THNX FEWNNFEWFWFEFWEFFFEFEWWFW hakespeare stresses the point that humans can be polarized by reason and emotion. These two poles differ in all aspects, while both are gathered in man. Hamlet, the protagonist of Shakespeare’s greatest work, is the sample of this polarization. The emphasis in Hamlet on the control or moderation of emotion by reason is so insistent that many critics have addressed it. A seminal study is undertaken by Lily Bess Campbell in Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes, Slaves of Passion. John S. Wilks, in a masterful of examination of conscience, explores "the subsidence in Hamlet of virulent passion," and notes "his accession to a renewed temperance" achieved through "chastened self-control" (The Discourse of Reason: Justice and the Erroneous Conscience in Hamlet 139, 140). Shakespeare, thorough this character, tries to introduce and show this great feature of man which had been, is, and will be with human beings. As we shall find, though Hamlet is filled with references to the need for rational control of emotion, the play probes much deeper into the relation between reason and emotion-particularly with respect to the role of reason in provoking as opposed to controlling emotion. In this paper, it’s going to be noted how the task of controlling emotion by reason is problematized by Hamlet and other characters in the play. The concept of the sovereignty of reason over emotion derives from the classical definition, adopted by medieval Scholasticism, of man as the rational animal whose reason has the ethical task of rationally ordering the passions or emotional disturbances of what is formally termed the sensitive appetite (referred to by the Ghost as "nature" [1.5.12]) with which man, like all other animals, is endowed: "All the passions of the soul should be regulated according to the rule of reason . . . " (Aquinas, Summa Theologica I-II, question 39, answer 2, ad 1). Hamlet concurs, when praising Horatio "[w]hose blood and judgment are so well commeddled" (3.2.69): "Give me that

Britney Spears

Proposal: Britney Spears In this article I will explain Britney Spears, a very talented and successful singer. Britney is from Mccomb, Mississippi. I will discuss some aspects of Britney's life and some of her achievements. Britney Spears Britney Spears is the driving force of the resurgence of teen pop music in the latter half of the 1990's compared to other single artists ... Spears is more than just a star - he is real pop music phenomenon (Huey 16). This is usually not only for Britney Spears but for critics to say to stars stars. In an article about Britney Spears and her fame and regression scandal, the authors claim that her popular currency today is based on a matte of media, not a celebrity model. Briefly, Britney Spears has enabled her personal struggle and public mistakes to hide her past success in using media to improve her career. Spears may not possess abundant talent and technical skill of popular idols of the past, but in the spirit of the pop music era, having an id ol and a super star, set a direct super star mode like Christina doing. Aguilera, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson. The author made a powerful direct comparison between Spears and Elvis Presley who became pop singer singer in the early 1950s. The popularity of Britney Spears as a popular pop culture icon is ignored or can not be denied. Spears, along with his colleagues Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, etc. appear in Top 40 and are often posted on MTV, which can also be seen in magazine covers and spreads of photos. Spears is particularly popular among teenage girls who purchase records, sing songs and dance. These lyrics are often accompanied by love, desire and sexuality, and some people believe that these topics are too mature for young girls who are targeting Spears marketing. Today 's young ladies are mature and sex information from Spears' songs may just be satisfied. The Pretty Girls video released by Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea in May is consistent with what I expect from Britney Spears and Iquidu. Two white blonde women are singing the beauty that dance supports. The power of appearance is a group of nude buff men, a bunch of stunning denim ensembles, and Iggy as a girl in Robo Valley. It was instantly defined as shallow and it reestablished 100 years of feminism - which, of course, meant that it did not carry heavy parent women information. Indeed, Beyonce 's complete innocence is not so, does this mean that it ought to be fired? Or, if there is no statement about feminism, do you need to worry about whether two women can not make popular videos?

Obama signs order on minimum wage Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obama signs order on minimum wage - Assignment Example This move would be of great assistance for these citizens as it would improve their income annually and improve the economy of the country. Even though, this order has been positively accepted by the masses, it has also received negative criticism. Economists have argued that this implementation would harm the economy rather than bringing any benefit. They believe that employers and large firms would reduce the number of employees to cope up with the rising salaries and thus lead to unemployment. This would be a blow to the economy as unemployment rates would raise and dissatisfaction amongst the common man would increase. Though economists have presented their views and fears, but this decision taken by the President is a very bold one which is for the betterment of the Americans. It aims to improve the pay scale of the workers and to improve the income of the poor households. The bill would achieve its desired result if it is implemented with effective policies and a strong check is kept on the

Oldham Pond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oldham Pond - Essay Example An example of a response by the ecosystem would be a spurt in the population of phytoplankton in the aquatic body, due to an upsurge in the nutrient level (John & Eugene 109). This phenomenon has such negative effects on the environment as hypoxia, which is oxygen depletion in the water. On top of promoting an increase in phytoplankton levels, it also promotes plant decay, while seeming to favor natural plankton and algae as compared to more developed plants. This plant decay causes a substantial reduction in the quality of the water, as well as depletion of aquatic oxygen during decomposition of algae, which causes death of fish. Eutrophication decreases the recreational value of water bodies, hurting tourism. The premise of this paper is to study Oldham pond and its tributaries and evaluate the effects of eutrophication. Conductivity of the pond was measured using a portable conductivity metre. Conductivity is the measurement of how much material found dissolved in the pond. Polluted ponds have more dissolved solute than clean ponds. Conductivity below 250 is preferable, with upward of 600 being the cause for alarm. Measurement of temperature was done using a thermometer, while the levels of dissolved oxygen were measured using a dissolve oxygen electrode (Ansari 90). The sampling was carried out on the 4th and 25th of February, 2012. For the organisms in the pond, Ad Libitum sampling was used, where much information about the organisms was measured (John & Eugene 106). According to the results, the temperature of the water was comparable to that of the surrounding air. The slight difference is the difference in conductivity of heat by air and water. Dissolved oxygen levels were also concurrent to those that are recommendable (11 mg/l). Conductivity, however, was found to be higher than recommended. Recommended conductivity is below 250 (Boqiang et al

Astronomy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Astronomy - Research Paper Example Our solar system is located in Milky Way which is a spiral galaxy. It is estimated that almost 200 billion stars inhabit Milky Way. Whatever is visible to us by naked eyes lies within the boundaries of Milky Way. The distance in space is measured in light years and our Sun is at the distance of 26000 light-years from the center of Milky Way. The distance that light travels in one year is known as one light-year. The distance between two ends of the Milky Way is almost 120,000 light years. Our sun revolves around the center of Milky Way and takes almost 225 million years to complete one round of our galaxy. Our solar system moves at an amazing velocity of about 250 kilometers/second (Cain, Fraser). Our solar system is made up of planets, moons, comets, an asteroid belt, meteors, plutoids and other objects. Everything in our solar system moves around our sun. Our planet the Earth is the only place in the whole solar system which exhibits life and that way it is unique in whole solar system (Enchanted Learning). There are nine planets in our solar system and they are known as Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Earth, Venus, Mars and Pluto. Pluto is known as dwarf planet. All planets orbit around the sun in the same plane. Mercury is nearest to the Sun. It has no atmosphere. It is only visible during sunrise and sunset duet to its closeness to the Sun. It is about 4878 kilometers in diameter and the smallest among all planets in our solar system. Its mass is only 5 percent of that of the Earth and the gravitational pull is just 38 percent of the earths gravity. Its surface temperature varies widely from -168Â ° C to 427Â ° C. Venus is the second nearest planet and 108,200,000 km away from the Sun. It has almost circular orbit but moves in opposite direction of the Earth. It is also known as morning and evening star because it is so bright

EHR3007 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

EHR3007 - Essay Example The organizational structure will determine the firm’s ability in distributing the activities and how it coordinates the operations (Maguire, 2003, p.11). The organizational structure and design that is adopted by a given organization will greatly determine the performance and the final achievement of the organizational objectives. The kind of relations that is developed among all the stakeholders of the organization is very essential in ensuring that organizational objectives are set that are aimed at satisfying the needs of the stakeholders. There is need for the top management of a given organization to involve these other stakeholders in the development of policies that govern the operations within the organization. The way in which information is being passed from the top management down the hierarchy to the low-level implementers will influence the effective decision making process within the organization. A structure that has several layers may not allow for easy dissem ination of information between the low-level employees to the top managers. The paper examines the organizational structure that was seen at H.P, a business firm that deals in electronic products in the global market. An analysis is provided for various structural challenges that have been faced by the organization. The poor organizational structure that was seen in the organization in the late 1990s and the early 2000s had various negative impacts on the operations of the organization. The organization was seen to have certain strategies that were not developed according to the competitive nature of the current global market and the needs of some stakeholders. The appropriate organizational structures that can be adopted by the organization to avoid future challenges are also examined. Concepts like corporate governance that have been seen to be behind the successes of various organizations are suggested here as the best measures to be taken in managing the situation at this organi zation. 1. Overview of the organization Hewlett-Packard (H.P) is business firm in the United States that deals in electronic products in a global market. The firm was established back in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard both from Stanford University. The company initially produced a sound electronic device known as an audio oscillator. Various developments have been seen in the types of products produced by the firms and it currently supplies products like laptops and desktop computers, printers, servers and digital cameras (Case Study). The organizational structure at HP is a complex hierarchical one with various management levels. At the top of the hierarchy is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or the President. This is followed by executive vice presidents serving in different areas of jurisdictions (Hewlett-Packard, 2011). The individuals at this level include the Chief Technical Officers (CTO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Chief Marketing Officer, the Human Resource Manager and others. There is also the level of the senior vice presidents followed by the vice presidents in the hierarchy. There are other managers at different levels like marketing managers, procurement managers, and sales managers down the hierarchy before

Labour education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Labour education - Essay Example Labour forces are the engines of creation and production capital of every nation. Their knowledge, skills and competence are paramount in the performance of their roles and duties for their respective employees-- the latter being expectant of their positive contribution in achieving companies’ goals and targeted key results in exchange for wages. As forces for development, labor education is significant to keep them abreast and updated to new systems of operations and new policies which may directly and indirectly affect them (Gahan & Bell, 1998). This essay will explicate the meaning of labour education; identify the themes of Canadian labour education; and the developments or changes of labor practices in Canada. Labour Education Labor education is defined as the transfer of knowledge and skills focused for workers who are members of a certain union or association. In Canada, labor education was established since 1963 which was intended for those who wanted to improve and strengthen their competence as well as competence as workers (Canadian Labor Congress, 2009). Many of those who availed further education also aimed at improving their organizational management skills and leadership to make them committed in the protection and promotion of their rights as labor forces or as workers (CLC, 2009).

Astronomy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Astronomy - Research Paper Example Our solar system is located in Milky Way which is a spiral galaxy. It is estimated that almost 200 billion stars inhabit Milky Way. Whatever is visible to us by naked eyes lies within the boundaries of Milky Way. The distance in space is measured in light years and our Sun is at the distance of 26000 light-years from the center of Milky Way. The distance that light travels in one year is known as one light-year. The distance between two ends of the Milky Way is almost 120,000 light years. Our sun revolves around the center of Milky Way and takes almost 225 million years to complete one round of our galaxy. Our solar system moves at an amazing velocity of about 250 kilometers/second (Cain, Fraser). Our solar system is made up of planets, moons, comets, an asteroid belt, meteors, plutoids and other objects. Everything in our solar system moves around our sun. Our planet the Earth is the only place in the whole solar system which exhibits life and that way it is unique in whole solar system (Enchanted Learning). There are nine planets in our solar system and they are known as Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Earth, Venus, Mars and Pluto. Pluto is known as dwarf planet. All planets orbit around the sun in the same plane. Mercury is nearest to the Sun. It has no atmosphere. It is only visible during sunrise and sunset duet to its closeness to the Sun. It is about 4878 kilometers in diameter and the smallest among all planets in our solar system. Its mass is only 5 percent of that of the Earth and the gravitational pull is just 38 percent of the earths gravity. Its surface temperature varies widely from -168Â ° C to 427Â ° C. Venus is the second nearest planet and 108,200,000 km away from the Sun. It has almost circular orbit but moves in opposite direction of the Earth. It is also known as morning and evening star because it is so bright

Labour education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Labour education - Essay Example Labour forces are the engines of creation and production capital of every nation. Their knowledge, skills and competence are paramount in the performance of their roles and duties for their respective employees-- the latter being expectant of their positive contribution in achieving companies’ goals and targeted key results in exchange for wages. As forces for development, labor education is significant to keep them abreast and updated to new systems of operations and new policies which may directly and indirectly affect them (Gahan & Bell, 1998). This essay will explicate the meaning of labour education; identify the themes of Canadian labour education; and the developments or changes of labor practices in Canada. Labour Education Labor education is defined as the transfer of knowledge and skills focused for workers who are members of a certain union or association. In Canada, labor education was established since 1963 which was intended for those who wanted to improve and strengthen their competence as well as competence as workers (Canadian Labor Congress, 2009). Many of those who availed further education also aimed at improving their organizational management skills and leadership to make them committed in the protection and promotion of their rights as labor forces or as workers (CLC, 2009).

The Blind Side Essay Example for Free

The Blind Side Essay â€Å"The Blind Side† is the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless teenager who was able to overcome great obstacles in order to become a first round draft pick in the NFL. Michael Oher had a rough childhood as he didn’t know his father and his mother was addicted to drugs. He was in and out of foster homes and at times living on the street. The football coach at Wingate, a private school, saw football potential in Michael and got him admitted into the prestigious school. However, he had learning disabilities and still did not have a permanent home. Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother of a Wingate student, Collins, and wife of the owner of several Taco Bell restaurants, finds out about Michael’s predicament and invites him to stay the night at their home. Once Michael is in the Tuohy home, a close relationship develops between him and the Tuohys. The one night stay turns into a permanent living situation for Oher. Leigh Anne makes it her personal mission to make sure Michael has everything he needs emotionally and academically to graduate from high school and to get admitted to Ole Miss. After a successful college football campaign, Oher was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round in 2009, thus fulfilling his dream. This movie has it all. As you watch it, you experience the emotions of both sadness and joy, as you watch this young man go from being homeless to being drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. One of the saddest parts of the film is where Leigh Anne goes looking for Oher’s mother. You are able to see the awful environment in which he has grown up, including drugs and filth. On the other hand, one of the happiest scenes in the film is when Leigh Anne is having a meal with some of her wealthy white lady friends. They are discussing the possible adoption of Oher by the Tuohy family. One of the women remarks that Leigh Anne should really be concerned about the welfare of her beautiful, white daughter Collins. Leigh Anne tells the women they should be ashamed of themselves for thinking that way. There are also many scenes that will have you laughing. For instance, in one game scene, Oher blocks an opposing team’s player clear off the field. After the whistle, Oher says, â€Å"Sorry, Coach. I stopped when I heard the whistle. † The coach asks where Oher was taking the opposing player. Oher responds, â€Å"The bus. It was time for him to go home. † In that same game, the referee throws a flag on Oher. The coach asks why he threw the flag. The referee responds, â€Å"excessive blocking. † The sacrifices that the Tuohy family was willing to make for a complete stranger are inspiring. Sandra Bullock received an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. Other actors you may recognize in the film include Kathy Bates as Miss Sue and country singer Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy. This movie was nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd annual Academy Awards, but lost to â€Å"The Hurt Locker†. I haven’t seen â€Å"The Hurt Locker†, but having seen â€Å"The Blind Side†, I find it hard to believe there was a better film released in 2009. I give this movie four stars and highly recommend it to anyone of any age.

Relationship Between Inflation and Wage Rates

Relationship Between Inflation and Wage Rates The R square is also known as the goodness of fit. The R- square is found between zero and one. If the R-square is close to one, it is a good fit and if it is near to zero, it is not a good fit. Now, if the R-square is equal to one, it is a perfect fit (R-square=1). The formula for R-square is explained sum of square divided by the total sum square. R -Square = ESS/TSS In this model, there are 59 observations where the R-square is 0.512 and in terms of percentage it is 51.2 which is a bit low. The value 53 is obtained by (58-5) and 58 is obtained by (59-1). When R square comes out to be a positive figure, it is recognised as the â€Å"coefficient of multiple correlation†. The R square is 51.2 which is low and is not a good fit because data was not available in the wage rate index in Mauritius before 1992. Therefore, the inflation rate can be resolved with government intervention. The adjusted R square is 0.466 and the root MSE is 0.42203. Blue means Best linear Unbiased Estimator. BLUE comes from the model of Gauss Markov Theorem. Firstly, Best is about the variance which comes out to be the smallest in value. Secondly, Linear means that the function should be a linear one. Thirdly, Unbiased means that the expected beta hat should be equal to the value of the real beta. Finally, it is an efficient one as it has the least variance in the model. Multicollinearity came out from the research work of Ranger Frisch. The VIF is a good way to detect multicollinearity. If the VIF is more than 10, then there is the problem of multicollinearity. In our model the VIF is less than 10. If in multicollinearity, the R-square is greater the model will be good. Table 4.5 is on Multicollinearity Test used VIF Factor Variable VIF 1/VIF In IMP 9.5 0.18603 In PPI 8.69 0.17937 In EXP 8.54 0.11704 In GDP 4.36 0.229406 In INF 1.1 0.908899 Autocorrelation is â€Å"correlation between members of observations ordered in time [as in time-series data] or space [as in cross sectional data]†. Autocorrelation is concerned with time series analysis. Autocorrelation can be positive as well as negative in figures. In a simpler way, it can be understood that the disturbance term is not affected by other mode of observation. Ho: no serial correlation H1: serial correlation Table 4.6 on Heteroskedasticity and serial correlation TEST CHI2 PROB >CHI2 DF Heteroskedasticity 0.19 0.6614 Serial correlation 1.043 0.3071 1.00 When the P-value is greater than 0.1, we should accept the null hypothesis (Ho) .In other words, there will be no serial correlation. Ho : Homoscedasticity H1: Heteroscedasticity A second test is for the problem of heteroscedasticity. The above table is showing a probability value which is lower than 0.1, meaning that heteroscedasticity is present in the model; the estimators are not BLUE and thus need to be corrected by taking robust standard errors. 4.4  Regress and Analysis Table 4.7  Regression and Analysis Table 4.7 Dependent wage Dependent: Wage Variables Coefficients P-value Std Err t-ratio In INF 1.152907 0.096 0.709871 1.62 In EXPORT 2.4042 0.017 0.971344 2.48 In IMPORT -3.44879 0.000 0.541179 -6.37 In GDP 0.500892 0.115 0.312145 1.6 In PPI 3.3688 0.000 0.667596 5.05 CONSTANT 2.904849 0.492 4.200478 0.69 Number of observations 59 F( 5,53) 11.12 Prob> F 0 R-Squared 0.512 It has been stated that when there is an increase in inflation rate, the wage rate should be increased by 1.152907. It is a positive sign. This is so because both in sugar sector and manufacturing sector where most of the people are employed, the wage rate is rising. Nowadays even the tourism and financial sector are moving in a positive trend and are employing more workers. The wage rate is increasing because they are making profits and the trade union is bargaining for higher wages. The inflation rate is significant and the p value is 0.096. As the p value is below 0.1 we will reject the null hypothesis. In Oswald (1982) where the prices were increasing more than the wage but in the end wages have been increased with the bargaining power of the trade union. Apart from inflation, there are many factors that affect the wage rate such as social and politics. The government of Mauritius has set up the Pay Research Bureau (PRB) and the National Remuneration Board (NRB) to determine the wage rate of the civil servants and those people working in the private sectors. In Mauritius, every five years, the PRB gives a rise in the wage rate so that the employees can be compensated for the increase in the inflation rate. When the PRB does not make any effect on the wage rate, the government might or should move towards the national minimum wage scheme. It is argued in Mauritius the wage-price spiral holds, as there is higher inflation rate in the country where the workers get an increase in their wage rate. The government of Mauritius compensates the employees by giving them wage compensation which is calculated by the PRB (Pay Research Bureau) on a five years basis. As, the nominal wage increase, it can be seen that people tend to demand more, whereby price will increase again and in the end, once again, they will be compensated for their loss in their purchasing power. This is similar to the theory of Blanchard (1986) where he reports that as soon as there is a rise in the aggregate demand, the price level goes up and the employees wage rate have been increased. It has been shown in his theory that wage price spiral dynamics is found in all economy around the world when the decisions of the price and wage rate are not taken at the same time. In Mauritius, the PRB (Pay Research Bureau) reports to increase and compensate the wage r ate come after five years. Therefore, the price and wage rate decision are not taken at the same time in Mauritius. Therefore, Mauritius is influenced by wage-price spiral where wage rate of an employee should be increased when it is affected by the inflation rate. Moreover, there has been an increase in the export prices, so it is absolute automatic that the wage rate should rise by 2.4042. It is a positive figure and it is also significant. The alternative hypothesis should be accepted. The products that Mauritius exports are fisheries, sugar, flowers, clothes, jewellery and others. Mauritius exports most of its products to the European countries in the world. In the Manufacturing sector, in the 1970 Mauritius had an export processing scheme to export clothes abroad which were quite helpful. Apart from the EPZ scheme, Mauritius was also focusing on the MEDIA (Mauritius Export Development and Investment Authority) 1984 where it helps Mauritius to export its products abroad more easily as well as help investors to invest in Mauritius. In 1997, the export of the products of EPZ has helped to bring a rise in the GDP. In Subramanian and Roy (2001) reports that as Mauritius was exporting its products, it helps the Mauritian people to have a better standard of living and leads towards economic growth. In the past, the government was also giving subsidy on export to decrease the effect of implicit tax on the goods that were exported. As Mauritius is exporting more products to abroad, money is coming into the country and the companies are making huge amounts of profits. The export companies are making huge amount of profits by sending their products abroad. As, the companies are maximising their profits, thus the company is more open to pay the labour a higher wage rate. The Export leads to economic growth so the wage rate of all employees should be increased. Furthermore, it has been stated in the theory that when there is an increase in the GDP, the wage rate should be increased so that people can have a better standard of living. According to Marinakis (1980), when there is an increase in the GDP, the wage rate has moved up in the Latin America. Unfortunately, it is not possible in the case of Mauritius. It is quite surprising to note that the GDP will not increase wage rate in Mauritius. The wage rate will not be increased by 0.500892 which has a positive sign and the p value is 0.115 which is non-significant as the p-value is greater than 0.1. Therefore, the p value is moderately important as it is closer to 0.1. The wage rate will not increase in Mauritius because it is the Pay Research Bureau (PRB) and the National Remuneration Board (NRB) do not depend on the GDP rate to bring an increase in the wage rate by giving wage compensation to the employees. The wage compensation is decided through the tripartite meeting in Mauritius. In t he Journal of Sobhee (2009) shows that GDP has increased by 3 % in 2005. An increase in GDP rate in Mauritius will not bring an increase in the wage rate. GDP has some shortcomings which cannot be ignored. Firstly, GDP may not be recorded such as the underground economy and poor data collection. In Mauritius, the wage rate index data is available since 1992. Before 1992, there was no data on the wage rate index which shows a poor data collection was in practice in Mauritius before 1992. Nevertheless, it has to be highlighted that the import turns out to be negative -3.44879 as it was expected. The p value is 0 and it is significant .It has become negative because revenue are going abroad from Mauritius. Most of the products that Mauritius imported come from Europe and from different parts of the world such as China, India and among others. In Sargan (1980), the government has put into practice the floating exchange rate where he varied the exchange rate system and keep hold of the import prices. This is different from the analysis as there has been the use of indirect taxes and ad-valorem tax rate in the other economy. The imports prices turn out to be negative because we are importing more products and less goods are being produced locally. Also, wages are rising more than the level of productivity level in the country, such as in the EPZ sector. Therefore, the wage rate will not be increased as the import figure is -3.44879. Factor price equalisation has to be taken into account in this study. Samuelson (1986) uses the theory of Heckscher –Ohlin (1919) to introduce the factor price equalisation model o show the one to one relationship between relative commodity price and relative factor price. There are three assumptions which are as follows: Firstly, there should be country A and country B that are producing both goods, the same level of technologies and there is equalisation of the prices of the product in both countries. Let’s assume that Mauritius is export capital-intensive products such as clothing and import labour intensive products, for instance, food. The price of the import will be higher in Mauritius compared to the other nation as Mauritius would have produced and export the product if the price was lower, that is, comparative advantage. Mauritius is trading more; this will cause a fall in the wage rate of the country. Finally, when there is an increase in the producer price, the wage rate should be moved up by 3.3688. This is so because the trade union especially in the public sector and the sugar sector are very strong to bargain for a higher wage rate so that people have a better standard of living on this blue planet. Therefore, the producer can charge for a higher price for their products. Even in the private sector the wage rate is increased by the trade union and the forces of demand and supply. The trade union has bargained to bring a rise in the wage rate and it has increased as they were having more money into their hands as the wage rate has goes up. In Mauritius, the producer price is useful for the sellers as well as the buyers to take precaution in advance against the coming inflation rate. The producer price will also be increased when the country is moving towards economic growth. In Borum (1981), the analysis is the same and there has been the use of anti-inflation programme to dea l with inflation rate. The difference is that the wage rate is calculated in hourly earnings and in Mauritius it is based on normal hours of work. Even, the producer price turns out to be significant and the alternative hypothesis will be accepted. The producer price index shows the producer price meaning the producer inflation. As the producer price increases, they get more profits and thus the trade unions can bargain so as some of these profits are given to labour in terms of higher wage rate. 4.5  The Error Correction Model (ECM) As a next step, an Error correction model, made famous by Nobel Prize Winners Engle and Granger, is presented to capture the short-run effects of the variables in the model. The table below illustrates that most of the variables in the model do have a short-run effect on the wage rate of the country; in fact, inflation, GDP and PPI are returning a positive sign on the coefficient while import on its turn is showing a negative sign. ERROR CORRECTION MODEL VARIABLES Coefficient P-value Std Err t-ratio dIninf 1.945232 0.103 1.171716 1.66 dInexp -0.36393 0.942 4.969895 -0.07 dInimp -0.02609 0 0.002846 -9.17 dIngdp 12.01238 0.007 4.30228 2.79 dInppi 0.003162 0.018 0.001292 2.45 Ut-1 -0.17705 0 0.022963 -7.71 Constant -4.08079 0.715 11.09744 -0.37 Observations 58 R-squared 32.65 Adj R-squared 0.7691 Prob>F 0 Standard errors in parentheses *** p Moreover, the ECM variable (Ut-1) has the expected negative and significant sign, meaning that any errors happening in the model in the short-turn are indeed converging towards the long-run co-integrated relationship at a speed of 17.7%. It has to be taken into consideration that the inflation, import, exports, producer prices which seem to have a short term effect. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.0  Conclusion As a conclusion, it has to be noted that when there is an increase in the inflation rate, the wage rate should be increased. The government should give wage compensation to the employees so that they can have a better standard of living and satisfy their basic needs and wants. In Mauritius, the government has created institutions such as the PRB to bring an increase in the wage rate on an every five years basis and when the institution does not work properly and effectively, the government should shift to the minimum wage scheme. The results that have been obtained from the variables are positive except for the GDP rate. The econometric model that has been used is a log-log model to show the relationship between wage and other economic variables such as import, export, producer prices and others. The variables which are statistically significant are inflation, import, export, producer prices and the GDP is an exception which is statistically insignificant. In Mauritius, it is confirmed that wages are affected by the prevailing inflation rate and holds a wage-price spiral model. The government needs to get involved to control the inflation rate in order to establish a balance in the society as well as the country can make progress in the future and moves towards economic growth. The government intervention is needed as the R-squared is 51.2% which is low. The government should design some policies to combat the inflation rate. 5.1  Recommendations 5.1.1  Import inflation Mauritius is small country which depends on high level of import products. There will be imported inflation in the country. The government should find a way to import fewer products from abroad. The government should give some incentives and facilities to the people so that the products can be made locally instead of importing them. Thus, the inflation rate will be in control. The government can apply the import restrictions policies so as to prevent import and this can lead to higher wages. The can control import by using quota, tariff and other restrictions to reduce the inflation rate in a country. A quota is a barrier that is imposed on the goods that is brought in the country and sells in other markets. A quota will be helpful for the domestic industries and infant industries as they will be protected and they can increase the wage rate of their workers as well as the country will moves towards a good balance of payments. Export subsidy can also be utilised. In an export subsidy the payment is not delayed by doing an indirect payment and the government helps the foreigners by giving them subsidy, loans and other packages to be attracted to the country’s exports. 5.1.2  Fiscal policy and Monetary policy Fiscal policy can also be used to deal with the inflation rate. Fiscal policy will bring an alteration in the aggregate demand. The fiscal policy is concerned with the tax system. For example, if the government can bring an increase in the tax rates, this can bring a reduction in the demand of the economy. Monetary policy can also be used. The monetary policy deals with the rate of interest. The monetary policy will lead to a fall in the money supply and the interest rates will be increased. When the interest rates will go up, people will prefer to save their money. The purchasing power in the market will decline which in the end can bring a decrease in the inflation rate. By controlling the inflation rate in the country, the people can satisfy their basic needs and wants as there wage rate has been increased and will not be affected by a larger amount as the government is monitoring the inflation rate by the use of fiscal and monetary policy. 5.1.3 Income policy Furthermore, the income policy is another way to deal with the inflation rate. A proper income policy has to be determined to halt the wage price-spiral from increasing. If the inflation rate is based on cost push nature, the government will use the income policy. The government and the trade union should set a meeting to negotiate and cooperate together to bring an increase in the wage rate. A rise in the wage rate should be given when the level of productivity is rising. In the case of the EPZ sector, the wage rate was increasing more than the level of productivity which was not effective at all. When the productivity is rising and the wage rate is increasing at the same pace, this will have little effect on the inflation rate. A good work is being done by the labour party in Mauritius. As it has clearly stated in the budget of 2013 presented by the Honourable Xavier Luc Duval, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development where he said that with the help of PRB and Errors Omiss ion and Anomalies Commission, the wage rate will be increased at around 25 %. The government is spending Rs 6 billion to help consumers to have a good purchasing power. Another policy is concerned with the price policy. The price policy is where the government can controlled the price level and what price is going to be fixed in the market. 5.1.4 Maximum price The producer price can be control if the government uses the maximum price. The government put a maximum price where the producer cannot exceed the price level. This will bring price stability in an economy and the consumer will be protected from their purchasing power not be eroded. 5.2  Problems and Limitations The problem that has been arisen is that there was difficulty in finding data on the wage rate index in Mauritius. The data on the wage rate index was available in Mauritius since 1992. Thus, it has to be converted in terms of quarter to get a smooth graph and to do its regression. Due to the unavailability of data, the R squared is low which shows a poor fit. Therefore, the result should be decided in the light of the problem that has occurred. The limitation is that it is not always that inflation rate affects wage rate. There are other factors such as exchange rates, public utility rates, marks-ups and others which also affect the wage rate which has been showed in the journal of Marinakis (1980). It has also to be noted that even the political and social factors are used to decide the wage rate.

Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl Essay -- English

Harriet Jacobs' words in Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl clearly suggests that the life as a slave girl is harsh and unsatisfactory. In this Composition, Jacobs is born a slave, never to be freed. She struggles through life in many instances making life seem impossible. The author's purpose is to state to the people what happened during slavery times in the point of view of a slave. Her life is so harsh that she even hides from her master for 7 years in a cramped space in the top of a shed without any room to walk. The theme of the story is a statement on how slavery was a much harder way of life than many people may have thought. Many people during these times thought that slaves were happy where they were and that their lives were much easier in the southern states than in their ...

Essay --

Schroeder 1 Hunter Schroeder Ms. Caturano Honors English 9 January 2013 Independent Reading: Connections Connection: Going to Extremes For Love The Hunger Games is set in world called Panem that was once America, before the Capitol was overcome in some unexplained, apocalyptic war. As punishment for that aggression, the remains were divided into 12 districts. Every year each district has to send one boy and one girl between 12 and 18 years old, chosen by lottery, to compete in a nationally televised event called â€Å"the Hunger Games.† The purpose of this is to create a mass killing spree with only one survivor. What really twists this storyline is when two tributes from the same district fall in love and fight to protect each other until they are the last ones left in the games. The two go to extreme measures to keep one another out of danger. â€Å"You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers. "Real," I answer. "Because that's what you and I do, protect each other† (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). Because the hunger games is such a gruesome event, the things Katniss and Peeta did for each other aren't typical things couples would give up for eachother. These two would share supplies and weapons along with going as far as killing off an attacking enemy. Seeing how far Katniss and Peeta were willing to go to be with each other gave me a better understanding of why Romeo and Juliet fought to never let anything get in between them. Even though Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet and the two families have an ancient rivalry they did not let that stand in the way of being with each other. â€Å"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, ... ...ena. â€Å"You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real.† (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). Even though Katniss and Peeta are so young, they truly believe that they are in love. This changes my opinion of Romeo and Juliet and leads me to believe that they really could have been in love so young. Romeo and Juliet were a mere 13 and 14 when they claimed to fall madly in love and get married, but this was around the normal marrying age for that time period. â€Å"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun† (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet). In this time period, young people were very romantically mature and knew about love and did not just marry anyone because there was no such thing as divorce. This makes me think that Romeo and Juliet may have been in love and people were just very critical because the were of rival families.

The Gifted Children

Started in the 1970†³s, America†s Gifted & Talented programs are used to enhance the curriculum of students included in either category in order to challenge and strengthen their unique abilities. These students are usually provided a separate class with specialized lessons in all areas and a teacher with a special degree in gifted education. I feel that it is important that the teacher was a gifted student who would know what the students must face as â€Å"above average† members of their school. The job market for gifted education offers a wide range of opportunity and gifted teachers are needed all over the One of the earliest programs for gifted and talented students was set up in 1974, at The Old Donation Center, in Virginia Beach. Students scoring within the top 3% of students on an assessment test are referred here to be further challenged. These students are considered gifted and have special teachers and classes to promote development of their talents and minds. Programs like this began to pop up around the nation in the 70†³s; however, gifted students were looked down upon by teachers, parents, and peers. Many people considered them to be â€Å"freaks† because they were different. They didn†t understand the implications of the terms â€Å"gifted† and â€Å"talented†. Most people simply expected gifted students to act more mature or to be geniuses, even though gifted students are the same as other children in their needs as human beings. Some gifted students were forced to grow up too fast and some simply ignored the fact that they were smarter than others, thus, they were lost in the shuffle. The irony of it all is that gifted-ness seems to run in families and the children of these repressed gifted students are, themselves, But what exactly is a â€Å"gifted† student? Students (elementary & secondary) are given a repertoire of tests. These tests check IQ, psychomotor ability, specific academic aptitude/talent, creative and productive thinking, leadership ability, and skills in the visual and performing arts. The main requirement, the IQ, is tested by a standardized IQ test (remember, however, that IQ tests are not always perfectly accurate). Ratings are given to each bracket of IQ scores: If a student receives a rating of â€Å"gifted† or higher (130+), he/she is considered to be a gifted student and is introduced into the designated programs. These students are given the opportunity to choose classes that are meant to teach them how to use their minds for critical thinking, reasoning, and artistic pursuits. Students in these classes are also exposed to culture, literature, and other subject areas that are not usually covered in what they term â€Å"normal classes†. The gifted classes are mainly in an open format allowing the student to create the parameters of his/her work and allowing them to be creative in their learning experience. Each class is presided-over by a teacher that has specialized degrees in gifted education. Almost every school in the United States has a need for a gifted class, making job opportunities endless; there are never Gifted teachers must have both a degree in education (secondary or elementary) and a degree in special education (gifted). These teachers are individuals that must have stamina, people skills, and open minds. It is also important (to the students) that the teacher himself/herself was also classified as gifted. It sets a common bond, shows them that the teacher understands the problems they face as so-called â€Å"smart kids†. These students are often ridiculed by heir peers and looked-down upon by their teachers. They are often separated from others their age by a barrier that can only be described as their â€Å"intelligence†. This is why, often, gifted teachers have degrees in administration, counseling, or psychology. All teachers that I interviewed told me that a continually upgraded education is a must (as are additional degrees). In order to keep up with the students one must attend seminars, workshops, special classes, etc. There is no end to the amount of education that could help you to understand gifted students and the role of their teacher†. Also, if a teacher has extra educational qualifications, he/she could be asked to step up to the position of administrator or, more often, counselor. This means pay raises. Though the average salary for teachers is approximately $27,500 per year, it is â€Å"a worthwhile undertaking† according to Jane Mansueto, â€Å"It is incredible to work with gifted students. They are incredible! † She went on to remark that it is fascinating to imagine that they are of the same level of intelligence as the teacher and what they must be feeling inside. She feels that the students are not othered by what their peers think, but actually tend to understand that other†s opinions mean little compared to their own. Mrs. Mansueto taught at Elm Grove Middle School for 5 years. She commented on her role as a gifted teacher to consist of â€Å"one part mentorship, one part hardship, and one part friendship†. When asked what kind of hours she keeps, she laughed and asked if she was supposed to have time off. According to Mrs. Mansueto, unlike a â€Å"normal† teacher, a gifted teacher has no books to go by or preset material to teach, or, for that matter, a preset subject to teach. They are given a blank page and, using input from students, must draw up lessons from every subject area and constantly challenge the inquisitive minds of the gifted. Jane Mansueto attended Trinity College where she majored in both elementary education and gifted education. Her favorite part of being a gifted teacher is being with the students, working hand in hand with them to plan and carry out projects and trips. Though the pay is average, and there is not much room to be promoted if you wish to remain in the classroom, gifted teaching has its personal rewards. Jeff Simpleton, a gifted teacher as well as a former gifted student, states, â€Å"I really think that by being gifted, I am in touch with what they have to go through. They know that I can understand. † Mr. Simpleton†s class consists of 6 high school students, who have many problems due to the intelligence barrier and a kind of isolation that has built up over the years between themselves and their classmates. They seem to feel that they have a reputation that they must live up to. The students try to please everyone†¦ they push themselves with sheer motivation and determination and drive. Mr. Simpleton feels that this is â€Å"what makes them so great†. He feels that anyone with a sense of adventure and a need for something new day after day would find teaching a gifted class to be the perfect job for Gifted teachers are important to the development of their students minds. They are understanding individuals who must work hard to make the curriculum interesting and challenging. With the proper education it is possible to go far as a teacher of the gifted. Various Internet sites. No info available for documentation.

Saussure and Derrida

A science that studies the life of signs within society is conceivable; . . . I shall call it semiology (from Greek semeion ‘sign'). Semiology would show what constitutes signs, what laws govern them. Since the science does not yet exist, no one can say what it would be. . . . (Saussure, 1960:16) In this statement Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), the twentieth-century father of the science of signs, presents his theory about language and gives a Greek name. This enterprise has considerably affected most discussions about language and of interpretation since its inauguration. Saussure presents the linguistic system as the place of the sign. Signs don't exist apart from a system. And it is every time a system of differences. Unavoidably, the theory of signs leads Saussure to the theory of language as system. Later, Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) discovers the logocentric dynamic in Saussure's new theory. Referring to the father of structural linguistics and semiology, Derrida leads readers beyond Saussure toward a poststructuralist future. It is this logocentrism which, limiting the internal system of language in general by a bad abstraction, prevents Saussure and the majority of his successors from determining fully and explicitly that which is called ‘the integral and concrete object of linguistics† (Cours 23). Both Ferdinand de Saussure – father of 20th-century linguistics and Jacques Derrida – founder of deconstruction made profound impact upon language theory; their ideas laid the basis for considerable developments in linguisti cs in the 20th century. Saussure on Language In itself, thought is like a swirling cloud, where no shape is intrinsically determinate. No ideas are established in advance, and nothing is distinct, before the introduction of linguistic structure. [†¦] Just as it is impossible to take a pair of scissors and cut one side of paper without at the same time cutting the other, so it is impossible in a language to isolate sound from thought, or thought from sound. To separate the two for theoretical purposes takes us into either pure psychology or pure phonetics, not linguistics. Linguistics, then, operates along this margin, where sound and thought meet. The contact between them gives rise to a form, not a substance (Cours 155-7). This impressive statement from the posthumously published Cours de linguistique generale of Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) introduces readers in what was later called as a ‘Copernican revolution' in Western thought relating to language. Why ‘Copernican’? Because just as Copernicus had asserted that the Earth revolved around the Sun, instead of the Sun revolving around the Earth, Saussure asserts something similar on the subject of language. His theory claimed that languages are the instruments that give human beings opportunity to achieve a rational understanding of the world in which they live. Rather than considering words as mere addition to human comprehension of reality, Saussure considered comprehension of reality as depending substantially upon human use of the verbal signs that form the language people use. Language is not secondary but, quite the reverse, central to human life. As a result, human life is linguistically constructed life. Saussure's theory goes far beyond the traditional theory of language as something communicated. It also goes beyond Locke's theory of words as symbols that stand for ideas. Many linguistic philosophers had claimed that without language human reason would be lacking its principal instrument of transformation ideas into words. But Saussure's theory goes further and deeper. Saussure indicates the phonetic and conceptual aspects of language. Linguistics was for Saussure only one subdivision of a relating to various branches science of signs that he proposed to call ‘semiology' (semiologie). Each branch of semiology had a theory of the signs which it studied. Consequently, linguistics would need a theory of the linguistic sign, the fundamental unit of langue. Such a theory of language Saussure proceeds to offer. As his paper-cutting analogy shows, he deals with the linguistic sign as a unit determined merely by its form. Its form has two facets, or ‘opposite sides'. The Saussurean technical identifications for these two facets of the sign are signifiant and signifie (the ‘signifying' plane and the ‘signified' plane) (Matthews 21). Every langue includes semiological system of bi-planar signs. Each sign has its signifiant and its signifie. Despite the fact that each plane may, for convenience, be analyzed one by one, no linguistic sign can be determined without considering both planes that are equally important. The published in 1916 text of the Cours faithfully reflects Saussure's theory about language. That text became the subsequent chapter in the history of ideas about language theory. The text became a cornerstone of modern linguistic theory, as well as the public declaration of a more general intellectual movement of the 20th century that had effect on such diverse disciplines as psychology, social anthropology and literary criticism. This all-round movement is today known as ‘structuralism'. The whole question that the Saussurean theory of linguistic structure gives rise is this: ‘If our langue is a structure, then a structure of what exactly? ‘ (Matthews 69) Saussure's answer to this question is problematic. He identified langue as being at the same time a structure of the mental operations of the human beings, and also a structure of the communicational processes by means of which human beings perform their roles as a cultural constitution. So langue is finally supra-individual in the relation that it is placed in society and depends for its existence on cultural relations; yet it assumes in each individual the power of an internally created system of linguistic signs. More exactly, langue, Saussure claims, ‘is never complete in any single individual, but exists perfectly only in the collectivity' (Cours 30). Derrida’s Theory of Language The theory of language to which Derrida wants to turn attention is connected with the method linguistic meaning is produced. More exactly, the method what there is of linguistic meaning and nonmeaning in their interconnection is presented. Derrida, in his theory of deconstruction, presents the same structure for both the process of nonaesthetic negativity and the process of aesthetic negativity. â€Å"Deconstruction† is connected with an analysis of the theory of language that, similar to the process of aesthetic negativity, discovers within this theory the seeds of its own downfall. Derrida presents a theory of meaning that reflects the idea of the â€Å"iterability† of signs and what he calls their â€Å"supplementary† status. Jonathan Culler summarized Derrida's central idea in this regard in the following way: Our earlier formula, â€Å"meaning is context-bound, but context is boundless,† helps us recall why both projects fail: meaning is context-bound, so intentions do not in fact suffice to determine meaning; context must be mobilized. But context is boundless, so accounts of context never provide full determinations of meaning. Against any set of formulations, one can imagine further possibilities of context, including the expansion of context produced by reinscription within a context of the description of it (Menke 96). Considering Culler's interpretation, Derrida's thesis of the uncircumventable proclivity of language for crisis is based on the difference between what one expects context to offer and what it can really do, when correctly viewed. The nonetheless inevitable recourse to context in the determination of meaning thus results in a crisis for every attempt to comprehend language. What is supposed to generate definitiveness is itself unlimited and thus the source of unmanaged difference. Derrida’s general thesis thus is based on the idea that the understanding of the meaning of signs can only function in a context-bound way. At the same time that contexts cannot define the meaning of signs since they are themselves boundless. The boundlessness that meaning opens itself to in its context-boundedness is in no way eo ipso the boundlessness of a difference that is inconsistent with any identity of meaning (Menke 90). Derrida himself realizes his argument that a â€Å"thousand possibilities will always remain open even if one understands something in this phrase that makes sense† (Menke 96) in an equivocal fashion. On the one hand this idea means: every sign can function in different and boundlessly many contexts. This is precisely what determines the iterability of signs: their reusability in contexts that are not actually those in which they were first placed. The usability of signs in boundlessly many contexts in itself, though, in no way is opposite to the definitiveness of its use and meaning as determined by rules of language. Although one might note, with Derrida, that the deconstruction of logocentrism is a search for â€Å"the other of language† (Derrida 1984, 123), this does not contribute to the statement that deconstruction is originally concerned with a linguistic theory. This is first and foremost the question of the concrete instance, of â€Å"the other, which is beyond language† (Derrida 1984,123). Far, then, from being a philosophy that according to its critics, states that there is nothing beyond language and that one is confined within language, deconstruction can be considered as a response. â€Å"Deconstruction is, in itself, a positive response to an alterity which necessarily calls, summons or motivates it. Deconstruction is therefore vocation – a response to a call† (Derrida 1984,118). Derrida claims that the character of deconstruction is not solely positive, that is not merely an assertion of what already exists and is known, but that it is an assertion of what is wholly other (tout autre) (Derrida 1992, 27). Derrida claims that difference is not something that can appear in logocentric discourse: â€Å"differance is not,† Derrida explains, â€Å"preceded by the originary and indivisible unity of a present possibility that I could reserve†¦. What defers presence, on the contrary, is the very basis on which presence is announced or desired in what represents it, its sign, its trace†¦. Differance is â€Å"that which produces different things, that which differentiates, is the common root of all the oppositional concepts that mark our language†¦ † (Positions, 89). Differance is neither structure nor origin, â€Å"such an alternative itself being an ‘effect' of differance. † Even so, studying the operations of differance requires that the writer use such concepts as structure and origin and â€Å"borrow the syntaxic and lexical resources of the language of metaphysics† even if the writer wishes to deconstruct this language ( Positions, pp. -10). Derrida indicates that differance is not an origin. Neither language nor writing springs in differance. Instead, Derrida says, differance allows the play of absence and presence, writing and thought, structure and force by means of which the question of origin comes to know itself. Saussure and Derrida Exactly at this point one is faced with one of the most problematic though fascinating dimensions of Derrida's theory. The problem, stated above, is that, as soon as it is recognized that there are no simple, unsignified, transcendental signifiers that fix and warrant the meaning of the words, that there exist no originals to which the words can be attributed, one comes to conditions where even this acknowledgement itself seems to have become â€Å"floating† (May 125). Derrida resolves this difficult situation with the help of above discussed theory of signs and of language developed by Ferdinand de Saussure. Despite the idea that language is in a fundamental way a naming process, attaching words to things, Saussure had claimed that language is a system, or a structure. In the structure any individual element is meaningless outside the boundaries of that structure. In language, he asserts, there are only differences. But – and here the ideas of Saussure are basic for Derrida's deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence – these differences are not differences between positive terms, that is between terms that in and by themselves are connected with objects or things outside the system. Accordingly, in language, Saussure indicates, there are only differences without positive terms (May 127). But if this is true, if there are no positive terms, then it means that one can no longer define the differential position of language itself by means of a positive term either. Difference without positive terms indicates that this dimension must itself always be left unperceived for, roughly speaking, it is unconceptualizable. It is a difference that cannot be returned into the order of the same and, through a signifier, given individual characteristics. This suggests, then, that â€Å"the play of difference, which, as Saussure reminded us, is the condition for the possibility and functioning of every sign, is in itself a silent play† (Derrida 1982, 5). If, however, one wants to articulate that – one must first of all admit that there can never be a word or a concept to correspond to this silent play. One must also admit that this play cannot merely be exposed, for â€Å"one can expose only that which at a certain moment can become present† (Derrida 1982, 5). And one must ultimately admit that there is nowhere to begin, â€Å"for what is put into question is precisely the quest for a rightful beginning, an absolute point of departure† (Derrida 1982, 6). All this, and more, is acknowledged in the new â€Å"word† or â€Å"concept† – â€Å"which is neither a word nor a concept† (Derrida 1982:7) but a â€Å"neographism† (Derrida 1982:13) – of differance. The motive why Derrida uses â€Å"what is written as difference† (Derrida 1982, 11) is not difficult to understand. For although â€Å"the play of difference† (Derrida 1982, 11) is introduced as something for the opportunity of all conceptuality, one should not make the mistaken opinion to think that one has finally discovered the real origin of conceptuality. That, expressing the same idea but differently, this play is a playful but despite that transcendental signified. Strictly speaking, in order to avoid this mistake one must acknowledge that the differences that make up the play of difference â€Å"are themselves effects† (Derrida 1982:11, original emphasis). As Derrida claims, What is written as differance, then, will be the playing movement that â€Å"produces† – by means of something that is not simply an activity – these differences, these effects of difference. This does not mean that the differance that produces differences is somehow before them, in a simple and unmodified – in-different – present. Differance is the non-full, non-simple, structured and differentiating origin of differences. Thus, the name â€Å"origin† no longer suits. (Derrida 1982, 11) Although differance is straightforwardly connected with a structuralist idea of meaning – that Derrida recognizes when he indicates that he sees no reason to question the truth of what Saussure proposes (Derrida 1976, 39), there is one important aspect in which differance is outside the scope of structuralism. The point here is that Derrida clearly refuses to accept the primary character of structure itself. Structure is not a transcendental represented (for which reason Derrida notes that he does not want to question the truth of what Saussure proposes â€Å"on the level on which he says it [original emphasis] â€Å"but does want to question the logocentric way in which Saussure says it (Derrida 1976, 39). Structure is even less the effect of an original presence coming before and causing it (Derrida 1978, 278-9). What differance tries to express is the differential character of the â€Å"origin† of structure itself. It is in this relation that one might observe that Derrida's writing is poststructural. To some degree, surely, differance appears when Saussure's examination of how language operates. â€Å"In language,† Saussure indicates, â€Å"there are only differences. Even more important: a difference generally implies positive terms between which the difference is set up; but in language there are only differences without positive terms† (Positions, 120). Derrida's differance in an obvious manner is like Saussure's differences. At the end of Positions, for instance, Derrida specifies â€Å"as differance the movement according to which language, or any other code, any system of reference in general, is constituted ‘historically' as a tissue of differences† (Positions, 104). But Derrida makes an effort to go further. Whereas Saussure considers the differences in a semiotic system as the set of constantly changing relationships the speaker manipulates in order to produce meaning, Derrida defines differance as the boundless disappearance of either an origin of or a final place for meaning. When Derrida describes differance, he always does so by examining what it is not. Rather than considering language in the traditional way, as a set of external signs of already farmed internal thoughts (characteristic of â€Å"logocentrism†), Derrida, like Saussure and modern linguistics, thinks of users of language producing coded, that is, repeatable, marks or traces that originate from within certain unities of meaning as â€Å"effects† of the code. These traces are not fundamentally meaningful in themselves but â€Å"arbitrary† and â€Å"conventional† (Menke 96). Thus there is no difference whether one says â€Å"rex,† â€Å"rol,† or â€Å"king† so long as â€Å"we† – those who share these conventions – can tell the difference between rex and lex, roi and loi, and king and sing (Menke 96). The meaning – is a process of the difference, of the distance or the â€Å"spacing† between the traces, what is called, in an absolutely serious way, the â€Å"play† of differences or traces. By the â€Å"play of differences† Derrida defines the differential spacing, the recognized distance, the recognized (heard, seen) intervals between traces first analyzed in structural linguistics (Menke 97). Conclusion A comprehensive historical examination of deconstruction would necessarily include numerous precursors and forerunners: Freud, Hegel, Heidegger, Husserl, Lacan, Levi-Strauss, Marx, Nietzsche, Saussure. . . . However, it can be said that the history of contemporary deconstruction begins with Jacques Derrida De la grammatologie (1967) that opens with a critique of Saussure. Saussure’s theory of language is here framed within a metaphysical system that extends from Plato and Aristotle to Heidegger and Levi-Strauss. By Derrida this theory is called â€Å"logocentric. † Saussure marks a concluding stage of the long logocentric epoch. Derrida indicates that logocentrism imposed itself upon the world and controlled the theory of language. Derrida’s contributions laid ground for future epoch. In the role of prophet, Derrida concludes his â€Å"Exergue† indicating: â€Å"The future can only be anticipated in the form of an absolute danger. It is that which breaks absolutely with constituted normality and can only be proclaimed, presented, as a sort of monstrosity. For that future world and for that within it which will have put into question the values of sign, word, and writing, for that which guides our future anterior, there is as yet no exergue† (Derrida 1967).