Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Private Public partnership

Over the last few decades, our administration focuses on developing our economy where they can address the problem of poverty and of modernization on the Philippines. As our country is still developing and the government resources are limited, new ideas and strategies such as partnerships are needed. This highly evolved development strategy is nowadays termed as Public Private Partnerships (Pops), is a cooperative venture between the public and private sectors in the provision of goods or services which is traditionally provided by the state (Recite &Affable, 2006). The public and private sectors have common goals and their partnership can take advantage of the separate strengths of each to achieve their objectives. On the Executive Summary of Proceedings about Public-Private Partnerships in the Social Sector they elaborated that the private sector exists to make a profit and applies market-based solutions to problems while the public sector attempts to ensure equity and access for c itizens and redresses problems of market failure (Asian Development Bank Institute, 1999).On view of this program, there will e greater opportunities that will come in the future especially in developing our country economically. The program caters mainly to the needs of the public users and also it creates an environment where there will always be consistent growth. Many are still skeptical and in fear of the Private Public Partnerships. Mainly because of there is a conflict of interest between the public and private sector and also there is a chance of higher transaction cost due to its long term contract. An article entitled, For Mutual Benefit-the Advantages and Challenges of Public-PrivatePartnerships cited, the state, that often provides the fixed assets and even the financing for APP is interested in improving the delivery of public goods and services; while on the other hand, private firms are concerned with enhancing profitability and the welfare of their stockholders (FIT Consulting, Inc. , 2012). On this sample risk, it shows that both sectors have different objectives which create a negative impact on the status of nation's social and economic health. In this partnership, the government and the public sector must work together to establish quality standards that will help OTOH of them in the long run.Real partnerships will require Joint planning and discussions and better specifications of the potential roles for each other is needed (Asian Development Bank Institute, 1999). Therefore; accountability, monitoring and transparency by both the public and private sector is really significant. On the conference in Tokyo, Dry. Patricia Craig (Asian Development Bank Institute, 1999) highlighted the urgency of solving some of the problems of the social sector today because of the intensifying pressures of population ageing and globalization on this sector.With the ever increasing population, greater expectations and demands from the society, our government is facing an increasing pressure to deliver new and improved services with only limited resources available. Thus, the private sectors who are much more knowledgeable in terms of market rules and the ability to deliver projects on time can greatly aid the government in providing the services to the public in a way that benefits the people and delivers economic development.Our country today experiences a so called ‘infrastructure deficit', evidenced by congested odds, deteriorated schools, lack of facilities in the hospitals, poorly maintained transit and water treatment systems, and other infrastructure assets which are either non-existent or in urgent need of repair (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 2008). Because of the increasing shortage of government funds as evidenced by lack of facilities and manpower, our country critically requires a more serious look at the APP option.With the help of the partnership program, the problems that our country is facing wil l be addressed properly since there will be proper distribution of susceptibilities between the private and public sectors. And as a developing country trying to approximate good governance, the Philippines has already properly characterized the private sector is its most potent partner in meeting said formidable infrastructure challenges, through Pops (Recite & Affable, 2006).Public Private Partnership will surely addressed the challenges of reducing poverty and establishing a more rapid developing system. The program will surely be a reliable strategy that can efficiently deliver its services. Sine there will be proper identification of the needs of our country, there will also be proper implementation of all projects planned by our government with the help of the private sector. This can too produce more Job opportunities for Filipinos since there will be more infrastructure projects so manpower will also be required.Also, the needs of the people will be properly catered since fa cilities are being improved and properly maintained. The APP agenda in various infrastructure sectors and development projects, is aimed at facilitating trading and investments thereby reinforcing the amounts investment climate and its competitiveness in the Asia and with the rest of the world (Recite & Affable, 2006). The Philippines is regarded as an ideal site for investment because of our rich natural resources, highly educated people and a high standard lifestyle at a low cost.With the help of APP, our country will invite more foreign investors which results to an economic growth. Private-public Partnership is a program that will provide greater opportunities in developing our country economically today and in the future. Because the program caters to the needs of the people, as a result, it creates an environment where there is growth and prosperity. Though many doubt the effectiveness of partnership between the private and public sector, but a change from the traditional welf are state is a moving step towards productivity.In reality, markets are imperfect and government may not always work in favor of the most disadvantaged but each sector can do certain things well. In order to have a good governance the private sector needs to consider its social responsibility while the public sector needs to create the appropriate legal and ejaculatory structures as well as a democratic and participatory process in decision making (Recite & Affable, 2006). Real partnerships will involve Joint planning by the public and private sectors, where a culture of true cooperation will need to develop.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Padma Bridge

1. Overview Padma Bridge is one of major outstanding infrastructure required for balanced economic development of Bangladesh. It is anticipated that the gross domestic product of the would increase by 2 percent once the bridge was constructed. The bridge, which would connect the southwest region with the rest of the country, could be used for the trans-Asian route; the minister said adding â€Å"The Bridge will help gear up industrialisation in the region too. Environmental impact of the bridge would be assessed during the preparation of design. Government is endeavouring to start construction of the proposed Padma Bridge in 2011 to comple it by 2014. The bridge to be built at an estimated more than twenty thousand crore TK would be, the longest bridge in the country with 6. 15km length and 25m width, he added. The bridge will have four lanes and a railroad in the middle. The bridge will also have a gas transmission pipeline, power transmission line and telecommunication cable. The Jamuna Multi-Purpose Bridge Authorities (JMBA) that looked after large bridge projects, in a study in 2005 estimated that 918. 76 hectares of land would be needed to be acquired on both the sides of Padma Bridge. The land acquisition cost is estimated at 3. 2 billion taka (about 46 million U. S. dollars), said the study. According to a survey by JICA, nearly 30,000 people will lose their lands due to land acquisition for construction of the bridge. The 6. 5 km long 22-metre wide, four lane bridge on the river Padma connecting Mawa (35km south of Dhaka) in Munshiganj with Jazira in Madaripur is also likely to contribute hugely to the functioning of the Mongla Port in Bagerhat, the second seaport of the country that fails to attract cargo ships owing to poor communications. The decision to construct the bridge was taken back in 2001 but dilly-dally over selecting the construction sites delayed the process. 2. INTRODUCTION The three major rivers of Bangladesh – the Padma, Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Meghna divide the country into four principal regions such as north-west, north central, eastern and south-west regions. The Padma River separates the South-west region from the capital city and requires time consuming ferry crossings to major destinations. At present, transportation of passengers and freight across the river is by ferries and to a lesser extent by launches and manually-operated boats, but their services are grossly inadequate in both capacity and service level. The existing ferry services involve long and unpredictable waiting time at terminals lacking basic service facilities. They are prone to suspension orcancellation due to flood, fog and inclement weather conditions. The proposed Padma Bridge is expected to make cross-Padma transport more reliable and drastically reduce the travel time and cost across the river. The proposed bridge plans to build a multipurpose crossing with additional utilities like rail, telephone, gas and power lines across the Padma. It is designed to remove the last major physical barrier in the road connection between Dhaka and the South-west region of Bangladesh, where about one quarter of the population of Bangladesh is living. The bridge will shorten the distance from the South-west to Dhaka by 100 km and travelling time will considerably be reduced. The project is viewed as a very important infrastructure and transportation network, which will hugely facilitate social, economic and industrial development of this relatively underdeveloped region of the country. The padma Bridge will help to stimulate economic activity in the SW region by providing a reliable and rapid transport connection. It is estimated in the feasibility study that the project will increase the GDP by 1. 2% and that of South-West Region by 2. 3%. The Padma Bridge is on the Asian Highway Route A-1 and Trans-Asian Railway Route. When the railway will be effectively connected, the Padma Bridge will contribute to the multimodal international transport network for the Eastern Region of the Indian sub-continent and substantial benefit to GoB for bi-lateral cargo movement between India and Bangladesh. 3. PROJECT COMPONENTS Among the project components main bridge is by far the prime component of the project covering about 50% of the project cost. The main components of the Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge Project consist of: * A 6. 15km long two-level steel truss main bridge. (four-lane divided highway on top and single track rail on the bottom deck); * The Approach Road to the bridge consisting of a 12. 4 km four-lane divided highway and includes five minor bridges of 150~270m length over local waterways, 21 drainage box culvert and 8 local road underpasses. * Transition structures that includes the Approach Viaduct at Mawa length of 721. 50m and 756. 788m for the northbound and southbound carriageways respectively. The length of the Approach Viaduct at Janjira is 873. 250m and 797. 315m for the northbound and southbound carriageways respectively; * Bridge End Facilities on both sides of the river that includes Toll Plazas and Service Areas; * Access roads totaling about 8. 9 km and 14. 5 km of service road . * Four Resettlement villages (two on the Mawa side and two on the Janjira side). 4. MAIN BRIDGE The total length of the main bridge is 6150m and the main bridge is connected to approach viaducts on both ends and overall width of the bridge is 22. m. The main bridge is in the form of composite steel truss with two levels, railway at lower deck level and highway at upper deck level suitable for fast track construction. Longitudinally, the main truss is in the form of a continuous warren truss and the concrete roadway slab is connected to the top chord by shear stud. The railway deck comprises longitudinal steel beams spanning between lower cross beams and a concrete railway slab which is also compositely connected to the beams. The roadway slab is reinforced concrete in the transverse direction, and is a pre-stressed concrete structure in the longitudinal direction. There are 41 spans each 150 m in length optimized in the computer program. It is sub-divided into 7 continuous bridge modules, and each module is comprised of 5 or 6 spans. At the interface between adjacent modules, a movement joint is present to accommodate the movement due to various actions. The major portion of the bridge is flat (0% vertical gradient) except at the two ends the bridge level decreases with approximately 0. 5% vertical gradient to match with the adjacent approach viaducts. The horizontal alignment of the bridge consists of straight sections, curved sections with onstant radius and short transition curves. The tightest radius is found in Module 7, where the radius is 3000 metres. 5. CROSSING REQUIREMENTS The bridge is to carry the following facilities: Highway The bridge is required to carry a dual two-lane carriageway road with a design traffic speed of 100km/hr. Each carriageway shall comprise two 3. 5 meter wide traffic lanes plus a 2. 5 meter wide hard shoulder and 650mm wide median. The bridge is intended to carry motorized vehicles only. Railway Provision shall be made for future addition of a single track broad gauge railway along the bridge. The railway is proposed to be an extension of the Indian Railways Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and is likely to be part of the Trans-Asian Railway. The design rail speed is 160km/hr for passenger trains and 125 km/hr for freight trains. Power Transmission Line The bridge will be required to carry a high voltage power transmission line with a capacity of 400kV as part of the developing power supply network in south west Bangladesh. High Pressure Gas Transmission Line A 30 inch (76 cm) diameter gas pipe is to be carried by the bridge, which is expected to operate at a pressure of. 1135 psi. The gas pipe shall be hydro tested to a pressure of 1710 psi in accordance with procedures approved by Petrobangla. The high pressure gas main shall be designed in accordance with the requirements of Petrobangla with reference to appropriate recognized international design standards such as the American 6. BRIDGE VIADUCTS The viaduct spans are separated into the approach road and the railway viaducts. The main bridge is a two level structure which required a challenging task in the arrangement of the viaducts to separate the railway from the highway and alternative options were considered during the Scheme Design Phase of the project. There are a total of four viaducts supporting the highway, two on each side of the river. The length of the approach road viaducts ranged from 720m to 875m long and consists of 38m spans. The superstructure consists of precast, pre-tensioned concrete Super-T girders which will become the first Super-T girder structure to be constructed in Bangladesh. The Super-T girder is an economical beam commonly used on highway bridges in Australia and is becoming more widespread on projects throughout Asia. The introduction of the Super-T girder to Bangladesh presents an opportunity for future use on other projects throughout the country. There is a total of two viaducts supporting the railway, one on each side of the river. The length of the railway viaducts ranged from 2. 36km to 2. 96km and consists of 38m spans similar to the approach road viaducts. The superstructure consists of precast, post-tensioned concrete I-girders. The detailed design of the viaduct structures posed some major challenges in bridge engineering specifically involving earthquakes under soil conditions highly susceptible to significant depths of liquefaction. A multi modal response spectra analysis was used to analyse and the design the viaducts for a seismic event with a return period of 475 years. This paper describes the dynamic analysis procedure and the design features of the structure to withstand these seismic events. A transition pier is located at the interface of the viaduct spans to the river spans and supports the end spans of the main bridge, the approach road viaduct structure and the railway viaduct structure. The transition pier also provided the location for the diversion of the gas pipe, power cables and telecommunication utilities located on the main bridge whilst also enclosing an access stairwell for inspection, maintenance and emergency evacuations. 7. SITE SELECTION Four alternative bridge sites were identified as alternative locations in the following areas: Site-1:Paturia-Goalundo Site-2 : Dohar-Charbhadrasan Site-3 : Mawa-Janjira Site-4 : Chandpur-Bhedarganj Four alternative locations were examined from the view points of existing transport of the project area, traffic demand forecast, preliminary river study and technical consideration in highway planning, preliminary bridge planning, environmental & social consideration. JICA study team considers site-1 and site-3 to be most advantageous for a new fixed crossing and recommends these sites for further study until Interim report. Survey Results Estimated amount of land to be acquired is almost same (about 1,250 ha ) in both cases The number of affected households / structure varies due to differences in population density Current estimate suggests:- Mawa – Janjira 70,000 to 80,000 Paturia – Goalundo 40,000 to 45,000 Traffic Study and Economic Analysis (Main Work Items) 1) Traffic Surveys (Traffic counts, OD Survey) 2) Establishment of Future Socioeconomic Framework (Population, GDP, GRDP) 3) Traffic Demand Forecast (Target year 2025) 4) Confirmation of Economic Feasibility 5) Economic Impacts of the Padma Bridge ) Improvement of Accessibility 2) Regional Economic Development 3) Formation of International Road Network Summary of Comparisons of Two Sites from traffic and Economic Point of View Evaluation Criteria| Paturia-Goalundo| Mawa-Janjira| Traffic Demand (2025)| 19,850 vehicles/day| 41,550 vehicles/day| Economic Feasibility| EIRR=9. 6%| EIRR=16. 9%| Financial Project Cost (Million US$)| 1,26 0| 1,074| Improvement of Accessibility| (Travel time) Dhaka – Mongla Dhaka – Benapole (Beneficiary Population) Within 3 hours from Dhaka Within 4 hours from Dhaka| 4. 5 hours 4. 6 hours ,791,000 (9%) 12,738,000 (42%)| 3. 6 hours 3. 6 hours 10,417,000 (35%) 22,247,000 (74%)| Density of Feeder Roads| No big difference| Formation of International Road Network| | Asian Highway A-1. Short distance to Benapole Land Port and Mongla Sea Port| Regional Economic Development| GDP of Southwest region will increase by 18% (1. 2% /year)| GDP of Southwest region will increase by 35% (2. 3% /year)| Growth centers around the bridge sites| No big difference| Indicative Cost Paturia – Goalundo| Mawa – Janjira| US$ 1,260 million| US$ 1,074 million| Evaluation of P-G & M-J sites Evaluation Criteria | Paturia – Goalundo| Mawa – Janjira| Economic Feasibility| EIRR| 9. 6%| 16. 9%| B/C Ratio| 0. 71| 1. 81| | NPV (Mil. Taka)| -9,857| 23,140| | Regional Development| Increase of GRDP of Southwest Region| 18% up (1. 2% per year)| 35% up (2. 3% per year)| Environmental Impact| Result of IEE| No big difference| Social impact and Resettlement Issues| Households requiring relocation| 1,842| 2,635| Community structures affected| 18| 60 `| | Total population affected (both direct and indirect)| 40,000-45,000| 70,000-80,000| Preliminary RAP cost| 23. 7 mil. US$| 38. 79 mil. US$| Traffic Demand Forecast of the Padma Bridge | Traffic Volumes across PadmaRiver (both ways 2003: From Traffic Survey)| | Paturia-Goalundo| Mawa-Jajira| Cross-Padma| Light Vehicle| 572| 128| 700| Bus| 687| 227| 914| Truck| 1,217| 78| 1,295| Total| 2,476| 433| 2,909| Launch Passenger| 15,559| 9,126| 24,685| Present Traffic Movement Pattern At present, traffic at Mawa is lower than Paturia due to the following reasons: 1)    Road condition of NH 8 is now very poor. 2)    A narrow approach road to the Mawa ghat. 3)    Quality of ferry services at Mawa is lower than Paturia in general. )    No sufficient parking space for trucks. 5)    Two hour river crossing time at Mawa is significantly longer than 35 minutes of Paturia. Future Traffic Movement Pattern Future traffic movement pattern will be drastically changed if the Padma Bridge is constructed at Mawa with following reasons: 1)    Improvement of NH 8 (Dhaka – Khulna Road Project by ADB) will be completed by the end of 2004. 2)    Direct road link from Dhaka for the largest traffic demands to Khulna and Jcssore. 3)    Elimination of two hour crossing time. Criteria for Final Site Selection Preliminary results shows greater impacts In Mawa-Janjira over Paturia site   Site selection should be more on technical – engineering grounds-future safety of the bridge infrastructure   Major Impacts of the project – Irrespective of    sites   Selection of Final site Is critical to set the next agenda preparation of RAP   Task would be to minimize Impact, develop Improved policy for mitigation of adverse Impacts, management and capacity building for resettlement management   Experience of the Jamuna and other donor-funded projects will be used In the planning and Implementation of RAP for Padma . CONCLUSION The Padma multipurpose bridge is a long cherished dream of the people of the entire southern region. The bridge will link the greater Khulna, Greater Faridpoor and Greater Barisal region with the rest of the country. It will give tremendous boost to national economy as the direct driving travel distance between Dhaka and this region will be greatly redu ced and hustles and harassment people face in moving tradeable commodities to and from this region will be removed. The agro rich region of Barisal and Khulna can feed the rest of the country much easily. Mongla port can make greater contribution. Tourism industry in the picturesque mangrove forest Sundarban and marvellous sea resort Kuakata will get massive boost. Nepal, Bhutan and 7 sisters around Bangladesh may utilise this bridge to use Mongla port which will give our economy a massive shot in the arm. Padma Bridge Padma Bridge Padma Multipurpose Bridge Carries| Motor vehicles, Railway| Crosses| Padma River| Locale| Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur,  Bangladesh| Maintained by| Bangladesh Bridge Authority| Designer| Maunsell AECOM| Design| Truss bridge| Material| Steel| Total length| 6,150  m (20,180 ft)| Width| 21. 10  m (69. 2  ft)| The Padma Bridge is a multipurpose road-rail bridge across the Padma River to be constructed in Bangladesh. When completed it will be the largest bridge in Bangladesh and the first fixed river crossing for road traffic.It will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the south-west of the country, to northern and eastern regions. The project covers three districts — Munshiganj (Mawa Point/North bank), Shariatpur and Madaripur (Janjira/South bank). The total area of land to be acquired and required for its components is 918 hectares. The requisition of land for the construction yard will be for six years on a rental basis. As per the new design, an additional 144. 04 ha has been identified for acquisition, bringing the total to 1062. 14 hectares. Similar essay: Padma Bridge ParagraphThis additional land is required because project site lost significant land due to erosion, for transition structures and due to a change in railway alignment. The two-level steel truss bridge will carry a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on a lower level. The project will include 6. 15  km long and 21. 10 m wide bridge,15. 1  km of approach roads, toll plazas and service area. Previous Source of Financing Project cost is estimated to be US$3. 00 billion. Funding for the project is provided by the Asian Development Bank (US$615 m), the World Bank ($1. billion), Japan International Cooperation Agency ($415 m), Islamic Development Bank ($140 m). The government also signed another $14. 84 million agreement with the IDB for the implementation of the water-supply and sanitation project in cyclone-prone coastal areas, and Abu Dhabi Development Group ($30 m). Of the total amount, the government will provide Tk 50 millio n while the rest will come in the form of project aid. The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) invited the pre-qualification tender for the project in April 2010. Construction of the bridge was expected to commence by early 2011 and be ready for major completion in 2013 (and complete all sections by late 2015). The proposed Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project will provide direct connectivity between the central and southwestern part of the country through a fixed link on the Padma River at Mawa-Janjira points. The bridge will contribute significantly towards facilitating the social, economic and industrial development of this relatively underdeveloped region with a population of over 30 million.The area of influence of the direct benefit of the project is about 44,000  km2 or 29% of the total area of Bangladesh. Therefore, the project is viewed as very important infrastructure towards improving the transportation network and regional economic development of the country. The bridge has provisions for rail, gas, electric line and fibre optic cable for future expansion. The project will be co-financed by the government of Bangladesh, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Islamic Development Bank.The Bangladesh Bridge Authority is the executing agency of the project. Padma Bridge financing vs. word-of-mouth strategy THE Padma Bridge is a high priority national project of the Awami League government. It is a 6. 15-kilometre long and 21. 10-metre wide bridge with 15. 1-kilometre approach roads to connect the south-western districts with the capital. It will be a very important infrastructure for economic development of more than 30 million people. The construction work of the $2. 9 billion project was expected to begin in 2012 with financial assistance of the World Bank ($1. billion), the Asian Development Bank ($615 million), the Japan International Cooperation Agency ($400 million) and the Islamic Devel opment Bank ($140 million). The government is a co-financer that has already spent Tk  15 billion on land acquisition and rehabilitation projects. However, the construction work became uncertain when the World Bank suspended its $1. 2 billion credit line last year alleging corruption conspiracy against Bangladeshi officials and executives of a Canadian firm. Considering the uncertainty of the World Bank financing, the government looked for an alternative source and almost confirmed a $2. billion Malaysian fund. Meanwhile, the bank, after almost one year of unsuccessful dealings, cancelled the agreement on June 29. It was usual for the ministers and high officials to react against the bank’s accusation. However, the government standing was ambiguous when the finance minister kept the World Bank chapter open to get the decision reviewed. An alternative deal with a Malaysian company went out of the frame when the prime minister announced that the bridge would be built with dom estic fund, eight days after the World Bank decision.Meanwhile, the word-of-mouth strategy in political game became dominant to whip up nationalistic sentiments. Moreover, come business organisations congratulated the prime minister, advertising their commitment to investing in the project. Padma Bridge with Own Fund The government will build the Padma bridge with its own funds and construction work will begin in the current fiscal year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament. She said the mega project, estimated to cost around Tk 23,000 crore, would be completed within fiscal year 2015-16.The prime minister was delivering her concluding speech in the budget session of the House, which was prorogued last evening. She urged the global lenders not to put up â€Å"unnecessary obstacles† to Bangladesh's development efforts. Hasina's announcement came nine days after the World Bank pulled out of the bridge project, citing a corruption conspiracy. In her address, she sketched out how her government would arrange the money for the project from various sources.Terming â€Å"unprecedented† the response she had received from people in the last few days in support of the government's plan for building the bridge with local resources, Hasina said she was overwhelmed by the way they had expressed their enthusiasm. She added: â€Å"We will not bow to anybody. We can in no way accept the huge damage the World Bank has done to Bangladesh on lame excuses. No Bangalee can accept the allegation of corruption by the World Bank when not a single penny was released for the project. Criticising the WB for delaying her government's move to build the bridge, she said, â€Å"The construction cost has increased due to the delay. I will ask the finance minister to seek compensation from the World Bank. † Hasina also accused the global lender of instigating other lending agencies, including the Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Jica, not to provide funds for the Padma bridge project. HOW TO RAISE FUNDS The premier said the government had lately estimated the construction cost of the bridge on a year-to-year basis.According to the estimate, Tk 3,197 crore will be needed in the current fiscal year, Tk 7,868 crore in 2013-14, Tk 7,786 crore in 2014-15 and Tk 3,785 crore in 2015-16 to complete the project. Citing the allocation of Tk 55,000 crore in the ADP for this fiscal year, Hasina said she had already discussed the matter with some ministries, and they had said they would not take their entire allocations in the current year's budget. â€Å"It is possible to save Tk 24,000 crore from the ADP. For this, we will have to be economical and may have to cut some development work under different ministries.But again, construction of the Padma bridge is also development work and will generate employment for many,† she said. The government would be able to begin the construction work soon, and will not waste any more time. The prime minister said the government had earmarked Tk 1,500 crore for infrastructure development and Tk 3,000 crore in the public-private partnership fund. Besides, a certain amount of money had been allocated for the Padma bridge in the budget. The government had also decided to issue sovereign bonds to collect $750 million.Besides, her government might levy a surcharge as was done for the construction of the Jamuna bridge. â€Å"We will also welcome any foreign investment in this project,† she added. Giving a breakdown of the Padma bridge costs, Hasina said Tk 15,000 crore would be spent for construction of the main portion of the bridge; Tk 7,200 crore for river training; Tk 1,281 crore for building Jajira approach road; and Tk 310 crore for Mawa approach road. She said her government had already spent Tk 1, 500 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation purposes. The Consequent Impact of Constructing Padma Bridge in Own FundBe that as it may, the question i s whether the prime minister’s plan to construct the Padma Bridge without external finance is realistic. According to the estimates, Tk  32 billion will be needed in 2012-13, Tk  79 billion in 2013-14, Tk  78 billion in 2014-15 and Tk  38 billion in 2015-16. The current year’s requirement, as announced, will be redirected from the annual development programme. The government also plans to issue sovereign bonds to collect $750 million and other accumulations will be defined in future. However, mobilisation of domestic resources has hardly been impressive in the past.Regardless of the government rhetoric, the public-private partnership has not yet taken off although Tk  30 billion was allocated three years ago. In such circumstances, if the government continues to redirect funds from the ADP for the Padma Bridge, other projects will certainly be crowded out. The government is already reeling under high subsidy burden and inadequate allocation for its thrust sec tors. Although the inflow of remittance has kept foreign exchange reserve adequate, foreign aid for public projects has dwindled over the years. As such, receipt of foreign direct investment is much needed.In fact, did we not welcome the World Bank’s credit line for the Padma bridge project? Was it not highlighted in the news media? Amidst the raging global economic crisis, the government needs to realise the necessity of the soft loan from the World Bank. It needs to also have a closer looks at the country’s institutional capacity to finance such a colossal project without import of materials and without a foreign company. We might be able to prove our national capacity bypassing the World Bank, but the domestic financing for the project is highly likely to have some negative impacts on the economy.The additional outflow of foreign currency for import of materials will raise the price of dollar for which the estimated cost of Tk  230 billion is expected to increase to up to Tk  300 billion. Moreover, fund accumulation from non-residents may not be steady because of downtrend in the current account balance. The current account balance, which was 3. 7 per cent of the gross domestic product in 2009-10 and is projected to decrease to 0. 3 per cent of the GDP in 2012-13, could slide to a negative value.On the other hand, devaluation of the local currency will raise the price of imported products and will contribute to inflation. In addition, it will continue to provide additional tax burden on the taxpayers. In this context, the government’s strategy to enrich domestic capacity needs to be complemented with a friendly compliance strategy to handle donors and foreign investors. It is reported that the Anti-Corruption Commission failed to comply with the World Bank’s requirement due to its limitation with domestic policy.However, what was the limitation for the ministers to control corruption of their personal secretary or officials. If and when domestic resources will be allocated for the multi-billion dollar project, will the designated officials and implementing agents hesitate to divert billions of taka to their personal accounts? Ultimately, the government needs to address the corruption-related problem first and foremost. To this end, mere assertions of commitment will not be enough; they have to be complemented with decisive and demonstrative actions.Meanwhile, people will look forward to the dream of Padma Bridge coming to reality. So, in shortly if we summarized all the disadvantages of own funding for Padma Bridge, we could get:- * Mobilization of domestic resources is not impressive in our country, so there must be a huge need of importing resources. * We would need more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), because foreign exchange is not adequate in Bangladesh. * Domestic funding would prove costly for the economy in the long run. * The additional outflow of foreign currency for import of materials will raise the price of dollar. Fund accumulation from non-residents may not be steady because of downtrend in the current account balance. * Devaluation of the local currency will raise the price of imported products and will contribute to inflation. We should not build the Padma Bridge just for the sake of building it. It has to be cost-effective, financially viable and above all economically rewarding. All of these depend on minimisation of direct and indirect costs of building the bridge with domestic finance as contemplated by the government.The first and foremost issue in this context is to be fully aware of the possible risks and costs involved in domestic financing, and find a way out to minimise them before starting the construction work. What are the possible risks that may escalate both direct and indirect costs of building the bridge with domestic funding? First comes the direct resource cost, which was estimated to be around US$ 3. 0 billion or nearly Tk 24,500 crore. Since the decision was taken to build the bridge on the basis of the feasibility study carried out by an independent agency, it can be assumed that it was found cost effective.The main indirect cost will be the impact on other economic activities and the balance of payments as a result of diverting resources, both in terms of local and foreign currency. Economists have already expressed their concern about these indirect costs. Although the private sector cannot grow adequately if the infrastructural inadequacies are not removed, they will not build infrastructure on their own as its benefit cannot be fully internalised and priced properly to recover the cost. This is what the economists call the market failure, which shifts the onus on the government.In principle, there is nothing wrong in diverting resources to build infrastructure by government which will ultimately help the private sector. The main point is to keep diversion of resources within tolerable limits so that it will not hur t the private sector significantly by squeezing the resources available to them. In the absence of sufficient sources for revenue earning, the government will have to borrow money from the banking sector to finance the bridge, limiting the resources available for the private sector to borrow from, which the economists call ‘crowding out effect. It will also increase the interest rate raising the cost of credit for the private sector. The size of government borrowings and the extent of private sector's reliance on the banking sector will determine the actual crowding out effect. Another potential indirect effect of government borrowings may work through the stock market. When the banks are faced with liquidity crisis to give loans to the private sector, they may decide to withdraw from the stock market causing another nose-dive of stock price, which has just started bottoming up after a major debacle.How government borrowing affects overall growth in a developing country, where the private sector is always constrained by infrastructural constraints, and government is the sole provider of infrastructure, is an empirical question. Unfortunately, this issue is not adequately researched in Bangladesh. There is only one study carried out by Bangladesh Bank a couple of years ago, which shows that private investment in Bangladesh is not affected significantly by rising interest rates. This finding makes it difficult to guesstimate crowding out effects of government borrowing in Bangladesh.Moreover, 6. 3 per cent GDP growth in the last fiscal in the midst of hue and cry about the crowding out effect does not provide any clear indication of how significantly government borrowing affects overall growth in the country. Yet, the government cannot and should not completely shrug-off the likely effects of its domestic borrowing. It should leave no stone unturned to keep its borrowing from domestic sources as low as possible. It should rethink a new strategy to keep the yearly requirement of resources to meet the cost at a tolerable level.One way of doing it would be to extend the construction period to five years from three years as currently envisioned. The total cost of Padma Bridge will have both local and foreign components; the former would require local currency, and the latter foreign currency. Let us review and compare the yearly requirement of taka and US dollar under different scenarios. No clear public information is available on the relative share of these two components. According to an expert, foreign component is about 40 per cent of the total cost.That means the government would need approximately US$1. 2 billion and Tk 148. 50 billion to construct the bridge, if the total cost is $3. 0 billion as originally estimated. Let us increase these amounts by 10 per cent, to $1. 32 billion and Tk 160. 38 billion, to account for inflation (as the start of the construction work has been delayed by more than a year. ) With this upward adjust ment, the yearly requirement in local currency will be about Tk 32. 08 billion if the bridge is constructed in five years. This amount will increase to Tk 53. 6 billion, if the bridge is constructed in three years. Similarly, the yearly requirement in foreign currency will be US$264 million if the construction period is five years, US$440 million in case of three years. If the total cost is equally divided between local and foreign components, yearly requirement will be Tk 44. 55 billion, if the bridge is constructed in three years and Tk 26. 73 billion in case of five years. Similarly, under this alternative scenario, yearly requirement will be US$550 million and $330 million respectably.Yearly requirements of taka and US dollar under different scenarios are shown in the table. As can be seen, yearly requirement of taka under any scenario does not exceed Tk 53. 46 billion. This should not be a very big problem to collect this money without any significant crowding effect in the eco nomy to negatively affect the growth. Also, even if there is some level of crowding out effect, part of it will be compensated by the multiplier effect of government spending in the construction of the bridge.Some adjustments in the annual development programmes (which always involve some inefficient and politically motivated projects) will also help reduce the negative effects on resource diversion. Besides, compromise with some level of growth in the construction phase of the Bridge which will foster regional equity and growth (as evidenced from Banghabandhu Bridge) will not be entirely unjustifiable from economic point of view. Inter-temporal optimisation of benefits always includes some trade-off between present and future benefits.The main problem that may become a concern is the availability of US dollar to finance the foreign component of the cost. The government has already expressed its optimism to be able to face this problem by using the forex reserve, which is currently in robust shape. However, this robustness may not sustain given the volatility of the global economy as well as our   export and import scenario. However, continued growth of remittances in the recent years is a plus point for the country.Yet, to minimise the risk of any probable foreign currency crisis and reduce pressure on the balance of payment, it will be prudent to extend the construction period of the bridge to five years, which will keep the yearly need of US dollar at a level of about $330 million. It is not easy for a developing and growing economy, which constantly operates under a stringent resource frontier, to invest in a huge infrastructure project like that of the Padma bridge. But the above numbers suggest that constructing the bridge in five years with domestic financing is very much doable contradicting the apprehension expressed by many. The End

Monday, July 29, 2019

Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Questions - Coursework Example However, instability was conceivably an essential precondition for progress. The Athenians particularly dominate the history of political instability that resulted to the archisonship of Solon, the constitution of Clisthenes and the Persian Wars (Smith et al. 292-314). The other key feature of the Hellenic Polis was the Athenian Democracy that was truly â€Å"rule by the people† where every citizen had privileges and responsibilities under the law requiring their full participation and engagement in the government. This was after reforms on the Athenian constitution. This was the first democratic government to flourish in the world, with the citizens able to participate in the government (Smith et al. 323). The Romans were creative in creating and maintaining their empire. This is because the Romans had the intentions of conquering other lands that had riches and which would make Rome wealthy (Smith et al. 409). The Romans made unparalleled progresses in technology and science and organized the economy that was unparalleled in the Mediterranean. They were creative in maintain the empire because they ensured that they had distinct engineering components that would assist them conquer other neighboring lands (Smith et al. 419-28). They also established a legal code that would assist in governing the states. However, the Romans may not have been creative in creating the empire. They over expanded and would not maintain power in all the regions of the empire as the supplies to the military was

Sunday, July 28, 2019

To which Performance Appraisal Meets the Requirements of the Essay

To which Performance Appraisal Meets the Requirements of the Organization for Improved Performance from Employees - Essay Example This paper discusses the pertinent understanding of the performance appraisals and how these have meant pure value for the organizations when they are trying to encourage their employees as well as to keep a check in terms of uplifting their morale. The performance appraisal system has gained worldwide recognition because it is accepted everywhere. It is the basis of determining which areas are the most strongest and where a general sense of lacking was observed throughout the year. The employees are monitored annually which means that their entire year’s working regimes are scrutinized properly and then only a solution is found out which shall solve their quandaries if they had any during the last year (Booth, 2006). If they met their targets and achieved outstanding results, then there is reason enough to believe that the performance appraisal worked in essence, and it gained what it really had to achieve in the long term scheme of things. The performance appraisal is such a n important barometer for finding out the areas where more success could be achieved and where negativities could be subsided. This is the reason why the performance appraisal system has been given the legal cover that it richly deserves, and its clauses have been backed up by research, evidence and logic. The past records have been adequately understood before a decision is made to find out where the employees went wrong and what have been the areas that they have not been able to tap (Donovan, 2011). Moving further ahead, these performance appraisals highlight how good the employees have been as well. Even the minutest of their successes and achievements are highlighted and projected to the employers who now have to make a decision as to whether the employees deserve a raise, a promotion or any other financial lift-up. This is because the performance appraisals are usually very daring and look to find the positives and negatives in a cut throat fashion. There are not any negatives that will not be covered during the length of the performance appraisals and this has been duly mentioned within the coining up of the performance appraisals. The people who are drafting these performance appraisals have to take into consideration a number of areas so that the employees do not feel left out of the whole equation and believe in getting what they truly deserve (Shaw, 2011). It is their collective effort which counts for the work to become better and more organized within the contexts of the organization. The employees therefore receive what they want to achieve if they have given their best and made the organization aware of their endeavors, efforts and undertakings. This shall solve quite a lot of problems that other performance related systems might just skip. Maximizing individual performance is the need of the hour as far as the organizations are concerned. This is because individual performance can only be enhanced and improved upon if whole-hearted and concerte d efforts are put into place (Beer, 2011). This has been proven true with the advent of time and much success will eventually

Quatitative vs Qualitative Research Study Paper

Quatitative vs Qualitative Study - Research Paper Example p. 659). On a closer analysis, considering the above mentioned criteria, it becomes clear that one research study is quantitative in nature, whereas the other reflects qualitative characteristics, that is, the first article named â€Å"Nephrol Dial Transplant† is an example of quantitative research study. This article is concerned with â€Å"an identified problem, based on testing a theory, measured with numbers† and it is makes analysis by making use of statistical techniques (Chapter 4: Quantitative and Qualitative Research. n.d. p. 41). According to this definition, it is seen that the article is quantitative as it describes a lot of relationships such as that of demographic characteristics and knowledge of CKD, with the help of numerical variables through independent t-test, Pearson’s Chi Squared test, one way Analysis of Variance etc. Also, the article has a specific and narrow purpose as it basically deals with just finding out the impact of SMS system on C KD patients by analyzing the collected data and presenting it in numerical terms. This can be seen through the various numerical data presented under the head ‘Demographic and clinical characteristics of CKD patients at study entry’ of the article, where the researchers have represented the percentage of patients in terms of age, marital status, education, gender etc. Furthermore, they have also provided information regarding diabetes, hypertension, alcohol history, smoking history, walking, gardening and such other lifestyle activities of patients all in numerical terms. Another factor that makes it quantitative research is the participants, quantitative study always employs a random sample, as is seen in this case also. Therefore, these are the various elements that make this article an apt example for quantitative research study. The second article, â€Å"The Impact of Self-management Support on the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease- A Prospective Randomized Con trolled Trial† is observed to be a qualitative research as it consists of the research taking place in a natural setting, where the researcher â€Å"gathers words or pictures, analyzes them inductively, focuses on the meaning of participants, and describes a process that is expressive and persuasive in language† (Wise, n.d., How would you define qualitative research? para.1). It involves a more generalized and broad topic and furthermore it is concerned with qualitative aspects such as gathering information regarding the participants’ experiences, feelings etc. It uses texts as well as diagrams as compared to the quantitative research, which is evident from the chart showing the profiles of patient enrollments, assignments and alerts. Another factor is that under the study design, specifically under the head ‘Standardized SMS Program,’ as opposed to the quantitative study, not many numerical values are used. In fact the data regarding initial eGFR, e nd point eGFR, number of initial

Saturday, July 27, 2019

The Impact of Globalization and Free Trade on the U.S. Sugar Policy Essay - 1

The Impact of Globalization and Free Trade on the U.S. Sugar Policy - Essay Example The larger economies will at some point influence those not globally invested as their performance begins to evolve and shape the global financial markets. There may be no other free-trade policy like the U.S. sugar program that illustrates such hypocrisy, and the need for reform. The United States has often prided itself as a world leader in terms of the free trade movement. The culture has always pushed for Globalization and the use of technology to integrate economies. However, there are some industries that remain well protected due to the strength of forceful interest groups and absence of pressure to reform. These protection barriers often hurt our domestic economy and counteract the efforts to promote more open markets and trade negotiations around the world.   The U.S. Sugar policy operates under the Farm Bill, which was overwhelmingly passed in 2008 by Congress. The basic premise behind the sugar policy is that supply should equal demand. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed several tools in order to ensure that the sugar policy operates at a minimum cost to the taxpayers. These tools are that: first, they can limit foreign imports to those required in the trade agreement obligation with the exception of Mexico; second, they can control the amount of sugar the U.S. American farmers are allowed to sell; and third, the bill can divert any excess surplus of sugar into ethanol production. (American Sugar Alliance) These tools and policies such as the preferential loan agreements and tariff rate quotas, serve to effectively keep foreign sugar out of the U.S. In return this forces the price of sugar in our market to increase substantially.

Friday, July 26, 2019

The Disease of Alcoholism Speech or Presentation

The Disease of Alcoholism - Speech or Presentation Example The present paper has identified that alcohol is a poison which can damage the body. Either as a con ­ sequence of its direct toxic effects or because of the dietary and vitamin  deficiencies which often  accompany heavy drinking, alcohol can harm the body. It can damage the brain with, at worst, dementia the result. The nerve supply to the limbs can be impaired with numbing and pain (peripheral neuritis). The liver can be the prime site of alcohol poisoning, with cirrhosis the outcome. The pancreas can become inflamed, with painful and potentially lethal consequences. The limb muscles can be weakened (Goodlett et al 1999). Only imagine that about 200,000 deaths each year are directly related to alcohol abuse (Death Statistics 2007). The major adverse effects associated with alcohol abuse are related to liver damage because of the accumulation fats and protein in the liver. Long-term heavy drinking is associated with the development of esophagitis, gastritis, achlorhydria and g astric ulcers. Heavy alcohol intake may interfere in the normal process of food digestion and absorption (Goodlett et al 1999). It also inhibits the capacity of the intestines to absorb various nutrients including vitamins and amino acids. This can result to vitamin deficiencies. Alcohol has been shown to affect the heart by increasing the resting cardiac output, heart rate and myocardial oxygen consumption. A person with alcohol intoxication may also be predisposed to infections secondary to the suppression of the immune system. Alcoholism ruins personality and males a person dependant on alcohol. â€Å"Rich or poor, tall or short, fat or thin, male or female, all fall into the alcoholic spectrum in an orderly and predictable pattern--each being equal to the other†. Form the chemical and biological point of view alcohol has potent effects on areas of the brainstem called the locus coeruleus and the raphe nuclei (Goodlett et al 1999). These play an important role in both moto r coordination and alertness, which unsurprisingly are two of the functions most impaired by having a drink or three. Alcohol abuse is so dangerous because it negatively inferences the mental and psychological development of a person. Alcoholism has the potential to disrupt every brain function. The well-known fact is that alcohol may appear to be a stimulant, but it is mostly a central nervous system depressant. Although initially there may be a feeling of happiness and well-being, alcohol produces loss of emotional control, violent behavior, inability to coordinate movement, nausea, confusion, and coma. Less known facts are that alcoholic coma is not a minor problem - it results in death in about 1 in 20 cases. Once people who use alcohol heavily are habituated to this drug after five or so years; they will experience blackouts, nightmares, and hallucinations. It is a known fact that citizens can drink alcohol life long in moderate quantities without significant risk to health or social well-being. Unfortunately, too many people who take alcohol regularly are unable to resist the temptation and increase the quantity of alcohol that leads to alcoholism. It is important to remember that withdrawal also produces uncontrolled trembling of the limbs, delirium and epileptic attacks that do not always respond to anti-epileptic drugs (Goodlett et al 1999).  

Thursday, July 25, 2019

European Studies 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

European Studies 2 - Essay Example This paper attempts to explain why and in the process discusses the qualities and characteristics that make a good leader, based on the views of Machiavelli, which seem to do violence on the popular concept of leadership. According to Machiavelli, good intentions, strong moral convictions and even technical expertise do not guarantee success in the political and administrative arena (Dobel, 1998). â€Å"The man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.† A man from the common people may aspire for the highest post, and he can do alone or with the help of others. If he becomes a leader through his wealth rather than through popularity or force of arms, he is still said to have become a leader with the help of others. The reason is that the people will look not to him but to his wealth as the source of his power. The people’s attitude will be based not on the strength of his character or the wisdom of his acts but on the state of his finances. Machiavelli counts liberality and generosity as among the various qualities it is desirable to see in a leader, but â€Å"the reputation for liberality or generosity is better than the practice thereof.† In other words, one does not need to be liberal or generous throughout. The important thing is he acquires a reputation for these predilections without going overboard. The danger with a thoroughly liberal disposition, according to Machiavelli, is that this is likely to â€Å"consume his whole substance in things of this sort†¦ and be obliged, to maintain his reputation for liberality, to burden his subjects with extraordinary taxes and to resort to confiscations and all the other shifts whereby money is raised.† By consuming the means for practicing liberality and generosity, these dispositions lead to a reputation for the opposite. In general, leaders are better off if they are loved rather than feared by their constituents. Machiavelli,

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

LEGAL AND ETHICal issues in health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LEGAL AND ETHICal issues in health - Assignment Example The case above is classified as voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide because the patient requested for the drug to alleviate pain, induce sleep and eventually end her life. The main considerations for this case would relate to the four ethical principles as laid out by Beauchamp and Childress (2001). These ethical principles include: autonomy or self-determination, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). The ethical principle of self-determination or autonomy indicates that all individuals have the right to determine their own future, and in this case, the right to die (Kerridge, Lowe, and Stewart, 2009). This ethical principle would provide support for the patient’s decision because she has the right to die and the right to determine the direction of her life. Supporters of assisted suicide declare that not allowing the patient to die violates the patient’s freedom. They also believe that any competent and terminally-ill patient must have the right to choose death. Under these conditions, they choose the time and the means by which to die, and therefore are able to lend a semblance of dignity to their d eath and the end of their life (Kerridge, et.al., 2009). The patient is in severe pain however, she is still in a logical and lucid state of mind, sufficient to support a sound decision about her life. This right to self-determination must not therefore be denied her. Inasmuch as the right to self-determination fully supports the patient’s right to die, this contrasts sharply to other ethical principles, including the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. From a certain point of view, beneficence may support the right of the patient to opt for assisted suicide, especially as it is an act which would benefit the patient (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). The principle of beneficence highlights the fact that

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

KIEU ESSAY-THEME 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

KIEU -THEME 2 - Essay Example He contradicts his position of morality as at one point he is immoral and some other point he is moral. The character Thuc Ky Tam portrays the theme of immorality in ‘the tales of Kieu’. It is evident throughout the old story narrated in the poem. Thuc Ky Tam is at first introduced in the story to be the top manager of a brothel. As known to the public at large, brothels are place where immorality is practiced at its highest levels. For such a person to be in charge of a brothel, more at the time this poem was publicized, he had to be immoral. In spite of Thuc Ky Tam’s actions later in the story, he carries on the shameful deeds of individuals who maintained visiting the brothel. Thuc is one person who was well bred and educated and was supposed to defend women rather than indulging in immoral acts with them. This defilement act portrays the character of Thuc to be obviously immoral man. The family of Thuc can be described to be well bred and well to do as they ha d a trading shop. Thuc at his early ages was a man of passion as sings of Kieu’s beauty from the moment he saw her. He made it his initiative to persuade and make her fall in love with him for which he accomplished (Nguyen, pp.69). He first saw Kieu in the brothel at her place of work and where Thuc was a manager. They went on to see each other on many instances and their relationship looked to be more intimate than being casual. Visible closeness existed between the two that portrayed to true lovers. Thuc expressed his emotions to Kieu who answered back by professing her love to him. Nevertheless, Kieu’s current and past job was a stumbling block as she knew it could not be ignored. Thuc was a married man and this was a challenge to their relationship with Kieu as they could not get into a union of marriage. It also barred them from carrying out their relationship outside the brothel. Kiev talked about the wife of Thuc, "But if the lady lords over you, I shall be toss ed to her, your lioness" This did not shake Thuc as their situations that grew worse rather made them stronger in love. The character of Thuc makes a turn at this juncture when what he feels for Kieu makes him liberate move away form the brothel. Thuc does this by paying Dame Tu, madam at the brothel which showed that he held to his words by honoring his promise. Kiev and Thuc continued in their relationship as married partners with Thuc looking after his wife and life became enjoyable. This is contrary to one’s expectation of an affair between a man who was frequent in brothels and a prostitute. One’s expectation may be that the two would at one time renounce the life they live and turn into a new leaf. Nevertheless, their relationship looked so comfortable and normal that there could be an end. The character of Thuc transforms to man of good deeds and one may attempt to deliver him from his past sins of prostitution and frequenting brothels. His father who has been a way is responsible for stereotyping the play in this love story of Thuc and Kieu. He warns them that Thuc should take Kieu back to where she worked as a prostitute or judgment awaits them for making a mistake of living together while Thuc was still in another union. The two opted for the worse by waiting for the judgment as they continued to live together. What trouble his father was that Thuc had chosen a prostitute for a wife and this tarnished the family name. Thuc and Kieu face judgment and at the start, the case was against Kieu who had

Monday, July 22, 2019

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay Example for Free

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay The stories of John Updike’s â€Å"AP† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† both make use of the first person point of view in narration but with very different and quite powerful effects that also affect other elements of the story. The ways in which these two stories play with the individual elements of a piece of fiction show just how important it is to make sure that these individual elements are all taken cared of and built-up with equal care and attention, because a problem with one element can result into a problem with the entire story; the elements must all be able to work together to support each other and to weave a tight story. â€Å"AP† uses the first person, non-omniscient, singular point of view (POV) narration to build rapport with the main character, Sammy [for example: â€Å"Im in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I dont see them until theyre over by the bread; I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. † (Updike 560)]. This connection with Sammy is a very important one because it is pretty much the driving force of the story; learning of what’s going on in a teenage boy’s head while there are half-naked girls walking about can make an interesting read. This point of view is really what helps push the reader on along as she or he plods through the â€Å"AP† plot. With â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we are given the first person, non-omniscient, plural point of view. Obviously, because it is plural it cannot be the view of the main character, Miss Emily Grierson. Instead we seem to have the entire story narrated to us by the entire town [â€Å"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral; for a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin† (Faulkner)]. This works to increase the mystery that surrounds Miss Emily and her house because we never really knew what she is thinking or feeling. This point of view, giving an air of mystery, again, helps push the reader on to discover what happens throughout the story. Relating with the use of the POV are the different story plots. Here, we can see a great difference between â€Å"AP† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† because we find that one is mainly character-driven while the other has a strong plot that keeps the readers going through the story. It is â€Å"AP† that is, obviously, character-driven because of its simple plot of a boy wanting to elicit the attention of some pretty girls, which is quite common. Even the events in the story and the simple chronological way that it folds are quite ordinary; it is really Sammy – his thoughts and his feelings – that make a reader interested in the story. And, even up to the ending, readers are all interested only in Sammy’s fate and no one else’s [â€Å"I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike 564)]. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we have a story with a strong plot, aided by the effective point of view narration, which moves the story along. The story hooks readers into the plot by making them curious about who Miss Emily Grierson is from the very beginning – readers are wondering why she is a â€Å"fallen monument† and what is so interesting about the â€Å"inside of her house† (Faulkner). The non-linear timeline that the story follows also strengthens the mystery of Miss Emily because the building block to her life must be pieced together slowly and with a certain amount of intuition, at first. Now, the characters of the two stories are also very different – one is as open to us as a book laid flat-open, while the other is mystery to the very end. With Sammy of â€Å"AP†, we never seem to see a concrete glimpse of in terms of physical appearance but the readers would all know him if they met him. The first person narration lets us in on all the things that makes Sammy think and tick with that little grocery stop. In his observation of the girls, we find a young man with a keen eye and, also, an eye for beauty. He also shows us the ability of a good imagination when he imagines how the girls behave and how their relationships with each other must be like as when he describes the tall girl as: â€Å"a tall one, with black hair that hadnt quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very striking and attractive but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much. † (Updike 561) Sammy, as we can surmise, is a boy that is very much in-touch with his surroundings and his imagination. The characterization of Miss Emily, in contrast, is one that is left murky and shadowy. Because we only see her through the townspeople’s eyes, we never really see her clearly; we can only watch her through the stories, the memories, and the patchwork guesses that these observers give us. But even from this blurry view of Miss Emily through a window, we can see how guarded and closed-off she is from her environment [as when she acted ignorant of Colonel Sartoris’ death (Faulkner)] – the total opposite of Sammy. In â€Å"AP†, we are set-up in a small grocery store that effectively concentrates our attention on no one and nothing else but Sammy and his current preoccupation. The AP grocery store acts as the perfect magnifying glass to help us focus on our main character and how he deals with the current situation. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is set-up up throughout decades of a life and in different places of the town; this manner of a setting makes for even more mystery as the reader tries to fill in all the gaps between the years that the narrators had no contact nor any knowledge of what went on in Miss Emily’s life. The vast setting diffuses the readers’ minds and it wanders across time and space, searching for a complete picture of Miss Emily Grierson. These two stories, perhaps more different than alike, prove that good stories don’t need to follow a certain pattern to mold in order to be good; it is in the writer and the dedication to his work that makes a story count. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose For Emily. 16 February 2008. Fu Jen University: Department of English Language and Literature. 26 June 2009 http://www. eng. fju. edu. tw/English_ Literature/Rose/el-text-E-Rose. htm Updike, John. â€Å"AP†. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Eighth Edition. Ed.

Computer education Essay Example for Free

Computer education Essay Computer education is two sides of a coin, there are several advantages and disadvantages which are listed below: Advantages: 1. Information is available at the click of a button, the internet is very useful and gives a huge support to the teacher to enhance her curriculum 2. The students themselves can learn a lot about the topics taught in class through the internet 3. Children find the lessons interesting since teachers have access to a vast pool of information. 4. Children can submit homework etc via computer, thus saving of time 5. Saves a lot of stationery, paper wastage is minimal since students can submit their projects via computer. 6. Also, today everywhere a computer is used children become computer savvy and better prepared to face the world. Disadvantages: 1. Computer tends to make the children lazy, reason being that a computer is a one stop shop. Everything is available at a click of a button, they do not have to strive to collect information. 2. Children lose their power the think since just by putting in one word on the search engine a whole treasure of information opens up, everything is available without trying very hard, children lose their imagination power and ingenuity. 3. Children do not have to learn spellings, calculation, tables they become totally dependant on computers and their skills for memorising, application, quick thinking are not developed. 4. A computer is a very cold way of teaching, earlier live examples and objects were used which were far more exciting, we could touch, smell objects like earlier if a teacher wanted to teach about an orange a live orange was brought and shown, today everything is shown via power point presentations on screen which does not have the same effect on children, since a live thing is so much more exciting. 5. Children lose touch with the real world and live in a virtual world which is not good. 6. Children become loners, lose friends, since all the time they are stuck to the computers 7. They do not sleep on time since chatting, emailing,

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Do Bystanders Have A Responsibility To Intervene?

Do Bystanders Have A Responsibility To Intervene? Everyone needs help at some point in their life. When someone is in trouble and needs help, I assume that person would want someone to step in and help them when they are in need. But that is not what always happens. Sometimes when people see someone in trouble they wont intervene at all, they will just keep watching or walk by like they did not anything. Sometimes people will see someone in trouble and literally pretend like nothing is happening. People play an important role when it comes to someone needing help. They can either do the right thing and help the person in need or be a useless bystander and let whatever happens happen (Which is very selfish). I believe that as a bystander, you have a responsibility to intervene when there is a trouble. I am a strong believer in the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you Rosemary K.M. Sword, Philip Zimbardo. If and when you see a person in trouble it is up to you to decide whether or not you are going to assist that person or let them fend for themselves. If you decide that you are not going to help that person, I assume that you are a very selfish and self centered person and that you do not care about anyone but yourself. Therefore if you were the one in trouble, you would not want anyone to help you out in a similar situation. I find people like that very foolish. If you were in trouble and help was available, why wouldnt you accept the help? Now I know there are certain people in this world that just dont want help or think they can handle the situation by themselves. Some people have too much pride or too big of an ego. These people dont want to look weak in front of everyone or be looked down upon for not standing up for themselves. Men are more prone to not ask or accept help when it is offered. On the other hand females would willingly accept help when they are in trouble. Ego is not such a big problem in women as it is in men. For example if there is a woman in public and everyone sees this guy harassing and bothering her after she has repeatedly told him to stop, I can guarantee you, if and when someone steps in to help the woman is not going to turn down the offer. If she does she foolish. However if it was a man being harassed instead of a woman, the man would probably either calmly walk away or end up fighting the guy harassing him. He would probably tell the person who intervenes to back off and that he has the situation under control. If the man being harassed was of a calmer demeanor he would either ignore the man harassing him or just calmly walk away. Everyone should get the same treatment no matter what. But sometimes it does not always happen like that. Sometimes peoples decision whether or not to intervene when there is trouble can be altered by certain factors. These factors include the bystander effect, gender and/or sometimes even race. The bystander effect occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation as described by John Darley and Bibb Latane. For example Bibb and John were two social psychologists who were teachers in NYC during the 1960s. Around that time the infamous murder of Kitty Genovese occurred. Even though Kitty Genovese was continuously screaming and shouting to try and ward off her assailant, none of her neighbors from her apartment complex helped her. They all stood there and watched her get stabbed to death. But if they saw her getting attacked, why didnt anyone help her and save her life? The answer may be simpler than you believe. Pluralistic ignora nce When the groups majority privately believes one thing and mistakenly assumes that most others believe the opposite Melissa Burkley. For example, lets say there was a car wreck on the highway and all these cars are just driving by then you drive by just like everybody else assuming that someone else has already called 9-1-1 or that someone has stopped by to help the car crash victims to make sure that they are ok. Another good example which you may or may not have been apart of happens in the classroom more than you think. Lets assume your teacher just finished teaching a very difficult lesson and is about to hand out the class worksheet. But before she hands out the lesson worksheet she asks the entire class if anyone has any questions about the lesson and is there anything they want her to go back over one more time. Lets one of her students is confused and he wants to ask the teacher a question about the lesson. He will probably scan around the classroom and look to see if a nyone else was going to raise their hand to ask the teacher a question . When he saw that no one else raised his/her hand he stopped himself from putting his hand up. He did this to avoiding looking dumb and so he would not be recognized as the only person in the class who was confused and had a question about the lesson the teacher had just taught literally minutes ago. From a teachers point of view you could conclude that if one of the students had a question theres a good chance that a good majority of the students had a question and were puzzled and confused. One student not being able or afraid to ask the teacher her question can result in the whole class suffering due to that one students decision. Some think that gender may also play a role in whether or not people intervene when someone is in trouble and vice versa. Men in our world today are portrayed as aggressive, rational, and very competent and powerful. While women are looked upon as passive, sensitive, and very supportive. These traits in both men and women can greatly affect whether or not someone would help them or step in if they were in any kind of trouble. Lets start with the men. Assume its a public setting at a park and all of a sudden theres a big commotion by one of the park benches because a man took Tonys seat. Everyone sees Tony arguing with the man and as time goes on the argument gets more and more intense to the point where they are about to start fighting. Would anyone step in and beak it up? If you saw 2 grown men that were about to fight would you stop them or wait to see what everyone else was going to do before you make a move. I would jump in and stop them and try to talk them down until they both calmed down and went their separate ways. Its just the right thing to do. If that was you in that situation I bet you would want someone to help you out, especially if you knew that you probably wasnt gone win if yall really did fight. Now women on the hand is a lot different. Heres a scenario, theres a middle aged woman standing in the shade of a tree relaxing minding her own business at a park. Then a few minutes later a stranger walks up to her and starts harassing . At this point you can assume that pretty much everyone in the park knows or is watching the stranger harass this woman. Since female are perceived as weaker than their male counterparts I believe that within two minutes of the woman being harassed a man/woman either stepped in and forcefully removed the stranger away from the innocent woman or if they were female they told them to leave her alone . That woman did nothing to deserve being harassed, but would the result have been the same if she did something to deserv e it? Lets say its that same woman and stranger in the same setting but this time the woman stole the strangers wallet and walked off and stood under the tree in the shade relaxing. The stranger comes over the old lady talking aloud asking why you stole my wallet. Everyone hears this recognizes the stranger as the one who needs help. The woman refuses to give the stranger his wallet back. At this moment I believe one to two other males and one female would have stepped in to help the man get his wallet back. The role of the bad guy all depends on the circumstances and the situation. In conclusion I firmly believe that bystanders do have a responsibility to intervene when there is trouble and they play a big part in determining how that situation is going to end. If no one helps it ends badly, if someone steps in to make things right, everyone goes home happy. I believe that the reason some people intervene is because they believe that in the future they will receive that same help if and when they are in trouble. What goes around comes around if you dont step in to help a person in need, then you must not want help if and when you get into any sort of trouble.Just do the right thing be a good samaritan.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Adventures of Huck in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is based on a young boy's coming of age in Missouri of the mid-1800s. This story depicts many serious issues that occur on the "dry land of civilization" better known as society. As these somber events following the Civil War are told through the young eyes of Huckleberry Finn, he unknowingly develops morally from both the conforming and non-conforming influences surrounding him on his journey to freedom. Huck's moral evolution begins before he ever sets foot on the raft down the Mississippi. His mother has died, and his father is constantly in a drunken state. Huck grows up following his own rules until he moves in with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Together, the women attempt to civilize Huck by making him attend school, study religion, and act in a way the women find socially acceptable. However, Huck's free-spirited soul keeps him from joining the constraining and lonely life the two women have in store for him. The freedom Huck seeks in Tom Sawyer's gang is nothing more than romantic child's-play. Raiding a caravan of Arabs really means terrorizing young children on a Sunday school picnic, and the stolen "joolry" is nothing more than turnips or rocks. Huck is disappointed that the adventures Tom promises are not real and so, along with the other members, he resigns from the gang. Still, he ignorantly assumes that Tom is superior to him because of his more suitable family background and fascination with Romantic literature (Twain). Pap and "the kidnapping" play another big role in Huck's moral development. Pap is completely antisocial and wishes to undo all of the civilizing effects that the Widow and Miss Watson have attempted to instill in him. However, Pap does not symbolize freedom; he promotes drunkenness, prejudice, and abuse. Huck escapes the cabin to search for the freedom he yearns for. It is after he escapes to Jackson Island that he meets the most i nfluential character of the novel, Jim. After conversing, Huck learns things about the runaway slave that he had never been aware of. Jim has a family, dreams, and talents such as knowing "all kinds of signs about the future," people's personalities, and weather forecasting (Twain 69).

Money and Matrimony in Vanity Fair Essay -- Vanity Fair Essays

Money and Matrimony in Vanity Fair      In his novel Vanity Fair, William Thackeray exposes and examines the vanities of 19th century England. His characters pursue wealth, power, and social standing, often through marriage or matrimony. The present essay looks at Thackeray's use of the institution of marriage in Vanity Fair to comment on how these vanities often come at the expense of the true emotions of passion, devotion, and love. Parental Ambitions In Vanity Fair, money is central to nearly all of the characters' relationships. Thackeray connects England's merchant families, the lesser nobility, and the high aristocracy through money and matrimony, and parents are frequently the chief negotiators in these business transactions. Mr. Osborne is perhaps the novel's most avaricious parent; money and social eminence are all-important to Mr. Osborne, and he is willing to sacrifice his children's happiness to connect his family name with these vanities. He forbids his daughter Jane to marry an artist with whom she has fallen in love with, swearing to her "that she should not have a shilling of his money if she made a match without his concurrence" (p416). For Mr. Osborne love has little to do with matrimony, and marriage is simply a transaction that should increase family wealth and prestige. This concept was by no means uncommon during the 19th century: the rise of industrialism and colonialism meant an influx of wealth into England, and marriage was seen by many as a way of either rising in station or cementing business ties. This latter theme is seen in Mr. Osborne's interference in his son George's relationship with Amelia. Their courtship is arranged, the "two young people [having] been bred up by their parents" (p38) ... ...und them, and not look in. She eluded them, and despised them --- or at least she was committed to the other path from which retreat was now impossible. (p410-11) Thackeray points out that Becky could have led a simple, happy life, but for her relentless desire to achieve wealth and social status. She never comes to this realization, however, and through Rebecca the author shows us how our desires for the vanities can blind us to more truer, simpler emotions. Conclusion The marriages and mà ©salliances of the characters in Vanity Fair show us the folly and futility of chasing wealth, power, and social eminence at the expense of love and passion. Thackeray's novel reminds us that there are frequently hidden costs when we make such a bargain, and the true expense is often more than we can afford.    Works Cited Thackeray, William (18 ). Vanity Fair.   

Friday, July 19, 2019

Differing Views On Reconstruction :: American America History

Differing Views On Reconstruction By 1866, several distinct positions on Reconstruction emerged. These were divided into three opposing camps: Conservatives (democrats), Moderates, and Radicals. The Conservatives believed the South should be readmitted into the Union as soon as possible, but the Radicals and Moderates believed there should be consequences for succeeding. The question of what those consequences should be separated Radical from Moderate. The answer to this question was as related to how important each side believed it was to enfranchise African Americans into this country (socially, politically, economically, and culturally) as it was in exacting an appropriate punishment for the treasonous South. Although the two Republican factions disagreed on several aspects of Reconstruction policy, they both understood that the Conservative approach to Reconstruction could never be enacted. The Conservatives lead by President Johnson, believed in a rapid readmission, into the Union, for the defeated Southern states. Johnson's stipulations were solely that the states ratify the 13th Amendment, and repudiate Confederate war debt (thus making it null and void). A second more controversial measure to the democrat's plan for rapid reconstruction was the issuing of pardons to former Confederate officials, landowners, and generals. As a direct result of these pardons, former plantation owners' land was returned. The goal of the Conservatives during Reconstruction was obviously to return the South to the social, political, and economic structure of the antebellum period. The Conservative plans for reconstruction allowed the former Confederate leadership, which led the South to war to regain high ranking political positions. This made the Republicans fearful that the South would eventually move down the path of war with the Union. Furthermore, it also proved to the South that there were no consequences for succession. This was unacceptable to both Moderates and Radicals. In their eyes the South had committed treason and should have to suffer the consequences. However, Johnson never tried any of the Confederate leaders on charges of treason. The obvious answer to why the Conservatives wanted to enact this policy were because they were the ones guilty of succession. This was their way of protecting their self-interests. Before the war, Conservatives dominated Southern politics. After Southern succession they made up the majority of the Confederate government. However, the less than obvious answer was that they saw preserving the status quo antebellum as the only way to allow the Southern economy to one-day flourish. Considering that many conservatives were former slaveholders they enjoyed some vested interest in preserving the system. Differing Views On Reconstruction :: American America History Differing Views On Reconstruction By 1866, several distinct positions on Reconstruction emerged. These were divided into three opposing camps: Conservatives (democrats), Moderates, and Radicals. The Conservatives believed the South should be readmitted into the Union as soon as possible, but the Radicals and Moderates believed there should be consequences for succeeding. The question of what those consequences should be separated Radical from Moderate. The answer to this question was as related to how important each side believed it was to enfranchise African Americans into this country (socially, politically, economically, and culturally) as it was in exacting an appropriate punishment for the treasonous South. Although the two Republican factions disagreed on several aspects of Reconstruction policy, they both understood that the Conservative approach to Reconstruction could never be enacted. The Conservatives lead by President Johnson, believed in a rapid readmission, into the Union, for the defeated Southern states. Johnson's stipulations were solely that the states ratify the 13th Amendment, and repudiate Confederate war debt (thus making it null and void). A second more controversial measure to the democrat's plan for rapid reconstruction was the issuing of pardons to former Confederate officials, landowners, and generals. As a direct result of these pardons, former plantation owners' land was returned. The goal of the Conservatives during Reconstruction was obviously to return the South to the social, political, and economic structure of the antebellum period. The Conservative plans for reconstruction allowed the former Confederate leadership, which led the South to war to regain high ranking political positions. This made the Republicans fearful that the South would eventually move down the path of war with the Union. Furthermore, it also proved to the South that there were no consequences for succession. This was unacceptable to both Moderates and Radicals. In their eyes the South had committed treason and should have to suffer the consequences. However, Johnson never tried any of the Confederate leaders on charges of treason. The obvious answer to why the Conservatives wanted to enact this policy were because they were the ones guilty of succession. This was their way of protecting their self-interests. Before the war, Conservatives dominated Southern politics. After Southern succession they made up the majority of the Confederate government. However, the less than obvious answer was that they saw preserving the status quo antebellum as the only way to allow the Southern economy to one-day flourish. Considering that many conservatives were former slaveholders they enjoyed some vested interest in preserving the system.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

America’s Cuban Conundrum : The Assignment Essay

1) What was the key issue that prompted the EU to take the Helms-Burton dispute to the WTO? The key issue that prompted the EU to take the Helms-Burton dispute to the WTO is the theory that law argues against the governments’ authority and the principle of International Law. Another words, in a environment where EU and US had reach advanced stages of economic development, any practice or policy that restrains free trade (in theory) should be consider illegal. However US argued that Helms-Burton legislation objective is to promote â€Å"democracy† discouraging foreign investment in Cuba through the threat of lawsuits and the imposition of travel restrictions. 2) Who benefits the most from an embargo of this type? Who suffers? The embargo only benefits the United States government to a limited extent. Because of the Act, American supplies only reach Cuba through non-United States distributors and even smugglers to the disadvantage of the American companies (Toledo, 2011). But on the other hand, Cuba is obliged to pay cash for all imported goods because of prohibition of credits. 3) In light of the overtures U.S. President Barack Obama has made to Raul Castro, what is likelihood that the U.S. and Cuba will resume diplomatic and trade relations during the Obama administration? It seems that the best resolution to the trade situation between the United States and Cuba would be to end the embargo which would help the Cuban people and American profits. Cuba is a very poor country and repaying of loans is almost impossible. By being able to negotiate Cuba and the United States could come to an agreement that would benefit both countries. Case 6-1 Information Technology Is the Key to Success for Clicks : The Assignment 1) The Clicks ClubCard loyalty program is regarded as one of the drivers of growth at Clicks. Why you think this program has been so successful? Explain. ClickClub loyalty program is not just like discount card for membersusers. This is the program which was highly constructed and developed with time. The production of the company was defined for mid- and high- costumer spenders. The aim of the company is provide a good quality of care for people who really want to feel and look better. They provide a big list of advantages. For instance, shoppers are getting point with every purchasing, and then can get some bonus, as getting some of clicks products for free. It’s called â€Å"cash-back†. And that’s the way how they (company) can gets the quick attention. Its always nice and pleasure to use good service, which sometimes will encourage you to buy more, as probably even use to buy just from that particular company. People always want to get something for free, and that’s kind of difficult in our nowadays. Clicks also had much more examples of advantages, they provided to their costumers. 2) Why you think Clicks has started to adapt its merchandise range to appeal to consumers of the growing black middle-class market in South Africa? I am not sure, but in my opinion in this case it takes to account just the mid- class, as mostly African’s nation is poor. So, the answer is their enticing bonuses. As I mentioned in question 1, people always wants to get something for free, especially if they don’t really have that opportunity to afford that much, as they want, or they need. 3) Suggest practical marketing strategies that would encourage ClubCard members to make additional trips to Clicks stores. 1. Person-to-person advertising (To present some particular products in any public places. It can be new product or the old one, but which was developed). 2. To create marketing program, as try to involve more and more people, by register them, as freelancer worker. Moreover they will use Click’s products, but they also will do some free add for your company, distribute your product and include in a list of users and more people. A good example of the same marketing strategy is Russian line of cosmetics – Faberlic.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Marketing Strategy of Best Buy

Syed Raheem Dr. Sonja Pollard-Mitchell MKT 301 Principles of selling 3 March 2010 selling Strategy at a vainglorious Box Electronics Store BEST subvert Consumer demeanour is defined in a variety of slip route such as the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, expression and environmental events by which human beings transmit the exchange aspects of their lives. by the Ameri quite a little Marketing Association. (2008). In a simpler form, consumer behavior foundation be explained as the actions of consumers and the take issueent approaches a person may take to set what to buy and the close making mental process.The conclusion making process abide be effected by many factors altogether cogitate to a person or persons modus vivendi. Determining that behavior can be confusing and marketers need to engagement enquiry techniques to understand the consumer. Understanding the intent to buy, purchasing process and post purchase issues from a merchandising perspective raises many questions and is an in-depth process. The elementary selling concept holds that firms exist to satisfy consumers needs. (2004, Solomon). Once that staple fiber concept is understood, an organization can revolve close on key goals to achieve a competitive advan chasee.Marketing strategies argon use to gain better understanding of the market, consumers, environment, generate and pick up and competition. The behaviors of consumers such as personality, emotions, attitudes, schooling style, and perception of the consumer helps companies design their marketing techniques. remote influences atomic number 18 in addition need to be studied and factors such as coating and sub-culture, demographics, social status, and family structure helps understand the decision making process of the consumers behavior.For marketing strategy to succeed, the insight to the consumers decision-making process is a proficient starting point. angiotensin converting enzyme of the many tools apply for knowing consumer behavior are the four Ps of marketing, the product, regulate, price and promotion. By knowing the concepts of the four Ps marketers, build a strategy that can be used to achieve objectives necessary to meet companies marketing goals. Through awareness, a consumer can be to a greater extent knowledgeable in acquire behavior if an understanding of the four Ps of marketing are considered. pic such strategies are truly common in big box electronics stores such as BEST BUY. dress hat secure is a surplusty retail merchant of consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services. better(p) demoralise operates retail stores in many parts of the US and by their web land sites under the brand get explicate shell vitiate. com and best bribeCanada. ca. The gild is always proposing bleak ways to increase revenue and provide the outmatch customer service to their customers. Bob Willett, former(pre nominal) executive president of operations for trounce Buy had said, Our goal is to create a flexible, high-velocity supply chain run with better product availability for customers at a lower total represent for the attach to. go around Buy constantly lowers their prices by beating out any their competitors prices and maintaining fiber customer service. The best way Best Buy uses price elasticity of demand to decrease prices and increase revenue is by making convinced(predicate) that they are offering competitor pricing, and making sure that both week prices are updated by update what their competitors are currently selling their items for. fit to the management, the only way to get customers to bewilder into Best Buy is by word of mouth and the only way that is button to happen is by making sure that relationships are being built among consumers and employees.Best Buy has a slopped belief that relationships mingled with energized employees and satisfied customers l eave alone lead to profits and growth. Best Buy has been able to maintain its large measure of operations by increasing its bargain power with consumer electronic vendors and offer more competitive prices. Best Buy has spread out its installation and repair services to consumers with some(prenominal) venuesboth on a stand alone basis as well as mixing these offerings in its retail outlets, through Geek Squad. Best Buy Company is besides socially committed and believes in educating people about technology.They are socially responsible company. This lovable of behavior contributes them good publicity, which is also a good marketable tool these days. The company spent $13 million in teach Awards for the school to aware them from the cutting technologies about the classrooms. They also gave scholarships to the students all anyplace the world. Best Buy stores constitute awarded oer $13 million in scholarships to well 11,000 students nationwide. In this modern world, where e actually day untried technologies are approach up and frequently they are change state outdated. Under this scenario, the Best buy company has to eep itself up to date and must watch to keep watch out for the tender technologies. In this way the company can survive under intense competition. The biggest competitors of Best Buy Company are Dell, Wal-Mart, HH Gregg and all those retailers which are supplying those products on mediocre prices. The company has also brought whatsoever changes in their business to stay in the covert line. Like, they also offers their products online as other companies are doing to help overcome online competitors, Best Buy allows consumers to purchase their items online.Consumers then birth an preference of having the product shipped to their home or select it up at a topical anesthetic Best Buy store. Best Buy has recently established several new partnerships bringing new products to their stores. orchard apple tree, Dell, and Napster are so me of the new partnerships. Best Buy became the commencement retailer in the US to be able to sell the apple iPhone. Apple sent trainers to each store in coiffe to make each employee more knowledgeable on the iPhone. They became the only retailer able to sell Dell computers.They also recently bought in to Napster in order to try to increase their subscribers and expand the capabilities in the digital downloading business. Best Buy also bought 50% of a company called Carphone storage warehouse in Europe, which was done to expand Best Buy stores into European countries. These precise strategic decisions by Best Buy were other undefeated marketing tool. They became an exclusive place for some of the products like Dell computers and Apple iPhone. Their strategy bought in many new customers as well as change magnitude their repeated customers sales.Best Buy has a certain way of targeting their customers by separating them into several different life style roots. The four meeti ngs include Urban Trendsetters, upscale Suburban, mediate America and Empty Nesters. The commencement lifestyle group is the Urban Trendsetters this group makes up about 26% of their customers and about a quarter of their revenue. They are between the ages of 23-30 who is typically single. Their second lifestyle group is Upscale Suburban they make up about 22% of their customers and about 25% of their revenue. The third lifestyle group is Middle America they are made up of 31. % of their customers, and around 32. 9% of their revenue. The final lifestyle groups owns more than 80% of the personal nest egg in the US, controls 70% of the financial assets, and are at the height of their earning power. This breakdown of their customers visibility helps Best buy understand their customer needs and their spending habits, which they can use in their marketing strategies. Best Buy delivers their advertisements in a very aglitter(predicate) and joyful fashion. Most of the paper advertiseme nts have a blue background with several yellows and reds in order to grab the consumers attention.Generally if they have a special for the week they will highlight it in red and put it on the poop of the cover page. Best Buy is or so well known for their yellow tag pic. All prices for the products are on a yellow tag whether you are smell at one of their advertisements or a price tag in their stores. This extraordinary way of advertising helps them very untold at time of promotions and sales to differ themselves from their competitions. In conclusion one of successful electronics store of our time is utilizing all the marketing strategies it needs to create new customers as well as maintain their unwavering loyal customers.They use a very competitive pricing policy to give them upper hand with their customers. They offer very exclusive products to their customers, which customers usually cannot find anyplace else. They use all the publicity they can get through their socially good deeds. They have done a very good research on their customers who comes in their stores and shops on their websites. They are one of the pioneers in advertisements as far as creating humorous ads to make their point. All this marketing strategies have made them very profitable companies of our time. establish CITEDSolomon, M. R (2004). Consumer Behavior Buying, Having and Being sixth edition. Upper Saddle River, N. J. Prentice-Hall. (2008). Marketing Power. Retrieved June 30, 2008, from American Marketing Association tissue site http//www. marketingpower. com/Pages/default. aspx (2007). The Marketing Mix, the four Ps of Marketing. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from Net MBA Web site http//www. netmba. com/marketing/mix long Ads. (2008) Best Buy Inc. Commercial etc. Retrieved Nov. 29th, 2008. http//great-ads. blogspot. com/2008/11/best-buy-funny-commercial-2008-holiday. html