Tim O’Brien “How to Tell a True War Story”

The words, which describe the character: Rat Kiley; sharp gray eyes; tight little strokes of the wrist; he wanted me to believe; big gentle killer eyes; little crazy; they were kids – they just didn’t know; Rat almost bawls writing it; they were like soul mates. The words, which do not describe the character: crazy in a good way; real daredevil; nineteen years old and it is too much for him. The guy’s real name was Bob Kiley, but everyone was calling him Rat (O’Brien 174).He had lost his friend Curt Lemon in Vietnam, but this loss happened beyond any military actions, when they were playing with grenades (they were real kids); Rat had actually lost his soul mate. Reading the story, Rat’s character created an impression of being flat. However, coming to the story’s end, it is evident that huge sufferings are hidden behind the childish behavior. This childish behavior has indirectly become the cause of tragedy, and suffering through this loss, Rat reveals his round dynamic character.He tries to forget his pain, but the fact that he feels it is the sign of his deep soul, which was changed in the cruelties of the Vietnam War. Curt Lemon is the character around which Rat’s actions and thoughts are concentrated. They spent most of their time together and what they felt towards each other was real kinship. The unexpected loss was so difficult for Rat that he didn’t hesitate to mail a letter to Lemon’s sister. This letter has become the expression of his feelings, his sorrow, and his best memories about that person. Re-writing the story from Rat’s perspectiveThe day didn’t predict anything tragic. We crossed the river – the mountains were in the west, and we had to direct our efforts there. We have already spent three days marching, and it already seemed monotonous†¦so well†¦we were trying to entertain ourselves, and in a second Curt Lemon was dead. He simply stepped on a boob y-trapped 105 round. One second – and the man was gone forever. We were playing, we were laughing, and then, out of sudden, he was dead. I didn’t notice that the whole hour had passed before we cut off the thick grass for the emergency helicopter to land.Surprisingly, the day didn’t change; the weather was the same, and we kept marching. The only thing was that Curt was not with us anymore. Higher in the mountains I’ve noticed a baby VC water buffalo. I had no idea how I could come across it so high in the mountains, and it was probably unexpected for me, that at that moment I could think of anything else besides Curt. I managed to get a rope around the baby buffalo and to lead it with us to the village, where we had to stay for the night. I stroked the baby buffalo’s nose, I tried to offer it come pork or beans, but it didn’t seem interested. I shrugged but I felt, how enraged I was.At that time I didn’t understand, what caused those feelings inside me, but now I know that Curt’s death had made me angry; angry for being incapable to change anything and to return him to life. I shot the buffalo through the front knee. I was shocked at the animal not showing any sign of stress; it didn’t cry. It was silent, though it fell hard onto the ground but then got up again, and at that moment I shot off its ear; I kept shooting and I could see it hurt, but for some reason I could not kill it. I would never make it suffer, but something inside me was preventing me from shooting right.I had no idea what others were thinking, but they were definitely watching each move and each shot I made. I was the only one to know, what it meant to me – Lemon was dead and he had been the best friend in the world. I am not sure whether it was a question of pain, and what pain one may mean here. I didn’t know whether physical pain could be measured or even compared to the moral pain I felt. I could not understand what I was doing, it was all smoke and I hardly remember whether I had shot the buffalo’s tail; it was as if I were dreaming. I shot it into the throat.I didn’t want it to experience those physical tortures anymore. I can still remember its eyes – enormous, shiny, and dumb. I can remember myself crying. I wanted to say how sorry I was for both the buffalo and for Lemon, but tears didn’t let any word come out. I understood I needed some freedom, some silence and some time to think, to try to recover and to ultimately feel better. I left the baby, may be it was still alive, but I didn’t know it. I just knew that it was fighting for its life, the chance which Lemon didn’t have. It will remain my sin forever, but my pain was enormous to hide it inside.I don’t still understand for whom I feel worse – for the baby buffalo I’ve killed or for Lemon who didn’t have a single chance to survive. What I know for sure is that Lemon didn’t go through the pain, which baby buffalo felt before it died. I also understand that this death could become neither physical, nor moral compensation for Lemon’s death. This is what I think now†¦ At that time I was not thinking anything. The baby buffalo’s death remains my biggest weakness – the inability to keep emotions inside. Later that week I wrote a letter to Lemon’s sister to tell her what a great guy her brother had been.I have written several funny stories from our life – I think that the letter turned to be very personal, even touching. I was almost bawling, because I could not accept the fact of his death. He had been the man able to turn the war into fun. He was right for war, and his attitudes towards war were also right. I clearly understood and I really felt that I would never receive any reply from that young girl, but I needed that writing to release my emotions and express what I was feeling about Lemon. Ev en when I pretended being angry at her, and called her â€Å"dumb cooze†, it was nothing but a mask – I didn’t want anyone know that I could feel†¦Justification I decided to focus on Rat Kiley’s character. The author emphasizes his negligent attitude towards life. â€Å"Listen to Rat: â€Å"Jesus Christ, man, I write this beautiful fucking letter, I slave over it, and what happens? The dumb cooze never writes back† (O’Brien 175). What I think is that Rat didn’t even expect to receive any reply from Lemon’s sister; he needed this letter to express what he had inside, and simultaneously he had to support his image of a guy â€Å"nineteenth years old – and it’s too much for him† (O’Brien 175).I was interested in viewing the story through his perspective, because I initially felt Rat could have been depicted differently, less crazy and more humane. As a result, the events in the narrative would loo k different through Rat’s perspective. After Lemon was dead, Rat could not find himself. He did not know how he could neutralize the moral pain he had inside. Again, the author could lead the narration in a different direction. Rat was shooting the baby buffalo – â€Å"it wasn’t to kill; it was just to hurt† (O’Brien 179).Has anyone thought that Rat might have not clearly understood what he was doing? The fact that he was crying was the best proof that his actions had been absolutely uncontrolled. Moreover, his negligence has proved to be only surface – he was deeply suffering through the loss of his friend; at his nineteen years he could consider himself happy for having experienced the kinship he felt towards Lemon. My goal was to portray Rat through different features, not the features which the author used in the narration. I suppose that the author has not looked too deep into Rat’s soul.O’Brien has created an image of Rat ’s cruelty towards the animal, and the readers perceive him as â€Å"a little crazy†. Simultaneously, he has not emphasized many features which make Rat a real human. Even the scene of animal killing could have been depicted differently, through the prism of Rat’s moral sufferings. â€Å"Rat Kiley was crying† (O’Brien 180), and that cry was the difficult acknowledgement of the fact that Lemon would never come back. Works cited O’Brien, Tim. â€Å"How to Tell a True War Story†. Postmodern American Fiction: A Norton Anthology. P. Geyh ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 1992, 174-183.

Elements / Characters Essay

Crisostomo Ibarra – Also known as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsilan, a Filipino who studied in Europe for 7 years. The love interest of Maria Clara. Son of Don Rafael Ibarra. Elias – Ibarra’s mysterious friend and a fugitive. Kapitan Tiyago – Also known as Don Santiago de los Santos the known father of Maria Clara. Padre Damaso – Also known as Damaso Verdolagas, a Franciscan Friar and Maria Clara’s biological father. Padre Salvi – Also known as Bernardo Salvi. Maria Clara’s secret admirer. Maria Clara – Maria Clara de los Santos, Ibarra’s sweetheart and illegitimate daughter of Padre Damaso and Pia Alba. Pilosopo Tasyo – Also known as Don Anastasio. Known to be a crazy person by his neighbors but actually quite a wise person. Ibarra seeks advice from him. Sisa – The Mother of Crispin and Basilio, who lost her mind after losing her sons. Basilio – The elder son of Sisa. Crispin – The younger son of Sisa who died because he was punished by the soldiers who was accusing him of stealing money. Alperes – Chief of the Guardia Civil and mortal enemy of the priests. Donya Victorina – Victorina de los Reyes de Espadana, a woman who thinks she is in the same class as the Spanish people or a social climber. Donya Consolacion – Wife of the Alperes and also a social climber who abused Sisa. Don Tiburcio de Espadana – Spanish husband of Donya Victorina and pretends to be a doctor. Linares – A distant nephew of Don Tiburcio de Espadana, the would-be fiancà © of Maria Clara. Don Filipo – A close relative of Ibarra, and a Filibuster. Senyor Nol Juan – The one who supervised the making of the school. Tarsilo at Bruno – Brothers, whose father was killed by the Spaniards. Iday, Sinang, Victoria,at Andeng – The friends of Maria Clara. Kapitan-Heneral – The most powerful official in the Philippines. A friend of Ibarra who hates secular priests and corrupt officials. Don Rafael Ibarra – The deceased father of Crisostomo Ibarra. Kapitan Pablo – Leader of the rebels whose family was destroyed by the Spaniards. Padre Sibyla – A Filipino friar who spies on Ibarra. Pedro – Abusive husband of Sisa. â€Å" Noli Me Tangere † Capitan Santiago de los Santos, or Capitan Tiago, hosts a dinner in his house at Calle Anloague. In the party there were important people who attended, such as Padre Damaso, Padre Sibyla, Liutenant Guevara, Laruja, Donya Victorina de Espadana, and Don Tiburcio de Espadana. Capitan Tiago then enters the living room and introduced Crisostomo Ibarra to the guests as the only son of Don Rafael Ibarra and that he just arrived from Europe. At dinner over â€Å"Tinola†, the guests were conversing about Crisostomo’s travels to several countries and then Padre Damaso interfered and embarrassed Ibarra and so he left the party.

Explain the Different Types of Discrimination Essay

Discrimination has many meaning and many different ways people can discriminate against others. Discriminations can be as simple as a person making a judgment against someone else by the way they dress or the way they speak or it can be the people are discriminated against (out casted/left out) because they choose to be different or have a disability or different colour of skin or even religion. Discrimination is unfair treatment of a person action based on prejudice which someone has of that individual and it can affect the targeted individual physically, this could be self-harm or eating disorders, intellectually, the individual won’t want to go to work because of how they are being treated, emotionally, which could be depression, anxiety, aggression, stress or fear, and finally, it can also affect them socially, because they might isolate themselves from the people around them which could result in the loss of friends and it may make some of their relationships with others strained because they think that everyone they know is going to treat them in the same way. The types of discrimination are: culture, disability, age, social class, gender, sexuality, health status and cognitive ability. The first type of discrimination is culture. This can be very important to some individuals because it shows their identity to other people and it is also the way in which they lead their life no matter what country they’re living in. Cultural discrimination means that when an individual from a different background or culture follows their cultures rules strictly; they are disliked by some people because they have a different lifestyle, following and they do not follow the same rules because of how they’ve been raised by their family. It is developed within the social group which they have been raised in; and it can change when they become mature enough to decide for themselves which culture best suited for them. In a profession in Health and Social Care it is important for everyone who is concerned to respect other people’s cultures. It is important for the individual because it gives them a sense of understanding and support, promotes their well-being and can also help their health. Also it is important to health and social care professionals because they see the benefits of their care value base and it underlines the importance of respecting an individual’s culture. Sometimes people see this as if the individual is receiving special treatment because they are different; which can make them feel angry or strong jealousy and as a result they will make the individual from a different culture feel isolated; which might make any relationships which the individual has strained and it can make them feel like they have no respect from anyone around them because of how they look or behave. In health and social care a lot of people work with and support people with varying degrees of disabilities. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone who has a disability. The act covers employment, access to goods, facilities and services of organisations, education, buying and renting a property and transportation services. There has to be full access ability for anyone with a disability. However, people who are part of the same establishment might discriminate against a disabled person in a wheel chair or with a severe disability; by calling them disrespectful names and say that they don’t deserve to be a part of the establishment just because they are disabled in some way; and this can make the disabled person feel depressed and suffer from anxiety problems because if the same thing has been said enough times then they will believe that they don’t deserve an education or have the right to same things which a non-disabled person has the right to. Age discrimination occurs â€Å"when someone is treated unfavourably because of their age, without justification, or is harassed or victimised because of their age†. There have been some controversies regarding the dispensing of certain very expensive drugs to older people because of their shorter life expectancy due to their age. And as a result some people have argued that the money would be better spent on drugs for younger people. However, this would be denying a drug due to their age and would open the health service to considerable legal risk, and legal advice would be needed before discussions like this could happen. Also, sometimes when there are a lot of elderly people and only a few teenagers waiting to get on a bus and when the bus arrives at their stop the teenagers get onto the bus before the elderly people; the elderly people may decide to talk aggressively to the teenagers just because they are older and they feel that they are more important because they might have a disability. Social discrimination is the actual behaviour of those who treat others differently depending on their social situation, to pigeon-hole someone socially, such that someone on benefits is treated unfairly compared to that of someone who works for a living. Invariably it’s a dysfunctional psychology re-enforced by peer pressure to gear an individual’s thought processes to fail to take into account or assess another individuals sole circumstances before passing judgement. It is not really seen as a problem by the bearer of the discrimination unless the bearer directly experiences some similar discrimination. The social class of an individual is apparent from the area in which they live with their family; the higher the social class, the better the place is kept and maintained. This form of inequality has also infiltrated health and social care. In the foreword to a Department of Health education, the former Secretary of State for Health stated that the poor are more likely to get cancer than the rich, and their chances of survival are lower too; this letter carries on to say that health care is essentially a postcode lottery, which means that having access to health care is often determined by where an individual lives. However, in the Equality and Human Rights Commission it states â€Å"At the heart of human rights is the belief everybody should be treated equally and with dignity – no matter what their circumstances†. An individual cannot be discriminated against because of their gender; if they are however it refers to a bias towards one gender. In the vast majority of careers, this bias means that women do not obtain the same opportunities as men for everything from their initial health care education right through to the hiring process and workplace environment. Their career advancement is also smaller and slower in comparison with career advancement for men. On top of that, women and men may perform the same jobs, but women will receive fewer benefits and less pay than men. Under the Gender Equality Duty 2007, all organisations, including health and social care services, cannot discriminate unfairly due to a person’s gender. Equal rights of access, health care and rights must be adhered to. Sexuality is a very individual thing; although most people are ‘straight’, heterosexual, a significant percentage of the population are gay, bisexual, celibate or asexual. Unfair treatment on the basis of someone’s sexuality – or assumptions about their sexuality – is discrimination and has no place in the sport’s environment. Sexuality discrimination happens when someone is treated unfairly compared with others, because of their sexuality. It can also occur because someone makes assumptions about someone else’s sexuality. Under the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (the Act), it can be unlawful to do this. Under federal legislation, it can also be unlawful. The Act says it is against the law to treat people unfairly because of their sexuality, whether they are gay, lesbian, heterosexual or bisexual. The law also protects a person who identifies, or has identified, as a member of the opposite sex by living or seeking to live as a member of that sex. The law also protects sex workers working lawfully. Health status discrimination often occurs when an individual is diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. Sources of stigma include fear of illness, fear of contagion, and fear of death. Fear of illness and fear of contagion is a common reaction among health workers, co-workers, and caregivers, as well as the general population. Stigma is one means of coping with the fear that contact with a member of an affected group; by caring for or sharing utensils with a PLHA will result in contracting the disease. HIV-stigma is often layered on top of many other stigmas associated with such specific groups as homosexuals and commercial sex workers and such behaviours as drug abuse by using needles and casual sex. These behaviours are perceived as controllable and are therefore assigned more blame, receive less sympathy, but instead, more anger and are less likely to receive assistance as opposed to people with AIDS who were infected through circumstances where there was no control, such as receiving a blood transfusion. However, sometimes it can be difficult to make decisions regarding a person’s medical treatment; their expected quality of life after the treatment has been given and their overall life expectancy have to be seriously considered. And the people who are making these decisions for someone should always keep questioning their own assumptions and prejudices; and also do their best to balance the welfare of individual patients with broader funding considerations. Under section 2 of the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance (â€Å"FSDO†), family status means the status of a person who has the responsibility for the care of an immediate family member. An immediate family member is a person who is related by blood, marriage, adoption or affinity. However, this can lead to a variety of discriminations against members of the family; they can be against gay or lesbian parents, single parents, parents of different genders, parents of different races with mixed-race children and other family groupings. It can either direct or indirect discrimination, direct discrimination means that a person is treated unfavorably because of their family status and indirect discrimination means when a condition or requirement, that is not justifiable, is applied to everyone but in practice adversely affects persons who have family status; an example of this would be a company insists that all its employees work overtime and a widower who has responsibility for care of his young children cannot comply with that condition. The company then dismisses him. The complainant feels aggrieved because as a single parent he cannot comply with that condition. If the company cannot justify why each and every employee must meet that condition, it could be a case of indirect discrimination on the ground of family status. Cognitive disability is defined by some as bellow average intellectual function that adversely affects educational and adaptive performance. There are a broad range of disabilities that fit into this criterion. Cognition is the mental process of understanding and acquiring knowledge through the senses, thought and perception. A person with a cognitive disability may have difficulty with some or all of the following cognitive areas: memory formation or retrieval; attention span; reading and comprehension; problem solving; and visual input. Discriminating against someone because of their cognitive ability might arise because of a brain injury, a learning disability or difficulty or a person’s social class or education. It can be easy to determinate against people with cognitive disabilities but care must be taken not to do so. Valuing People Now is a government strategy which aims to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities and those of their families and carers.

Disseminating Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Disseminating Evidence - Essay Example To the community, I will discuss dissemination approaches that lean towards the needs of the community. I will use proper language and information levels to get to an audience such as the community (Holland and ‎ Rees, 2010). Information levels under this approach will entail diagrams, graphs, verbal presentations, conferences, and community summits. A proper language means simplifying the terminology and syntax considering the community consists of individuals of different education levels. Such a language would make sure that the community is communicating successfully with and using my project’s dissemination resources and approach (Walsh, 2010). I think searching for communal effort is imperative to making essential changes that lead to a substantial outcome in a nursing retention project.  Methods applied to assess the efficiency of a suggested solution should offer information to the community about is its efficiency or lack thereof (Holland and ‎ Rees, 201 0). The success of the intervention with the community requires me to be succinct and straightforward when addressing this particular audience. I will arrange my points in a rational manner and emphasize the lists of major points. Implementing plans like forums, periodicals, talks, new media, presentations, networks, and open workspaces are crucial dissemination approaches for the community and the project’s stakeholders as well (Walsh, 2010).  Identifying aspects common to individual patients’ homes that could prompt to developing peritonitis is important.

Polish Costumes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Polish Costumes - Essay Example This paper will look at the different Polish costumes which emerged in different regions of the country. The first part will look at most popular Polish costume, the Krakow costume which became the representation of Polish traditional dress in the world. As Poland is generally subdivided in two regions namely, Eastern and Western Krakowians, this paper will also explore the similarities and differences of the costumes wore in these geographic areas. Each country is often identified with its own national costume, which is also true with Poland. Among the regions, the strj krakowski (Krakw costume) is the favourite among the various regional costumes of Poland and has come to symbolize the traditional costume of Poland in general, especially abroad. From the time of their late nineteenth and early twentieth century boom, the Krakow costumes have gained wide popularity and acceptance among the Polish. With this, the Krakow costumes have been commonly worn among all the levels of social strata. They were described by folklorists, portrayed in paintings, prints and photographs. In the Krakow costumes, the women wear white shirts with broad sleeves and collars decorated with lace and paired with colorful vests with sequins and rich embroidery. Women's necks are adorned with strings of coral beads. The Krakow costume is also recognized with its flowery skirts in bold patterns which partly covered with white lace aprons plus multiple petticoats underneath. Girls wear wreaths of flowers with multi-colored ribbons in their braided hair while matured women prefer colorful, flowery kerchiefs. Matching these colorful costumes are high-laced red boots have heels with metal tips to emphasize each stamp, click, or jump. On the other hand, the men wear long, dark and embroidered coats over white shirts and embroidered vests. These are complemented with striped pants which are often in red and white in color and are tucked in high-laced boots. Their characteristic accessories include a special belt with decorative strings of small, jingling metal plates, as well as a square hat, topped with peacock feathers. The Krakow costumes, worn by both men and women, can be seen to be lavishly ornamented. The effect of multicolored skirts, together with the elaborate designs of vests, and exquisite embroidery, can be compared to the extravagant colorfulness of the peacock. As time progresses, the basic form of the Krakow costumes have been modified to take into account the different traditions and culture which emerged. During the peak of their development, the Krakow costumes can be widely grouped into two variations-the Western and Eastern Krakowians. Western Krakowians is the region from the rural farmland and industrial areas of the western part of the genre's range while the Eastern Krakowians is the area from the farmlands to the eastern part. Even though the boundary between the two could not be clearly determined, it is said to run approximately along a line marked out by the villages of Jdrzew, Miechw, Proszowice, Koszyce, and further out, between Bochnia and Brzesko. It is very crucial to identify the various differences between the two costumes as they often tell the village or region that a person came from. Costumes of the Western Krakowians

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 22

Paraphrasing - Essay Example One needs to drink adequate amount of water and have enough rest to overcome heat effects on the body. The WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) system is used to measure heat and its index takes into consideration all environmental factors like humidity, radiant heat and air heat. WBGT can be ascertained through direct and indirect sunlight exposure. WBGT is made up of dry, wet and black globe thermometers. Dry bulb thermometer records air temperature (Tdb). Natural wet bulb thermometer records evaporative temperature (Tnwb) while black globe thermometer records radiant temperature (Tg). The analog and the digital instruments did not exhibit a significant variation in temperature. Both gadgets are designed to measure air temperature. Both instruments effectively record air temperature, but, they will record different measurements owing to the fact that one records temperature readings with decimals unlike the other. The experiment utilized a heater to assess the heating condition in for ten minutes. When the heater was used, we observed that the temperature of the two instruments increased. Air circulation was not measured, but the absence of a fan means there was limited error possibility in our data. Like any other experiment, this experiment is not free of human and gadget errors. Probable sources of error in this experiment include malfunctioning of instruments, thermometer failure on analog instrument and wrong data entry among others. In summary, this experiment is crucial for safety managers who can implement it in work environments with temperature fluctuati on to ensure safe working environment for

E-Cigarettes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-Cigarettes - Essay Example Article number one, â€Å"Use of E- Cigarettes Rises Sharply Among Teenagers, Report says† by Sabrina Tavernise and article number two, â€Å"Teens use e-cigarettes for ‘dripping,’ study says† By Susan Scutti both cover the topic of E-Cigarettes usage. In the articles, the authors both include data, research, opinions, and more. Writers Sabrina Tavernise and Susan Scutti use many strategies to persuade and pass a meaningful message to the readers. Each article covers the facts and data of E-Cigarette usage as well as portraying the message that their simply just isn’t enough data and research collected yet on the topic. Although article number two leans more towards the innocent positive side of the topic, from my understanding both authors weren’t sure if E-Cigarettes had a positive or negative effect on youths and people around the globe. In order to portray their message, each author used Logos. Logos relies on logic and reason. Both author s used Logos by including the old and current data as well as showing visuals and adding quotes and opinions by reliable people in the community.

Jet Blue Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Jet Blue Airways - Essay Example The company’s shares performed well since the IPO due to JetBlue’s perceived successful business model and its strong financials results (JetBlue). Jet Blue has been a reputable company in the airline sector within USA since its launch in year 1998 due to being a low cost airline company; the company achieved low operating costs while offering customers a pleasant flying experience. Jet Blue has not only survived but also performed well during difficult industry period i.e. 2000-2003, this period can be deemed as a recession period for the airline sector due to the September 11, 2001 bombings. Jet Blue prepared a different response to these recessionary times in the airline industry to achieve its positive result (Rovenpor & Michel 2009) The company flew new airplanes and its flying experience included reliable on-time performance, comfortable and roomy leather seats, free 24-channel satellite TV service through TV screens installed in the back of each seat, pre-assigned seating, and friendly service by crew members. JetBlue generally chose to fly between densely populated cities and chose airports that were undeserved by existing airline carriers. The company’s markets tended to be large metropolitan areas with high average fares. Once it entered a new market, JetBlue’s comparatively low airfares stimulated new demand from passengers who may otherwise not have flown and often resulted in JetBlue capturing market share from the incumbent carrier (JetBlue, Newsweek 2001 & Rovenpor & Michel 2009) JetBlue aims on providing the customers the best possible service at a low cost. These services include point to point route to save the time of the consumers and a high quality consumer service. This high quality consumer service is maintained by their employees who are recruited only after passing tough tests. JetBlue makes sure that their service does not get affected even if they

If the expectations hypothesis of the yield curve holds, then the Essay

If the expectations hypothesis of the yield curve holds, then the government cannot - Essay Example In December, 2001 the yield on the Treasury notes which were issued for the period of ten years stood at 5.15 percent. The percentile was responsible for the negative change in the long term interest rates during certain periods, however the terrorist attacks conducted on 11th Sept, 2001 created a major impact on the interest rates, and reported a massive downfall in the long term interest rates, which had almost dissipated by the end of the year. The analysts have linked the fluctuating short term and long term interest rates with the reduction in the fund rate, 'by conventional wisdom, reducing the funds rate by the magnitude experienced last year should have had some impact on long term interest rates' (David, 2002). It is incorrect to associate such a pattern with the ineffectiveness of the monetary policies; rather it is the influence and effectiveness of the monetary policies because of which 'the long rates have failed to budge as short rates have plunged' (David, 2002). The ability and authority of the Central Bank towards providing liquidity, without creating any major impact on the inflation in terms of rise, is the parameter for evaluating the effectiveness of the monetary policy. ... In some of the related cases, the coincident features of the economy, which are based on 'the reversals in the stock market, poor corporate earnings, rising unemployment, elevated perceptions of risk' (David, 2002), such situations and conditions are expected to encourage the savers and lenders to move towards such assets which have greater concentration of liquidity, and are based on shorter duration for maturity. Such situations are expected to 'inevitably drove down short term security yields relative to those on longer term assets' (David, 2002), due to the reason that expectations with reference to the stability of the inflation figures are prominent. These forces are responsible for the generation of an environment in which short rates, including the federal funds rate, decline at massive scale, and have 'relatively little effect on rates at the longer end of the maturity spectrum' (David, 2002). It has been argued that the stability of the inflation figures was based on the lo wer funds rate. It is therefore commonly believed that, 'if recession and wobbly confidence have driven interest rates down especially short term rates, recovery and restored confidence will, sooner or later, drive them up' (David, 2002). Yield curve is a basic theory which correlates and interprets the interest rate developments over the past year and what it might offer in the future. The yield curve explains the relation and behavior of the 'returns to securities that differ in terms of the number of months or years in the future that the assets mature, or pay off' (David, 2002). The curve explains the relation between effects of maturity on interest rates. The Treasury securities operate at default risk, and are

Strategy Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategy Implementation - Essay Example This paper compares and contrasts the roles for strategy implementation, identifies the resources required for its implementation and assesses what measures and timescales can be used to achieve this strategy implementation for British Airways. Strategy Direction Defining and determining strategic direction involve specifying the images, structures and characters that the firm thinks to develop over time. As Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson (2008, p. 350) pointed, strategic direction is normally framed within the contexts of the conditions like opportunities and threats that strategic leaders expect their organization to face in its near future. Daft (2009, p. 58) has also put forward almost similar view that strategy direction is a process that typically begins with the assessment of opportunities and threats in the external environment, including change, uncertainty, resources available etc. Matha, Boehm and Silverman (2008, p. 47) found that strategy direction is based on how employees hear about the strategy and how they do involve in it. A firm with long-term strategic direction probably will have to consider two basic elements, they are core ideology and an envisioned future. The first one is to motivate its people through the organization al culture and company’s heritage, and the second one encourages them to draw out of their expectations of accomplishments (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson 2008, p. 350). As depicted in the figure above, managing a firm’s resource portfolio, maintaining organizational culture and emphasizing ethical practices are highly critical factors affecting determining of the strategic direction. Roles and Responsibilities of strategy implementation Strategy implementation is connected with creating a portfolio of the strategic programs and secondly it involves attracting, allocating and managing all the necessary resources to deliver these strategic programs. Strategy implementation represents a specific pattern of decisions and actions that are intended to carry out a particular plan in an organization. When it comes to the case of British Airways, the company is widely known for effective corporate strategies like technology and business innovation, customer-enabled business strat egy or customer focus (Egger and Buhalis, 2008, p. 272), supreme customer services, service orientation etc. At British Airways, once the strategy has been determined, the management team responsible for the strategy implementation must translate the strategy program in to appropriate tactical plans, processes, programs and budgets. Operating plans and programs for each function are to be developed in this stage. In implementing the strategy of customer focus or innovation, the management of the British Airways prepares a plan including timetables, milestones and details of the organization’s risk management as well (Atkin and Brooks, 2009, p. 22). As compared to this, the strategy implementation in Virgin Atlantic is mainly influenced by the strategic vision of its top management and quality and entrepreneurial drive of the management teams (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000, p. 34). The strategy implementation in Virgin Atlantic is thus closely linked to the top managementâ₠¬â„¢s vision and it takes those steps that the management instructs. A strategy is planned and developed mainly

Organizations are Beyond Budgets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organizations are Beyond Budgets - Assignment Example A survey of European enterprises conducted by Boeson (2000) showed managers agreeing that their planning and budgeting processes were inefficient and ineffective in controlling financial resources. Several respondents believed the budgeting process resulted to small benefits relative to the large amounts of resources at their disposal. This led to firms changing the budgeting process or abandoning it all together. Controllers think of new ideas such as balanced scorecards, operational performance measurement, and investment risk portfolios and so forth. These aspects make the budgetary processes complex and make business management a complex process. This complexity is evident in the fixed, costly, detailed, and unnecessary annual budgets of organizations. The changing business environment created by computers and standardized software has a lot of information that makes managers overburdened with the business processes. According to Cokins (2001) current managers are less informed a bout the company’s operations than managers operating 30 years ago. The beyond budgeting concept has been introduced in several organizations as a replacement for the traditional budget-making process. One significant contributor to this shift is the transition in the internal processes that have shifted from the seller’s market in the industrial period to the buyer’s market of the high-tech age (Welch and Byrne, 2003). Organizational processes involving purchase, production, and sales involving division of labor in the industrial age have shifted to processing chains that link supplies to customers. The linear relationships between input and output have led to dynamic customer-oriented business combinations facilitated by technological inventions. This has limited the applicability of traditional budgets in the high-tech age since they are products of the industrial society. Post-industrial business managers require controlling instruments that are flexible so as to compete in the dynamic business environment. The concept of Beyond Budgeting focuses on greater flexibility in the transition of transitional management model of production and sales to a model of market preview and production. The new model of management is based on customer demand. Self-optimization in the new financial management model is attainable by decentralizing responsibility and decision making to empowered and motivated employees. The budgeting process was based on a hierarchical management system that relied on decisions from top management levels. In this regard, executives used the budget as a foundation for outmoded and fixed performance in the organization (Boeson, 2002). The performance of an organization was gauged by budgetary allocations and stipulations achieved within a specified time. This made managers and employees do anything to reach budget goals (Jensen, 2001).

E-Services in Cambodia Essay Example for Free

E-Services in Cambodia Essay The day length varies from 11 hours 29 minutes to 12 hours 48 minutes without twilight. Mean maximum and minimum temperature range among 30 to 36 °C and 21 to 25 °C respectively. Annual rainfall is 1,343 mm mostly during May to November. The national economy of Cambodia similar to many other developing countries are largely based on agriculture and income-earning opportunities. 90% of Cambodian population makes its living from agriculture. Agricultural development becomes important not only for food and livelihood security of the rural families, but also as a support for industrial progress. Most of Cambodian farmers are poor and live under extreme agroecological, socioeconomic constraints and fear of unrest of war. The poor farmers with small and scattered holdings are surviving on rain fed, mono cropped and rice based farming. Cambodia is rice exported country of mid 1960s has now annual shortage of about 50 000-70 000 tons. Out of exported rice, Cambodia has also exported many agricultural products such as timbers, fish, maize, rubbers, soybean, ground nuts, sesame, jute, cotton and tobacco. These products have been used very low by Cambodian people, because of lacking technology and facilities to improve qualities for food consumption. Agricultural sector in Cambodia contributes about 45 percent to the GDP, and more than 80 percent of the population earns their livings from the agriculture. Apparently, a process of agricultural development is considered to be an effective approach to promote the economic growth with a broadest possible base. Nonetheless, the development of this sector is mainly constrained due to the exceptionally low productivity if compared with the neighboring countries. Research on agricultural development in developing countries has clearly shown that the fundamental problem of agricultural growth is an agricultural education as it plays a vital role in providing qualified manpower for agricultural requirements and conducting agricultural research, thus providing farmers with new techniques of production and new input. Indeed, innovation of technology and management capacities for more intensive and modernized griculture becomes paramount to maximize agricultural output to ensure food security and to alleviate rural poverty in the country. Needless to say, this can be accomplished through the upgrading of human resources employed in the sector at a ll levels from the basic education to higher education. Cambodia has two rice crops each year, a monsoon-season crop (long-cycle) and a dry-season crop. The major monsoon crop is planted in late May through July, when the first rains of the monsoon season begin to inundate and soften the land. Rice shoots are transplanted from late June through September. The main harvest is usually gathered six months later, in December. The dry-season crop is smaller, and it takes less time to grow (three months from planting to harvest). It is planted in November in areas that have trapped or retained part of the monsoon rains, and it is harvested in January or February. The dry-season crop seldom exceeds 15 percent of the total annual production. The per-hectare rice yield in Cambodia is among the lowest in Asia. The average yield for the wet crop is about 0. 95 ton of unmilled rice per hectare. The dry-season crop yield is traditionally higher, 1. 8 tons of unmilled rice per hectare. New rice varieties (IR36 and IR42) have much higher yields, between five and six tons of unmilled rice per hectare under good conditions. Unlike local strains, however, these varieties require a fair amount of urea and phosphate fertilizer (25,000 tons for 5,000 tons of seed), which the government could not afford to import in the late 1980s. The main secondary crops in the late 1980s were maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, soybeans, sesame seeds, dry beans, and rubber. According to Phnom Penh, the country produced 92,000 tons of corn (maize), as well as 100,000 tons of cassava, about 34,000 tons of sweet potatoes, and 37,000 tons of dry beans in 1986. In 1987 local officials urged residents of the different agricultural regions of the country to step up the cultivation of subsidiary food crops, particularly of starchy crops, to make up for the rice deficit caused by a severe drought. Animal husbandry has been an essential part of Cambodian economic life, but a part that farmers have carried on mostly as a sideline. Traditionally, draft animals water buffalo and oxen have playe a crucial role in the preparation of rice fields for cultivation. In 1979 the decreasing number of draft animals hampered agricultural expansion. In 1967 there were 1. 2 million head of draft animals; in 1979 there were only 768,000. Cambodias preferred source of protein is freshwater fish, caught mainly from the Tonle Sap and from the Tonle Sab, the Mekong, and the Basak rivers. Cambodians eat it fresh, salted, smoked, or made into fish sauce and paste. A fishing program, developed with Western assistance, was very successful in that it more than quadrupled the output of inland freshwater fish in three years, from 15,000 tons in 1979 to 68,700 tons in 1982, a peak year. After leveling off, output declined somewhat, dipping to 62,000 tons in 1986. The 1986 total was less than half the prewar figure of some 125,000 tons a year. Saltwater fishing was less developed, and the output was insignificant, less than 10 percent of the total catch. According to the First Plan, fisheries were projected to increase their annual output to 130,000 metric tons by 1990. II. Potentiality of paddy production in Cambodia Paddy Production Wet rice is a unique crop in many ways: It is a traditional, reliable and appreciated stable food †¢ It provides a livelihood for many people (for example some 75 percent of the people living in the Lower Mekong Basin) †¢ It can grow in places that are unsuited for other crops, including waterlogged or inundat ed areas †¢ It can be stored for months or years, if need be †¢ It is rather robust towards pests, and very robust towards weeds †¢ It can be raised within the period of a monsoon rainfall Water for cultivation Having developed in a context of abundant water availability, traditional wet rice cultivation is not water-efficient at all. Production of 1 kg milled rice can require the availability (if not consumption) of 3-6 m3 of water, including various losses and return flows. The monsoon rainfall in Cambodia, where most paddy fields are rain fed, with others supplied by seasonal flood water, and/or from irrigation. The seasonal variation is rather predictable, but the cultivation has adapted so closely that small deviations from the normal pattern can have a significant effects. This is particularly the case for the small dry season, a dry spell of perhaps around a couple of weeks not long after the onset of the wet season. A protracted and severe small dry season after transplanting can seriously affect the annual rain fed crop. 2. The traditional cultivation systems a. Rain fed rice cultivation -The cropping system Rain fed rice cultivation is linked to the rainfall. Over the centuries, the timing and duration of the cultivation cycle have adjusted accordingly, depending on local soil conditions. Due to uncertain rainfall, risk aversion is a strong consideration in choice of technology and in technological innovation for rain fed lowland rice. Traditionally, seeds are produced simply by retaining a portion of the harvest. Better seeds can make a visible difference, both regarding yield and robustness, but must be bought from the good seed keepers in the local area at intervals of a few years. Also, fertilizers can highly improve both the yield and the resilience of the crops. However, the opportunity for its application depends on the rainfall. The size of the land holding is important to the viability of cultivation of rice as well as many other crops. Land holdings in Cambodia tend to be minimal. One among other reasons is the increasing population combined with generation shifts. The farming system Traditional farming systems provide a balance between the availability of land, water and labor, in response to household needs and market demands. Paddy cultivation is highly labor-intensive during transplanting and harvest, but less so in other periods, and not at all outside the cultivation season. Therefore, it can conveniently be combined with other occupations. A traditional Cambodian farming system would comprise paddy cultivation, livestock and palm sugar production. Todays farming systems can be more diverse. Examples of their elements are, A typical Cambodian cultivated landscape is recognised by its sugar palms. A sugar palm can produce 25-50 kg sugar per season (which is 5-7 months), providing a supplementary occupation and cash income. Trees that are unproductive for sugar can supply leaves for thatch-making, mats or rice bins, and can eventually be used for construction and fuelwood. Sugar production is labor-intensive and can compete with Labor for other purposes. Also, it requires fuelwood. It is regarded as a hard way to earn an income and is now in decline. The agricultural value generation Cultivation generates a substantial value upstream and downstream of the farm level, in connection with production and supply of inputs, and processing and distribution of outputs. Rice milling is capital-intensive and is provided by speciali zed operators outside the village. The millers often serve as wholesale buyers. They may provide loans to the farmers with the next crop as collateral, or the rice can simply be sold some time before it is harvested. Few Asian paddy farmers have direct access to (or exposure to) an open market. Some countries see a rather monopolized distribution at the wholesale level. Many governments try to square the circle between appropriate revenue at the farm level and affordable food to the urban poor, applying gentle or more strict regulation of trade and/or prices. Conditions can be quite different for crops other than rice an aspect that can favor a certain crop diversification. b. Irrigated rice cultivation The cropping system Small parts of rain fed rice areas have irrigation or supplementary irrigation. A higher reliability of access to water reduces a major risk and provides opportunities for innovation, provided that technology, skills and inputs are available. This requires coordination of the development of irrigation services and agricultural education and services. Where raw water is available for dry season irrigation, it becomes possible to raise two (or perhaps even three) crops per year an obvious opportunity, so much more because the dry season yield is much higher that the wet season yield (due to the higher sunlight radiation from clear skies). A shift from one to two crops require a shift from long-duration to medium- or short duration varieties. For example, a medium-duration variety can be grown in the wet season and a short-duration variety in the dry season. The farming system Sharing an irrigation system requires an even stronger collaboration than rain fed cultivation, and ability to collaborate is one of the several success criteria for new systems. Farmers Water User Communities (FWUCs) are promoted by Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM) in support of de-central support to operation and maintenance. Some of these work well, while many others are in need of consolidation, faced with complex new challenges and a need of close collaboration. If water is available but sparse in the dry season, a part of the land can be cultivated with crops other than rice. The soil quality, taken as a given without irrigation, get a new significance in connection with the new potential cropping opportunities. Soil conditioning becomes a new requirement in connection with crop diversification in areas that are not immediately suited for crops other than rice. Land becomes an even more precious production factor when irrigation is available, as reflected by a higher price. This makes sense, because of the higher revenue that can be generated, but it also imposes a pressure on the land ownership in case of social shocks, such as failed crops or illness in the family, where households risk to lose their land and turn to sharecropping. This is a visible tendency in newly irrigated areas. The need for supplementary occupations remains, one reason being the moderate income generated from rice cultivation. Households that combine paddy cultivation and livestock will typically earn more from the latter. Cattle and buffaloes can feed on marginal lands unsuited for cultivation, and on by-products such as straw, husk and bran. They provide manure, and draft animals can generate a cash income from transport and ploughings. Further, cattle and buffaloes provide capital for emergencies (such as medical treatment costs in case of illness in the family). The agricultural value generation A second annual crop will highly benefit from more external inputs seeds and fertilizer- and will in turn supply much more rice to the market, considering that a substantial part of the first crop from a small land holding is consumed by the household. This amplifies the value (and livelihoods) generated before and after the cultivation hopefully to the benefit of the farmers as well as society as a whole. 3. Traditional gender roles There are some traditions in connection with the task allocation between the household members. These traditions are not strictly observed, however, and all hands are at work during busy periods. 4. Trends Traditional paddy cultivation is developing in response to challenges, such as for example: †¢ A stronger market demand for crops other than rice including vegetables and biofuel crops, as well as a stronger demand for meat; †¢ a stronger competition for raw water in the dry season, related to development of irrigation infrastructure and intensified cultivation; and/or †¢ a stronger exposure to competition, related to improved transport infrastructure, porous borders, and regional and international promotion of lower trade barriers. Also, inevitably, modern lifestyles will reach even remote, traditional farming households. A cash income is needed for clothes and kerosene (or electricity where available), and every household strives to achieve a TV, a hand phone, and a motorbike. In many cases, this requires paid off-farm employment by one or several household members typically young adults, who migrate to the towns in search of work. III. Quality a. Milling and reprocessing plants Milling and reprocessing plants are being upgraded with high capacity and modern technology to ensure quality of rice. The global milled rice trade in 2010 has been estimated at around 31. 3 million tons, compared to 29. 7 million tons in 2009. However, the demand for the import of medium and low-quality milled rice has been on the increase in Asia, due to the weather problems in the Philippines, crops failure and reduced subsidy on fertilizers in Indonesia, as well as the requirement by some countries in the region to fill in reserve stock. It is estimated that milled rice trade in Asia may reach 14. 5 million tons in 2010, and at the same time, the milled rice price may increase and fluctuate. Overall, the regional and global milled rice trade has high growth potential for the medium and long term, but there are some down-side risks, due to factors such as changes in prices resulted from changing economic and political landscape in every country across the globe. The potential for increasing milled rice trade could be attributed to factors such as population and economic growth and globalization that imply changes in lifestyle and taste in rice consumption. However, the global milled rice markets are protected and highly subsidized because of its political sensitivity and paddy rice growing tradition being important in the context of national religion and food security. Nevertheless, such developments provide an opportunity for Cambodia’s milled rice export into the global markets. Milling Rice Cambodian farmers take immense pride in having commenced construction of International standard rice mill in Cambodia. The state-of-the-art high capacity paddy-to-white rice mill in the Udon region is anticipated to be commissioned in Q3 2012 and represents the first of multi-phase investment strategy and deep-rooted commitment to the country. Significantly larger milling lines are planned for commissioning throughout 2013-2015. The complete milling operations are being designed from the ground up by world-renowned rice experts with unparalleled expertise in advanced rice milling process and technology currently used by the world’s most successful rice millers. The advanced mill design will provide immense flexibility in processing capacity enabling us to handle large scale paddy in short harvesting periods without affecting quality. All mills will be fully equipped with state of the art rice milling, grading, sortexing equipment from Japan and modern packing facilities to ensure consistent production of products to the highest standards whilst meeting the highest stringent quality and safety requirements of the national and international food and retail industries. Utilising multipass technology consisting of whitening and polishing, we can ensure efficient removal of bran and an extremely clean white appearance to the individual rice grains. Our optical sorters look at each individual grain of rice detecting shape, length and colour which guarantees uniformity and an average grain length. Reprocessing plants Until recently, Cambodian farmer didnt have access to high-quality rice seed. For years, the farmer did what most Cambodians do when it’s time to plant their fields: use leftover seed from a past harvest. But the quality of the resulting crops tended to be poor, producing rice that was often pale brown, small, and lacking in aroma. As a result, buyers and rice millers offered low prices, and his sales and income suffered. Almost of Cambodian farmer finally has access to high-quality seed. On the advice of program agronomists, since 2000 they planted a small test plot of the Phka Rumdoul variety to be used exclusively for re-planting. Phka Rumdoul is one of 10 rice varieties recommended by the Cambodian government for their high productivity, quality, and market value. Cambodian farmer harvested the test plot four months later to great success. Though the initial plot was small at 1,500 square meters, the harvest provided enough seed to plant his entire farm of five hectares next season. Program agronomists estimate that the improved seed – combined with Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia planting methods – will save them an estimated 70 percent on seed inputs and increase their sales by roughly 100 percent, both through increased production and higher prices when he sells. Lack of high-quality seed is a major hindrance to Cambodia’s rice industry. If the country hopes to reach the government’s target of exporting 1 million tons by 2015, Cambodian farmers must improve the quality of their product to make it more desirable to overseas markets. Increasing access to high-quality seed – in addition to good agricultural practices and improved marketing techniques, both of which Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia is addressing – is crucial to this happening. About 5,352 rice Cambodian farmer receiving technical assistance from Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia, a number that will grow to 30,000 over the life of the program. They have no doubt that Phka Rumdoul can find a market outside of Cambodia. â€Å"These seeds are high quality. You can tell just by looking,† they said one recent afternoon, sifting the grain through his fingers. â€Å"With good seeds and Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia techniques, I’m confident that I can produce high-quality, tasty rice. † b. Good and fertile soil condition and fertilizer usage Farmer use limited chemical fertilizer and natural fertilizers to its actuality: produce high yield and good quality paddy and good tasted rice. Fertile soil condition At the time of writing this report there were no data available on the degree of erosion in Cambodia. But because of the high vulnerability of soils to erosion in Cambodia and the accumulated impact on agriculture and the environment, attention urgently needs be given to the problem. That need is underscored by the following facts: Some 63 per cent of Cambodia’s forests are located in mountainous watershed areas (Ministry of Environment, 1994), much of which has been extensively logged, deforested or degraded. Loss and reduction of the vegetation cover leads to exposure of the soil to sunlight and heavy rainfall, which speeds up the decomposition rate and therefore decreases organic matter in the soil. The process also brings about changes in the physical and chemical soil structure. Consequently, the soil undergoes crusting, and the water filtration, and water and nutrient retention capacity are reduced. The end result is intensive run-off and erosion; Some provinces in Cambodia, sheet erosion can be seen as silt which has collected behind cut logs and stumps in the fields, while rill erosion occurs in some fields only three months after clearing and burning the forest for farming. When that occurs, the actual amount of top soil being lost, measured from the top of the remaining grass and tree stumps to the soil surface, is an estimated 1 to 1. 5 cm. The fact that rill erosion has already begun in some places suggests that the yearly top soil loss is very serious. Farmers have reported that yield decreases about 20-25 per cent in the second year of cultivation, and about 40-50 per cent in the third year on wards. Soil loss through erosion can be observed at coffee and hevea farms where the natural vegetation cover has been completed cleared, leaving the soil surface uncovered between the rows of young seedlings. Erosion occurs not only in the upland areas but also in the lowland areas. In practice, water run-off occurs on all land, and the top soil is lost when no protective and conservation measures are in place. In Cambodia, however, few people understand that erosion is a serious problem in the rain fed lowland areas. In addition, population pressure in the rain fed lowlands is triggering a chain of events which will lead to intensive run-off, erosion and a reduction in the groundwater recharge. Those events include: Excessive collection of fuelwood from woodland and forest areas; Overstocking and overgrazing (although the number of animals is increasing, the fodder supply is decreasing); Increased run-off of water from rice fields. Because dikes in some areas, for example, in Svay Rieng, are not high enough to contain rainwater, the run-off contains a great of nutrient. Fertilizer usage The average rice yields in Cambodia over the past five years have been relatively constant, varying between 1. 2 and 1. tons/ha in the monsoon season and 2. 5 to 2. 7 tons/ha in the dry season. During 1995/ 96 a considerable increase in rice yield was recorded: 1. 64 tons/ha in the monsoon season and 3. 0 tons/ha in the dry season (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 1995). That rise in yield has b een linked to good weather conditions, increased use of fertilizer and the expanding cultivation of high-yielding varieties in the dry season1 . For other important secondary crops the yield has remained relatively constant. The average yield of cassava is 6. 61 tons/ha, sweet potatoes 4. 16 tons/ha, mung beans 0. 78 tons/ha, sugar cane 27. 29 tons/ha and soybean 1. 7 tons/ha (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 1995). Soil fertility depends on the agro-ecosystem. There are four important rice agro-ecosystems in Cambodia: rainfed lowland rice; rainfed upland farming; deep-water or floating rice; and dry-season (mostly flood recession) rice. While declining soil fertility is increasingly affecting the rainfed lowland agro-ecosystem, the soil fertility in the other systems can be restored through yearly siltation or through the clearing of forest areas. Unfortunately, the rainfed lowland agro-ecosystem is the most important in Cambodia because that area covers about 85 pe r cent of the cultivated area of the country. Rice in that ecosystem is commonly grown on Ultisols and Alfisols (Reyes and others, 1995). Those soils, especially Ultisols which comprise the most common rainfed lowland soil, are sandy, acidic, extremely infertile and low in organic carbon and cation exchange capacity. The rainfed lowland areas are badly degraded, especially where land settlement has continuously occurred over hundreds of years (for example, Oudong in Kampong Speu province, and Bati in Takeo province). In those areas, the soils are very sandy and the top soil has been seriously depleted or eroded. IV. Price, Tax-free and Market of Cambodian rice a. Cambodian rice price in the market Cambodian rice’s price is competitive, especially fragrant rice. Cambodian milled rice is becoming more popular throughout Asia, particularly in Malaysia, which is the number one importer of milled rice from the Kingdom. The price of Cambodian paddy rice is 30% to 40% cheaper than its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam. This low profit margin is a competitive advantage but unofficial fees, high transportation costs and high processing costs make this less significant. Exporting paddy rice is a lost. If processed domestically, some byproducts such as broken rice, husk and bran can be used as important inputs for aquaculture and animal breeding that enable farmers to earn extra income. With more investment in modern rice mill facilities, Cambodia can increase its production of quality milled rice for the growing international market and boost the reputation and international recognition of the Cambodian milled rice standards. In this connection, the Royal Government must address the following issues to increase domestic value-added: High electricity price Electricity represents 25% of the total processing costs. This fades Cambodia’s competitive advantage and the situation can be worse taking into account high and volatile oil price. High energy price is an obstacle to the expansion of the irrigation systems. In the low land Mekong plain, petroleum products are used to pump water into irrigation canals. Therefore, high energy prices limit the ability of farmers to plant two paddy crops a year and to increase yields. For instance, urban dwellers pay 18 20 cents per kWh, while those living in the rural areas are forced to pay up to 30 90 cents, compared to 10 cents in Vietnam. Unreliable supply and high electricity price force rice mills to use their own diesel generators which cost them 12. 60 dollars or 2. 2% per ton of rice, compared to 23. 38 dollars or 4. 1% per ton if electricity is used instead. High transportation cost Poor transport infrastructures such as roads, railways, warehouses, and handling equipment increase rice price. To transport one ton of rice on 100-km road, Cambodian farmers must spend 15 dollars, while this costs only 4 dollars and 7. dollars in Thailand and Vietnam respectively. Moreover, the number of handling equipment and port-nearby warehouses are not adequate, a major challenge for rice export especially during rainy season. Lack of access to and high cost of credit Lack of access to and high cost of credit decrease domestic value-added and hinder milled rice expor t. Limited access to credit, both for working capital and investment outlays, represents an obstacle for rice millers to stockpile paddy rice and modernize their processing machineries. However, given the sound and vibrant banking system and a large amount of available credit lines, the capital and the costs of financing should not be a problem. The problem is that bank intermediaries do not clearly understand the risks and the expected returns from agriculture investments, as the majority of bankers believe that agriculture is a high risk and low return sector. Moreover, lack of borrowers’ financial information and records make it more difficult for the banks to assess the repayment capacity and the status of the borrowers. b. Tax-Free for Cambodian rice export Nowadays, Cambodian rice can export to some countries in the world is tax? free, e. g. , the EU Countries, Russia and China. However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has issued a prakas that will exempt rice producers from a 1 per cent tax in a bid to stimulate rice production and exports. The prakas, or edict – dated October 11 and signed by Minister of Economy and Finance – rescinds the tax on rice production and milled rice sales for three years. The move comes as the Cambodian government attempts to close in on its goal of exporting 1 million tonnes of milled rice by 2015. President of Loran Import-Export Company, said was not aware of the prakas, but added that the tax relief would help the countrys rice exports as soon as it was implemented. Rice exporters have long insisted that Cambodia remove domestic rice production taxes, Minister said. Thailand and Vietnam do not have such taxes, and the removal of the tax would put Cambodia on a more equal playing field, he said. It would encourage exporters, including me, to be more motivated to export. General director of Rural Development Bank, said he was not sure of the significance of the prakas yet but he supported the ministrys attempt to push milled rice production. The ministry had tried to facilitate milled rice production very much. They have pushed hard for tax exemption of export,. As a relatively new player in the milled rice market, Cambodia faces a steep learning curve. However, with a surplus of 3. 5 million tons of paddy rice (equivalent to 2 million tons of milled rice), Cambodia has the potential to soon be among the top five milled rice exporters in the world. More importantly, growth in the agricultural sector will translate into more economic opportunities for Cambodia’s vast rural population. While not a silver bullet, the success of the rice sector is an exciting and potentially crucial driver in Cambodia’s prosperous and equitable development. c. Market Milled rice market is heavily protected and import procedures vary from one country to another. As Cambodia is a new player in milled rice market, it must face a steep learning curve and improve its export capacity to penetrate the international market. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Malaysia imported over 7,000 tonnes of a total 25,700 tonnes exported. Poland is the second-largest importer, importing 5,880 tonnes in the first month of the year, and France the third largest, importing over 4,300 tonnes. The of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and director of the single-window secretariat for facilitating milled rice exports, said though Malaysia ranked highest for milled rice exports, Cambodia could further capitalist on Malaysian demand for fragrant milled rice. Cambodia needs to diversify its exports to better take advantage of the Malaysian market, Vanhorn added. But Cambodia also still faces challenges in managing the use of different seeds grown in different areas, adding that officials could not always control the quantity of these unspecified seeds â€Å"According to these figures, we hope we reach our target, but anything can happen in the future,† Minister said, adding that â€Å"rice exports can be affected by many other factors†. The Asian market is huge for rice exporters, with Malaysia importing from Thailand and Vietnam as well. Malaysia imports a lot of rice to supply its market demand from Thailand and Vietnam, and now they also turn to Cambodia because of competitive prices. Cambodia announced two major bilateral trade agreements last month, with the Philippines and Thailand, that are expected to further expand the country’s rice export sector. Over the last few years, Cambodia has emerged as a major rice exporter in the region, due in large part to the Royal Government of Cambodia’s recent expansion of its agricultural sector. Agriculture, led by rice farming, contributes to roughly a third of the country’s GDP and has immense potential for strengthening Cambodia’s economic growth, accelerating poverty reduction, and improving the living standard of its citizens. As part of this agenda, in 2010, the RGC adopted a new Policy Paper on Paddy Production and Rice Export, better known as the Rice Policy, to promote diversification of Cambodia’s economic sectors by catalyzing growth in paddy rice production and milled rice export to match the growth seen in the garment and service sectors. In his keynote address at the policy’s launch, Prime Minister said: â€Å"The policy aims to ensure that we grab the rare opportunity to develop Cambodia in the post global financial and economic cataclysm. † If Cambodia’s rice export sector were to reach its full potential, it could produce 3 million tons of milled rice, with the total export value amounting to $2. 1 billion (approximately 20% of the GDP) and an estimated additional $600 million (approximately 5% of the GDP) to the national economy. It would also boost employment and income for agricultural farmers who make up more than 70 percent of the population living in rural area s. To better understand the bottlenecks in the rice sector, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the AusAID-funded program, â€Å"Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain† (CAVAC), hosted a series of consultative forums last year in three provinces – Kampong Thom, Kampot, and Takeo – with stakeholders from the private sector (farmers, seed producers, agro-business owners, exporters) and the public sector (Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Water Resources Management, provincial governors, provincial departments of line ministries, and local authorities). Approximately 370 participants attended the workshops and discussed how to create business-friendly environments (i. e. competitiveness and productivity, access to finance, access to markets), and the technical aspects of rice production (use of fertilizers and insecticides, seed categories, and availability of water sources). The insights were frank and eye-opening. Although the challenges are significant, the o pportunities for the sector are greater. Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, optimistically predicted that the RGC can achieve its target for milled rice: â€Å"With regards to RGC’s rice export target in 2015, we may achieve up to 80 percent of the 1 million tons planned. This should include the milled rice to Vietnamese, Thai, and non-EU markets. † Implementing a strategic framework like the Rice Policy is just the beginning. To increase the paddy rice production to meet market demand and promote the export of milled rice, the government must initiate and support a host of reforms in partnership with the private sector. For instance, to solve the issue of credit shortages for buying and processing paddy rice, the government can provide incentives to commercial banks to increase the loan portfolio for agriculture. At the end of the day, the RGC must keep the farmers themselves in mind. Introducing new technologies or improving agricultural practices can only go so far if they are not accepted and adopted by farmers. Donors and NGOs can play a pivotal role in providing support and facilitating the successful implementation of new policies and projects aimed at improving the agricultural value chain. V. Conclusion Though the current global milled rice market is highly protected, Cambodia is blessed with opportunity to export milled rice in the future thank to the increase in domestic paddy rice production and the potential in the world milled rice trade. So far, the performance of agriculture is outstanding especially in terms of productivity improvement and diversification, due to steadfast efforts of the Royal Government and all stakeholders including the participation of farmers. Rice will mainly mean the stunning landscapes of rice fields, yellow at harvest time, bright and liquid during the rainy season, with shades of green meanwhile. But to a Cambodian consumer and to a Cambodian farmer, as well as to their Government (and to the French economist), rice is the staple crop, a possible â€Å"white gold† as the Prime Minister once put it, and a major part of a poverty reduction strategy. Through, the Prime Minister launched a â€Å"policy paper on the promotion of paddy production and rice exports†. This is a good and promising example of a cluster approach to Cambodias growth strategy. Cambodia is an important but still small rice exporter. Cambodia has been an exporter of rice since 2004, but a large part of the exports was unprocessed (paddy) or even smuggled through the border. Yet Cambodia has abundant land and sits in a region that is both fertile for and in high demand of rice. So far the potential comparative advantage for rice was diluted by various costs, official (e. g. electricity) or unofficial (e. g. llegal check points). Poor coordination of public and private actors was also undermining the potential. For instance weak land titling systems and weak sanitary controls were a constraint that led to limited access to finance, itself contributing to limited value addition. However the significant increase in price in 2008 and again a rebound in the past few weeks has drastically changed the economics of the sector. The policy includes a range of actions, from helping farmers to organize in associations and use better seeds, to improving irrigation systems, developing certification systems, strengthening logistics, and facilitating access to finance. Although I did not get a chance to consult Paul the Octopus as my colleague in Thailand did, the policy makes a strong case for the rapid development of rice exports in Cambodia. Potentiality of Cambodian rice, Cambodia has great potentialities and prospects in paddy and rice production promotion for the supply. Cambodia will be able to produce large quantity of paddy in response to the increasing demand of the world markets. In the future, Cambodia necessarily need to export milled rice in large quantity rather than selling as paddy rice. In fact, high growth in agricultural sector will benefit most Cambodian people who are farmers with their living standard improved. Thus, the Royal Government is committed to promoting paddy rice production and removing all constraints to milled rice export from Cambodia. Indeed, the success of this policy will depend on actual implementation; and the task is complex and hard to achieve, yet it really requires cooperation, coordination and strong commitment especially by way of improving the leadership and management of all concerned ministries/agencies and stakeholders. The new policy recognizes this new environment and promotes: coordination of various actors along the value chain, from the rice fields to the export market; shift from production increase to commercial agriculture; and Organic rice should be promoted country wide Link all producer group into cluster and union Farmers should involved in this industry and form themselves into network Local and national authority support the industry NGO should provide more capacity building training related to value added Government should re-check the policy of land investment ( esp. land concession) Government should rehabilitate the existing irrigation system and build the new ones where the re is lack of irrigation system Government should facilitate to find the loan or provide loan to farmers with low interest rate to ensure that farmers will have enough financial resource to invest in this industry. Both government and NGO must try to look for and expand the market for organic rice products. Recognition of the leading role of the private sector and the critical facilitating role of the State. The Royal Government is strongly convinced that all ministries/agencies of the Royal Government and other stakeholders, including the private sector and development partners, and particularly Cambodian farmers across the country, will join hands in pursuing this mission to bring about development, progress, and prosperity to the Kingdom of Cambodia. Reference 1. Cosslett, Tuyet L. The Economy. Cambodia: A Country Study (Russell R. Ross, editor) Library of Congress Federal Research Division (December 1987) 2. Cambodian Environment Management Project, 1996. Summary report of Phnom Penh and provincial working group meetings on pesticide information and education (Ministry of Environment). 3. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund [[emailprotected] com] is working as Professor at the University of Eberswalde GIS and Remote Sensing and serves as an advisor to the UN-Water Programme at the United Nations University in Bonn. From 2007-2010 he was a Senior Researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). 4. Cambodia Must Up its Game in Rice Exports, Khut Inserey is The Asia Foundation’s senior program officer in Cambodia. He can be reached at [emailprotected] org. 5. Policy Document on Promotion of Paddy Rice Production and Export of Milled Rice, Royal Government of Cambodia, 2010. 6. Abrar, S. , O. Morrissey and T. Rayner. 2004. Crop-level supply response by agro-climatic region in Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Economics 55(2): 289–311. 7. ADB (Asian Development Bank). 2008. Food prices and inflation in developing Asia: Is poverty reduction coming to an end? Special report. Manila, Philippines: Asian Development Bank. 8. ACI (Agrifood Consulting International) and CamConsult. 2006. Cambodia agriculture sector diagnostic report. Diagnostic study, phase 1 of design. Agricultural Program, Cambodia, December 2007. Program concept document final report, prepared for AusAID. Bethesda, Maryland: Agrifood Consulting International. 9. Albayrak, N. 1998. Wheat supply response: Some evidence on aggregation issues. Development Policy Review 16: 241–263. 10. Arulpagasam, J. , F. Goletti, T. M. Atinc, and V. Songwe. 2003. â€Å"Trade in sectors important to the poor: Rice in Cambodia and Vietnam and Cashmere in Mongolia. † In K. Krumm and H. Kharas (ed. East Asia Integrates: A Trade Policy Agenda for Shared Growth. Washington D. C. : World Bank. 11. Ball, V. E. , et al. 2003. Modeling supply response in a multiproduct framework revisited: The nexus of empirics and economics. Paper presented at â€Å"The American Agricultural Economics Association Annua l Meeting. † July 26-30, Montreal, Canada. 12. Bogahawatte, C. 1983. Simulating the impact of changes in wheat flour imports and world price of rice on the supply and demand for rice in Sri Lanka. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. 13. CDRI (Cambodia Development Resource Institute). 2008. Impact of high food prices in Cambodia. Survey report. Cambodia Development Resource Institute: Phnom Penh, Cambodia 14. Choeun, H. , Y. Godo, and Y. Hayami. 2006. The economics and politics of rice export taxation in Thailand: A historical simulation analysis, 1950–1985. Journal of Asian Economics 17: 103–125. 15. Coleman, D. R. 1983. Review of the arts of supply response analysis. Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics 51(3): 201–230. 16. CSES (Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey). 2004 and 2007. National Institute of Statistics, Cambodia. 17. Danh, V. T. 2007. The role of prices in stimulating Vietnamese rice economy. Centre for ASEAN Studies discussion paper no. 52. University of Antwerp: The Netherlands. 8. Deb, S. 2005. Terms of trade and supply response of Indian agriculture: Analysis in cointegration framework. Indian Economic Review 40(1): 65–92. 19. Fan, S. 2008, Public Expenditure, Growth and Poverty in Developing Countries: Issues, Methods and Findings. Baltimore, Maryland: John Hopkins Publicat ions. 20. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2008. FAOSTAT. Rome, Italy. . Last accessed June 2008. 21. Flinn, J. C. , K. P. Kalirajan, and L. L. Castillo. 1982. Supply responsiveness of rice farmers in Laguna, Philippines. Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics 26(1): 39–48. 22. Grethe, H. , and G. Weber. 2005. Comparing supply systems derived from a symmetric generalized McFadden profit function to isoelastic supply systems: Costs and benefits. Paper presented at â€Å"The EAAE seminar for Modeling Agricultural Policies: State of the Art and New Challenges. † February 3-5, Parma, Italy. 23. Gunawardana, P. J. , and E. A. Oczkowski. 1992. Government policies and agricultural supply response: Paddy in Sri Lanka. Journal of Agricultural Economics 43(2): 231–242. 24. Hattink, W. , N. Heerink, and G. Thijssen. 1998. Supply response of cocoa in Ghana: A farm-level profit function analysis. Journal of African Economies 7(3): 424–444. 25. Heltberg, R. , and F. Tarp. 2002. Agricultural supply response and poverty in Mozambique. Food Policy 27: 103–124.

What Is Effective Business Communication Commerce Essay

What Is Effective Business Communication Commerce Essay It is hard to imagine a world without communication. From humans to ants, communication is vital for functioning. Hence its importance in business cannot be undermined. According to Murphy et al it is the life blood of any business (Murphy et al, 2009). Without communication it is very difficult to get your point across or to make a difference. To some the skills of communication come naturally while to others it needs a lot of practice and learning. Luckily effective communication techniques can be mastered if one puts his mind to it. Communication has many realms to it. Though ancient communication gave more importance to written and oral, now days, along with that, non-verbal communication has also gained precedence. With the advent of new technologies frequently, the means to communicate is constantly evolving. This makes it essential to keep up with the pace of change. In todays volatile and highly dynamic work atmosphere to have good communication skill is important to survive and climb the ladder of success. It is essential to understand business communication and its practices thoroughly before venturing on to actual practice. Stages of Communication Effective communication can be divided into a few distinctive stages. These stages are not absolute and can change from one situation to another. Every communication starts with an idea that forms inside the sender. The sender then converts this into a communicable message. This can be either oral or written. This is encoding. The sender then picks a communication channel to deliver the message. The channel used depends on various factors like what is the location of the receiver, is there a requirement for a permanent record or is it casual, what is the size of the audience, how soon should the message reach the receiver, how complex is the message etc (Krizan et al, 2008). The receiver at the other end received the communication. This process can be referred to as decoding. Here listening skills and comprehension plays a very important role. If the communication is unclear it is the duty of the receiver to ask the necessary questions and clarify it. If a response is expected from the receiver by way of a reply or action, the receiver has to carry that out. The sender can explicitly ask for a response if necessary. The response is as important as the initial communication. The message send by the sender and the response of the receiver depends not only on the words and medium used but also on the non-verbal aspects of the process. Verbal Vs Non-Verbal Communication Business communication can be broadly divided in to two verbal and non-verbal. Both forms are highly important to make the communication effective. The way these two are handled could make or break relationships. Non-verbal communication generally refers to eye contact, facial expressions and elements, posture, gestures and tone of voice (Stuart et al, 2007). It can also be stretched to include etiquette. Though many times difficult to understand, non-verbal communication is considered to be of great importance in communication and most times it is given more credence than verbal communication. If the person is saying one thing and his expression and body language another, it is most likely that people will go with the non-verbal aspect of the conversation. This is a very common fact and need to be considered and understood while communicating. Again with non-verbal communication, culture plays an important role. What is considered a gesture of goodwill or an acceptable habit in one country may be considered offensive in another. For example chewing gum in public is considered to be rude by the Dutch while it is a common practice of the Americans. Similarly when Westerners consider staying silent during a meeting as rude and a sign of being ignorant, the Japanese consider it a sign of success and respect (Guffey et al, 2010). Indian and Middle Eastern cultures consider the left hand as unclean where as in Europe and USA this is not the case. The list of cultural differences in non-verbal communication is quite long. It is quite impossible to learn them all. What a successful businessman usually does is to read up and understand these differences before a meeting or a trip to a country outside his own. The importance given to non-verbal communication does not make verbal communication any less important. In a highly technologically savvy world a lot of the communication takes place just verbally through letters, faxes, emails and chats. Hence having a good vocabulary and the good sense to use it properly is very essential. Similarly, cultural differences creep in for verbal communication as well. For example, the Americans generally tend to keep their business letters short and to the point and do not favor the use of poetic language, where as the French use a certain extend of poetic language even in their formal letters (Chaney and Martin, 2007). These differences exist from country to country not only in the style of communication but also in formats of letters, emails and other forms of written communication. A clear understanding of these differences will make it easier to infer the written communication more clearly and accurately. In case of oral communication it is highly a ppreciated by people from other cultures if the person is able to at least greet in their local language. While dealing with other cultures it always helps to speak in short and clear phrases and check back with the person with regard to the level of understanding. But any sort of communications effectiveness also depends on the medium used. Communication Medium Just like words and gestures, the medium used for communication plays an important role in the whole process of making it effective. Before selecting a medium for communication it is essential to figure out the importance of the communication and the extent of its reach. A message that has to go to the whole organization cannot be communicated by a face to face discussion. It needs to be done either by means of a group email or memo or though public address. It is also essential to have a mental picture of the reaction of the receiver from the communication. Some things that are sensitive in nature may need to be communicated by a one on one meeting and not through an email. To communicate to the masses, companies generally rely on advertisements. The medium used can be the new papers, television and radio, door to door, billboards or even flyers. This has to be done after a lot of planning and study or else there is very chance the advertisement will not appeal to the public. It is essential to make sure that it does not contain any material that may be offensive to one class of people or which may be considered immoral in one country. The person carrying the message is also of key importance in mass communication. For example, Madonnas hit number Like a Prayer was used by Pepsi in its commercials which aired during family oriented programs. But when the real video, which was highly graphic came out, Pepsi was threatened with boycott and hence had to yank the commercial (Forbes, 2007). Communication Gone South When there is a discussion about effective communication it is also important to get an inkling about things that has not gone so well due to wrongful communication in the business world. When Nardelli took over as CEO of Home Depot, there was almost immediate demoralization of the employees and which in turn led to consumer dissatisfaction and complaints. This was all caused by his communication style which was commanding and which was not acceptable to the new breed of people. He also managed to infuriate the shareholders with his arrogance (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2007). This is a classic example of poor communication skills causing negativity in the business. An American ad company took down a large billboard which was found offensive by African-Americans due to the message in it (Bloomberg Buisinessweek, 2011). These are just two examples of the effect of bad communication. There are many more that have led to people losing jobs, companies losing market share, employee unrest an d even companies going out of business. It can thus be said that effective communication is the essence of every businesss success. There is a great need to have the skills to communicate successfully and if such a skill is not inherent, it is essential to acquire it. This can be done by having a clear understanding of the steps involved, the medium used and learning to used words and expressions in a very controlled and thoughtful manner. Conquering the business world is much easier with effective communication. Resources Chaney Lillian H and Martin Jeanette S. (2007), Intercultural Business Communication, Pearson Prentice Hall. Guffey Mary Ellen, Rogin Patricia and Rhodes Kathleen (2010), Business Communication Process and Product, Nelson Educations Ltd. Krizan A. C., Merrier Patricia, Logan Joyce P. and Williams Karen Schneiter (2008), Business Communication, Thomson South-Western. Murphy Herta A, Hildebrandt Herbert W and Thomas Jane P (2009), Effective Business Communication Seventh Edition, Tata Mcgraw-Hill. Nussbaum Bruce (2007), Lesson from Home Depots Bob Nardelli Why Command and Control is so Bad, Bloomberg Businessweek, 4th January 2007, Available at http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2007/01/lessons_from_home_depots_bob_nardelliwhy_command_and_control_is_so_bad.html Salazar Christian (2011), Ad Company Pulls NYC Anti-abortion Billboard, Bloomberg Buisnessweek, 25th February 2011, Available at http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LJK5T01.htm Stuart Bonnye E, Sarow Marilyn S. and Stuart Lawrence (2007), Integrated Business Communication in a Global Market Place, John Wiley Sons Ltd. Trout Jack (2007), Celibrity Endoresements Gone Bad, Forbes, 13th September 2007, Available at http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/12/jack-trout-marketing-celebs-oped-cx_jt_0913trout_slide_19.html

Comparison of Sci-Fi Films: Avatar Vs. Skyline

Comparison of Sci-Fi Films: Avatar Vs. Skyline Since the 1960s, science fiction movies were becoming a burgeoning demand in the film industry and continues to grow till today. The touchstone for scientific fiction, then, is that it describes an imaginary invention or discovery in the natural sciences. The most serious pieces of this fiction arise from speculation about what may happen if science makes an extraordinary discovery. The romance is an attempt to anticipate this discovery and its impact upon society, and to foresee how mankind may adjust to this new condition (Bailey, 1947). Science fiction is a subdivision of fantastic literature which employs science or rationalism to create an appearance of plausibility. (Brians, 1996). Science fiction is the argument with the universe (Mendelsohn, 1982). In general, science fiction is a genre of fiction about imaginative fantasy and science technologies. The storyline of Avatar is about how human beings attack the aliens but vice versa of Skyline. In Avatar, human attacked the blue-skinned human-like aliens to mine for a valuable mineral, Unobtanium on Pandora as the Earths natural resources have been severely depleted. To explore Pandora, scientists used Avatars to infiltrate the indigenous people, the Navi of Pandora and advocate peaceful relations with them. Jake, the main character was given only 3 months to evacuate the Navi, however, he failed to do so and the human commenced attack to drive them away. Although the Navi had won the battle at last, humans are the one to initiate and declare war on the aliens, causing destructions and casualties of both sides. On the other hand, the storyline of skyline is about alien invasion on Earth, where humans are attacked and abducted. It all begins when Jarrod and his girlfriend Elaine flew to Los Angeles (LA) for Jarrods best friend, Terry birthday party. The next morning, blue rays desc end from the sky, fascinating anyone who looks straight into them. Immobilized humans would walk towards the light source and are sucked into the machines. Counter attack by launching aircrafts failed to destroy the mother ship as well. Even Jarrod and Elaine are sucked into the mother ship. After that, the world was overruled by aliens. The reason why the aliens attacked human beings are left to be unknown as it was not stated in the movie itself. The most important difference between Avatar and Skyline though, is the setting. The settings in Avatar covers mainly of on the planet Pandora, a treasure trove of both living and non-living natural resources and wildlife. Although the scenes and backgrounds in the movie were computer-generated, they are all in high definition with the use of animation software by professional designers and illustrators to make the scenes as look realistic. James Cameron, director of the movie Avatar said, Ideally at the end of the day audience has no idea which they are looking at. For instance, the floating Hallelujah Mountains, the Hometree where the Navi clans gathered for spiritual events, Iknimaya, Banshee Rookery and other places made up the whole settings and backgrounds in Pandora of the movie. However, the settings in the movie Skyline are mostly in the city, Los Angeles. The invasion of aliens happened when Jarrod, the main character arrived in LA. These robotic aliens descended from the s ky, abducting any living human beings in LA, vacuuming up humans into the giant alien. In conclusion, Avatar and Skyline differ in storyline, settings and ending. I really enjoyed watching both movies as their plots are very interesting and exciting with suitable and satisfying endings. The settings and animations of both movies are really great. References Langan, J. (2010). College Writing Skills, (8th edition) New York: McGraw Hill. Bailey, J. O. (1947). Pilgrims Through Space and Time, New York Brians, P. (1996, May 16). Posting to the mailing list SF-LIT, Retrieved from 27 September 2013, from About.com http://scifi.about.com/od/scififantasy101/a/SCIFI_defs.htm Mendelsohn, K. (1986). Trillion Year Spree: the History of Science Fiction. London Perrin, R. (2012) Pocket Guide to APA Style (4th ed) Boston: Wadsworth.