Success of Marriott in the Hospitality Research Paper

Success of Marriott in the Hospitality - Research Paper Example As a payback to the company, Marriott’s employees provide great service and satisfy Marriott’s customers; thereby providing a type of symbiotic relationship. Marriott’s mission thereby works to lead a company-wide approach to their vision. This is but one of the reasons why Marriott is able to provide effective progress to be the best hospitality company in the world and create a public perception that this company builds its corporation in positive ways. The success of Marriott in the hospitality world does not come only from the dedication of its employees, however. Besides showing a great deal of concern for these shareholders, Marriott is an innovative corporation. In this way, the film follows the trend of recent innovations and technological changes in the current world. By being flexible to transform their regulation and company regulation based on the recent global economic situation, hospitality trends, and behaviors of the employees, the firm has stayed fresh whereas others have faltered. The board of the directors of Marriott believes that the world is changing, thus Marriott has to follow suit if it intends on staying competitive. After doing research on final presentation in my ethics class, there was a lot of interesting facts concerning Marriott; however, for purposes of this paper, this author will be addressing but two of these major positive factors in detail. Additionally, a scandal will also be discussed. In addition, besides discussing those positive factors that have briefly been referenced above, my group research shows Marriott has committed into fraud scandal. First, with all, the very basic aspect of building a big company is encouraging their workers to put their best on doing jobs.  

The explanatory gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The explanatory gap - Essay Example John Levine introduced the explanatory gap for the difficulty that the mind theories of physicalists have in explaining the physical properties in giving rise to the way things experienced when they are felt. Levine in his 1983 article used the explanatory gap to point out that even though it might be applicable in a physiological sense, the explanatory gap does not aid our understanding of pain feeling. The explanatory gap has intrigued and vexed a number of researchers and philosophers in a similar way in the past decades and resulted into a considerable debate. Finding a fulfilling and gratifying mechanistic explanation to bridge the gap is a hard problem. This paper seeks to define the explanatory gap, and highlight whether or not the explanatory gap poses an obstacle to materialism with reference to the work of Levine. The explanatory gap infers that there is an existence of a gap of consistent and rational meaningful information that describe and account for characteristics and qualities of consciousness processes, content and states that it is explicable to a rational and logical level of mastery. That is to say, explanatory gap is in the human concept. The term explanatory gap does not illustrate a gap in nature, but rather a gap in our own understanding of nature (Levine 1983). Joseph Levine in his works demonstrates the explanatory gap as an obstacle to materialism. Materialism holds that there exist identities between material kinds and conscious kinds. Joseph Levine illustrates that pain is identical with the C-fibers firing, and also gives an example of viewing something are red which is identical with an activity in the visual V4 area cortex. Joseph Levine also looks at the explanatory gap as an obstacle to materialism in the line with contemporary orthodoxy materialist, and that such kind of identities are posteriori. Levine argues that it is a matter of scientific investigation, to ascertain whether or not pain is the firing C-fibers, rather tha n conceptual reflection to seeing things as red is an activity in the V4 area in the visual cortex. In this regard, the identities of mind and brain that are discovered will be of the same kind to such exemplary a posteriori identities of science as that of temperature is mean kinetic energy, or that of water is H2O. There is also a good scientific evidence for the presence of such like brain and mind identities. In particular cases, there are direct evidence in the co-occurrence of certain material kinds and conscious kinds. Joseph Levine even asserted that the identities of mind and brain strike quite differently from the apparently corresponding scientific identities (Levine 1983). Levine cites some questions to demonstrate the explanatory gap as an obstacle to materialism: presume that we actually have evidence that pain is the same as firing of C-fiber and is one. Would we not still want to try and find out why firing of C-fiber feels pain instead of something else? And why the re is pain in the firing of the C-fiber? There is however no analogous questions that press on us in most of the scientific cases. For example, after finding out that water is H2O, there is no further feeling of the need to know why even when there is H2O, we still have water, or why water is H2O and not anything else. This is the reason Joseph Levine coined the explanatory gap in order to give an impression that something have been left unexplained by mind and brain identities. Many other philosophers besides Joseph Levine have argued that explanatory gap emerges because people cannot draw from the facts

Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Essay Having culture as a field of psychology makes sense because culture plays a significant role in everyday life. Culture allows someone to define who they are how they survive. Expressions of who one is can be done in many ways, by behavior, appearance, and language. Without culture, one’s human nature would rely on instinct to remain alive. Culture is a product of one’s environment. How important culture is and how culture influences oneself and others will be discussed in this paper. Examining various types of relationships as it pertains to culture and cross cultural psychology will also be deliberated. Critical thinking and the role it plays in cross cultural psychology and the use of scientific method will also be covered. Definition of Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology There are many avenues when looking at what culture stands for, but for most there is an agreement that culture is passed down from one generation to the next, there is a strong influence of molding one’s behavior, and that culture is learned. One’s environment is based on the culture that he or she is subjected to. Culture influences humans in many ways that is what makes humans human. Culture separates individuals from any other species and affords one the opportunity to use instinct and cultural knowledge to survive. Culture is woven into one’s fabric of daily life, and aids in how one interacts with others. By definition psychology is the study of performance and human behavior, so when tying to define one’s actions, it is imperative that incorporating one’s culture into the equation. See more: how to start an essay The behaviors of a person can be directly related to the environment or various biological factors, but, behavior can not be solely answered by just those two things without examining the social cultural conditions which impact that person’s behavior. Cultural psychology looks for the connection between psychology and one’s culture. By looking at this link the correlation between culture and behavior is recognized. Acknowledging this permits that cognitive operations are the variable in culture and oneself based on the environment that he or she is surrounded by (Segal, Dasen, Berry Poortinga, 1999). Culture can bring people together as well as separate others. Cross-cultural psychology is a newer specialty in the field. This field does not just focus on one specific culture when attempting to clarify the actions of someone’s behavior. Rather it views many different cultures that could be affected a person. It is imperative to know not to confuse race, ethnicity and society with culture. They do offer a look at a person’s individualism but it is different than one’s culture. A society consists of people where a culture is a common interest shared by persons with in a group that lead to a given behavior. To understand human behavior, viewing other approaches like sociological, cultural mixtures, integrative approach, eco-cultural and evolutionary all help in understanding how a human’s behavior could fluctuate based on. For example, when looking at the evolutionary approach views the biological factors contributing to the behavior over the eco-cultural approach views the environment (Shiraev Levy, 2010). The Relationship between Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology There are two different disciplines, anthropology and philosophy, that overlap in cultural psychology. Then reviewing other disciplines there is a wider viewpoint when researching various actions that others do. The purpose of cultural psychology is to unearth how someone’s culture affects behavior as well as how the connection is generated. Human energy cannot be the only factory determining one’s predisposition. Cultural psychology interprets that one’s mind should not be viewed as separate when explaining behavior. However, cross culture psychology relates to not only history and anthropology but also similarities and differences between histories. Regardless, both disciplines take into account culture so their foundations are close. The difference occurs because cultural psychology is interested in the relationship with culture someone has versus cross-cultural being interested in comparison on cultures (Shiraev Levy, 2010). The Role of Critical Thinking in Cross-Cultural Psychology Using critical thinking the right way, there are many ways that critical thinking that be a benefit. Life can be complex and complicated to understand. Critical thinking provides someone the ability to steer through life with a certainty. This being said, critical thinking is learned, not n inherited trait. Being able to think hypothetically, decrypt puzzles, synchronizing thoughts and communicating all require critical thinking. Using critical thinking means that one asks questions that will ultimately solve problems. If someone is unqualified or unskilled, it is possible they will not develop to full potential. By developing the critical thinking skill, this means that one could grow and learn. The use of language, patience when making important decisions, and ability to organize (Hunter, 2009). All of those that were mentioned are influences in cross-cultural psychology. Language can lead to discrimination for example. The way words are translated can be confused because of the way that it is understood. Translating word for word could lead to an incorrect translation. Understanding that any language can be translated into other meanings causing traumatization or inspiring depending on the interpretation. The research is another part of cross-cultural psychology that is attached to critical thinking. Research that is conducted without bias, emotion, choosing right from wrong, and accepting validity and reliability of that research is a form of critical thinking. It is normal for there to be comparisons made when linking groups or cultures. Here are a few instances how critical thinking and cross-cultural psychology are intertwined. Without a critical thinking understanding how culture affects behavior could form the wrong impression (Segal, Dasen, Berry Poortinga, 1999). Methodology Associated with Cross-Cultural Research Research is a critical part of cross cultural psychology. Without having research the only information about cross-cultural psychology would be assumptions. Psychologists who focus their studies on cross cultural psychologists are intrigued with the commonalities between cultures. As psychologists explain, foretell and manage various behaviors of those they observe they do so because humans are consumed with the interactions he or she has with others resulting in behaviors. Generating research is done by scientific investigation. Cross cultural psychology research is subdivided into quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research is done through observation by mode, median and mean. Qualitative research is nconditioned settings or a natural setting. This method is picked when the variables are impossible to gather because the tools are not available. There are two different strategies that are also available to use; the application orientated and comparativist strategy. The data collected by these strategies can be done through systematic or random sampling (Shiraev Levy, 2010). â€Å"Observation (naturalistic and laboratory), survey (direct and indirect), experimental studies (independent and dependent variables), content-analysis, psychobiography, meta-analysis, focus-group method† (Shiraev Levy, 2010, pp. 5-40) are all available to psychologists who are interested in cross cultural insestigations. When using cross cultural psychology hindrances could occur. Language could create problems when completing research consequently ensuring correct translation is of the utmost importance. Investigators should be able to decipher a specific method as realistically as possible. Attention should also be paid when associating two phenomena and also avoid biases at all times (Shiraev Levy, 2010). Conclusion Since culture plays a vital role in one’s life, it is critical to recognize that it is what causes one’s behavior. Culture is manmade and appears all of the time without much thought. It is important for one to be a successful psychologist that there is a clear understanding of both cultural and cross cultural psychology and how it effects the individual as well as his or her environment. Because of cultural psychology one can trace the connection between culture and psychology and eventually behavior. Viewing various parallels in cultural psychology can help see the differences as well as similarities between cultures and how it impacts one’s actions. Without it, there will always be a mystery surrounding humanity.

Economy Of The Kingdom Of Thailand

Economy Of The Kingdom Of Thailand Chapter 1: Introduction. The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. Thailand is the worlds 50th largest country in terms of total area with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq miters), and the 21st most-populous country, with approximately 64 million people. About 75% of the population is ethnically Thai, 14% is of Chinese origin, and 3% is ethnically Malay; the rest belong to minority groups including Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. There are approximately 2.2 million legal and illegal migrants in Thailand. Thailand has also attracted a small number of expatriates from developed countries. The countrys official language is Thai. As for the Thai economy, it is export-dependent, with exports of goods and services equivalent to over 70% of GDP in 2008. Thailands recovery from the 1997-1998 Asian financial crises (which brought a double-digit drop in GDP) relied largely on external demand from the United States and other foreign markets. From 2001-2006, the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin embraced a dual track economic policy that combined domestic stimulus programs with Thailands traditional promotion of open markets and foreign investment. Real GDP growth strengthened sharply from 2.2% in 2001 to 7.1% in 2003 and 6.3% in 2004. In 2005-2007, economic expansion moderated, averaging 4.5% to 5.0% real GDP growth, due to domestic political uncertainty, rising violence in Thailands four southernmost provinces, and repercussions from the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Thailands economy in 2007 relied heavily on resilient export growth (at a 17.3% annual rate), particularly in the automobile , petrochemicals, and electronics sectors. Persistent political uncertainty and the global financial crisis in 2008 weakened Thailands economic growth by reducing domestic and international demand for both its goods and services (including tourism). Due to minimum exposure to toxic assets, Thai banks have limited direct impact from the global financial crisis. Nonetheless, Thai economic growth slowed to 2.6% in 2008, with fourth quarter growth dropping below zero. In 2009, the contraction continued. First quarter GDP was down by 7.1% year-on-year. To offset weak external demand and to shore up confidence, the Abhisit administration introduced two stimulus packages worth $43.4 billion. The government projected that the Thai economy would be down 3.5% for the year but would see positive growth of 2.5% in 2010. Roughly 40% of Thailands labor force is employed in agriculture (data based on Bank of Thailand.) Rice is the countrys most important crop; Thailand is the largest exporter in the world rice market. Other agricultural commodities produced in significant amounts include fish and fishery products, tapioca, rubber, corn, and sugar. Exports of processed foods such as canned tuna, canned pineapples, and frozen shrimp are also significant. As for the old and familiar neighboring country of Thailand, China is the second largest export market and third-largest supplier after Japan. These two neighboring countries had never been encroached to each other; the very well relationship remained in peace and stable. Two developing countries are rising with the same pace, but also compete economically. China has one of the worlds oldest civilizations and has the oldest continuous civilization. It has archaeological evidence dating back over 5,000 years. China was the largest and most advanced civilization for much of recorded history and is viewed as the source of many major inventions. It has also one of the worlds oldest written language systems. Historically, Chinas cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adapted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The Peoples Republic of China has a land area of about 9.6 million sq km with approximately 1.5 billion population size, and is the third-largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada. Because of Chinas unstable situation in the 70s of last century, since then a lot of Chinese population was flowing to some other countries for a better shelter; and definitely Thailand was a very sweet one. At that time over 30,000 populations crossed the border of Thailand. They are now part of 14% of Chinese origin. At the beginning of 80s, the reform and open-up policy were implemented. Since then, a huge amount of cheap Chinese products were exported to oversea countries. Nowadays, therere still over half of the daily products were made in China. Not only the products were exported, but also labor migrants have left China and settled throughout Southeast Asia, seeking better opportunities in difficult times and creating burgeoning and long-standing communities. Now, China is one of the largest producers and consumers of agricultural products. Over 40% of Chinas labor force is engaged in agriculture, even though only 10% of the land is suitable for cultivation and agriculture contributes only 13% of Chinas GDP. Chinas cropland area is only 75% of the U.S. total, but China still produces about 30% more crops and livestock than the United States because of intensive cultivation, China is among the worlds largest producers of rice, corn, wheat, soybeans, vegetables, tea, and pork. Major non-food crops include cotton, other fibers, and oilseeds. China hopes to further increase agricultural production through improved plant stocks, fertilizers, and technology. Incomes for Chinese farmers are stagnating, leading to an increasing wealth gap between the cities and countryside. Government policies that continue to emphasize grain self-sufficiency and the fact that farmers do not ownand cannot buy or sellthe land they work have contributed to this sit uation. In addition, inadequate port facilities and lack of warehousing and cold storage facilities impede both domestic and international agricultural trade. China is now one of the most important markets for U.S. exports: in 2008, U.S. exports to China totaled $71.5 billion, a 9.5% increase of $16.2 billion from 2007. U.S. agricultural exports have increased dramatically, totaling $12.2 billion in 2009 and thus making China our fourth-largest agricultural export market. Leading categories include: soybeans ($7.3 billion), cotton ($1.6 billion), and hides and skins ($859 million). Export growth continues to be a major driver of Chinas rapid economic growth. Here comes our conflict: As the neighbor of supper sized China, Thailand faced double challenge. First of all, by import cheap but quality Chinese products the lessened GPD is shown and China is recently steadily replacing Thailands first place on exporting rice. Secondly more and more skilled Chinese labor forces are into Thailand, the local unemployment is facing the challenge. What is going to be the aftermath and what we can do about these becomes the very serious problem for Thailand. Chapter 2: Situation of the problem. As we know, Thailand is a very popular country, not only by tourism but also by the minds. Thai people are very conscientious and friendly, may that be the reason why so many western populations would like to move to Thailand for the rest of their lives. Under the capitalism system, Thailand has a GDP worth 8.5 trillion Baht (on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis), or USD 627 billion (PPP). This classifies Thailand as the 2nd largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. Despite this, Thailand ranks midway in the wealth spread in Southeast Asia as it is the 4th richest nation according to GDP per capita, after Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia. Most of Thailands labor force is working in agriculture. However, the relative contribution of agriculture to GDP has declined while exports of goods and services have increased. Tourism revenues are on the rise. With the instability surrounding the recent coup and the military rule, however, the GDP growth of Thailand has settled at arou nd 4-5% from previous highs of 5-7% under the previous civilian administration, as investor and consumer confidence has been degraded somewhat due to political uncertainty. Chinese economic history is quite fancy and interesting. This strong nation had gone through a lot. Even for the modern Chinese economy is still a long story to tell. The economic history of modern China began with the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Following the Qing, China underwent a period of instability and disrupted economic activity. Under the Nanjing decade (1927-1937), China advanced several industries, in particular those related to the military, in an effort to catch up with the west and prepare for war with Japan. The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and the following Chinese civil war caused the collapse of the Republic of China and formation of the Peoples Republic of China. The new ruler of China, Mao Zedong, initially promised to develop a socialist alliance with Petit Bourgeois, workers, and nationalist Bourgeois, but enacted collectivization upon consolidation of this regime. Collectivization resulted in the success of the first five-year plan, but Maos second five-year plan, which included the Great Leap forward, did not meet with the same success. A new party faction who supported private plots eventually challenged Maos economic policy. Unwilling to give up power, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, which led to the collapse of the Chinese economy. Following Maos death, one of the most senior officials who had advocated private plots in the early 1960s, Deng Xiaoping initiated gradual market reforms that abolished the communes and collectivized industries of Mao, replacing them with the free-market system. Dengs reforms vastly improved the standard of living of the Chinese people, the competitiveness of the Chinese economy, and caused China to become one of the fastest growing and most important economies in the world. It also led to one of the most rapid industrializations in world history. For this achievement he is sometimes known as The Venerated Deng. As a result of Dengs reforms, China is widely regarded as a returning superpower. 1992 Deng Xiaopings Southern Tour at the beginning of the year massively boosted foreign direct investment inflows into coastal areas and started a wave of government investment in Shanghai. Record trade and GDP growth and inflation followed. 1993 Zhu Rongji appointed to rein in the overheating economy, this time more selectively than in 1989-91. Growth rates subsided gradually in subsequent years, producing a so-called soft landing. During the 1990s, living standards continued to rise, as evidenced by the proliferation of consumer durables, especially among the urban population. Continuing FDI inflows helped boost foreign exchange reserves to record heights in the late 1990s. Especially after the publication of the 1998 GDP figures, economists, both in China and abroad, have raised serious doubts about the quality of Chinas national accounts, which appeared in the late 1990s to overstate economic growth and are now suspected of understating growth. This may be because the statistical system tends to overestimate output at the trough of the cycle and underestimate output at the peak. However, the countrys first production census discovered at the end of 2005 that GDP has recently been grossly underestimated as a result of a failure to take into account the rapid growth of the services sector. As a result, growth rates for 2003-2005 are now recorded at around 10% per year in real terms. Despite efforts to cool the overheating economy, the officially recorded GDP growth rate was 11.4% in 2007. In 2008 the global economic crisis began to reduce Chinas growth rate. In the face of forecasts that this might drop below the rate at which school leavers can be absorbed by the growing economy (7%-8%) the government decided to pump RMB 4 trillion into the economy in the form of an economic stimulus package consisting largely of investment in fixed infrastructure and human capital. In 2009 Chinas GDP growth rate, though lower than the double-digit average of recent years, has held up well, rising from 6.1% year-on-year in the first quarter to 7.7% in the first three quarters of the year. This means that year-on-year GDP growth was around 9% in the second quarter. A similar rate of growth (9%) is expected in the final quarter, ensuring a rate of over 8% for 2009 as a whole. In Chinese GDP, more than 40% are expected from the export of products; there are over 50% daily products all over the world are MADE IN CHINA. The reason why Chinese products are so competitive is because they are very cheap and quality. How come the Chinese products are so cheap? Compare with the GDP chinas API (annual premium income) is very low, because 1/5 worlds population is in China, and this is also the reason why the Chinese products are so cheap; labor force are paid only a little bit of money. In the contrast, Thailand may not have an impressive GDP, but the API is much higher than China. In the structure of Thailands GDP over 70% are exporting, but its not only products also services; which means tourism is still the major income for Thailand. However the amount of products exporting in Thailand is steadily deteriorated. Former merit of Thai export; Rubber and Rice is now slowly losing its first place. As for human resource exporting; in China therere more than two million graduates will be unemployed every year. Most of them are staying home and doing job hunting, some may find-out a better way by crossing the border to oversea countries. These graduates are fully skilled and they are eager for job, so they may take some unwanted jobs in oversea countries. Nonetheless, potentially they are increasing the unemployment rate in Thailand as well. Chapter 3: Thailand Economical Crises. Thailand is a member of AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area), which is purpose of Increase ASEANs competitive edge as a production base in the world market through the elimination, within ASEAN, of tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Unlike the EU, AFTA does not apply a common external tariff on imported goods. Each ASEAN member may impose tariffs on goods entering from outside ASEAN based on its national schedules. However, for goods originating within ASEAN, ASEAN members are to apply a tariff rate of 0 to 5 percent (the more recent members of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, aka. CMLV countries, were given additional time to implement the reduced tariff rates). This is known as the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme. ASEAN members have the option of excluding products from the CEPT in three cases: 1.) Temporary exclusions; 2.) Sensitive agricultural products; 3.) General exceptions. Temporary exclusions refer to products for which tariffs will ultimately be lowered to 0-5%, but which are being protected temporarily by a delay in tariff reductions. Sensitive agricultural products include commodities such as rice. ASEAN members have until 2010 to reduce the tariff levels to 0-5%. The AFTA was formed in 1992, after that Thailand economy was increasing rapidly, but in 1997 Thailand suffered the Dom Yam Goon crisis. It was beginning in July 1997, and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. The crisis started in Thailand with the financial collapse of the Thai baht caused by the decision of the Thai government to float the baht, cutting its peg to the USD, after exhaustive efforts to support it in the face of a severe financial overextension that was in part real estate driven. At the time, Thailand had acquired a burden of foreign debt that made the country effectively bankrupt even before the collapse of its currency. As the crisis spread, most of Southeast Asia and Japan saw slumping currencies, devalued stock markets and other asset prices, and a precipitous rise in private debt. Such was the scope and the severity of the collapses involved that outside intervention, considered by many as a new kind of colonialism, and became urgently needed. Since the countries melting down were among not only the richest in their region, but in the world, and since hundreds of billions of dollars were at stake, any response to the crisis had to be cooperative and international, in this case through the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF created a series of bailouts (rescue packages) for the most affected economies to enable affected nations to avoid default, tying the packages to reforms that were intended to make the restored Asian currency, banking, and financial systems as much like those of the United States and Europe as possible. In other words, the IMFs support was conditional on a series of drastic economic reforms influenced by neoliberal economic principles called a structural adjustment package (SAP). The SAPs called on crisis-struck nations to cut back o n government spending to reduce deficits, allow insolvent banks and financial institutions to fail, and aggressively raise interest rates. The reasoning was that these steps would restore confidence in the nations fiscal solvency, penalize insolvent companies, and protect currency values. Above all, it was stipulated that IMF-funded capital had to be administered rationally in the future, with no favored parties receiving funds by preference. There were to be adequate government controls set up to supervise all financial activities, ones that were to be independent, in theory, of private interest. Insolvent institutions had to be closed, and insolvency itself had to be clearly defined. In short, exactly the same kinds of financial institutions found in the United States and Europe had to be created in Asia, as a condition for IMF support. In addition, financial systems had to become transparent, that is, provide the kind of reliable financial information used in the West to make sou nd financial decisions. However, the greatest criticism of the IMFs role in the crisis was targeted towards its response. As country after country fell into crisis, many local businesses and governments that had taken out loans in US dollars, which suddenly became much more expensive relative to the local currency which formed their earned income, found themselves unable to pay their creditors. The dynamics of the situation were closely similar to that of the Latin American debt crisis. The effects of the SAPs were mixed and their impact controversial. Critics, however, noted the contractionary nature of these policies, arguing that in a recession, the traditional Keynesian response was to increase government spending, prop up major companies, and lower interest rates. The reasoning was that by stimulating the economy and staving off recession, governments could restore confidence while preventing economic loss. They pointed out that the U.S. government had pursued expansionary policies, such as lowering in terest rates, increasing government spending, and cutting taxes, when the United States itself entered a recession in 2001, and arguably the same in the fiscal and monetary policies during the 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis. Although such reforms were, in most cases, long needed, the countries most involved ended up undergoing an almost complete political and financial restructuring. They suffered permanent currency devaluations, massive numbers of bankruptcies, and collapses of whole sectors of once-booming economies, real estate busts, high unemployment, and social unrest. For most of the countries involved, IMF intervention has been roundly criticized. The role of the International Monetary Fund was so controversial during the crisis that many locals called the financial crisis the IMF crisis. Many commentators in retrospect criticized the IMF for encouraging the developing economies of Asia down the path of fast track capitalism, meaning liberalization of the financial sector (elimination of restrictions on capital flows); maintenance of high domestic interest rates to attract portfolio investment and bank capital; and pegging of the national currency to the dollar to reassure foreign investors again st currency risk. Unfortunately, 2008 is another hard year, but its not only for Thailand or Asia, its the global economic crisis. The Global Financial Crisis has been called by leading economists the worst financial crisis since the one related to the Great Depression of the 1930s. It contributed to the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth estimated in the trillions of U.S. dollars, substantial financial commitments incurred by governments, and a significant decline in economic activity. Many causes have been proposed, with varying weight assigned by experts. Both market-based and regulatory solutions have been implemented or are under consideration, while significant risks remain for the world economy. The collapse of a global housing bubble, which peaked in the U.S. in 2006, caused the values of securities tied to housing prices to plummet thereafter, damaging financial institutions globally. Questions regarding bank solvency, declines in credit availability, and damaged investor confidence had an impact on global stock markets, which suffered large losses during 2008. Economies worldwide slowed in late 2008 and early 2009 as credit tightened and international trade declined. Critics argued that credit rating agencies and investors failed to accurately price the risk involved with mortgage-related financial products, and that governments did not adjust their regulatory practices to address 21st century financial markets. Governments and central banks responded with unprecedented fiscal stimulus, monetary policy expansion, and institutional bailouts. 2008 is a very tough year for Thailand. Not only is the Global Economic Crisis threatening Thai economy, but also the 2008 flu. The flu directly affected Thai tourism, which is the backbone of Thai economy. However, even the crises are monsters; Thailand is still standing in a very firm place of exporting rice, rubber and tourism. Not only today, but also after decades. Chapter 4: Compete from China. Not only Chinese daily products the only stuff competitive from China, but also foods, heavy industry, mineral materials and so on. In Thailand, Chinese food is one kind of high class treat. Its quite expensive and health. The most famous one could be the Chinese vegetarian. Vegetarianism is only practiced by a relatively small fraction of the population. Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists, following the Buddhist teachings about minimizing suffering. This is also one major reason why the Chinese vegetarian food is quite popular in Thailand. Chinese vegetarian dishes often contain large varieties of vegetables (e.g. Bok Choy, shiitake mushroom, sprouts, corn) and some imitation meat. Such imitation meat is created mostly with soy protein and/or wheat gluten to imitate the texture, taste, and appearance of duck, chicken, or pork. Imitation seafood items, made from other vegetable substances such as konjac, are also available. As for the Chinese industry export, Chinas machinery manufacturing industry can provide complete sets of large advanced equipment, including large gas turbines, large pump storage groups, and nuclear power sets, ultra-high voltage direct-current transmission and transformer equipment, complete sets of large metallurgical, fertilizer and petro-chemical equipment, urban light rail transport equipment, and new papermaking and textile machinery. Machinery and transportation equipment have been the mainstay products of Chinese exports, as Chinas leading export sector for successive 11 years from 1996 to 2006. In 2006, the export value of machinery and transportation equipments reached 425 billion US dollars, 28.3 percent more than 2005. Thermal, hydro and nuclear power industries are the fastest growing of all industrial sectors. At the end of 2004, the installed capacity of generators totaled 440 million kW, and the total generated electricity came to 2,187 billion kwh, ranking second in the world. Power grid construction has entered its fastest ever development; main power grids now cover all the cities and most rural areas, with 501-kv grids beginning to replace 220-kv grids for inter-province and inter-region transmission and exchange operations. An international advanced control automation system with computers as the mainstay has been universally adopted, and has proved practical. Now Chinas power industry has entered a new era featuring large generating units, large power plants, large power grids, ultra-high voltage and automation. There are several countries such as Thailand requesting Chinas help and investment for the industrial sector. China is the third largest country all over the world, and so as the Chinese mineral resource. China is rich in mineral resources, and all the worlds known minerals can be found here. To date, geologists have confirmed reserves of 153 different minerals, putting China third in the world in total reserves. The reserves of the major mineral resources, such as coal, iron, copper, aluminum, stibium, molybdenum, managese, tin, lead, zinc and mercury, are in the worlds front rank. Chinas coal reserves total 1,007.1 billion tons, mainly distributed in north China, with Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region taking the lead. Chinas 46.35 billion tons of iron ore are mainly distributed in northeast, north and southwest China. The country also abounds in petroleum, natural gas, oil shale, phosphorus and sulphur. Petroleum reserves are mainly found in the northwest, northeast and north China, as well as in the continental shelves of east China. The national reserves of rare ea rth metals far exceed the combined total for the rest of the world. Rubber and rice used to be Thailands advantaged exports. However for the last 10 years, China is chasing Thailands heel. Rubber is an important industry for economy all around the world. Its price is usually influenced by the worlds oil price which is feature in changing in rubber price. China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia (rubber garden about 200 hectares, output about 3 million tons) are the most importance producer and exporter for rubber market of the world. The amount of rubber they have produced account for 70%-80% of total world amount on average. Because the rubber is an important industrial crop in these countries, the rubber price has been going up due to increasing in demand for the rubber. These result in an expansion in production area which produces effect on the higher level of rubber output. The information released by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, the output of crude rubber is about 3.2 to 3.3 million tons in 2007 more than previous year and the annual growth is about 5%. This satisfying outcome was caused by the assistance of Chinese government in giving the better breed to the farmer. Most of rubber outputs are profuse in the second and the third quarter in each year, particularly in the southern part of China which is the largest source of domestic rubber production, because that period is humid season in Southern China. There might be a little decreasing in rubber price in that period because of the increasing in supply of rubber. Since the Chinese currency continued appreciation and the demand for rubber was increase, the export price was going up to 2.10 U.S. dollar per kilogram in March on 2007. Why does the price increase in international rubber market? There are two possible reasons. The first one is because some of the primary countries (Thailand and Indonesia) in producing rubber were affected by unfavorable weather, so the output was negatively affected. The second explanation is derived from the increasing demand for rubber in American and China itself, because the price of rubber was going up for a while, so the price was not expected to increase so much in the near future. On October 2008, the domestic price of rubber was going down so rapidly. It decreased to 8 RMB per kilogram in 20 days time. However before that, the purchasing price of fresh rubber is around 15RMB per kilogram and the cost of production is about 5 RMB per kilogram. The loss of the rubber profit is about 100% at that time. The cooperative of Chinese rubber farmers express that Thailand is the foremast partner of commerce in China because of the economic crisis from the U.S, so the exporter was very careful in it. Chinese Ministry of Agriculture adopts the countermeasures which analyze the tendency of international market in the future and establish the solving measures. It has made a commitment with financial institutions to extend the loan repayment period for rubber farmers. This hopefully enables the farmers could reduce their burden associated with rubber production. In addition, the Rubber Association of Asia wants to resolve the problem of lower the price of rubber. They decid ed to stop the production for six month so as to reduce the amount of rubber output and this enhanced the price level. They also suggested Chinese government to add the financial aid but dont interpose the price of rubber. If the price continue going down, the farmer may choose chopping the rubber trees to replant other crops and many farmers had already started to chop the rubber tree and sealing it. Furthermore, the farmers confronted with immense pressure from synthetic rubber, many rubber gardens change to replant other crops. Many other Chinese resources and products are also very much competitive, especially for Thailand. Thailand doesnt have many resources to use, thus if Thailand still want to improve the GDP they will have to import goods from China. Why China? The reason is not only the cheap price, but also the very convenient geographical location. Chapter 5: Solution of Thai-na Intersect. There are several solutions for avoid the incoming challenge and further crises. One of the most important progresses for the Thai-na trading is the China-Thailand FTA. The China-Thailand FTA was signed in June 2003 and came into effect four months later in October 2003. It is an early harvest agreement on farm trade alone, whereby both countries opened their agricultural markets before the broader China-ASEAN FTA comes into force in 2010. Under the deal, tariffs for 188 types of fruits and vegetables were cut to zero overnight. The China-Thailand FTA has had very strong impacts in Thailand, amply documented by NGOs, farmers groups, academics and the press. Many Thai garlic, longan and other fruit and vegetable producers, especially in the North, lost their livelihoods because they could not compete against the cheap flood of Chinese imports. In fact, despite government reassurances, only Thai cassava exports went up. Investigations showed that Thai produce entering China was left to rot at point of entry, by local warehouse operators, so that it could not actually be commercialized. Cheap Chinese fruits and vegetables, in the meanwhile, were criticized by Thai people for their high pesticide residue levels. But this actually led the two governments to adopt joint private food safety standards (Thai-China GAP), providing yet another boost to corporate farming and further concentration. In all, the China-Thailand FTA has not benefited small farmers on either side of the border. It has only been favorable for businessmen who control the trade and are able to use it to expand their contract farming operations, such as Thailands (ethnic Chinese-owned) Charoen Pokphand Group. After the formation of the FTA, Thailands exports to China are likely to continue to grow over the remainder as massive stimulus spending by Beijing is showing clear signs of

Creating a Robot to Tie a Knot with Lego Mindstorm :: Robotics

Abstract The point of building this robot was to have it successfully complete and tie a knot. The original idea was to have the robot tie knots creating a bracelet. Unfortunately, the process of tying a knot alone was too much work to try and move on to an entire bracelet. I had neither the time nor the insight to build a flexible and usable 'arm.' I tested and modified a design from the Lego Mindstorms book, but found that I could neither open nor close the hand. I continued to further modify the design to be able to grab and let go of string but the result was extremely bulky. Also I could not find a plausible and spaceconstrained way to attach the gears to each of the 'fingers.' The conclusion that I drew was not that the project was impossible but that it needed more time and research. Background The idea for a robot that could neatly and efficiently create a knotted bracelet became a reality after my own experiences of personal pain and triumphs over its creational process. Although the design is merely knotting in a line some people have neither the patience or ability to complete such a simple masterpiece. This is when the idea for a bracelet making robot was first manifested. It is being brought to life for all those who can't or don't want to make one themselves, hence, a robot to do it for them! Unfortunately, two weeks is not enough to make a full blown bracelet making robot. Instead my attempt will be to make a robot that can successfully tie a knot around a string. Which with more time would eventually lead to an entire knotted bracelet. The textile industry has prospered greatly since the age of industry and invention. Cotton, silk, and various other materials are processed and transformed into beautiful fabrics and cloths which soon become clothes and accessories. The flying shuttle was brought to factories in 1733 by the inventor John Kay, improving looms to enable weavers to get their work done even faster. Soon after there came the spinning jenny, and the water frame which became the first powered machine. To be or Knot to be? 3 The inventions kept spewing forth until at last the modern textile machine was born. Most of these are run by computer with nowhere near the machinery. This minimizes injury and ups the efficiency of production. While my robot won't be the next big factory design, it will make a simple but overly complicated knot for a robot. In future years at COSMOS in the robotics cluster, perhaps someone will see my design and continue it, until it completely finishes an entire

Lyrical Violence :: essays research papers

Lyrical Violence Music is a prominent force in adolescent lives; according to the American Medical Association, American adolescents spend a total of four and a half hours a day listening to music and watching music videos. Parents are increasingly weary of suggestive, violent, lyrical content in popular music. A University of California study recently showed that 48% of Americans, including the younger generation, say that violence in popular music should be regulated. In Paducah, the affect of violent lyrical content in popular music has been an ongoing debate since the Heath High School shooting. Another case of a school shooting has shook up a small town in Arkansas called Jonesboro. One of the teen murderers admitted to law enforcement officers that the rap music he listened to might have contributed to his state of mind before the murders, if not his overall decision to gun down his classmates. Mitchell Johnson, the student, said, â€Å"It puts you in a certain state of mind.† This is not only relevant to the music/violence debate but it is a crucial element in understanding what is going on with the modern youth. Clearly, it can not be stated that the sole contributing factor in the student’s decision to commit murder was rap music; but it was a contributing factor. I b elieve that there is a painful and direct correlation between violence in popular music and violence in youth. I do not believe that government regulation, or censorship, is going to fix this problem. For those who debate the adverse effect of violent music on a person’s mind-state, I offer this example. In the early days of jazz, African-Americans would listen to, and play, the music as a release from the racial climate in which they lived. The music, if only for a while, removed their problems. This being the case, how can we deny that music, even without lyrics, has an overwhelming impact on our mind-state. Popular music affects everyone. Some people find that they can’t get a song out of their head after hearing it on the way to work. Other individuals discover that they get sentimental if they hear a song which they danced to at their prom. At funerals, people are brought to tears at the first note of Amazing Grace. While there are almost always other reasons behind the emotion, it is the music that triggers that particular mind state.

Nixon Essay -- essays research papers

Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States of America, was born on January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda in Southern California to Francis A. and Hannah Milhous Nixon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nixon had a very rough childhood. Due to the illness of Richard’s brother, his mother was rarely around. Richard’s father was a very loud man who would beat his sons and enjoyed arguing with everyone, especially when it came to politics. Richard had to help out at the family gas station and grocery store while he was a college student. Nixon grew up harboring resentment toward people who were born into families and privileged and could trade on their social connections. Nixon attended Duke University and graduated from law school there. After graduating, Nixon applied to become an agent with the FBI and was rejected. He was also rejected when he applied to various major law firms. Eventually, Nixon found a job in a small law firm in Southern California. Nixon served as a Naval Officer during World War II. Afterward, he began to climb up the political ladder. He began by first serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and then in the Senate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout Nixon’s career, he used smear-politics to gain victory by viciously attacking his opponents. He used the public’s fear of communism during the Cold War years to his advantage by accusing several of his political enemies of being soft on communism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1952, President Eisenhower agreed to allow Nixon to serve as his running mate although he never really liked him. This was because Nixon would help Eisenhower win California. Six weeks before the election, a bombshell was dropped on the campaign. An illegal secret political fund of Nixon’s was discovered and publicized. Although Nixon was encouraged to withdraw from the ticket, he, instead, went on television and delivered a speech not about receiving bribes or money but about a little dog that his daughter had named Checkers. Eisenhower was convinced to keep Nixon on the ticket when he heard of the positive response of the American people to the â€Å"Checkers Speech.† Eisenhower and Nixon later won the 1952 election by a massive landslide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1956, Nixon was, once again, on the Republican ticket as the vice-presidential candidate. During his second term, Nixon became m... ...le from around the globe. These people included every president who was still living. A Eulogy was given by President Clinton in which he dwelled on Nixon’s great accomplishments, particularly in foreign affairs, rather than on his constitutional crimes such as those pertaining to the Watergate scandal. Summary Richard Milhous Nixon’s life started out being kind of tough but he eventually went on to be able to do great things such as becoming the President of the United States of America. Throughout his life, Richard Nixon did many things that were very great and very impressive but he was also responsible for doing many things that were definitely not so great and impressive. Nixon had a very impressive career when it came to foreign affairs but his career was far less impressive when you look at what was happening in the United States. If Nixon hadn’t been quite so paranoid and insecure in his own abilities, he would have made a far better president. After all, it was his paranoia and his insecurities that led him to forming the â€Å"plumbers† and to authorizing the things that ended up going on at the Watergate complex, which eventually led to his resignation from the Presidency.