Ha Long Essay

A customer buys products based on their look and the quality inside . This is an example of how tourists choose their tourist destination and I have a wonderful destination that everyone should come once time in their life † Ha Long † . Ha Long is one of seven nature wonders of the world. Visiting Ha Long bay, you can experience the diversity of natural views, from sandy beaches to thousand year old rocky mountains. Why should you choose Ha Long bay to visit ? The word Ha Long in Vietnamese means the dragon descends into the sea and he legend says that the island of Ha Long was created by a great dragon who lived in the mountain, it sounds very interesting. First, I will let you know about the wonderful scenery. When you come to Ha Long, you can just describe as a â€Å"wow† , from great father mountain to thousand year old caves, from sandy beach to diving to discover the sea . Ha Long bay will lead you from one surprise to another. Beside that, Ha Long has had a particularly significant position because of its location o​n the important communication and trade route between China, Japan and Thailand , so you can see the great combination of culture of four countries. What will you do when you come to Ha Long bay ? As I said, Ha Long is a great combination of scenary and culture , so there are so many trips that take you to experience the beauty and culture of Ha Long . You will visit Ha Long on a cruise , which is called cruise tour that will lead you visit all places in Ha Long , it looks like you are mixing with the natural , beauty of sea , mountains and caves .Come to Ha Long bay, you will have agreat opportunity to get experience about life on water , which means people live all their life on water , we call that â€Å"fishing village on the sea†. you can also enjoy the fresh seafood, from shrimp, fish, jelly fish to many kinds of seafood that you have never eaten and if you want to cook for yourself , you can do it . Especially , you can try a famous dish of Ha Long † jelly fish noodle† . I promise that Ha Long bay is a value trip that you should try , the friendly traditional of people in Ha Long , the wonderful lanscape. Imagine you are walking up in the beautiful sunshine amid the rock, islets and caves and see  the view of Ha Long bay on the top of the mountain will give you a bird-eye view on the bay. I promise that no place in the world has the wonderful view like Ha Long bay. The experience from one to another will lead you to many surprises, the culture, the landscape, cuisine of Ha Long bay . Do not procrastinate , come to Ha Long and enjoy a wonderful gift of nature.

Huggies Mamy Poko Company Backgorund Essay

Kimberly Clark is founded in 1872 at Neenah, Wisconsin and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is passionate about providing people with essentials for a better life by adding convenience to daily routines with some of the world’s most recognized products. Kimberly Clark has approximately 58,000 employees worldwide and operations in 36 countries. Its sales have increased to $21.1 billion in 2012. Kimberly Clark has many global brands and one of them is Huggies. Huggies diapers were first introduced by Kimberly Clark in 1978, and they’ve been improved nearly every year since. Refastenable diapers, breathable diapers and stretchy diapers are all Huggies firsts. At the controls of the Huggies innovation engine are everyday consumers. The art of understanding and anticipating consumer needs – sometimes before consumers do themselves – has led not only to product advances but the creation of whole new categories, businesses that didn’t exist before. In 1985, Huggies took leadership of the category for the first time, and has been the number one selling diaper in America since 1993. Today, Huggies brand introduces a demonstrably better product every year, and the imperative to innovate extends far beyond the Huggies diaper franchise. It’s no accident that Kimberly Clark offers consumers the number one or number two brand in 80 countries. Unicharm Corporation, MamyPoko Unicharm Corporation is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the manufactured and sale of baby care products, feminine care products and pet care products. Unicharm is established on February 10, 1961. The company operates in three business segments. The personal care segment provides baby care related products, such paper diapers; feminine care related products, such as sanitary items, as well as healthcare related products, including incontinence articles for adults and powder puffs. The pet care segment provides pet food products and pet toiletry products. The others segment is engaged in the gravure printing, processing and sales business, as well as financial business. As of March 31, 2012, the company owned 40 consolidated subsidiaries and two associated companies. MamyPoko is a brand of the company Unicharm that focuses on pant-style diapers for babies. MamyPoko started manufacturing baby diapers since 1981. MamyPoko pants at present are sold in 14 Asian countries. MamyPoko pants come with a core that has maximum absorbent and moisture-locking capacity. MamyPoko diapers come in the following 3 types, MamyPoko tape diapers, extra soft fit and easy fit pants. Apart from manufacturing diapers, the brand also produces baby wipes, both in fragrant and non-fragrant varieties.

Construction contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Construction contract - Essay Example 3 contract gives special emphasis to creating a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation between the parties of the contract and this has been added as the first clause of all NEC3 contracts, giving it a legal value. Another major difference between NEC3 and other forms of contract is the ability of NEC3 to warn the parties of contract about possible risks like increase in cost, delay in completion etc making possible the assessments of risks and timely mitigation through mutual consultation. Under the clause 61.3 the contractor is bound to notify the project manager about any compensation event within 8 weeks otherwise the burden of compensation will lie on the contractor, this clause is partly in conflict with prevention principle and can create legal complexities. NEC3 contract ensures risk management during the very beginning of contract through distribution of responsibilities and creating a ‘legally bound’ mutual trust. By creating an atmosphere of trust and cooperation and through proper documentation NEC3 contract removes the communication deficit between parties of the contract which is a very common reason behind the failure of various projects. The JCT05 or the FIDIC cont ract are more detailed as compared to NEC3 however the simplicity offered by NEC3 is the key to better understanding and grasp by all parties of contract and thus ensuring a collaborative, efficient and good management of the

Project Mgmt Discussion Topic - Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Mgmt Discussion Topic - Week 3 - Essay Example When members of a group are united and committed to achieving and performing their roles and responsibilities on time, they normally achieve the best results by the end of the day. Secondly, group rewards also ensure that the best results are delivered on a specific project. This is because consist of members with expertise in different fields; therefore it takes a short time to deliver the expected results. Unlike individual rewards, group’s rewards ensure that employees in a team interact and develop long lasting professional relationships with other employees when working on a project. Further, group rewards act as a source of motivation for the employees working together on a project (Parker, McAdams & Zielinski, 2000). This ensures that employees are fully satisfied and that they have achieved their expected levels of career development within their set timelines. Therefore, I believe that project managers should emphasize on group reward in order to achieve the outlined above benefits by the end of each project and in the

What do you think are some of the most important events of the 20th Assignment

What do you think are some of the most important events of the 20th century that have changed the shape of human development, and why - Assignment Example This later culminated to the development of Microsoft in the year 1996. Computer invention has played significant roles in the development of humans in a number of ways. Computers have facilitated information discovery and enhanced communication. The First World War took place between 1914 and 1918 while the Second World War took place between 1939 and 1945. These two wars presented the biggest military conflicts in the history of humans. Additionally, great military alliances involving different groups of countries were formed during this time. The First World War pitied the allied powers against the central powers. Apparently, the Allied powers include France, Britain, Japan and Russia while the central powers were Germany, turkey, Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary. Conversely, the Second World War was the most heinous given the genocide against the people of Jewish orientation orchestrated by the Nazis. These two wars provided perfect opportunities for humanity to invent and display their weapons. The Second World War will be specifically be remembered because of the atomic bomb Hiroshima atomic bomb dropped in Japan by the United States (United Nations / Development Pro, 1996, p. 31). Although there have been several inventions before, the invention of the internet has had the most significant revolutions in communication and information like never before. Apparently, the internet has provided widespread information infrastructure based on its initial prototype. Its contribution to human development transcends through all the sectors of the society. The internet provides communication throughout the society by making use of online computer tools for the electronic commerce accomplishment. It also contributes to acquisition of information and several other operations within the community (United Nations / Development Pro, 1996, p. 46). The atomic bomb was the product of the invention of Otto Frisch and Professor Rudolph Peierls from the University

Indirect method vs. Direct method. Statement of Cash Flows Essay

Indirect method vs. Direct method. Statement of Cash Flows - Essay Example Likewise, decreases in the current liabilities are recorded as decreases in the company’s cash inflows. In addition, the indirect method begins with the income statement’s net income data. Further, noncash deductions are added back to the net income to arrive at the correct cash inflow (Stickney, 2009). For example, the income statement shows a deduction for depreciation expense. Since the indirect methods starts with the net income, the depreciation expense reduced the company’s net income amount. Consequently, the proper process is to add back the depreciation expense to the net income. The reason is very obvious. All company expenses have a correspondent credit to cash or cash equivalents. However, there was no cash outflow or payment made when the company debited depreciation expense. To arrive at the amount of cash that flowed into the company’s coffers, the next step is to add back the cash-absent depreciation expense. The same process is applied to the amortization expense. Amortization expense is debited but there is no corresponding credit to cash or cash equivalents.... There is a big difference between the cash inflows from operating activities and the cash inflows from investing activities. The cash inflows from operating activities represent the cash inflows that come from the normal day to day business operations. For example, the company is engaged in the selling of television sets. Cash inflow figure comes from the day to day selling of the televisions sets. In terms of the company’s cash outflows come from the purchase of the television sets from the television store’s suppliers. If the company is a barber shop, the company’s cash inflows come from the customers who pay for their haircuts. The company’s cash outflows include the amounts paid for the electricity that is used to light the barbershop (Stickney, 2009). The cash inflows from investing activities represent just what account states. The amount represents cash inflows and cash outflows from non-operating activities. For example, the grocery company buys st ore inventory. The amount paid for the store inventory is part of cash inflows from operating activities. The company buys the inventory in order to sell the inventories to their current and prospective customers. On the other hand, the company buys the adjacent building. The amount paid for the building is classified as cash outflows from investing activities. The company is investing in the building because the company wants to expand the grocery business. When the company sells its old grocery building at a discounted price, the amount collected is classified as cash inflows from investing activities. The company decides to sell the old grocery building, which was originally recorded as cash outflows from investing activities, when the old grocery building was purchased. In the same

Global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global warming - Essay Example The incidence of climatic disasters is becoming more and more frequent. Hurricanes, floods, drought etc are continuously occurring at different parts of the world. It has been Man induced changes in the environment has been causing changes atmosphere and the ecology, which is eventually leading to climate change and global warming. The objective of this easy is to analyse the causes and impacts of global warming. It has been estimated that the average temperature of the air near earth’s surface has risen by 1.3 Fahrenheit (Venkataramanan & Smitha, 2011). However, this does not mean that every corner of the earth experiences an increase in temperature. This increase in the average temperature of earth has given way to systemic changes in the physical systems of the earth. For instance, the rise in temperature is experienced most in the poles. The systemic effect that this causes is that the ice melts in the poles which cause further change in the climatic patterns and ecologica l patterns in other parts of the globe. The warming in the poles along with change in wind pattern would result in colder winters in continental Europe. Similarly, West Africa would receive more rains while central Africa won’t receive enough rain (Venkataramanan & Smitha, 2011). ... The most important source for this is fossil fuel emissions. Whenever a fossil fuel is burnt in form of fuel as in the case of cars, aero plane or industrial units, carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere and it gets accumulated. The chart below represents the sector wise contribution of green house gas emissions. Fig 1: Sector wise contribution of green house gas emission Source(Venkataraman & Smitha, 2011) The natural form of reversal of this accumulation process is the vegetation which absorbs carbon dioxide as a source of energy. However, the indiscriminate human intervention with the green cover of the earth is hindering this natural process. Deforestation limits the scope of carbon emitted into the atmosphere being absorbed by plants. Thus the amount of carbon in the atmosphere keeps increasing causing the globe to be warmer. Moreover, when plants are destroyed and they decay, the carbon stored in them is released back into the atmosphere which aggregates the problem. There are natural systems which are called ‘carbon sinks’ which stores carbon for thousands of years. The chain of activities as explained above results in these carbon sinks to fail. If the carbon stored in these carbon sinks are released, it may result in detrimental effects on earth’s various systems. It has been found that oceans which are carbon sinks are failing in their capacity to store carbon (Venkataramanan & Smitha, 2011). This is resulting in ocean water to turn acidic. This would in turn mean that ocean life will largely be affected. It is the green life within the ocean that helps the ocean to store carbon (Barnett, et al. 2005). Thus this act like a chain reaction where in the ocean turns acidic and the plants

Most people believe they directly and completely perceive the world Essay - 1

Most people believe they directly and completely perceive the world that surrounds them - Essay Example It is the very sense that causes us to come up with innovative things and creative ideas. Often, we come across illusion images concentrating upon which for some time, we acquire the image in our eyes that we retain for some time, though there are none other than biological reasons behind this. The images are reflected against plain white background for a matter of seconds. As we see around after that, the memory of the image fades away. Contexts in which stimuli are experienced greatly affect human perception and remembrance of those stimuli. This was confirmed in a research conducted by Palmer. In his study, Palmer first made the research participants see a kitchen scene, and the participants were immediately then shown a loaf of bread, a drum and a mailbox (Sternberg, Mio, and Mio 112). Later when the participants were asked to memorize the things they were shown, all of them remembered the loaf of bread much better than the other two things because the loaf of bread was consistent with the context that the participants were originally shown. Taking the results of this research into consideration, it can be safely said that human perceptions of things are determined by the contexts in which they experience the stimuli. The doctrine of constructivism makes a lot of emphasis upon the meaning. Constructivism, is in itself a theory that revolves around learning. The main idea behind the doctrine of constructivism is that an individual constructs knowledge on the basis of his/her mental activity. The doctrine of constructivism considers learners as the organisms that actively seek knowledge and meaning. Initially, meaning is constructed in such a way that its relationship is very weak with reality, like the mindset of children, who are in constant phase of discovering the world and perceiving it. However, with the passage of time, as an individual gains more and more experience, the concepts become

On Site Wellness Programs in Corporate America Essay Example for Free

On Site Wellness Programs in Corporate America Essay On site wellness programs are now focal points in major corporate organizations in America, as company managers attempt to improve the health and well being of their employees, in order to control health care costs. Some health conditions can be diagnosed early by building health awareness among employees, and carrying out screening campaigns. Early diagnosis also ensures that health problems are treated on time, to decrease the risk of complications arising, thus reducing overall health care costs, and improving or maintaining employees’ optimal health status, and work performance. In the early 1990s, managed care plans were implemented, which helped in the control of increasing health care costs. Organizations continued throughout the 1990s to upgrade their health care plans, in an effort to further reduce health care costs. As we entered the beginning of the millennium, it became increasingly difficult for these modifications to contain the continuous rise in health care costs. It became clear that it was necessary have additional measures in place. Wellness in a corporate environment begins with a conscious decision to shape employees’ habits to fit into a healthy lifestyle. This conscious effort is a much better alternative in the long run, than dependency on drugs and doctors. This encompasses employee education, fitness, adequate and proper nutrition, stress reduction and mental health. Most times, employees in a corporate organization are plagued by Poor exercise habits, High stress levels, High cholesterol, Former or current use of tobacco products, and extreme weight (either too high or too low body weight). Employees whose lifestyles include health risks like smoking, drinking, and who get little or no exercise become overweight at a rate that is 75% higher than those of employees who participate in wellness programs and activities. High-risk employees at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing company who improved their health habits through the company’s health promotion program and became low risk cut their average medical claims in half thus lowering their medical insurance costs by an average of $618 per year. If all high-risk employees (20% of the total employee population) in one location changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three years. The Steelcase study that correlated health risk and lifestyle assessments with medical claim costs showed that employees who were high risk in 1985 but had shifted to a low risk profile by 1998 had much lower medical claims from 1988-1990. (2004). In 1985, Average annual claims increased from $1,155 to about $1,677. Medical claims also remained at approximately the same level for low risk employees, both in 1985 and 1988. But those who went from low risk to high risk in the same period saw an increase in their medical claims from about $655 to $1,513. Ten years into a 20-year study of Steelcase Inc, a conducted by the University of Michigan, the following results were evident high-risk employees who dropped to low-risk through participation in health and fitness programs at work decreased their average annual medical claims by 54 percent. In contrast, high-risk individuals who remained high-risk increased their costs by 26 percent. And low-risk employees who became high-risk increased their annual claims by 130 percent. To establish and continue with a corporate lifestyle that is consistent with wellness principles of wellness and well-being on a daily basis, is not an easy task . Most people who do not indulge in exercise and wellness activities say that they simply don’t have time to exercise. Indeed, various work-life surveys have shown that about 84. percent of employees in corporate organizations are in a constant struggle to maintain their fitness levels and their health. In 1999, a study on corporate wellness was carried out by the Lewin Group. This study confirmed that obesity among corporate employees greatly increases the risk of developing chronic heath conditions, and it was also discovered that about 22% of the working adult population have obesity related problems. Obesity and excess weight are directly responsible for 31% of health care costs in corporate America. The fifteen ailments involved in the study included breast cancer, arthritis, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, Type II diabetes, end stage renal disease, gall bladder disease, heart disease, hypertension, renal cell cancer, sleep apnea, liver disease, low back pain, urinary incontinence, and stroke. People with a BMI (Body Mass Index) that is above 35 are 6. 61 times more at risk of having Type II diabetes than people with a BMI that is less than 25. employees with high BMI are also 3. 77 percent more at risk of being hypertensive. Lifestyle related conditions are disorders that can be positively or negatively impacted by lifestyle behaviors such as eating habits, wellness checkups, exercise, safety habits, and alcohol and substance abuse. Other behaviors such as adherence to physician prescribed therapies and medication have a direct impact on outcomes and utilization. By practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors and adhering to prescribed plans of care, individuals can improve their health and decrease risk of illness, accident or injury. By doing so, related health care costs can be significantly reduced. Lifestyle Related Conditions also account for over 50% of health care related costs (CDC). Research indicates that early detection and/or practice of health promoting behavior can significantly decrease the severity of Lifestyle Related Conditions (hypertensives can be removed from medication, etc. ) or even prevent their occurrence (cancer, heart disease, etc. ). There are effective programs available that use the latest behavior change techniques that are designed to reduce risks and associated costs for illness, prevent illness, and help individuals develop patterns of behavior that enhance their health. It has also been found that one in every four Americans suffer from have high blood pressure but 35% are undiagnosed (AHA). Undiagnosed individuals sometimes end up in emergency situations or when diagnosed, their illness is at a more costly, critical stage like bone fracture, stroke, heart attack, late stage cancer, blindness, and so on. 50% of men and 33% of women are going to get cancer in their lifetime; and 2/3rds of the time it could have been prevented. Research indicates that approximately 13% of women and 9% of men fail to get the care they need.

Public Examination Should Not Be Abolished Essay Example for Free

Public Examination Should Not Be Abolished Essay While several states are implementing some form of standards-based reform, there is very little empirical evidence to prove that standards, assessment, and high-stakes accountability programs are effective in improving public schools. In many states, such as California, attempts to implement standards-based reform are inconsistently or carelessly aligned with quality research. The following are some of the shortcomings of standards-based reform. 1. Recent reports on the standards-based reform movement in New York suggest that in many schools the careless implementation of standards and assessment may have negative consequences for students. Vague and unclear standards in several subject areas in several states complicate matters and do not serve as concrete standards defining what students should know and be able to do. 3. Top-down standards imposed by the federal or state government are also problematic. They impose content specifications without taking into account the different needs, opportunities to learn, and skills that may be appropriate for specific districts or regions. Table 1: Advantages of SBA compared with external examinations Point Characteristics of SBA Characteristics of Exams Scope Extends the range and diversity of assessment collection opportunities, task types and assessors Much narrower range of assessment opportunities: less diverse assessment; one exam per year Authenticity Assessment done by students own teacher; less possibility of cheating as teacher knows student capabilities; assessments more likely to be realistic Removes assessment entirely from teaching and learning; stressful conditions may lead to students not demonstrating real capacities Validity Improves validity through assessing factors that cannot be included in public exam settings Limits validity by limiting scope of assessment, e. g. difficult to assess interaction skills in exam environment Reliability Improves reliability by having more than one assessment by a teacher who is familiar with the student; allows for multiple opportunities for assessor reflection/standardisation Even with double marking, examiners judgments can be affected by various factors (task difficulty, topic, interest level, tiredness, etc); little opportunity for assessor reflection / review Fairness Fairness is achieved by following commonly-agreed processes, outcomes and standards; teacher assumptions about students and their oral language levels is made explicit through collaborative sharing and discussion with other teachers Fairness can only be achieved by treating everyone the same, i. e. setting the same task at the same time for all students. Feedback Students can receive constructive feedback immediately after the assessment has finished, hence improving learning The only feedback is usually a grade at the end of the course; no opportunities for interaction with assessor; no chance to ask how to improve Positive washback (beneficial influence on teaching and learning) Ongoing assessment encourages students to work consistently; provides important data for evaluation of teaching and assessment practices in general Examination is purely summative, and does not serve any teaching-related purpose; effects on teaching and learning may even be negative; may encourage teaching to the test and a focus on exam technique, rather than outcomes. Teacher and student empowerment Teachers and students become part of the assessment process; collaboration and sharing of expertise take place within and across schools Teachers play little to no role in assessment of their students and have no opportunity to share their expertise or knowledge of their students; students treated as numbers Professional development Builds teacher assessment skills, which can be transferred to other areas of the curriculum Teachers have no opportunity to build their assessment skills; get little or no feedback on how to improve as teachers

The Ultimate Tragic Hero King Lear English Literature Essay

The Ultimate Tragic Hero King Lear English Literature Essay King Lear, one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies, depicts a society in grim circumstances. As with all tragedies, there exists a tragic hero  [1]  , one who possesses a fatal flaw that initiates the tragedy and all the sufferings that follow. In this play, the tragic hero is undoubtedly the title character, King Lear. The plot is driven by the power and consequence of losses, more specifically, the losses of Lear. In the course the play, King Lear, because of his flaws, loses his authority as a king, his identity as a father, and his sanity as a man. One loss builds on another, but moreover, his greatest loss, and what distinguishes this tragedy from all others, is his chance of redemption. Unlike other tragedies, there is no salvation for the tragic hero or any sign of optimism in the conclusion. This bleak portrayal of King Lear, through his losses, makes him the ultimate tragic hero, and the play an ultimate tragedy. The play begins with King Lears decision to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. This is the first sign of Lears loss the loss of authority. Wanting to abandon his responsibilities before his time, Lear claims, tis our fast intent / To shake all cares and business from our age, / Conferring them on younger strengths while we / Unburdened crawl toward death (I.i.38-41). It can be argued that his flaw is in his decision to prematurely abdicate the throne, going against nature. However, it is more crucial to realize that his major flaw is actually in his character, shown through his judgment in renouncing his power. Lear carries immense insecurity and egotism as he announces that he will offer the largest share of kingdom to the daughter who professes the greatest love for him. Goneril and Regan both proclaim in fulsome terms that they love him more than anything in the world, while Cordelia speaks from her heart in honest terms that she loves him exactly as a daughter should love her father. Valuing self-importance above all else, Lear is blind to the loyalty and love of Cordelia and instead, perceptive to the flattery of his two vile daughters. Furthermore, Lear is infuriated when Kent objects and protests to his decision: Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least, / Nor are those emptyhearted whose low sounds / Reverb no hollowness (I.i.153-155). This fatal flaw of insecurity and egotism induces Lear to make error in his judgment, resulting in the improper division of his kingdom and the loss of his two most loyal companions Cordelia and Kent. The consequences of this error build up throughout the play, leading to Lears ultimate tragic fall. Lears lost royal authority now transfers to his two daughters, Goneril and Regan, and they deceitfully use this power against him. Ironically, Lear also falls in status, to a level inferior to that of his own children. Goneril no longer loves him beyond all manner and Regan no longer is an enemy to all other joys as they have professed in the beginning (I.i. 61, 73). Instead, Goneril reprimands his father for the way his servants and knights have infected her home (I.iv.237). Regan follows suit, and insist that The old man and his people/ Cannot be well bestowed (II.iv.258). His daughters no longer even respect him. Lear has now lost his identity as a father, since he even confesses that [He] should be false persuaded / [He] had daughters (I.iv.227-228). Troubled and confused, Lear reveals his weakened sense of identity when asking Who is it that can tell me who I am (I.iv.224). Stripped of authority as king, Lear has now also lost authority as a father over his own flesh and blood. King Lears banishment from his daughters undoubtedly has tremendous psychological effect on him. He not only loses youth as he crawl toward death, but also loses sanity as his heartà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦break into a hundred thousand flaws and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦go mad (I.i.41, II.iv.284-286). With so much suffering already thrown upon Lear due to his tragic flaw, it seems that Shakespeare has now shown pity and decided to set the stage for a reversal of fate. Losing sanity has given King Lear the opportunity to discover the truth and the core of humanity. With disapproval of Regan and Goneril, Lear heads outside, where a wild storm takes place. In this time of chaos, Lear meets Edgar as Poor Tom and gains profound revelation of man and life. Seeing Poor Tom bare, at humans most natural state, Lear questions, Is man no more than this? and realizes that the unaccomodated man is no more but such a poor, bare, forked animal as thou art (III.iv.103-104, 107-109). He continues with disrobing himsel f, and at the same time, removing himself from any social constraints. It is at the extreme low point that Lear strips of his rationality and relies on his inner instincts to fully grasp his identity and regain his humanity. He now understands the deep love of Cordelia and the disguise employed by his other daughters. The real King Lear finally emerges. Although Shakespeare creates this turning point for Lear, he is actually paving the way for a greater tragedy. Lear loses everything he has authority, family, and sanity, but now he faces his greatest loss the chance for redemption. After the storm, Lear is finally reunited with Cordelia as he struggles to regain his sanity. Cordelia  never loses her love for her father even after he has disowned her, and after seeing him, she cries, O my dear father, restoration hang / Thy medicine on my lips, and let this kiss / repair those violent harms that my two sisters / have in thy reverence made (IV.vii.27-30). The mention of restoration signifies Cordelias ability to redeem Lear of his previous mistakes. When Lear wakes up, he admits, I am a very foolish fond old manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I fear I am not in my perfect mind (IV.vii.61,65). This reveals Lears new regained understanding of himself and his admittance to his faults, a sign of the first step towards redemption. At this point, after all the turbulence, the audience takes a sigh of relief, feeling positive and seeing hope for Lear. Unfortunately however, this play does not leave any traces optimism. In the final act, Edmund captures Lear and Cordelia as his prisoners, and orders both to be killed. Lear escapes, but Cordelia, his loyal and loving daughter, dies. Lear finally realizes only Cordelia can give him a chance which redeem all sorrows that ever [he] have felt (V.iii.272-273). Her death breaks the last thread between Lear and happiness. He expresses his deepest sufferings and declares his sorrows when sees Cordelia has gone foreverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Shes dead as earth (V.iii.265-267). With nothing left, not even the future and possibility for redemption, Lear loses the only possession that remains his life. King Lear is truly a tragic hero because he was so close to happiness after much torment, yet he is still unable to achieve salvation, and instead, he is subjected to complete deterioration, both mentally and physically. Is this the promised end? Kent, Lears loyal servant, questions at the end of the play (V.iii.270). Indeed, this is the tragic end of King Lear, a play displaying a world of corruption. King Lear, due to his tragic flaw of insecurity and egotism, makes an initial mistake that soon snowballs into a series of losses, including the loss of authority, identity and sanity. Just as he is about to redeem himself, he is deprived of that chance as he losses the only one capable of restoring him Cordelia. The play ends with the ultimate downfall of the tragic hero, as Lear dies in a state of grief. In this way, King Lear portrays not only the tragedy of a society, but more importantly, the tragedy of a man. Even though Lear has undergone much transformation and realized the meaning of humanity, the bleak society he lives in does not warrant him the opportunity for redemption. Through revealing his losses, King Lear illustrates the journey of the title character, an ultimate tragic hero.

Korean And Vietnam Wars Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Korean War would be a radical step in fighting wars, as well as the feelings people had toward the war. All wars in American History fought before the Korean War were based on either national survival or the gain of territory. A strong conflict was created between the Soviet Union and the United States. From this conflict, tension was so strong that wars were fougt in the midst of this Cold War. The Korean War was the first America ever waged that was not fought for national survival, for territory, for manifest destiny or for hegemony. Korea was the first ideological war;" (Coppel, 505). For example the American revolution was based on national survival. The people of the thirteen colonies wanted a nation in which they were free of Britain's tyranny. They wanted to live as an independent nation and survive as one. The American Civil War was another example of national survival. President Lincoln had the point that if the war was unsuccessful or was pushed in the right direction then the nation would be divided into the north and south. World War One was fought as a result of both the gain of territory and national survival. Austria-Hungary was expandingt into western parts of Russia and northern Italy. It was also conquering the nations to the east and taking control of their governments. The Allied powers sought to stop this expansion and war broke out in Europe. The United States then sent of troops to assist France and Great Britain in the conflict. At the end of World War One, Austria-Hungary was divided up, its territory formed many new nations as well as r estored land to already existing nations. In World War Two, much of the same circumstances were present with events that contributed to the escalation of the war, and the involvement of the United States. Germany, under the rule of Hitler was expanding very slowly across Europe. It took land to the east and west of them, took over many of the new nations created by the Versailles treaty, as well as disregarding many laws passed during the Versailles treaty. As the war continued, France was taken over, and Stalin gave Germany a large area of land that belonged to Russia when the country withdrew from the war. These countries needed to be restored and Germany needed to be pushed back to its original boarders. Japan which was also ... ...ietnam Veterans say that they are glad they served , and seventy four percent say that they would serve again even knowing the outcome. Those men Bibliography Benvin, Alexander. Korea: The First War We Lost New York: Hippocrene Books Inc., 1986. Jones, James. Viet Journal New York: New York Times Magazine Hapers and Oui, 1974. Knox, Donald; Alfred Coppel. The Korean War: Pusan to Chosin Orlando, Florida: Harcourt and Brace Javanovich Publishers, 1985. Knox, Donald. The Korean War: Uncertain Victory Orlando, Florida: Harcourt and Brace Javanovich Publishers, 1988. Patti, Archemedes. Why Vietnam? Berkly and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 1980. Zagora, Donald S. Vietnam Triangle Western Publishing Company, 1967. "Vietnam War." Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1995. "Korean War." Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1995. "The Vietnam War." The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. 1996. Kovencz, John. Personal Interview. Roush, Gary. Statistics About the Vietnam War http://www.vhfcn.org/stats.htm, 2000. Yue, Dongxiao. Korean War Faq http://centurychina.com/history/krwarfaq.html, 1998.

Essay --

In today’s ever competitive global market, marketers are finding themselves having to grapple with an increasingly difficult issue about branding and their brands. Many marketing managers have to deal with questions of what are the most effective and efficient means to building a strong brand and sustaining it. Pick up any marketing textbook and most will define brands as a name, design, terms, symbol, or any combinative feature that identifies and differentiates one seller’s good or service from those of other sellers. (American Marketing Association) In other words, it is everything that a consumer can retain in their mind about the product or service produced by a particular organization. Brands are often evoked or symbolized using a variety of features belonging to the brand. These features represent all the past experience and expectation a consumer has received about that brand. When we think about brands in the likes of Apple, Bmw, Victoria Secret, and Disney, we not only read into them our experiences with the brand but their features triggers a mental model in our minds. It creates a certain perception of quality, expectations and position in our minds. They connect the products attributes and brand association between the corporations and users. (Biel, 1991) With that said, branding that could create a lasting impression into the minds of its consumers plays an important part for any successful business. It can be used to enhance business performance as brand themselves are used as an implied tool that can positively influence people’s buying behaviors and work as a driving force to convey the business’ message and stay in the customer’s mind. Consequently, studies have been made and the results showed that consumer’s ... ...uality. It was often times like those where it was difficult to measure how good a product is from an unfamiliar brand, hence loyalty was a way of reducing risk. (Simonson & Rosen, 2014). Consumers today are far better informed and likely to investigate the value of products than just to rely on intrinsic values of brands before purchase. Consumers are empowered to do their own research about whatever they want to buy. This trend started with Consumer Reports, which produced reports on objective studies about products and further enhanced with the rise of the internet, which has given ordinary consumers access to expert reviews, user feedback, and details about product data, in an assortment of product categories. A study conducted showed that in 2012, seventy-two per cent of consumers in the U.S look at online reviews before making major purchases (Coopers, 2012).

Bureaucratic Management Essay

The concept of bureaucracy as a form of organization has become the basis for scholars and practitioners to determine and evaluate other forms of organizations. It is observed that whenever an organization is described, one always says it is either bureaucratic or non-bureaucratic. This paper will identify the characteristics of bureaucratic organizations and determine whether these characteristics are still present among organizations of today. This essay is outlined according to the following structure: The first part introduces the reader to Max Weber and his idea of the bureaucratic organization. The major characteristics of the bureaucracy will be presented and discussed in accordance with the original ideas propounded by Weber himself, either through his own writings or those who have exhaustively studied his works. The second part will be a discussion of why the bureaucratic forms developed, interpreted to mean a discussion of their causes as well as the reasons why the bureaucracy flourished as a model of an organization. The final part is a qualified assessment of whether the bureaucratic model of organizations is still being used by present-day organizations or whether organizations have outgrown it and have found the more effective form. Some examples will be given as to what organizational structures or forms are being used by modern organizations. From these will be determined if organizations are now in the post-bureaucratic period. Bureaucracy as a concept of organization was a contribution to theory attributable to either Karl Marx or Max Weber. However, since much of the writings of Karl Marx are more ideologically focused on the philosophical and social aspects, especially with his concept of revolutionary communism, Max Weber has come to be known as the proponent of the concept of bureaucracy. It is safe to believe at this point though, that Max Weber was highly influenced by the writings of Karl Marx and from whose ideas some his bureaucratic concepts are anchored. This essay will focus on the ideas advanced by Max Weber regarding the bureaucratic organization. The description â€Å"Weberian†, referring to his model of bureaucracy, has become a comfortable term to use in bureaucratic literature. Being the major contributor to social theory with his idea of the bureaucratic organization, Max Weber finds himself in major written works, proving his important place in social and political theory. The reasons for his importance are discussed in the Weber book edited by Sam Whimster entitled The Essential Weber: A Reader.   Some reasons provided are: the concept of the work ethic; the idea of rationality as applied to the capitalist enterprise, the bureaucratic organization, and legal systems; discipline; the legitimacy of power and leadership; a general theory of power based on the Marxist idea of social classes; among others.[1] Having said this, one wonders why Weber’s bureaucracy is considered the â€Å"ideal organization† or the â€Å"ideal-type† organization. What makes it become the model for future organizations? What are the main characteristics of the bureaucratic organization? To know these characteristics will help one understand why his model is considered to be an ideal model. The Main Characteristics of Bureaucratic Management The idea of bureaucracy elicits varied reactions from different people. Some agree with the idea of achieving order through its prescribed system of doing things. Others though condemn it for causing problems like delays, corruption, being too impersonal, etc.   In order to put all these in their proper perspective, a good starting point is to define the concept of bureaucracy. The first and most common word one comes across in literature related to bureaucracy is the word rationality. Quoting Weber, Neil Garston defines bureaucracy in the book Bureaucracy: Three Paradigms by way of the categories of rational legal authority.   Authority in this sense is equated to bureaucracy and involves the following: [2] 1. A continuous organization of official functions bound by rules 2. A specified fear of competence involving spheres of obligations marked by division of labor; incumbent being provided with authority to carry out functions; clearly defined means of compulsion 3. The organization of offices follows the principle of hierarchy 4. The rules which regulate the conduct of an office may be technical rules or norms 5. Administration is completely separated from ownership 6. Complete absence of appropriation of his position by the incumbent 7. Administrative acts, decisions and rules are formulated and recorded in writing. Garston goes on to describe the purely bureaucratic organization as â€Å"being from the technical point of view, capable of attaining the highest degree of efficiency and is in this sense the most rational means of carrying out imperative control of human beings.[3] From above description of bureaucracy, a rational organization for Weber is an organization that is governed by a system of rules and procedures. The rationality in his ideal organization is its capability to be efficient through methods of carrying out control over human beings. The aspects of being stable and reliable make the organization ideal. The rules which are observed with much discipline make the organization less prone to instability because there will be none or very little room for sudden changes which may result in the breakdown of the system. In short, Weber advocates an organization that is governed by rules which are universally and strictly followed by people who are qualified and properly trained. Below is a further explanation of the characteristics of a bureaucratic organization, as presented in the initial part of the essay: 1. A continuous organization of official functions bound by rules The application of rules is for everyone and the rules have to be complied with. Rules are applied irrespective of the position and not the person who occupies the position. 2. A specified sphere of competence involving spheres of obligations marked by division of labor; incumbent being provided with authority to carry out functions; clearly defined means of compulsion. Work is divided among the staff, each one with his own set of responsibilities as well as the means of doing them.   The different position titles reflect the nature of how work is divided among the staff, each position has corresponding obligations and responsibilities. 3. The organization of offices follows the principle of hierarchy The organization is characterized by positions of authority structured in a hierarchy, which means that, according to Weber, each lower office is controlled and supervised by a higher one. And consequently, there are positions that have more power. 4. The rules which regulate the conduct of an office may be technical rules or norms. This means that the organization is staffed by qualified people because only those who pass the standards get hired. The basis of both the selection and promotion of employees is the employees’ technical qualifications. As an example, in the specific area of HR, the Personnel Manual codifies the qualification criteria for the selection and hiring of employees. 5. Administration is completely separated from ownership 6. Complete absence of appropriation of his position by the incumbent Both characteristics refer to the aspect of separating administration from ownership in bureaucratic organizations. The means of administration do not belong to the bureaucrat but are concentrated at the top. Thus the position of the official cannot be sold or inherited and it cannot be appropriated and integrated in his private patrimony.[4] The means of production and  administration referred to include the physical equipment like computers, documents, buildings, etc. 7. Administrative acts, decisions and rules are formulated and recorded in writing.   Weber advocates the recording of rules and all acts of administration through written forms, which he referred to as â€Å"the files†. Weber uses the terms â€Å"rational† and â€Å"bureaucratic† in his model. From this, bureaucracy is sometimes called the bureaucratic rationality theory. An assessment of this idea was made by   Stanley Udy Jr. in the article â€Å"Bureaucracy and Rationality in Weber’s Organization Theory: An Empirical Study. The specifications made by Weber were reformulated as either â€Å"bureaucratic† or â€Å"rational† variables. The study proposed the positive and negative associations between the variables from a comparative analysis of 150 formal organizations in 150 non-industrial societies: â€Å"(a) bureaucratic variables are positively associated; (b) rational variables are positively associated; but (c) rational variables are negatively associated with bureaucratic variables†.[5]   This is interpreted to mean that there are certain characteristics of Weber’s bureaucracy that are considered rational, some are considered bureaucratic but not all of them are both bureaucratic and rational. This is really proof of how much dissected the bureaucratic theory is. How about the effect of bureaucracy to the people within the organization? The bureaucracy, with all its characteristic features, is seen as producing two views of the human outcomes, the positive and the negative views. According to the negative view, the bureaucratic form of organization stifles creativity, fosters dissatisfaction, and demotivates employees while in the positive view, bureaucracy provides the needed guidance and clarifies responsibilities, thereby easing role stress and helping individuals be and feel more effective.[6] The Development of Bureaucratic Forms In the writings of Weber, there were already indications of a bureaucratic organization as early as in the middle ages under the rule of the kings. Kings during that time ruled on traveled around ruling the country on horseback, bringing with them sometimes an army of men who took his orders. We have seen this scene fully documented in movies of ancient times where the king, with just a simple signal, can get his men to follow all his orders, from simple documentation to the complex instructions about going into battle. Weber saw this  as a sign of bureaucracy with his idea of the â€Å"bureau†. From this ancient practice developed the concept of the modern bureaucracy.   Presently though, the bureau as Weber described it is structured in a variety of ways, but the main idea of having staff and having an office still remains. Weber called the ancient practice as the â€Å"bureaucratization of the army†.[7] Weber’s works are dominated by the term â€Å"rationalization†. This seemed to have moved him to write about the bureaucratic model as an ideal type organization. According to him, this concept of rationality can help organizations achieve their objectives. The early theories and models of organizations, which are considered traditional, were highly criticized by Weber, saying they are either irrational or non-rational. Being a sociologist mainly, he believed that the use of religion or even magic in ruling is not effective. The traditional forms were not systematic and there were no rules, leaders only relied on feelings and supernatural explanations or perhaps their charisma. While Max Weber considered history to be a force in motivating him to write about bureaucracy, another author provides another dimension to how bureaucratic forms of  organizations developed. Contentions were made relative to Hegel’s Theory of Bureaucracy.   One is that Hegel’s theory is as comprehensive as Weber’s ideal type of bureaucratic organization in that the paradigm of Weber could fit in a reformulation of Hegel’s model.   A second contention made is that Hegel adapts the Aristotelian category of practical judgment to characterize the bureaucratic activity as subsumption. The Weberian concept of rationality is even helpful in the clarifying the difficulties in Hegel’s political thought. This leads to the third contention that Hegel’s model can contribute to a theory of bureaucracy that is more applicable to modern political and social reality.[8] This whole idea of comparing Hegel and Weber and even using the ideas of Aristotle proves that the bureaucracy is an idea that is not only forced by history but also one that is a natural way of organizations. The scholars and other students of bureaucracy only attempted to improve what has already been an idea and a model in the minds of the thinkers. Thus it can be said that the bureaucracy developed as a result of the need to improve the traditional methods of establishing the structures for organizations. While organizations were not really devoid of structure then, the weaknesses in their models became a motivation to come up with better models. The ideas of the bureaucracy were borne out of the need to make them more efficient by following the structure proposed by Weber. The presence of a system of rules governing administration is believed by Weber to be an important component of being able to run the affairs of the organization very smoothly. This is especially true among formal organizations as they are more applicable to them. Another reason is the need to do away with the subjectivity and personal biases governing human organizations. This means that when there are standardized rules, the  possibility of a lot of personal favors may be avoided. It is considered ideal to have the rules universally applied so that there are no personal biases that may arise. The â€Å"personalization† of the positions sometimes cause complex problems arising out of differences in perceptions and attitudes. The impersonal touch of organization is seen to be beneficial in order that rules may be universally applied more easily. The bureaucracy also developed further as it was seen to be continuously pertinent   .. even in today’s socioeconomic and cultural life. This is the position espoused in the book Max Weber and the New Century. The book advances the position that Weber’s ideas are still preeminent and continue to have lasting vitality within social theory. By applying them to topics of contemporary concern, they are expressed in different cultural forms. Sica calls the study of Weber’s works â€Å"a universe of Weberian analysis†.[9]   

End of Poverty Guide Essay

Sachs throws out the normal ways of thinking about the causes of poverty in countries, for instance that people are lazy or stupid, or the countries are not democratic, and that corruption is wide-spread. Fifty percent of the world’s population exists on less than one dollar per day. He believes that much of the problem is structural, which can only be dealt with through the help of the rich countries. Sachs believes, first of all, that all current debt owed by the poor countries should be cancelled. Secondly, if the rich countries would increase their development aid from .2% to .7% there would be enough money available to increase the economic growth so that all countries would no longer be extremely poor. If MAI is to become known as an agency which teaches a new way of dealing with poverty, then we need to become aware of this book and Sachs understanding and approach to poverty. Chapter Twelve really speaks to CHE. I have tried to review what has appeared to me to be the most salient points, chapter by chapter. All chapters are not treated equally. I primarily do this exercise for myself to help me understand the key points from the book. If they are of any help to others, then that is a plus. I have gone into more detail in the other synopsis I have done because of the possible guidance this book can give us for a new paradigm for dealing with poverty individually, locally, nationally and globally (which in reality we are already on the road in doing). Some things are both structural and governmental issues and I am not suggesting that we get involved in these, but change must begin at the village level and then we can scale up our strengths from there. Chapter One–A Global Family Portrait Sachs sets the stage for his thesis and book using examples of Malawi, Bangladesh, India, and China to show different levels of poverty. He talks abut the ascending ladder of economic development for countries. †¢ Lowest are those who are too ill, hungry, or destitute to get even a foot on the bottom rung of the development ladder. They make up the bottom 1/6 of the world’s population, or one billion people. They are the poorest of the poor and live on less than $1 a day. †¢ A few rungs up the ladder at the upper end of the low-income countries are another 1.5 billion people. They live just above the subsistence level. These two groups make up 40% of the world’s population. CHE targets both of these groups, and especially with the first group. †¢ Another 2.5 billion include the IT workers of India. Most of them live in the cities and are moderately poor. †¢ One billion or one-sixth of the world come from the rich developed countries. Sachs says the greatest tragedy of our time is that one-sixth of the world’s population is not even on the first rung of the ladder. A large number of the extremely poor in level one are caught in the poverty trap and cannot escape it. They are trapped by disease, physical isolation, climate stress, environmental degradation, and extreme poverty itself. He breaks poverty into three levels: †¢ Extreme poverty means households cannot meet basic needs for survival. This only occurs in developing countries. World Bank says their income is less than $1 a day. †¢ Moderate poverty is where needs are generally just barely met. World Bank says this represents countries where their income falls between $1 and $2 per day. †¢ Relative poverty generally describes household income level at being below a given percentage of the average national income. You find this in developed countries. He then presents the Challenge of our Generation which includes: †¢ Helping the poorest of the poor escape the misery of extreme poverty and help them begin their climb up the ladder of economic development. †¢ Ensuring all who are the world’s poor, including moderately poor, have a chance to climb higher in economic development. He believes that the following can be done: †¢ Meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. †¢ End extreme poverty by 2025. †¢ To ensure well before 2025, that all of the world’s poor countries can make reliable progress up the ladder of economic development. †¢ To accomplish this with modest financial help from the riches countries, which will be more than is now provided per capita. Chapter Two–The Spread of Economic Prosperity Sachs uses several graphs in this chapter. I will not go into detail on these, but I will point out some salient points: †¢ All regions of the world were poor in 1820. †¢ All regions experienced economic progress, though some much more than others. †¢ Today’s richest regions experienced by far the greatest economic progress. As an example, Africa has only grown at .7% a year while the USA at 1.7%. This may not seem much, but when compounded year-by-year, it results in the great differences between the two. †¢ The key fact today is not the transfer of income from one region to another, but rather that the overall increase in the world’s income is happening at different rates in different regions. Until the 1700’s, the world was remarkably poor by today’s standards. A major change was the industrial revolution coming to certain regions and not to others. The steam engine was a decisive turning point because it mobilized the vast store of primary energy which unlocked the mass production of goods and services. Modern energy fueled every aspect of the economic takeoff. As coal fueled industry, industry fueled political power. Britain’s industrial breakthrough created a huge military and financial advantage. But Britain also had existing individual initiative and social mobility than most other countries of the world. They also had a strengthening of institution and liberty. Britain also had a major geographical advantage–one of isolation and protection of the sea, in addition to access to the oceans for worldwide transportation for their goods and importation of other countries’ goods. Sachs then goes on to outline what has fostered major economic growth: †¢ Modern economic growth is accompanied by people moving to the cities, or urbanization. This means fewer and fewer people produce the food that is required for the country. Hopefully, food price per farmer decreases as larger plots are farmed more productively. This also means sparsely populated land makes good sense when many farms are needed to grow the crops, but sparse land makes little sense when more and more people are engaged in manufacturing in the cities. †¢ Modern economic growth fostered a revolution in social mobility which affected social ranking of people. A fixed social order depends on status quo and agrarian population. †¢ There is a change in gender roles with economic development. This affects living conditions as well as family structure. The desired number of children decreases. †¢ The division of labor increases. By specializing in one activity instead of many, producti vity increases. The diffusion of economic growth occurred in three main forms: †¢ From Britain to its colonies in North America, Australia and New Zealand. (It was therefore relatively straight-forth to transfer British technologies, food crops and even legal institutions.) †¢ A second diffusion took place within Europe that ran from Western Europe to Eastern Europe, and from Northern Europe to Southern Europe. †¢ The third wave of diffusion was from Europe to Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Sachs believes that the single most important reason for prosperity spread is the transmission of technology and the ideas underlying it. The technological advances came at different times. †¢ The first wave revolved around the invention of the steam engine which led to factory-producing goods. †¢ The second wave in the 19th century was led by the introduction of the rail and telegraph. It also included the introduction of steam ships instead of sailing ones, and the construction of the Suez Canal. †¢ The third wave was initiated by electrification of industry and urban society. Along with this came the development of the internal combustion engine. †¢ The fourth wave came in the 20th century with the globalization of the world due to new methods of communication starting in Europe. †¢ There came a time of a great rupture which took place with the start of World War I, and sidetracked economic development for awhile. This led to the Great Depression which led to World War II. †¢ A fifth wave took place right after World War II, and in 1991. It began with the massive efforts of reconstruction of Europe and Japan right after World War II. Trade barriers began to come down. There were three worlds: the first was the developed West, the second was comprised of Socialist countries, and the third was made up of undeveloped countries (which were made up of the old colony countries). The world therefore progressed on three tracks. The problem was that the second and third worlds did not share in economic growth and actually went backward. By closing their economies, they closed themselves off from economic development. So what did this mean to the poorest of the poor countries? †¢ They did not begin their economic growth until decades later. †¢ They faced geographical barriers of being land-locked †¢ They faced the brutal exploitation of the colonial powers. †¢ They made disastrously bad choices in their national policies. Chapter Three–Why Some Countries Fail In this chapter, Sachs looks at the cause of poverty and possible solutions. He first deals with, how a family’s per-capita income might increase: †¢ The first way is through savings– either in cash or similar assets like animals, etc. †¢ The second way is shifting to crops that bring a higher yield per hectare, and then adding value to the crop (which is what we teach in our PAD training). †¢ The third way is adopting new technology, which improves their productivity. †¢ The fourth way is resource boom, which means to move to a much larger and more fertile farm. The flip side of increasing their economic growth is by decreasing their per capita income which is more than just the opposite of the above factors: †¢ Lack of savings is of course one way to reduce per capita income. †¢ Lack of trade, meaning that a household hears of the new crop but cannot take advantage of it and stays with what they have. †¢ Technological reversal is when something like HIV hits an area and children lose their parents etc. †¢ Natural resource decline is where the land becomes less and less fertile producing less and less crops. †¢ Adverse Productivity Shock is where a natural disaster hits like a drought, tsunami, earthquake, typhoon, etc. †¢ Population growth lessens per capita income where the father has two hectares of land and it is divided among his five sons at his death. Now Sachs begins to get into the true heart of poverty on a country level: †¢ The poverty trap itself is where poverty is so extreme that the poor do not have the ability by themselves to get out of the mess. †¢ Physical geography plays a major role where countries are land-locked with poor or no roads, a lack of navigable rivers, or situated in mountain ranges or deserts with an extremely high transportation cost. The low productivity of the land is another factor in the geography. †¢ The fiscal trap is where the government lacks the resources to pay for the necessary infrastructure on which economic growth depends. †¢ Government failure happens when the government is not concentrating on high priority infrastructure and social service projects. †¢ Cultural or religious barriers especially as it relates to gender inequality play a significant role in dampening economic growth. †¢ Geopolitics such as trade barriers can impede economic growth. †¢ Lac k of innovation and technology plays a role if people cannot try new things because they cannot risk failure, or because they do not have funds to do so. Sachs believes that over the span of two centuries, the lack of using new technology is why the richest and poorest countries have diverged. †¢ He shows a scatter-gram graph showing there is a demographic trap as well. The higher the fertility rate, the lower rate of economic growth there is in a country. When they have too many children, they cannot invest in education, nutrition, or health, except maybe for the oldest male. One of the best ways to lower the number of children per family is through the education of the girls. Sachs then goes into detail in putting countries into different classes. He points out that none of the rich countries in North American, Western Europe or East Asia have failed to grow economically. All the problems lie in the developing world where 45 of these countries had a fall in GDP. Not all of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. He also points out that the oil-exporting and ex-Soviet countries, all high income countries, did not increase their economic growth evenly, primarily because of their authoritarian political structure. He also points out that the most important factor is agriculture. Those countries that used high yield cereals per hectare and that used high levels of fertilizers are the poor countries that tended to experience economic growth. In Africa, the land is much less densely populated but they use neither high yield cereals nor fertilizers and they had falling food production per capita. But they also have far less roads for transporting extra crops to markets and they depend on rainfall which is generally more erratic than high-producing agricultural countries. He also goes on to point out the following: †¢ Economic growth is rarely uniformly distributed across a country. †¢ Governments also fail in their role in allowing growth that might enrich the rich households, while the poorest living in the same area seldom seem to benefit. †¢ Another detriment to growth can be culture especially as it relates to women inequality. Chapter Four–Clinical Economics (CE) Sachs compares clinical economics to clinical medicine. He lays out five parameters for Clinical Economics: †¢ CE is made up of complex systems. The failure in one system can lead to cascades of failures in other parts of the economy. You therefore need to deal with very broad and multiple issues. †¢ CE practitioners need to learn the art of clinical diagnosis. The CE practitioner must hone-in on the key underlying causes of economic distress and prescribe appropriate remedies that are tailor-made to each country’s condition. †¢ Treatment needs to be viewed in family terms, not individual terms. The entire world is part of each country’s family. If countries work together they can have far more impact than working in isolation. †¢ Good CE practice requires monitoring and evaluation. More than just asking if the goals are being achieved, but also asking â€Å"why?† and â€Å"why not?† †¢ The development community lacks the requisite ethical and professional standards. Economic development does not take its work with the sense of responsibility that the task requires. It demands that honest advice be given. He points out where economic development practice has gone wrong: †¢ The rich countries say, â€Å"Poverty is your own fault. Be like us, have a free market, be entrepreneurial, fiscally responsible and your problems will be gone†. †¢ The IMF period of structural adjustment which supposedly dealt with the four maladies of poor governance, excessive government intervention in the markets, excessive government spending, and too much state ownership were not solved by the IMF prescription of belt tightening, privatization, liberalization, and good governance. †¢ The responsibility for poverty reduction was assumed to lie entirely with poor countries themselves. He then lays out his differential diagnosis for poverty reduction. He believes the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) goes a long way in reducing poverty. Once the diagnosis is completed, a proper treatment regime must be carried out. In doing differential diagnosis, questions must be asked in each one of the following areas: †¢ Identify and map the extent of extreme poverty– from the household level all the way up through the community to the country to the state– in all areas of life. †¢ The second set of questions deals with the economic policy framework. †¢ The third set deals with the fiscal framework. †¢ Fourth deals with physical geography and human ecology. †¢ Fifth, the questions deal with the patterns of governance. History has shown that democracy is not a prerequisite for economic development. †¢ Sixth are questions which deal with cultural barriers that hinder economic development. †¢ The last are questions that are related to geopolitics which involves a country’s security and relationship with the rest of the world. The next six chapters, five through ten, deal with specific countries that have gone through this process, and their results. His results are quite impressive. I will not deal much with each country, but an individual chapter might be of interest to the RC involved if he is interested in such things. Chapter Five–Bolivia’s High Rate of Inflation Problem: A hyperinflation rate of 3000% (30 times) between July 1984 and July 1985 with a longer term hyperinflation rate of 24,000%. Lessons Learned: †¢ Stabilization is a complex process. Ending a large budget deficit may be the first step but controlling the underlying forces that cause the budget deficit is much more complex. †¢ Macroeconomics tools are limited in their power. †¢ Successful change requires a combination of technocratic knowledge, bold political leadership, and broad social participation. †¢ Success requires not only bold reforms at home, but also financial help from abroad. †¢ Poor countries must demand their due. Chapter Six–Poland’s Return to Europe Problem: By the end of 1989, Poland had partially suspended its international debt payments. The economy was suffering from high rate of rising inflation and there was a deepening political crisis. Sachs’ approach in Poland, as in other countries, was built on five pillars: †¢ Stabilization–ending the high rate of inflation, establishing stability and convertible currency. †¢ Liberalization–allowing markets to function by legalizing private economic activity (ending price controls and establishing necessary laws). †¢ Privatization– identifying private owners for assets currently held by the state. †¢ Social net–pensions and other benefits for the elderly and poor were established. †¢ Institutional Harmonization–adopting, step-by-step, the economic laws, procedures, and institutions. Lessons Learned: †¢ He learned how a country’s fate is crucially determined by its specific linkages to the rest of the world. †¢ Again the importance of the basic guidance concept for broad-based economic transformation, not to stand alone with separate solutions. †¢ Saw again the practical possibilities of large-scale thinking †¢ He learned not to take â€Å"no† for an answer, press on with your guidance. †¢ By the time a country has fallen into deep crisis, it requires some external help to get back on track. †¢ This help may be in the form of getting the basics right which includes debt cancellation and help to bolster confidence in the reforms. Chapter Seven–Russia’s Struggle for Normalcy Problem: The Soviet Union relied almost entirely on its oil and gas exports to earn foreign exchange, and on its use of oil and gas to run its industrial economy. In the mid- 1980’s, the price of oil and gas plummeted and the Soviet Union’s oil production began to fall. Sachs suggested three actions of the West (but generally they were ignored by the West): †¢ A stabilization fund for the ruble. †¢ Immediate suspension of debt repayment followed by cancellation of their debts. †¢ A new aid program for transformation focusing on the most vulnerable sectors of the Russian economy. Lesson Learned: †¢ Despite much turmoil and rejection much went right so that eventually Russia became a lopsided market economy, still focused on oil and gas. †¢ Russia has a gigantic land mass which causes it to have few linkages with other nations of the world. †¢ Their population densities are low and agrarian and food production per hectare remains low. Over history, 90% of the population has been rural, with cities few and far between. This hinders economic growth. †¢ Without adequate aid, the political consensus around the reforms was deeply undermined, thereby compromising the reform process. Chapter Eight–China Catching Up after a Half Millennium Being Isolated Problem: China lost its economic and cultural lead that it had in its early history. Sachs points out five dates which caused this: †¢ 1434 China had been the technological superpower. This year Emperor Ming closed China to the rest of the world and stopped their advanced ship fleets from going out to the world. †¢ 1839 China finally ended its economic isolation. †¢ 1898 Several young reformers tried to gain power and were stopped. †¢ 1911 Ching Dynasty collapsed and by 1916 China was falling into civil unrest. Their military took control of the empire. †¢ 1949 the rise of the Maoist Movement. He then compares China to Russia: †¢ The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe had massive foreign debt while China did not. †¢ China has a large coastline that supported its export growth, while Russia and Eastern Europe do not. †¢ China had the benefit of large off-shore Chinese business communities which acted as foreign investors, while Russia and Eastern Europe did not. †¢ The Soviet was experiencing a drastic decline on their main export product, oil and gas. †¢ The Soviet Union had gone further down the industrialization road than China. Chapter Nine–India Market Reform Which Was the Triumph of Hope Over Fear Problem: India was controlled by a business, British East India Company, which was driven by greed, and it did everything to maximize profit for the company at the expense of the country. Though India’s population throughout history has been Hindu, vast numbers of Muslims and Christians lived in and sometimes dominated the land. India had poor political and social structures because the land was broken into many small kingdoms governed by many different leaders. In addition, India has the caste-system of stratification of peoples. With independence from the British in 1947, Nehru looked for a path to self- sufficiency and democratic socialism. The Green Revolution had a major impact on the country as high yield crops were introduced. By 1994, India now faced four major challenges: †¢ Reforms needed to be extended especially in liberalization and the development of new and better systems. †¢ India needed to invest heavily in infrastructure †¢ India needed to invest more in health and education of its people, especially the lower castes. †¢ India needed to figure out how to pay for the needed infrastructure. Lessons Learned: †¢ The 21st century is likely to be the era when this poor country’s economic development is substantially reversed. †¢ The country has announced electricity for all as well as essential health services and drinking water for everyone. These are achievable goals and the basis for much-needed investment. †¢ The Hindus did not stifle growth. The Green Revolution and then market reforms overrode the rigidness of the caste-system and the slow growth of the 1950’s and 1960’s. †¢ India has become increasingly urbanized, thereby further weakening the caste-system. †¢ Democracy is wearing away age-old social hierarchies. †¢ India has grabbed the potential of the internet and IT and is leading the way for developing nations in this regard. †¢ India’s varied geography and its miles and miles of shoreline fosters its market position for the manufacture of products. Chapter Ten–Africa and the Dying Problem: Three centuries of slave trade were followed by a century of colonial rule which left Africa bereft of educated citizens and leaders, basic infrastructure, and public health facilities. The borders followed arbitrary lines, not historic tribal lines which now divided former empires, ethnic groups, ecosystems, watersheds, and resource deposits. The West was not willing to invest in African economic development. Corruption was not the central cause for their economic failure as he showed. In the 1980’s, HIV became the worse killer of mankind. In 2001, life expectancy stood at 47 years, while East Asia stood at 69 years, and developed countries at 78 years. Sachs spends time looking at the major diseases of malaria, TB, diarrhea, and HIV. He says poverty causes disease and disease causes poverty. Lessons Learned: †¢ Good governance and market reform alone are not sufficient to generate growth if a country is in a poverty trap. †¢ Geography has conspired with economics to give Africa a particularly weak hand. Africa lacks navigable rivers with access to the ocean for easy transport and trade. †¢ Africa lacks irrigation and depends on rainfall for their crops. †¢ Farmers lack access roads, markets, and fertilizers, while soils have been long depleted of their nutrients. Chapter Eleven–The Millennium, 9/11, and the United Nations. The beginning part of this chapter deals with the Millennium Development Goals. Sachs says that the goals and commitment to reach them by 2015 convey the hope that extreme poverty, disease, and environmental degradation could be alleviated with the wealth, the new technologies, and global awareness with which we entered the 21st century. He says the first seven goals call for sharp cuts in poverty, disease, and environmental degradation, while the eighth goal is essentially a commitment to global partnership. Because you have all seen them, I am not including them here. Regarding 9/11, he says we need to keep it in perspective. On 9/11, 3000 people died for once and for all, but 10,000 people die each day from diseases that are preventable. He believes we need to address the deeper roots of terrorism of which extreme poverty is an important element. The rich world needs to turn its efforts to a much greater extent from military strategies to economic development. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke of freedoms we were fighting for in WWII and for which we still should be attempting to accomplish: †¢ Freedom of speech and expression everywhere in the world. †¢ Freedom for every person to worship God in his own way everywhere in the world. †¢ Freedom from want which translates into economic development. †¢ Freedom from fear which translates into a worldwide reduction in armament, a reduction to such a point that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor. One major thing he is suggesting is that the rich countries elevate their giving to .7% of their GNP from the average of .2% it is today. The rest of the chapter is about President Bush and the USA policies and actions. Chapter Twelve–On-The-Ground Solutions for Ending Poverty This chapter is really talking about CHE, but Sachs does not realize it. He says that the world’s challenge is not to overcome laziness and corruption but rather to take on geographic isolation, disease, vulnerability to climate shocks, etc. with new systems of political responsibility that can get the job done. He talks about a village of less than 1,000 in western Kenya, in a Sauri sub-location (in Siaya district in Nyanza province) that he visited, which opened his eyes. He found what we find place after place– that they are impoverished, but they are capable and resourceful. Though struggling to survive, presently they are not dispirited but determined to improve their situation. He then goes on to describe the needs of a rural African community, the same type of community that we deal with every day, as shown in the abundance of applications we receive for CHE. A major problem, he feels, is that the farmers do not have the money to buy fertilizer that would impact their crop productivity drastically. Also they have no school or clinic. He then begins to calculate what it would cost per person to bring a school and teachers, simple clinic and staff, medicines, agriculture inputs such as seed and fertilizer, safe drinking water and simple sanitation, and power transport and communication services. The total cost for Sauri is about $350,000 a year, which converts to $70 a person per year, which could revolutionize the community. If he did CHE, the total cost and per person cost would be greatly reduced. He then goes ahead and extrapolates this up for the country of Kenya to $1.5 billion. At the same time he points out that Kenya’s debt service is $600 million a year and that it needs to be cancelled. But one problem that donors talk about is corruption needing to be eliminated. If countries do not eliminate corruption, they would not be eligible for relief. Also, a budget and management system need to be designed that will reach the villages and be monitorable, governable, and scalable–a set of interventions to ensure good governance on such a historic project. The key to this is to empower village-based community organizations to oversee village services. Most of what he says in this chapter sounds like CHE to me, but we can do it at even a lower cost and we have the experience to implement it. That is why I said earlier that we need to talk to Sachs about CHE. He then goes on with this theme but changes the venue from rural to urban in Mumbai, India in a slum community built smack up against the railroad tracks, one-house deep. He points out the outstanding needs are not latrines, running water, nor safety from trains, but empowerment so they can negotiate with the government. He then mentions that several groups have been found and empowered to do this in this community. Again sounds like CHE for urban poor. Sachs says what this community needs is investments in the individual and basic infra-structure that can empower people to be healthier, better educated, and more productive in the work force. CHE deals with the individual side of the equation. He ends this chapter by discussing the problem of scale. He says everything must start with the basic village. The key is connecting these basic units together into a global network that reaches from impoverished communities to the very centers of power and back again. This, too, is what we are talking about when we describe scaling-up and creating a movement and then forming it into councils and collaborative groups. He believes the rich world would readily provide the missing finances but they will wonder how to ensure that the money made available would really reach the poor and that there would be results. He says we need a strategy for scaling up the investments that will end poverty, including governance that empowers the poor while holding them accountable. I believe CHE fits his prescription. Chapter Thirteen–Making the Investments Needed to End Poverty Sachs says the extreme poor lack six kinds of capital: †¢ Human Capital: health, nutrition, and skills needed for each person to be productive. †¢ Business Capital: the machinery, facilities, and motorized transport used in agriculture, industry and services. †¢ Infrastructure Capital: water and sanitation, airports and sea ports, and telecommunications systems that are critical inputs for business productivity. †¢ Natural Capital: arable land, healthy soils, biodiversity, and well- functioning ecosystems that provide the environmental services need by human society. †¢ Public Institutional Capital: commercial law, judicial systems, government services, and policing, that underpin the peaceful and prosperous division of labor. †¢ Knowledge Capital: the scientific and technological know-how that raises productivity in business output and the promotion of physical and natural capital. He spends several pages on charts showing income flow. He also uses the example of child survival and how it applies to the six kinds of capital. He makes the point that even in the poorest societies, primary education alone is no longer sufficient. He says all youth should have a minimum of 9 years of education. He says technical capacity must be in the whole of society from the bottom up. He talks about trained community health workers and the role they can play. Villages around the world should be helped in adult education involving life and death issues such as HIV. The main challenges now is NOT to show what works in small villages or districts but rather to scale up what works to encompass a whole country, even the world. Again sounds like CHE and where we are going. He goes through several examples where major diseases are being dealt with such as malaria, river blindness, and polio, as well as spread of family planning. He also briefly talks about the cell phone revolution by the poor in Bangladesh and how East Asia has established Export Processing Zones, all of which are improving the life of the poorest of poor nations. Chapter Fourteen–A Global Compact to End Poverty He says the poorest countries themselves must take seriously the problem of ending poverty and need to devote a greater share of their national resources to accomplish this. Many poor countries pretend to reform while rich countries pretend to help them. The chronic lack of donor financing robs the poor countries of their poverty-fighting zeal. We are stuck in a show play that is not real. There are two sides in a compact. In this compact, there should be the commitment in the rich countries to help all poor countries where the collective will to be responsible partners in the endeavor is present. For the other poor countries where authoritarian or corrupt regimes hold sway, the consequences for the population are likely to be tragic but the rich countries have their limits also. He spends time looking at several countries that have Poverty Reduction Strategies where some are working and some not. Ghana is a star in his book. He says a true MDG-based poverty reduction strategy would have five parts: †¢ A Differential Diagnosis which includes identifying policies and investments that the country needs to achieve the MDGs. †¢ An Investment Plan which shows the size, timing and costs of the required investments. †¢ A Financial Plan to fund the Investment Plan, including the calculation of the MDG financing gap, the portion of the financial needs that donors will have to fill. †¢ A Donor Plan which gives multi-year commitments from donors for meeting the MDGs. †¢ A Public Management Plan that outlines the mechanisms of governance and public administration that will help implement the expanded public investment plan. During the 1980’s and 1990’s, the IMF forced Structural Readjustment on the poor countries which did not work. The poor were asked to pay all the expenses for new services. They then moved to a compromise called Social Marketing where the poor were asked to pay a portion of the expense. But neither plan worked because the poor did not have enough even to eat, much less pay for electricity. He says a sound management plan should include the following: †¢ Decentralize. Investments are needed in all the villages and the details for what is needed needs to be established at the village level through local committees, not the national capitol or Washington DC. †¢ Training. The public sector lacks the talent to oversee the scaling up process. Training programs for capacity building should be part of the strategy. †¢ Information Technology. The use of information technology–computers, e-mail and mobile phones– needs to increase drastically because of the dramatic increase of knowledge that needs to be transmitted. †¢ Measurable Benchmarks. Every MDG based poverty reduction strategy should be supported by quantitative benchmarks tailored to national conditions, needs, and data availability. †¢ Audits. No country should receive greater funding unless the money can be audited. †¢ Monitoring and Evaluation. Each country must prepare to have investments monitored and evaluated. He then goes through the following Global Policies for Poverty Reduction: †¢ The Debt Crisis. The poorest countries are unable to repay their debt, let alone carry the interest. Therefore, for each country that agrees to the guidelines noted previously, their debt must be cancelled if there is to be true poverty reduction. †¢ Global trade Policy. Poor countries need to increase their exports to the rich countries and thereby earn foreign exchange in order to import capital goods from the rich countries. Yet trade is not enough. The policy must include both aid and trade. The end of agriculture subsidies is not enough for this to happen. †¢ Science for Development. The poor are likely to be ignored by the international scientific community unless special effort is made to include things that help the poor. It is more critical to identify the priority needs for scientific research in relation to the poor than to mobilize the donor community to spur that research forward. That would include research in tropical agriculture, energy systems, climate forecasting, water management, and sustainable management of ecosystems. †¢ Environmental stewardship. The poorest of poor nations are generally innocent victims of major long-term ecosystem degradation. The rich countries must live up to the ecology agreements they have signed. The rich countries will have to give added financial assistance to the poor countries to enable them to deal with the ecosystem problems. The rich countries will have to invest more in climate research. Chapter Fifteen–Can The Rich Afford to Help the Poor? He asks the question â€Å"Can the rich countries help the poor?†, and his answer is â€Å"Can they afford not to do so?† He gives five reasons that show that the current effort is so modest. †¢ The numbers of extremely poor have declined close to 50% two generations ago to 33% a generation ago to 20% today. †¢ The goal is to end extreme poverty, not all poverty, and to close the gap between the rich and the poor. †¢ Success in ending the poverty trap will be much easier than it appears. Too little has been done to identify specific, proven, low-cost interventions that can make a difference in living standards and economic growth (CHE does this). †¢ The rich world is vastly rich. What seemed out of reach a generation or two ago is now such a small fraction of the vastly expanded income of the rich world. †¢ Our tools are more powerful than ever, including computers, internet, mobile phones, etc. He then spends time in doing calculations to show how this can be accomplished. First he starts with the World Bank. They estimate that meeting basic needs requires $1.08 per person per day. Currently, the average income of the extremely poor is 77 cents per day, creating a shortfall of 31 cents per day or $113 per person per year. He then shows that this represents only .6% of a nation’s GNP. The MDG target which many countries have agreed to is .7% of their GNP. Later on, he shows that the USA is only spending .15% for aid to the world. Sachs then spends time on a six-step process to do a needs assessment to come up with the real number needed: †¢ Identify the package of basic needs. †¢ Identify for each country the current unmet needs of the population. †¢ Calculate the costs of meeting the unmet needs through investments, taking into account future population growth. †¢ Calculate the part of the investments that can’t be financed by the country itself. †¢ Calculate the MDG financing gap that must be covered by donors. †¢ Assess the size of the donor contribution relative to donor income. He proposes that interventions are required to meet the following basic needs: †¢ Primary education for all children with a designated target ratio of pupils to teachers. †¢ Nutrition program for all vulnerable populations. †¢ Universal access to anti-malarial bed nets for all households in regions of malaria transmission. †¢ Access to safe drinking water and sanitation. †¢ One-half kilometer of paved roads for every thousand population. †¢ Access to modern cooking fuels and improved cooking stoves to decrease indoor air pollution. He states extreme poverty (a lack of access to basic needs) is very different from relative poverty (occupying a place at the bottom of the ladder of income distribution) within rich countries, and goes through a more detailed approach of implementing the six steps. He points out that not all donor assistance is for development. Much is used for emergency relief, care for resettlement of refugees, geopolitical support of particular governments, and help for middle-income countries that have largely ended extreme poverty in their country. Also, only a small portion of development aid actually helps to finance the intervention package. Much of it goes for technical assistance which is not part of the MDG numbers. He spends time on the question, â€Å"Can the USA afford the .7% of their GNP?† He responds with a deafening â€Å"Yes!† He does this in multiple ways, one of which is to show that the increase is only .55%, which would be hardly noticed in the US’s average 1.9% increase year-by-year of its GNP. Chapter Sixteen–Myths and Magic Bullets This is an interesting chapter because Sachs shoots down commonly held beliefs concerning the causes and solutions for poverty. He uses Africa as his case to do so:. †¢ Contrary to popular conception, Africa has not received great amounts of aid. They receive $30 per person per year but only $12 of that actually went to be used in development in Africa. $5 went to consultants of donor countries, $3 went to food and emergency relief, $4 for servicing Africa’s debt and $5 for debt relief. In reality, in 2002, only six cents per person went to development. †¢ Corruption is the problem which leads to poor governance. By any standard of measure Africa’s governance is low, but not due to corruption. African countries’ governance is no different than other poor countries in the rest of the world. Governance improves as the people become more literate and more affluent. Secondly, a more affluent country can afford to invest more in governance. †¢ There is a democracy deficit. This is also not true. In 2003, 11 countries in Africa were considered free, with 20 more partially free, and 16 not free. This is the same as is found in other regions of the world. Democracy does not translate into faster economic growth. †¢ Lack of modern values. Again, this is also false. Virtually every society that was once poor has been castigated for being unworthy until its citizens became rich and then their new wealth was explained by their industriousness. He traces this trend in multiple countries. One major factor that does cause change is the change in women’s position in society as their economic situation improves, which accelerates the growth. †¢ The need for economic freedom is not fully true. Generally market societies out perform centrally planned economies. This leads to the thought that all is needed is that the people must have the will to liberalize and privatize which is too simplistic. He shows that there is no correlation between the Economic Freedom Index and annual growth rate of GDP. †¢ The single idea of Mystery of Capital put forth by Hernando de Soto which relates to the security of private property including the ability to borrow against it is also incorrect. Most poor hold their assets such as housing and land. †¢ There is a shortfall of morals which is thought to be the main cause of HIV in Africa. A study shows that Africa men are no different in the average number of sexual partners they have than any other part of the world. †¢ Saving children only to become hungry adults leads to population explosion. Actually it has been shown that the best way to reduce the fertility rate is to increase the economic status. In all parts of the world (except the Middle East) where the fertility rate is over 5 children, those countries are the poorest ones. As children survive, the parents feel less of a need to have more children which is a result of improved economic conditions. †¢ A rising tide lifts all boats. This means extreme poverty will take care of itself because economic development will pull all countries along to improvement. A rising improvement does not reach the hinder lands or mountain tops. †¢ Nature red in tooth and claw means that economic improvement is based on survival of the fittest and those who cannot compete fall behind. This is a Darwin thought which seems to still prevail throughout the world. Competition and struggle are but one side o f the coin which has the other side of trust, cooperation, and collective action. He rejects the doomsayers who saying that ending poverty is impossible. He believes he has identified specific interventions that are needed as well as found ways to plan and implement them at an affordable rate. Chapter Seventeen–Why We Should Do It There are several fallacies which affect the USA’s giving: †¢ The American public greatly overestimates the amount of federal funds spent on foreign aid. The US public believes that the government is providing massive amounts of aid. A 2001 survey by the University of Maryland showed that people felt that US aid accounted for 20% of the federal budget versus the actual of .15%. That is 24 times smaller than the actual figure. †¢ The American public believes that the US military can achieve security for Americans in the absence of a stable world. This has been proven untrue especially with 9/11. †¢ There is a fallacy in belief that there is a war of cultures. For many, this relates to Biblical prophesy of Armageddon and end times. The problem in the US is not opposition to increased foreign aid but a lack of political leadership to inform the public how little the US does supply, and then asking the US public to supply more. Hard evidence has established a strong linkage between extreme poverty abroad and threats to national security. As a general proposition, economic failure (an economy stuck in a poverty trap, banking crisis, debt default or hyper-inflation) often leads to a state failure. A CIA Task force looked at state failures between 1954 and 1994 and found that the following three factors were most significant in state failure: †¢ Very high infant mortality rate suggested that overall low levels of material well-being are a significant factor in state failure. †¢ Openness of the economy showed the more economic linkages a country had with the rest of the world, the lower chance of state failure. †¢ Democratic countries showed fewer propensities to state failure than authoritarian regimes. He then reviews what the US government has committed to since 9/11: †¢ Provide resources to aid countries that have met national reform. †¢ Improve effectiveness of the World Bank and other development banks in raising living standards. †¢ Insist on measurable results to ensure that development assistance is actually making a difference in the lives of the world’s poor. †¢ Increase the amount of development assistance that is provided in the form of grants, not loans. †¢ Since trade and investment are the real engines of economic growth, open societies to commerce and investment. †¢ Secure public health. †¢ Emphasize education. †¢ Continue to aid agricultural development. In reality, little progress has been done by the US to the accomplishment of these goals. But he does spend time discussing where plans were established and that funds were flowing where massive amounts of aid were provided by the USA: †¢ End of World War II with the Marshall Plan which revitalized Europe and Japan. †¢ Jubilee 2000 Drop the Debt Campaign started slow but ended up with large amount of national debt being cancelled in the poorest of countries. †¢ The Emergency Plan for HIV is providing $15 billion to fight this pandemic. The bottom line of this chapter is, â€Å"OK, USA and other rich countries, you are saying good things, now step-up to the plate and do what you have agreed to do.† Chapter Eighteen–Our Generation’s Challenge Our generation is heir to two and a half centuries of economic progress. We can realistically envision a world without extreme poverty by the year 2025 because of technological progress which enables us to meet basic needs on a global scale. We can also achieve a margin above basic needs unprecedented in history. Until the Industrial Revolution, humanity had known only unending struggles against famine, pandemic disease, and extreme poverty–all compounded by cycles of war, and political despotism. At the same time, Enlightenment thinkers began to envision the possibility of sustained social progress in which science and technology could be harnessed to achieve sustained improvements in the organization of social, political, and economic life. He proposes four thinkers which led this movement: †¢ Thomas Jefferson and other founders of the American Republic led the thought that political institutions could be fashioned consciously to meet the needs of society through a human-made political system. †¢ Adam Smith believed that the economic system could similarly be shaped to meet human need and his economic design runs parallel to Jefferson’s political designs. †¢ Immanuel Kant called for an appropriate global system of governance to end the age-old scourge of war. †¢ Science and technology, fueled by human reason can be a sustained force for social improvement and human betterment led by Francis Bacon and Marie-Jean-Antoine Condorcet. Condorcet put much emphasis on public education to accomplish the goals. One of the most abiding commitments of the Enlightenment was the idea that social progress should be universal and not restricted to a corner of Western Europe. He said now it is our generation’s turn to help foster the following: †¢ Political systems that promote human well-being †¢ Economic systems that spread the benefits of science, technology, and division of labor to all parts of the world. †¢ International cooperation in order to secure a perpetual peace. †¢ Science and technology, grounded in human rationality, to fuel the continued prospects for improving the human condition. He then spends three or four pages discussing the good and bad points of the Anti-globalization Movement which is taking place. He also spends time discussing three movements which made these kind of changes in the world in their time: †¢ The end of Slavery †¢ The end of Colonization †¢ The Civil Rights and Anti-Apartheid Movement He closes with discussing the next steps which are: †¢ Commit to ending poverty †¢ Adopt a plan of action built around the Millennium Development Goals †¢ Raise the voice of the poor †¢ Redeem the role of the United States in the world †¢ Rescue the IMF and World Bank †¢ Strengthen the United Nations †¢ Harness global science †¢ Promote sustainable development †¢ Make a personal commitment to become involved Summary This is an interesting book with new perspectives for me, and which is beginning to be taken seriously by the world. I believe, as stated earlier, that MAI’s role is on-the-ground solutions for ending poverty through CHE which is spelled out in Chapter 12. But, as also noted, we can do it at a far lower cost than he estimates because of our commitment to empowering people to do things on their own and primarily with their own funds.