Monday, December 30, 2019

Evaluation Of The Viability Of The Sukuk - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 13 Words: 3909 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? This proposal aims to evaluate the current status and the viability of the Islamic financial Securities such as Sukuk as an alternative of the conventional financial securities like Eurobond in the context of the current financial crisis. I will outline the overall aims and objective of the research and discuss the various studies on growth of Islamic finance and decline of conventional finance in the background of the financial crisis. This paper will reflect an overall structure of the whole proposal. SIGNIFICANT FOR THE RESEARCH In the financial global market, the Islamic financial services sector is analysed to be gown at double digit rate(Bley Kuehn, 2005), involving over 200 financial institutions with assets estimated to exceed US$ 200 billion(Al-Dhahiri et al, 2003). Researchers (Hamwi Aylward, 1999) already has recognised that over the last decade, Islamic banking and finance has experienced global growth rates of 10-15 percent per annum, and has been moving into an increasing number of conventional financial systems at such a rapid pace that Islamic financial institutions are present today in over 51 countries (Sole, 2007 pp:1). This research is aimed at investigating the practicability of the Islamic Financial system as an alternative to the traditional financial system especially in the context of the recent financial crisis. The fast growth of Islamic banking and finance raises different important questions: Is the development in Islamic banking and finance a result of the comparative adva ntages of the Islamic banking concept or is it largely attributable to the worldwide Islamic recovery since the late 1960s (Chong Liu, 2007). The fact that Islamic laws forbid paying and receiving interest promote all parties in a financial transaction to share the risk and profit or loss of the project (Qorchi, 2005). In an Islamic contract the output and the quality of the project, ensures a more equitable distribution of wealth (Qorchi, 2005). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Evaluation Of The Viability Of The Sukuk" essay for you Create order AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The overall aim of this research is to review and evaluate significant growth of Islamic finance and financial securities as an alternative of the traditional financial system and financial securities which led to the current financial crisis. The objectives of the research can be further identified as: (1). the recognition of the basic concepts of conventional and Islamic financial system. (2). How did studies deal with financial crisis and its effect on the traditional and Islamic banking system. (3). what are the effects of current financial crisis on traditional bond market? (4). How does the Islamic Finance response to the crisis? (5). Is Islamic Securities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Sukukà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ feasible? (6). If Islamic Sukuk is feasible then can it replace the traditional Eurobonds? (7). If it is not feasible then can it co-exist with the traditional Eurobonds? Overview Conventional Financial system Everyone has to contact with the financial system and everyone is very well aware of the financial institution like banks, building securities, and insurance companies, each providing in its own way for every day needs, such as payment facilities through banks, convenient savings and access to home loans from building societies, and car, house, or life insurance. The other financial markets, like the Stock exchange where the securities are bought and sold, are an important market though very few are directly concerned with their activities (Van Harne, 1990). All these financial institutions and markets fit together into a network which comprises the financial system or conventional financial system (Brian, 1992). The conventional financial system based on debt and the fixed rate of interest. The borrower in gaining the high fixed returns may get default as these bonds and corporate securities are not backed by the assets or gold. The burden and all risk are transferred on the is suer. Therefore in try to get high returns and greed of getting more financial share the conventional borrower and mortgage prices went up which result in the drying up the financial market and major companies got default. Islamic Financial System The Islamic financial system makes possible lending, borrowing and investment functions on a risk-sharing basis (Ishaq Mansoor, 2008). Islamic finance is fundamentally different from the conventional finance model as it is based on a profit and loss structure (PLS), which requires that a financial institution invest with a client in order to finance their needs, rather than lending money to the client. Because of the inherent risk involved in an investment, the financial institution is entitled to profit from the financial transaction (IBID). (SBP, 2007). Islamic banking and finance industry has been making breakthrough developments to become a truly feasible and competitive alternative to conventional systems at the global level as an industry adding more ethical, competitive, flexible and diversified tools and systems to global financial marketsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (Ishaq Mansoor, 2008 pp: 708). The need for Islamic banking is prompted by three considerations: (a). An I slamic investor should keep away from alliance with industries forbidden to Muslims: such as; alcohol, gambling, pornography, meat packing (of pork), weapons production, and liquor. (b). An Islamic enterprise is advised to avoid interest (riba), as well as gambling, and, accordingly, constraints exist on transactions involved in debt securities and in futures and options. (c). Many Muslim investors tend to be attracted to enterprises monitoring the Islamic ethical and moral standards (Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Sullivan, 1996). The Islamic finance industry has grown by about 15 percent on average over the last three years, with more than US$500 billion now lodged in Islamic banks, mutual funds, insurance schemes (takaful), and Islamic branches of conventional banks (Jobst, Kunzel, Mills, Sy, 2008). Islamic Law prohibits charging interest (Rajesh, K.A Yousaf, T., 2000). Islamic banking is currently practiced in more than 51 countries worldwide. In countries such as, Iran, Pakistan , and Sudan, only Islamic banking is practiced whereas other countries, such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Malaysia, Islamic banking co-exists with conventional banking (Chong Liu, 2007). Therefore Islamic banking, is not limited to Islamic countries as In August 2004, the Islamic Bank of Britain became the first bank licensed by a non-Muslim country to engage in Islamic banking (Chong Liu, 2007). SUKUK Islamic securities have become increasingly popular in over the last five years, both as a means of raising government finance through sovereign issues, and as a way of companies obtaining funding through the offer of corporate Sukuk (Wilson, R., 2008) as Sukuk is to be use as a tool for liquidity management (Wilson. R., 2008), the Sukuk market continues to generate strong interest by new issuers in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Sukuk (plural of Sakk) are commonly referred to as an Islamic bond, but a more precise translation of the Arabic word would be an Islamic investment certificateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"(Thomas, 2005). The Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) defines the Investment Sukuk as a certificates of equal value representing undivided shares in ownership of tangible assets, usufructs and services or (in the ownership of) the assets of particular projects or special investment activityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"(Norman, T. ,2009). Sukuk is an Islamic financial certificate, similar to a bond in Western finance that complies with Sharia, Islamic religious law. As the traditional Western interest paying bond structure is not permissible, the issuer of a Sukuk sells an investor group the certificate, who then rents it back to the issuer for a predetermined rental fee. The issuer also makes a contractual promise to buy back the bonds at a future date at par value (investropedia, 2009). Sukuk are monetised real assets (converting a government debt into available currency, especially issuing securities, that are liquid (easy to convert into cash), easily transferred and traded in the financial market (Adam, 2006). Likewise the Eurobonds are also liquid assets which are marketable and accepted by all the investors (www.independent.co.uk, 2005). Eurobonds are issued by a government, company shows potential to repay borrowed money at a fixed rate of interest at a specific time. Eurobonds are liquid and trusted bonds as it is backed by a fixed interest rate (ibid). Sukuk can be examined without any difficulty by international and regional rating agencies which facilitate their marketability (Adam, 2006). Likewise the Eurobonds are easily rated by the rating agency as these rating agencies rate these securities on the basis of the liquidity and the liabilities not on the basis of the religion and ethics (Standard Poorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s, 2009). As the agencies do not rate the securities on the basis of the religion, rather securities are rated on the basis of the quality and the ability of obligator to meet the obligations (ibid). Same like the similarities in the Islamic and conventional financial securities, there are few differences as well, and on the basis of that one system can be preferred on the other system. Starting from the type, the conventional financial Security is a debenture bond whereas the Sukuk are the Secured securities. Debenture bonds are those securiti es that is unsecured corporate bond by any mortgage, dependent on the credit of the issuer (Dictionary Reference.com, 2009). Whereas the Sukuk are backed by the real assets such as they are attached with the assets which can be turned into tradable in the future or can be replaced by the real assets (Richardson Abdl-Khaleq, 2007). Eurobonds are paper bonds whereas the Sukuk securities are really assets based security which have potential to convert the security into tradable asset in future. Secondly, the major difference in Sukuk and conventional bond is the right of ownership. As Sukuk represent the ownership opportunity in existing or well described assets whereas conventional bond represent pure debt on the issuer (Adam, 2006). LITRATURE REVIEW The relative success of the Islamic finance is remarkable (Bley Kuehn, 2005)as islamic finance institution are making progress with the grwoth rate of 15-18% which is double the average growth rate of conventional finacial institutions (Saifi, 2004). We will discuss A review of the litrature on traditional financial system (TFS)and Islamic financial system( IFS) and the security markets. That is devided into sections as will be reviewing the litrature on the decline of the popularity of the TFS and the growth of the IFS over the last two decades. The litrature review basically discuss information of three area on which research will be carried: (a) traditional banking system and its downfall, (b) islamic financial system and its growth, and (c) the empirical investigation of the feasibility of islamic financial securities to alternate the traditional finacial bonds to raise funds for the projects. BACKGROUND FOR STUDY The current collapse of banking and financial institutions raised a question as interest rate has long been recognized not only by classical and neo-classical economists but also by contemporary economists as one of the factors that determine the level of savings in the economy. Although there are cases of inconsistent findings, it is a generally accepted opinion that interest rate has a positive relationship with savings (Ahmad Haron, 1999). Generally, financial institutions perform two functions; one is to collect deposits and the other is to issue loans (Toutounchian, 1996). Depositors are guaranteed a predetermined return on the nominal value of the deposit by the bank even in most of the cases the deposits are insured (ibid). Hence it can be argued that the traditional financial system plays a passive role in the economy, is operating to face any economic fluctuations (ibid). It is argued that in these banks since the nominal value of the deposits is guaranteedshocks that can lead to banking crisis can cause divergence between real assets and real liabilities and it is not clear how this equilibrium would be corrected and how long the process of adjustment would takeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (Mohsin, 1985). This is the real essence of fund intermediary function of a traditional finance (Toutounchian, 1996). Islamic finance can simply be defined that it is based on the basic principle of the prohibition of the riba as Islamic institutions does not charge interest but rather participates in the yield resulting from the use of the funds( Lewis Algaoud, 2001). Ebrahim Safadi ( 1995) advocates that islamic finance operations are according to the profit and loss sharing principle which are superior financial security to debt for many reasons including risk sharing of the equities (Hamwi Aylward, 1999. Liu Chong(2007) are of the view that the islamic finance is not different from the conventional finance as the unique feature Profit and Loss sharing ( PLS) practically is very similar to the TFS as islamic financial products based on the PLS are not interest free beacuse pegged to conventional deposits(ibid). On the other hand the basic pillar of the conventional financial system is interest rate and fixed income securities have been accepted globally in raising finance for funding large development and capital expenditures (Usmani, 2006). A fixed income security is an investment which provides a return in the form of fixed periodic payments and ultimate returns of principal at maturity (Usmani, 2006). The motivations of firms that issue global bonds is particularly to test whether firms are motivated to offer bonds in multi-markets to raise more capital, take benefit of being well-known in foreign markets and owing to poor domestic economic conditions (Tawatnuntachai Yaman, 2008). The bond market robustness converts into depression when financial crisis which started in 2007 has created the greatest financial dislocatio n since the Great Depression of the 1930s (Melvin Taylor, 2009). The Eurobond which are based on fix interest rate and guaranteed of fixed return failed to impress the investors in an auction (Kaminska, 2009). In addition, the loans rate set in the fixed income market will have large effect on the demand for properties, and thereby prices, one would strongly believe that securitised property prices are determined by the interest rate changes rather than the stock market (Cheong, Wilson, Zurbruegg, 2009). Financial markets are intergrated now a days and no single economy can avoid the effect of the financial crisis (Chapra, 2007). If the financial system is not responsible for the crisies then why there is a general nervous feeling that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢something is wrong with the financial systemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (Stiglitz, 2003, p: 54 On the other hand, the Islamic finance manages the affair without involving the pre-agreed interest payment and receipts that replace the interest-based intermediation between the borrower and the lender with profit and loss sharing and equity based link (Bhatti Khan, 2009). CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS The credit crunch refers to a sudden shortage of funds for lending, leading to a resulting decline in loans available (Blog, 2008). A Credit Crunch can occur for various reasons such as sudden increase in interest rate, direct money controls by the governments and a drying up of funds in the capital market (Blog, 2008). The crisis started in 2008 in US supreme mortgage market and widely spread all over the world which raised a question that why this has system collapsed which leads the splillover effects from US sub- prime crisis to UK by far the most transparent and worrying for the authorities that exposed the tension between the central banks with respect to the provision of liquidity support facilities, the difficulties inherent in the economy for dealing with the banking crisis, defects in banking economy regulation and supervision and the glaring flaws in deposit protection arrangements (Maximilian, 2008). Islamic Finance Response to Crisis Principles of Islamic Finance The first principle has an effect on the depositors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"behaviour and their decision-making process. The choice of action is based not only on the immediate financial returns but also on those returns in the hereafter. Since Islamic banks operate on an interest-free basis and their establishment is designed to improve Muslim communities. In the case of the second principle that involves wealth, Islam has given a clear guideline to be followed by Muslims. The essence of Islamic finance summarised by the Charles FÃÆ' ¨vre, 2006 is as following: Interest rate, taking or receiving on transactions is prohibited. Capital must have a social and ethical purpose further than pure, unfettered return; Investments in those businesses which are dealing with alcohol, gambling, drugs or anything else that the Sharià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ah considers unlawful and unwanted, are prohibited. Transactions involving masir (speculation or gambling); gharar, or uncertainty abo ut the subject-matter and terms of contracts are forbidden which includes a prohibition on selling something that one does not own. As the interest-earning on investments are restricted, Islamic banks obtain their earnings through profit-sharing investments or fee-based returns (Charles FÃÆ' ¨vre, 2006). Traditionally an Islamic bank offers two kinds of services: firstly; it provides services for those on a fee or a fixed charge, such as safe deposits, fund transfer, trade financing, property sales and purchases or handling investments (IBID). Secondly; those that involves joint ventures in investments and the sharing of profits and losses (Charles FÃÆ' ¨vre, 2006). REASEARCH METHODOLOGY Methodology is a set of tools, techniques, procedures and investigative methods, used to collect, store, analyse and present information. Scientific methodology involves the development of hypotheses and predictions, investigating the manipulation of particular variables while maintaining all other variables constant, using measurable, objective measures and statistical analyses in order to come to conclusions about the topic under investigationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (inspiritive.com, 2009). Research can be defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“something that people undertake in order to find out things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Saunders et al, 2003). Research methods are the means by which knowledge is acquired and constructed within a discipline. It needs to be both relevant and rigorous in order to be accepted as legitimate within a particular field of knowledge (Harvey Myers, 1995).whereas Leedy Research methodology can be explained as the process carried out to achieve the overall aim and objectives of the research (Saunders et al, 2003). What does Research Methodology Include? The research methodology involves primary data and secondary data. The primary data collected are more consistent with our research questions and research objectives. With the help of primary data the reasons behind consumer behaviour, management decisions or problems faces in internationalisation efforts can be identified (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). According to Hussey and Hussey, (1997, pg.149) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢original data is known as primary data, which is data collected at sourceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ. Primary research provides information and data which doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"t already exist. Some of the methods of primary data collection include: Focus groups, Interviews, Observation and Questionnaires (Saunders et al, 2003). According to Saunders et al., (2007, pg.272) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“data that have already been collected for some other purpose, perhaps processed and subsequently stored, are termed secondary dataà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. Data can be collected internally or externally from th e available materials for literature. These materials come from books, journals, articles, research papers, conference proceedings, newspapers, theses and internet sources. It includes both quantitative and qualitative data and they can be used in both descriptive and explanatory research. Within business and management research such data are used mostly in case study and survey-type research (Saunders et al, 2003). Research Methods Generally available methodological options for Research are two: qualitative research and quantitative research (Ticehurst Veal, 2000). Qualitative Research The purpose of qualitative research is to describe a certain process or problem, to interpret a particular problem and to develop new theoretical concepts and perspectives, to verify the validity of certain problem, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen particular problem (Leedy, 2005). The qualitative analysis based on meaning expressed through words, symbols, interpretations, actions and behaviour (Thornhill et al, 2003). Quantitative research Generally, quantitative research is used to answer the question about relationships among measured variables with the purpose of explaining, predicting, and controlling phenomenon ( Leedy Ormord, 2005). Whereas, Thornhill et al, (2003) stated that in quantitative analysis, the data is based on meanings from numbers. The collection results in numerical and standardised data and the analysis are conducted through the use of diagrams and statistics (Thornhill et al, 2003). The aim of the project can be viewed as qualitative, explanatory, and comparative. To fulfil these aims, the study intends to use the qualitative comparative research strategy (Bryman Bell, 2003). As Leedy Ormrod (2005) noted that qualitative researchers commonly use triangulation for the validation of the research. Comparative Analysis Given the options, qualitative research will be carried out where the literature to be reviewed will be mainly secondary data. The results obtained from the data can be validated by using the above mentioned strategies and comparative analysis which is suggested by Leedy Ormrod (2005) to fulfil the requirements of research. As the Max Weber (1968) also develop approach for social and economical analysis based on comparative method to identify that the researcher plays primary role in outlining research questions, categorizing elements of analysis, and the topics for comparison rather than assuming an objective separation of the researcher and data, as he is of the view that this kind of approach does not confuse researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s conceptualization of the under research phenomenon and phenomenon itself. Comparative analysis facilitates researcher to investigate the problem from a recognized starting point and the investigate other aspects of the object during analysis (Web er, M., 1968 cited in: Google, 2009) Data Collections and Methods In order to achieve the aims and objectives of the research a series of the reviews will be conducted on available literature on Islamic Finance and Conventional finance, particularly the Islamic securities. Islamic source of finance, Al- Quran, Sunnaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"ah, Shariaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"a Laws, and Hadiths books have been taken into account to get information about the Islamic financial principles, and the regulations which are applicable to the finance. This research is based on secondary data which is collected by using research techniques, procedures and instruments such as 1. Journals 2. Books 3. Libraryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"s web based services such as ABI/Inform, Proquest system, Jstor, Emerald. 4. Newspapers 5. Internet and internet article As qualitative comparative analysis will allow the researcher to outline the research objectives and categorizing the elements of the analysis and the choice of selection of the topic to analyse. The comparative analysis will helpful throughout the research to investigate the selected topic from a recognised point and researcher will be able to investigate the other aspect of the analysis. The methodology will be persuaded towards an approach in order to analyse appraise views on the Islamic financial system and Islamic securities in detail as an alternative to the traditional financial system in the context of current financial crisis by presenting and discussing with supervisor as to how he see the future of Islamic and traditional banking following the direction in which it is undertaken. LIMITATIONS This research may have few limitations The main concern is the collection of basic qualitative data from reliable sources mainly from university web based sources and Google scholar search materials; the challenge will be the identification of the reliable sources as often there will be situation where the results can vary from source to source. Sorting the reliable data from since the resources have vast options and all of them might not be having the same facts and figures which will be may required more time than expected in research process. Another limitation that may occur and cause the research to be narrowed and summed up sooner is for the research to miss out on some useful information which would be useful if taken under consideration. As for the vastness of the topic it is a concern that could be distracting as religious validities can be possible but main focus will be managed throughout the research. This research is a qualitative comparative analysis which is de pending on the secondary data that may lead research to be limited as collection of data is generally more time consuming and the time is limited and it is not possible to studied wide range of literature which can make difficult to make a systematic conclusion. Drawn Conclusion Comparison of the both system (Islamic Financial System and Conventional Financial System, major will be the Islamic financial securities and conventional bonds) will formed the ground for the conclusion depending on the information gathered from research.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Conflict Resolution and the Australian Contract Law

Conflict Resolution and Australian Contract Law Introduction: Australian contract law is based on Common Law as originated from the British tradition. However, as noted by Australian Government (2012), said law is currently under review and subject to evolution in the near future. This will be some relevance to the discussion hereafter, which considers the implications of a contract between the parties of JG (the represented) and ITMS (the representation) and further consider the implications of a conflict arising over this contract. Conflict Experience: Briefly, the conflict experience delineated in the case history concerns the signing of Australian womens tennis player JG with management and marketing firm ITMS with the intention that the latter would help secure marketing and sponsorship opportunities for the former. As JG continued to perform well in her responsibilities as a rising tennis star elevating her rank and achieving a relatively singular status in the field of Australian womens tennis her management firm failed to capitalize on the opportunities newly available to her. According to the case history, in 2010, JG had her most successful year on the Womens Tennis Association (WTA) tour finishing the year ranked 42 in the world. During the period of 2010, no further business opportunities were presented to JG by ITMS. Meanwhile, Australias two other top players were increasing their profile, through endorsements, within both the international andShow MoreRelatedFacts About Blissful Dance Shoes862 Word s   |  4 Pagesto be analysed comprehensively, as follows: 1. The legal regime in the contract of international sale of goods between BDS and the foreign country There is no international law applied into the contract of the international sale of goods. Instead, the domestic law of the seller, buyer, or third party could be applied in the contract. Moreover, the parties usually refer to the CISG Convention , but this convention is a model law only. It means that the CISG is just a guideline rule for the partiesRead More A critical review of the major opposing views on arbitration industrial relations1291 Words   |  6 Pagesquality of life for Australian workers. Moreover it was steeped in social democratic ideals and worked to give every Australian a decent standard of living. These ideals have yet shifted back to the individual contract model where the market predetermines wages and working conditions. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;During pre-federation when free labour came to dominate the colonies; workers exercised their civil citizenship rights through entry into individual employment contracts. The master and servantRead More1.1 The South Australian Government Financial Authority published ‘The Home Building Protection1300 Words   |  6 Pages1.1 The South Australian Government Financial Authority published ‘The Home Building Protection review’, in January 2014. The paper is a summary of the state’s present provisions and any changes which are to be considered by the South Australian government. The building aspects are explained and detailed to educate readers. These include insurance, licensing and supervision, amendments, law and contract requirements, as well as the difference between Government and private sectors. They will be elaboratedRead MoreDiscuss the extent to which Consumer Law achieves its objectives751 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss the extent to which Consumer law achieves its objectives. The most efficient way for consumers to get what they want is through the ‘market’, not the government, but businesses have more power than their customers. Some businesses can and will use abuse this power and cheat and steal from consumers to make money. Because of this, the government regulates the behaviour of businesses to have a market economy that functions properly. These laws mainly protect consumers against; misleading/deceptiveRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Sunshine Steels1697 Words   |  7 Pagesthe company were in shambles. Every HR expert would like to learn and rectify the deficiencies in the policies followed in the past. This case study is helpful in achieving both the objectives. On perusal of the case study it is observed that the Australian company is a well established company having presence in the entire country with sustained demand for its products. The company acquired one privately owned company in China in the year 2008 producing steel screws and nails with the objective loweringRead MoreFairness and Justice in the Australian Legal System1270 Words   |  6 PagesDictionary defines fairness to be ‘the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is reasonable’ and justice as ‘the quality of being fair or reasonable’ (Oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com, 2014). Investigation of the characteristics of the Australian Legal System (ALS) including its adoption, structure and operational rules, reveal that for the most part the system is based on these two attributes. This inference is further evidenced by the legally binding operational framework assigned to theRead MoreConflicts, Disputes, And Solutions2366 Words   |   10 PagesConflicts, Disputes, and Solutions Introduction Over the past century there has been a dramatic increase in conflicts and disputes, especially after the historic publishing of The Communist Manifesto in 1848, written by the father of conflict theory Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Till now, even after the Professor Sander’s historic paper, â€Å"The Pound Conference: Perspectives on Justice in the Future† in 1976, people are still trying to find more effective and efficient solutions to conflicts or disputesRead MoreWaterfront Dispute 1998 Outline the key stakeholders, origins, issues involved, the effects and impacts of the dispute and the resolutions of the dispute.1162 Words   |  5 Pagesof its docks. The bitter tension between the wharfies and security guards at the lockout were echoed through the disputes between Patrick Stevedoring, the coalition (liberal) government and the ACTU and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). The conflict arose from the two main issues of workforce productivity on the wharves an d the role of unionism, particularly on the wharves. The dispute involved both industrial and legal action from the trade unions and its members and is referred to as the Read MoreAustralian Contract Law Should Be Codified1904 Words   |  8 PagesAustralia, commercially would be at an advantage if contract law was codified. The common law system which contracts calls home, can only take on so many avenues and limits itself when stretched to cover new areas. There needs to be a national set of laws governing contracts on the commercial front and in general areas to overcome discrepancies across borders. However there still remains inconsistency with consumers, minors and business trade through contracts made online. The digital economy is not onlyRead MoreThe Court Of The State Of Victoria1514 Words   |  7 Pagesin the law reports? = Many courts have adopted ‘medium neutral citation’ for making decisions. Medium neutral citation allows decisions and judgements of the court be reported regardless of its publication medium (i.e. Print form or Internet databases). Parallel case citation should be used if the case is repeatedly or subsequently reported in the law reports. 4. The crux of the case concerns the meaning of a ‘unilateral contract’; briefly explain what is meant by a unilateral contract. =A unilateral

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Analysis of the NSPCC Advert Free Essays

Advertisement is a manipulative use of media in order to bring the audiences attention to a product or service. In the two advertisements we see two different uses of the same media (posters). Types of advertisement come under two main categories: Importance-giving important details such as opening dates and location. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of the NSPCC Advert or any similar topic only for you Order Now Persuasive-plays more on the manipulative side, this is present in the two posters. The ‘NSPCC’ advert is appealing to our sympathetic and emotional sides asking for our donations to help the troubled child. We are given the impression that we are helping an individual; this is because of the picture and accompanied story. A vulnerable child bandaged and exposed on what seems to be a bed rather than a crib dominates the page. The message is limited to 1/3 of the page. This message is subtle, keeping our sympathy going rather than anger. ‘NSPCC’ is placed in the bottom right hand corner, a name that is well know and respected for its work. The message is in bold lettering against a large white space so it is easily noticed. The message is snappy and carries a rhythmic pattern which is disturbed by the line ‘and the tips of her father’s fingers.’ Also you can read Analysis July at the Multiplex The baby bandaged and covering its eyes creates an impact on the reader and our attention is diverted b the captivating text, it opens with the word ‘All’ which suggests a limited list. In the final item to the list we are shocked at the abolished subtlety. ‘Tip’ suggests sharpness increasing the sympathy pain. When we read the donation form we discover yet more about this unfortunate child. In the more in depth story lines such as ‘loss of control’ leads us to thoughts of frantic behaviour. Before we get to the amounts for donation we get the line ‘I want to help’ this leaves little room for us to deny such an emotional appeal. Rhetorical devices are not present in this appeal because it asks for our co-operation through sympathy instead of the company arguing their point. The overall effect is simple and direct, simplicity is used because they are emphasising how the picture says it all. One sentence in the donation form is opened with ‘You’ personalising the advert and making it the reader feel involved and important. The ‘BP’ advert uses shock to entice the audience. We cringe with disgust as we see the worms entwined and stacked together taking up 2/3 of the page. The headline is bold but once read it only confuses the reader and increases captivation. Due to our curiosity and hate of confusion we read on in order to understand the link between the poster and its headline. The ‘BP’ logo is small; if it wasn’t we’d know what the poster was about and would find little need to read on. In this poster there is little need for fancy fonts because curiosity has already occurred. The caption has an informal tone a sign of humanity making it easier to converse with this company. The caption opens with ‘Most people would’ a sign of them distinguishing themselves from the average. They make out to be environmental campaigners but our futures can’t be the first worry of a petrol company. Both adverts use visually shocking pictures, they erect curiosity. ‘BP’ and ‘NSPCC’ claim protection over something to our caring and nurturing nature. When we are asked to care it is difficult to refuse without guilt of being heartless. Overall both pictures use the element of shock to attract an audience, 1/3 of the page is a description because the pictures alone aren’t too descriptive. ‘NSPCC’ uses slightly enlarged and conveniently spaced lettering because the picture requires very little explaining. ‘BP’ uses a confusing headline to lure the audience in and keeps the curiosity levels going. A shocking picture is accompanied by 1/3 of writing, the explanation is in a small font and is not partic ularly short in content, and this is effective in making this a memorable poster. Both posters have a small company logo, but this for different reasons; ‘BP’ is to crate confusion and ‘NSPCC’ is to give the impression that the poster is a campaign for children rather than popularity. Dramatic vocabulary is used in small amounts throughout the two posters such as; ‘All this baby will ever remember’ and in ‘BP’ ‘Protecting’. ‘BP’ could have used statistics but decided not to, this makes the poster humane and the reader feels empathetic towards the ‘NSPCC’ advert. Read also  Case 302 July in Multiplex Presentational devices are arranged around the one objective ‘shock’. These posters captured my attention and curiosity; I was more interested in the ‘BP’ because it wasn’t too blatant with its point so it required more information beyond its headline. They were both successful in their intentions, but both obviously were directed at two different audiences. Sympathy is a very emotional mindset and as long as our emotions are triggered we become captivated. Emotions are difficult to ignore because they engage rational thinking with knowledge, a combination that would be un-human to ignore hence its use in these adverts. How to cite Analysis of the NSPCC Advert, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

he ways in which women writes connect writing withthe body Essay Example For Students

?he ways in which women writes connect writing withthe body Essay However many feminist theorists continue to emphasize the entirety and truthfulness of the female body. Even a feminist, against gender restrictions, is captured in a lesbian body and has to conform to their expectations An important aspect of the body, which features in both novels, is the hands. The hand represents a strong connection between people. The shaking of the hand is a polite, formal gesture, the kissing of the hand often shows courtesy and affection and the holding of hands portrays friendship, support or affection. In Written on the Body, hands are used to show affection, either during sexual encounters to explore the body, I run my fingers round the rim18 and the wise old hands who advocate a sensible route, not too much passion, not too much sex19, or as a symbol of togetherness I was holding Louises hand, conscious of it but sensing too that a further intimacy might begin logged in body more than held in the mind20 Sadomasochism, in Wuthering Heights, produces a obsession for Catherines hands. Catherine is perceived as an extremely violent character. Nelly Dean, divulges that even as a child she was physically malicious, he says in play, she liked exceedingly to act the little mistress; using her hands freely, and commanding her companions21 The fascination of controlling and being a mistress along with violence even carried on into her adulthood, with continuously the use of her hands. Even before Edgar and Catherine were lovers he witnesses Catherines violence. she hurt me extremely; so I started up from my knees and screamed out, Oh miss, thats a nasty trick! You have no right to nip me, and Im not going to bear it. she never had the power to conceal her passion. Her violence appears to be a way of releasing her anger and sexual frustration. Overall, the passion driven characters such as Catherine, Heathcliff and Hindly, torment and cause pain to others as a means to relief of their anguish. In connection with Written on the body, the hand serve as a very sexual and affectionate basis, perhaps even in the form of violence. This is suggested further in Wuthering heights, having been hit once Edgar pulls away in order that it portrays he doesnt enjoy the physical abuse but obtains pleasure from the close contact with Catherines body. Bronte describes the sheer power of Catherines aggression towards Hareton, who is only a mere child. He proclaims wicked aunt Cathy22 She appears not to be able to constrain herself, but perhaps this is the only form of power she possess. Violence toward the body, as a means of anger and frustration can also be seen in Written on the body. The narrator has the instinct to cram his windpipe into his larynx23 whist he kicked in the shins and punched in the stomach. The infliction on plain on the body appears to act as a form of relief and compensation for emotional pain. Furthermore on the body, Wuthering Heights doesnt appear as explicit and sexual towards the body, as Written on the Body. However the passion between Catherine and Heathcliff goes as deep as their desire to be one. Catherine states Nelly, I am Heathcliff-hes always, always on my mind24 and Heathcliff in reference to Catherine despairs Oh God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul! 25 Both are willing sacrifice themselves, there bodies, and their identities to be together. This connects to Freudian interpretation of the novel. The characters of Catherine, Heathcliff and Edgar can represent Freuds id, ego and superego. They merge together to form one personality and mental state, hence one body. Heathcliff represents the id, the sex drive that exists in the unconscious. His characteristics fit due to the fact he runs wild as a child, he is always in the back of Catherines mind and his three year absence remain unknown. Catherine connects with others and tests and controls Heathcliff, the id, hence she becomes the ego. History 111 EssayThere is still the impression of craving for that person, I went back to bed, gave up the fight and dreamed of Louise. 35 Both of the novels portray yearning for the body of the lover when they are not there. The presents of the figure offers fulfilment and security. The soul in the format of a ghost, or memories, within there dreams, are not enough. Therefore the body, literally is key is a romance. My final point of address is the ending conventions of romance. Both Wuthering Heights and Written on the Body do not finish typically with the lovers together or in marriage. They both appear to show either the body continuing, the body regenerating, through birth or the death of the body. Perhaps this indicates that love is the circle and means of life. Brian Finney, in an essay about Written on the body, states love has been verbalised so it is almost impossible to write anything new about the experience. 36 Nevertheless, both these novels from entirely different time periods highlight, with the use of the body, a whole new variety of ideas that I didnt contemplate until this essay. Both authors want to be distinctive and not follow their society conventions and gender boundaries. In conclusion, the body appears to represent the identity of an individual. It is something we hold onto and desire and when it is absent we yearn for its presence. Due to gender the body automatically carries ideologies of society and both novels and theorists demonstrate that these are difficult to escape. Winterson uses the body though the entire novel to represent a myriad emotions ranging from pain to pleasure. Bronte tends to apply in as a form of constriction to the human soul and desires. Both the novels, despite there different time periods, address similar ideas about the body but in entirely different ways. Overall the body plays a key role in the romantic genre. Bibliography E Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Next classics, London, 1996 V Leitch, Norton Anthology, Theory and Criticism, Norton and company Inc, USA, 2001 J Winterson, Written on the Body, Vintage, London, 1996 Other sources Women and Language, Volume xxv No 2 Adobe www. yourdictionary. com www. ags. uci. edu http://ettc. uwb. edu www. csulb. edu 1 www. yourdictionary. com 2 Norton Anthology, Judith Butler, Page 2485 3 Written on the Body page 82 4 Wuthering Heights Page 80 5 Women and Language, Volume xxv No 2 Page 25 6 Stewart Women and Language, Volume xxv No 2 Page 25 7 Norton anthology Freud the uncanny 8 http://www. ags. uci. edu 9 Norton Anthology, Judith Butler, Page 2485 10 Written on the Body page 73 11 www. yourdictionary. com 12 http://ettc. uwb. edu. pl/strony/friends/suwalki/Treasure%20Hunts/Dorota/jeanette_winterson. htm 13 Written on the Body page 89 14 Norton anthology page 2491 15 Norton anthology page 2491 16 Women and language, volume xxv no 2 page 24 17 Women and language, volume xxv no 2 page 24 18 Written on the body page 73 19 Written on the body page 71? 20 Written on the body page 82 21 Wuthering Heights page 30 22 Wuthering Heights page 60 23 Written on the body page 170 24 Wuthering heights page 25 Wuthering heights page 273 26 Norton anthology page 2031 27 Norton Anthology 2030 28 Wuthering Heights page 29 Norton anthology page 2368 30 Wuthering Heights page 340 31 Written on the body page 103 32 Written on the body page 190 33 Written on the body page 190 34 Norton anthology page 2491 35 Written on body 149 36 http://www. csulb. edu/~bhfinney/Winterson. html 302 Woman Writes Stephanie Noonan?

Friday, November 29, 2019

Financial Challenges in Companies

Introduction Though managing an organisation involves long-term thinking and careful consideration of the organisational dynamics, many corporations cannot handle untimely alterations of the business environment. This is because the global monetary crisis comes at an unprecedented time, making it difficult for some organisations to put their operations in a manner that helps them cope with such financial challenges.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Challenges in Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite the reality that financial challenges have hit global business operations in one way or the other, and at different times, the horizon at which the companies operate has not been so proactive (Gustavo, Michaely Swaminathan 2002, p. 379). For instance, the corporate finance and agency problems have created monetary conflicts that exist between the management of the company and their stockholders, an issue that has really affected the decisions at the corporations (Gustavo, Michaely Swaminathan 2002, p. 389). The conflicts are relevant to corporate finance since the managers of the company, who are meant to act for the best interest of the shareholders, often fail to do so as expected of them. These managers, who act as agents of the shareholders, are meant to make decisions that are geared towards maximising the stockholders’ wealth. However, they fail to do so due to their desire to maximise their own wealth. In essence, these agency problems are related to the corporate finance in the sense that they help in understanding and analysing the stockholder’s equity, corporate governance, and agency costs. Contemporary studies demonstrate that the non-responsive nature of the management to information related to the eventual financial crisis lead to compromised decisions about the specific monetary problems. Literature review Corporate stakeholders are often face d with the conflict of interest to pursue personal goals other than the intended objectives of the company. This makes it difficult for them to formulate guidelines, which might help the company avoid the impacts of financial crisis through pre-empting the market situation and other financial environment of the company (Gustavo, Michaely Swaminathan 2002, p. 389). Therefore, there is a need to put in place appropriate mechanisms so as to effectively deal with the potential conflicting issues in the organisation. Research attributes the ignorance of the management to offer advisory opinion about looming financial crisis as it depicts the pursuit for personal interests, rather than that of the company.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The conflict of interest among the stakeholders of the company might make the shareholders pass a vote-of-no-confidence on some of the board mem bers during the members’ board meetings (Gustavo, Michaely Swaminathan 2002, p. 397). The presidents of the company are awarded bonuses due to their hard work in order to motivate them. However, when the performance is dwindling, as witnessed in the Coca-Cola Company, the stakeholders might be forced to terminate the contracts of the top management team of the corporation, if it is assumed that their roles would compromise the productivity in the company. Indeed, the dividend policy of any firm can be regarded as irrelevant owing to the fact that the corporations that often pay many dividends to the shareholders give little price appreciation (Gustavo, Michaely Swaminathan 2002, p. 389). However, this must offer the same sum of revenue returns to the investors, depending on their risk characteristics as well as the cash flows generated from the investment ventures (Jackall 1988, p. 55). In fact, since there are lack of taxes, but if there is any, both the capital gains as w ell as the dividends are often taxed under a similar rate. Therefore, the investors ought to be indifferent to get their expected returns in both the price appreciation as well as in dividends by adopting an effective property management strategy. Property management is critical in the success of any given company. The relationship between the two has been explored through the SWOT analysis, which helps business to assess whether a particular strategy is viable for business operations, as well as to establish ways of moving forward. Carrying a SWOT analysis for property management helps the management adopt ways of getting cash out of price appreciation. It also provides a strategy that facilitates provision of dividends to the stakeholders without involving the transaction cost and floatation, thus resulting to fair prices for the stakeholders (Jackall 1988, p. 61). Gustavo, Michaely, and Swaminathan (2002, p. 389) have found out that analysing property management helps the company increase effectiveness and efficiency in the management system. Through an analysis of threat, it is clear that the management is able to refrain from taking chances on the company’s financial status since it gets into a position of assessing the dividends payable to the stakeholders as well as the amount of capital resources required to run the business.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Challenges in Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, it is imperative to note that management of property in a company is highly influenced by the decision making process adopted. For case in point, when a company adopts satisficing decision making without a careful analysis, then it is bound to fail. This stems from the fact that satisficing decision making entails adopting the readily available decision to address a particular problem facing the company. For case in point, a company is bound to fail when it takes the readily available decision and makes a decision that results in conflict of interest among the stakeholders, information asymmetries, and taxes levied (Sunder Myers 1999, p. 219). Despite the fact that the stakeholders prefer large sums of dividends, satisficer decision-making model can play a critical role in wasting the resources of the company, leading to higher taxes for the company (Sunder Myers 1999, p. 219). It is for this reason that an organisation should find ways of adapting effectively to the dynamic organisational changes, as this would facilitate a suitable avenue for establishing a positive feedback on the future of the company’s prospects, as well as future declaration of dividends (Lyandres Zhdanov, p. 54). Achieving a financial target for a firm has been highlighted as one of the major divers to organisational changes, as it helps to avert financial crisis with respect to internal and external stakeholders of the firm. In this regard, Su nder and Myers (1999, p. 219) have found out that if a company takes a positive approach towards organisational changes and announces dividends, it gets into a position of increasing its stock prices. However, Sunder and Myers (1999, p. 220) have also considered a number of barriers that may hinder a given company to adopt the dynamic organisational changes, which would facilitate management of capital resources. Key amongst these barriers is capital for compensating the shareholders. This barrier creates a challenge for the company, making it seek for funds elsewhere. And in a bid to curb the change management crisis, the company might decide to include new investor’s board, and this, in turn, may adversely affect the company’s culture. This stems from the fact that organisational changes are not only characterised by financial improvements but also a change in people attitudes as well as their behaviors. Moreover, Sunder and Myers (1999, p. 221) have emphasised on th e relationship between time and effective change management process, stating that it is not a worthy venture for a company to issue new stocks in order to pay dividends in the same financial year. More so, the authors have added that a company should not pay dividends to shareholders immediately after a financial crisis in an effort of creating a positive attitude for the firm.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Property management is not only affected by barriers to organisational changes but goal setting with regard to defining short, middle, and long term strategies to be adopted by the firm. This has elicited a study on establishing the management approach that should be adopted by diverse firm following an analysis liquidity and credit worthiness, among other factors (Sunder Myers 1999, p. 222). As such, it has been established that payment of dividends should not be classified as a short-term strategy since dividends have a high possibility of causing additional problems during the period of financial crisis (Lyandres Zhdanov 2007, p. 61). Additionally, managerial functions, such as planning and evaluation, have influenced the manner in which property management of a given firm is handled. Proper planning is crucial in property management since it facilitates a good cash flow for the firm after subtracting the capital expenditure (Thompson McHugh 2002, p. 48). Additionally, proper planning plays a critical role in projecting whether the company could be faced with a financial crisis in future; hence, it analyses how the company is able to counter such financial risks by assessing the possibility of mergers and acquisitions (Thompson McHugh 2002, p. 52). As such, the managers involved in the planning process should ascertain whether the planning process is in line with the organisation mission and vision. In doing so, the company gets into a position of coping with the upcoming business challenges without involving many outsiders, who have the capacity of changing organisational culture. In addition to this, Thompson McHugh (2002, p. 52) have found out that implementing proper planning with regard to cash flow projection is critical since it helps in understanding the motives behind adopting a merger and acquisition by availing sufficient amount of cash to carry out such transactions. The theory of planning recommends that it is paramount to come up with a c ash hypothesis that helps in understanding the periods that the company is likely to be sold out to other investors’ companies (Timmer 2011, p. 102). The leverage buy-outs is imperative in the planning process since it helps firms that are in big debts to obtain sufficient funds for settling their outstanding debt through collateral from the company in order to secure loan. Though this often comes with interest, it is beneficial in the sense that the company is able to set cash from the secured loans in order to carry out some of is intended activities during and after the financial crisis ( Timmer 2011, p. 103). Evaluation is also a managerial function that helps to establish that financial crisis has the probability of halting the operations of a given company. Timmer (2011, p. 104) has found out that countering financial challenges through mergers and acquisition can create a disadvantage to the company that has succumbed to failure as it involves transferring most of its assets to the acquiring firm. The acquiring firm partially settles the debts of the failing firm, creating room for goodwill for the acquiring firm. In his study of performance evaluation, Watson (2001, p. 224) points out that debt is a cheaper option of handling financial crisis than equity simply because equity involves holding partnership with the shareholders, who share in the company’s productivity. And even though the shareholders are instrumental in facilitating the success of the company, they do not offer some technical expertise and knowledge in running the business since their work is to contribute capital to the business, not decision making on management of capital (Watson 2001, p. 225). Therefore, this can be regarded as an added cost in the management of property because in case of losses, the business bears it alone since the investors are only involved in sharing the returns, which are given in the form of dividends. On the other hand, Watson ( 2001, p. 225) has found out that inasmuch as the company would want to adopt a long term goal for debt repayment, it is sometimes unable to do so as debts are always periodic and have time limits for completion. This leaves the company with only one option that does not require time limit: dividends paid on the equity. Assessing the financial status of a company is critical in the planning process as it helps to ensure successful Implementation of business strategy. Watson (2001, p. 226) has pointed out the rationale of evaluating bankruptcy cost in regards to the firm’s capital structure and its response to financial crisis. This demonstrates that the management should note the role played by Bankruptcy costs since they form the foundations of financing policies of the firm. Thompson McHugh (2002, p. 53) have also demonstrated the role of bankruptcy costs, stating that these costs act as the counterweight to those taxes that have been deducted on the interest payments. Moreover, Thompson McHugh (2002, p. 53) ascertain that the costs associated with the bankruptcy, such as the reorganisation costs and tax credit losses, directly impact on the capital structure of the firm, since they demonstrate poor managerial practice with regard to planning and evaluation. By using the SWOT analysis, the organisation should be in a position to identify the threats in property management. More so, this analysis facilitates an understanding of the management strategy that should be adopted since the manager gets information on the unknown information through a cost-benefit analysis. In this regard, the management should note that when leverage of the company is on an upward trend, the firm is bound to suffer losses due to negative present value (NPV), as this makes the managers under invest in such projects (Watson 2001, p. 227). Additionally, the management should note the opportunities within the strategy, and key amongst them is the fact that the equity holders are attracted by the net benefits of the project; this creates an avenue for passing the rest of the costs to the bondholders. Capital structure is the strategy in which a corporation finances its own assets through combining equity, debt, or through hybrid securities (Baker Jeffrey 2002, p. 4). Management of capital structure will not only facilitate the management of financial resources but also the human resources, the company’ s assets, as well as the structure of the business. A vast majority of managers adopt external financing by issuing shares to the public, thus creating room for external ownership of the company (Baker Jeffrey 2002, p. 5). However, Myers Majluf (1984) argue that equity is not a preferred method of raising capital that could help the company during financial crisis and in the post crisis period. This stems from the fact that the practice threatens the values and norms of the company, creating a conflict between the managers and the new investors. While the new in vestors may tend to think that the company has value, the management takes this advantage to raise capital for the firm, and this may result in low company’s shares after sometime (Baker Jeffrey 2002, p. 7). Thus, the management should be in a position to choose a control system that has less risk in long-term basis. However, sometimes, the management faces challenges emanating from lack of knowledge on previously made decisions and the actual occurrence when the financial problem arises (Baker Jeffrey 2002, p. 15). In this case, the management should adopt traditional approaches, as they help to choose a capital management that has the lowest probable cost of capital for the company. Myers Majluf 1984 ( p.188) have described how management should use organisational controls that facilitate a reduction of debt ratio, while making sure that leverage-increasing actions like stock repurchases and debt-for-equity interactions are employed. This creates a differentiation betwee n the management approach that should be adopted before and after the financial crisis faced by the management (Myers Majluf 1984, p. 194). As such, Knights Willmott (2006, p. 22) recommend focused management in controlling future financial crisis. Conclusion In sum, the practical monetary managers will try to retain financial flexibility while making sure they attain long-term survival of their companies even after financial crisis. This will also help the company in planning for the possible financial problems. The research indicates that through improved and effective administrations of the organisation, the managers have to dedicate their time to work, which involves long-term thinking and vigilant consideration of the company changes. In this regard, many corporations are perceived to be unable to make alterations of the business setting so that the organisation could implement most of the fiscal strategies prior to, or after, a monetary crisis. This shows that such financial problems could effectively be realised only through the practice of objective and focused management. The justification was that since the global monetary crisis reaches at an untimely situation, thus, not quite practical for a number of companies to realign their manufacturing and administrative processes to match the predicted financial positions and the global trends that might be in order with their operations. Such attempts might help the companies cope with such financial challenges. Regardless of the realism that the fiscal challenges have had gross affects on global business operations in a number of ways and at different instances, the magnitude at which the entities operate has not been so hands-on to deal with increasing affects of financial crises. For instance, large business finance and organisation tribulations have resulted in monetary shortfall that exist and affect the link between the management of the company, customer base, and the suppliers. This situation has really compromised the choices, which the corporation could arrive at. Finally, the standoff could be relevant to corporate changes since the management of the entity that should make the decision in the best interest of the entire parties involved in its management often fail to execute their duties. Literally, these managers, who should act on behalf of the board as a watchdog of the financial alterations in the company, end up disappointing the shareholders. In fact, they are meant to make choices, which should be in favor of the shareholders. Essentially, Managers fail to act appropriately owing to their mixed interest and desire to maximise their own gain. References Baker, M Jeffrey, W 2002, â€Å"Market Timing and Capital Structureâ€Å", Journal of Finance vol. 57 no.1, pp. 1–32. Gustavo, G Michaely, R Swaminathan, B 2002, â€Å"Are Dividend Changes a Sign of Firm Maturity?†, The Journal of Business, vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 387-424. Jackall, R 1988, ‘Loo king up and looking around excerpt from Moral mazes: the world of corporate managers’, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Knights, D Willmott, H 2006, ‘Management and Leadership: Introducing Organizational Behaviour and Management’, Thompson, London. Lyandres, E Zhdanov, A 2007, ‘Investment Opportunities and Bankruptcy Prediction’, Harcourt College Publishers, Fort Worth. Myers, S Majluf, S 1984, â€Å"Corporate Financing And Investment Decisions When Firms Have Information That Investors Do Not Haveâ€Å", Journal of Financial Economics, vol.13, no. 2, pp. 187–221. Sunder, L Myers, S 1999, â€Å"Testing Static Tradeoff Against Pecking Order Models of Capital Structure†, Journal of Financial Economics, pp. 219-244. Thompson, P McHugh, P 2002, ‘Work Organizations: A Critical Introduction’, (3rd Ed.), Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and London. Timmer, J 2011, ‘Understanding the Fed Model, Capital Structure, and th en Some’, Fort Worth, Harcourt College Publishers. Watson, T 2001, â€Å"The Emergent Manager and Processes of Management Pre-Learning†, Management Learning, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 221-235. This essay on Financial Challenges in Companies was written and submitted by user Libby Blake to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Impressions of Emirati Youths on ISIS

The Impressions of Emirati Youths on ISIS Introduction Research background The ISIS crisis is in its fourth year despite several efforts by the international community for reconciliation. It is necessary to establish the impression of the Emirati youths on the ISIS, since they are indirectly affected by the current military activities of the group in Syria and Iraq (Al-Jenabi, 2008, p. 15).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Impressions of Emirati Youths on ISIS specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, this research proposal will attempt to establish the impressions of the Emirati youths on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Research question and objectives For this research proposal, the primary question is; What are the impressions of the Emirati youths on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria? The objectives of this research are; To establish the perceptions of the Emirati youths on the ISIS group To make recommendations and suggestions on how to view and deal with ISIS Importance of studying the topic Understanding geo-political, social, and economic impressions held by the Emirati youths towards ISIS are important, especially when establishing the contribution of the group on the current Middle East conflict. Through sociological imagination, it is easy to understand behavior change and identify forces: positive or negative, that facilitate the angle of inclination among the Emirati youths towards the ISIS. Methodology Nature of the method This research will be conducted using research survey study approach. Data, which will be collected through one-on-one interviews and questionnaires, will be scrutinized in detail. Through open-ended and closed-ended structure, each question asked will be comprehensive to ensure that respondents have opportunity to give deep answers that provide an insight into research problem solution. Instances of divergent or convergent opinions by one or more respondents will be marked appropriate ly (George Bennet, 2005, p. 29).Advertising Looking for proposal on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strengths and weaknesses Questionnaire Based on the survey method, a self constructed five-item structured questionnaire will become imperative. The questionnaire will be prepared to use 5- point Likert scale (Miller, Mauthner, Birch, Jessop, 2012, p. 42). The Saudi youths will express a broad range of opinions in the focus groups on the key issues in the discussion. Strengths Questionnaire provides anonymity to the user and thus gives more honest responses. Information can be gathered from a large number of people. Since the questions are uniform and if the conditions under which they are answered are controlled, then the information gathered is standardized (Miller et al. 2012, p. 43). Weaknesses It is not possible to explain to the respondents any point that they may misinterpret in a question. Giving a pilot test to a few respondents could partially solve this. It is possible for a respondent to be dishonest in case they do not feel comfortable (De-Rada, 2005, p. 66). To minimize any of the on the above weakness, the questionnaire design will use a simple language that is understood by both parties. The time for completion will be reasonable and designed to identify the target population so as to yield useful data for the research analysis and interpretation (Groves, Fowler, Coper, Lepkowski, Singer, Tourangeau, 2009, p. 45). Interviews Adopting semi-structured, open-ended and closed-ended questions interview, data collection through a one-on-one interview is critical considering the scope of the research topic. Strengths The choice of one-on-one interview is based on the rationale of gaining insight on the feelings, opinion, and experiences. Moreover, the semi structured interviews are given room for further probe depending. The researcher is in a position to seek further clari fication on specific ideas and responses given within the interview time. From responses gathered, one-on-one interview makes it easy to scribe clear responses that answer the questions asked (De-Rada, 2005, p. 68). Weaknesses The interview is tedious and time consuming. Interview findings may be biased if the interviewer and the interviewee do not read from the same page. The interview is expensive when the sample space is large (De-Rada, 2005, p. 69). Since the researcher is expected to accord the research project professional seriousness, the willing respondents are likely to reliable, credible, and informed responses to questions asked. Appropriateness of using the method for study The mixture of questionnaire and direct interview will present a number of pre-specified competencies and best practices based on the research topic. The researcher chose the qualitative because the scope of the research is focused, subjective, dynamic, and discovery oriented. Moreover, this approach will create room for further analysis using different and divergent tools for checking the degree of error and assumption limits (Groves et al. 2009, p. 57).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Impressions of Emirati Youths on ISIS specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Data collection and stages of research This research will target 100 Emirati youths (within the age group of 20-30 years) to establish the common perception towards ISIS. The sampling criterion that will be used in the initial sampling plan represents the true picture of the activities on the ground. The collected quantitative data will be coded and passed through appropriate analysis tool. In the process, cross tabulation will be used to compare and contrast the impressions held by the Emirati youths. In order to quantify the relationship between the independent and dependent variable, analysis will be essential besides figures, charts, and tabular rep resentation of correlation analysis (De-Rada, 2005, p. 65). Validity, reliability, and generalization of results This sample chosen for the survey presents a clear, scientific, and verifiable criterion for systematic analysis. Reflectively, this will permit comparative research especially when qualitative design is adopted to give room for testing accuracy and degree of biasness (Groves et al. 2009, p. 39). The interviews will be conducted by the researcher because of common characteristics of culture, age, and country (George Bennet, 2005, p. 33). The researcher will send the questionnaires to the targeted participants and schedule direct interview with those who are flexible and can afford a fifteen minutes break to answer the interview questions. Ethical considerations During the data collection phase of this study, the researcher will strive to uphold ethics appertaining to scientific research. This will be pursued through inclusion of an informed consent form in the interview and questionnaire, which the units being studied will be required to read understand and consent to before the study commences. The researcher will ensure confidentiality of the subjects by insisting on their anonymity, where each subject will be identified using a unique code as opposed to use of names (Blaxter, Hughes, Malcolm, 2005, p. 44). Conclusion The study will be carried out via research survey since the scope of the research is focused. Through qualitative research, the research will be in a position to carry out correlation analysis of the impressions held by the Emirati youths. The study would be more comprehensive if the impressions were directed towards a single variable.Advertising Looking for proposal on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Al-Jenabi, B. (2008). Use of social media in the United Arabs Emirates: An initial study. Global Media Journal, 1(2), 3-27. Blaxter, L., Hughes, C., Malcolm, T. (2005). How to research, Berkshire, UK: Open University Press. De-Rada, V. (2005). Influences of questionnaire design on response to mail surveys. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 61-78. George, A., Bennet, A. (2005). Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Sciences: How to Do Case Studies. Massachusetts, Ma: MIT Press. Groves, M., Fowler, J., Coper, P., Lepkowski, M., Singer, E., Tourangeau, R. (2009). Survey Methodology. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Miller, T., Mauthner, M., Birch, M., Jessop, J. (2012). Ethics in qualitative research. London, UK: SAGE Publications Limited.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intellectual Property - Essay Example A creative piece of work (i.e. music, art, writing, film, or computer software) always belongs to its creator. Additionally, these creative works, ideas, expressions and inventions are very precious for their inventors and must be protected however these ideas or thoughts are not known as intellectual property. In addition, everything in computer is a collection of bits (the binary code), which are used by the computers to perform different operations. Thus, in scenario of computer everything in digital format such as music, images, video and text can be duplicated not immediately once however an infinite number of times. In addition, there is no limit to boundary the value of duplicate copies. Moreover, in scenario of computer, a duplicate is also considered original. In this way, the binary realism of digital media pretenses challenging issues intended for how works are utilized (and reused), as well as the rights and jobs of producers and consumers under existing rules and regulations. Additionally, the one of the most influential qualities of the internet is its reach (to reach without any boundary). Since internet has the capability to extensively dispense digital works quicker as well as less expensively as compared to old traditional methods. In addition, internet has offered the power to communicate with millions of people throughout world. On the other hand, with the internet, information owners have small control over the distribution and utilization of their works. Moreover, lot of customers ignorant or confused by expansive license contracts or prepared to release them as excessively restraining or inequitable, move toward the internet with the extensive trust that each item they come across is in the public domain (Rappa, 2009) and (Reynolds, 2003). U.S. Chamber Strategy The U.S. Chamber of Commerce encourages the implementation of market based as well as technological systems and ways for digital intellectual property defense. However, these systems, laws and solutions should be kept away from expensive government policies and should allow the citizens to access these contents. Seeing that, the innovation and investment depend on the powerful intellectual property safety for businesses. Therefore, the United States Chamber counters the capability of state entities, like that universities, in order to utilize their legitimate protection from lawsuits to break unreservedly upon the intellectual pr operty of others. Thus, by making effective use of supreme resistance, states jointly deject the research as well as development of modern internet supported systems, applications, products and services. In this scenario, the United States Chamber offers a wide-ranging federal policy that defends intellectual property from all kinds of breaches. This strategy includes following points (U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, 2011) Support vigorous implementation of intellectual property laws, locally as well as internationally. Encourage the solutions and suggestions offered by business sector in response to new copyright protection challenges. Offers funds for the United States Trademark and Patent Office. Inform the congress for legislation in order to defend content owners from misappropriations by state entities From the above discussion it is clear that the intellectual property outlines workings of the mind, for instance, films, art, inventions, books, formulas and music. A number of key in tellectual property and information technology issues are discussed below: (Reynolds, 2003) and (WIX, 2011) Plagiarism is the way of acknowledging others’

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Article Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Article Review - Research Paper Example he research used the case study method and qualitative analysis to reveal that through the development of an information behavior model, the findings indicated the need to emphasize both information capability and information technology capability to motivate knowledge workers and assist in improvement of performance. 1. What was the statistical problem, issue or debate discussed in the article and where did it fit in the context of the course? The statistical problem was the need to design an information behavior model to understand how employees effectively use information as a large insurance company. Accordingly, it fits the context of the course in terms of defining the statistical method used to analyze and interpret the results with the application of average scores and gaps using Microsoft Excel statistical analysis functions. The major theoretical aspects focus on the use of the information orientation model that would effectively measure the link between performance of knowledge workers and information use. The applicability was identified in terms of defining accurately the most crucial elements of effective information management. 3. What research methodology was used and why was it appropriate for this problem, issue or debate (archival, survey, case study, etc.)? The research methodology used was a single company case study in conjunction with an online survey and analyzed through quantitative approach. 4. What conclusions were validated by this research and what was the overall contribution to the field of statistics? The findings revealed that from among the variables, both information capability and information technology capability were regarded as the most crucial in improving performance. Having identified these, the study has proven the relevant role that statistical analysis played in generating conclusive findings that validated hypothetical contentions. 5. Why did you feel that this article was appropriate for your review; in other

Monday, November 18, 2019

Emotions and Posture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emotions and Posture - Essay Example However, one clearly recognizable difference to my posture from these other activities existed when I worked on a computer in a seated position. Because my eyesight is declining, it is increasingly difficult to work with a distance away from the computer screen, which caused a slight slouch in my posture while completing computer tasks. However, I experienced no slouching posture during the process of reading books or finishing other near-sighted tasks. After completing these initial observations over the course of three days, I manipulated the posture variable for the next three days. Part of this manipulation was a slightly slouched stance by approximately 15 degrees. I concluded that this degree of change would not be readily recognizable by others who knew me well; however, I believed the change would register at some levels in both my own mind states and those of others. In order to maintain consistency, I kept this slouched position during all activities and at all times for th ose three days during which the experiment was being conducted. Once my body became acquainted with the new stance through some practice and conscious thought, the new posture seemed natural, which allowed me to ignore that variable as I interacted with others and carried on with my daily life. During these interactions, the differences I noticed were not significant. Others seemed to be set in their perceptions of my body such that they could not notice the difference in my posture. However, my interactions with others changed in that I felt less confident (partly because of my idea that bad posture is an unattractive trait) and less open to interpersonal interaction. A decrease in confidence may have created a feedback loop in which my behavior affected other’s interactions with me during the time of the experiment. However, as I said, there were no noticeable differences in the way others perceived or interacted with me while the manipulation of my posture was occurring. A fter the experimental period had concluded, I returned to my usual patterns, including readjusting to my normal posture. From this, I discovered the interpersonal confidence I had before the posture change and I felt less self-conscious about my attractive (or unattractive) stance. Posture, as such, does not receive much conscious thought from most people unless of course their posture is noticeably bad either to the self or to others. Overall, my normal patterns seem to have returned without any major difference. The question of whether the posture manipulation ultimately resulted in a change in my emotions depends on the situation. In some situations, the bad posture variable made me less likely to engage in interactions with others because I felt less attractive. Anxious emotions could be attached to the bad posture in that way. In other situations, the bad posture variable had no effect on how others treated me, which left emotions like happiness from acceptance unchanged. My mo od did not suffer because of a bad stance, at least according to my observations. A serious limitation to this experiment is, of course, the self-reporting on a variable I am always tempted to think about during the course of the experiment. Nevertheless, despite this limitation, I believe that emotions can be affected by posture, assuming that one has a notion of good posture as a physically attractive trait and that one either perceives himself as having a good or bad one. If the individual or the society has no

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Jax Ws And Its Comparison With Axis2 Information Technology Essay

Jax Ws And Its Comparison With Axis2 Information Technology Essay In todays world with the rise in development of newer and newer different stand-alone applications, the organizations and enterprises faces the difficulty in integrating all these incompatible applications for the ease of their business. In order to overcome this technical complexity more and more enterprises have started implementing the Web Services to make these heterogeneous applications work together. Web Services can be defined as the application components that can be accessed over the network. Web Services makes the applications compatible by providing cross-platform interaction possible. Web Services provides a means of communication for applications developed in different programming languages using different technologies and running on different platforms. Thus, Web Services introducing interaction between such widely different applications makes the applications more flexible, loose and compatible. In todays trend of Service Oriented Architecture, Web Services play an important role. These Web Services functionalities are accessible using standard internet protocols. The keywords related to Web Services are HTTP, SOAP, WSDL, XML and UDDI. Any Web Service is defined in XML format, known as the Web Service Description Language. The service provider registers its services in the Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI). The service requestor looks into the UDDI for a particular service. The client then uses a particular WSDL and its service end point to establish a connection with the service provider. The client establishes the communication by sending SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) messages over the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). There are many web services framework available such as Spring framework, Apache Axis2, Apache CXF, JAX WS, JAX RPC etc. This paper throws some light on JAX WS and Apache Axis2. JAX-WS (JAVA API for XML-based Web Services) JAX WS provides the Java API for creating and developing XML-based Web Services. JAX WS is the successor of JAX RPC (Java API for XML-based Remote Procedure Calls). Many enhancements and developments have been introduced in JAX WS from the JAX RPC mechanism. The main difference between these two mechanisms is that the JAX RPC provides call interface web services whereas the JAX WS provides the document style web services. JAX WS is the sun standard for the implementation of Web Services. Many big companies like Yahoo!, Google, Amazon do use JAX WS for the implementation of Web Services. The JAX WS architecture unlike its forerunner also supports message based services along with remote procedure based services using the SOAP for communication. JAX WS Implementation Java API for XML-based Web Services makes it easier for developing XML-based Web Services using the Java programming Language. JAX WS supports its own implementation of JAX WS programming model and does not support Axis2 programming model. JAX WS defines model for developing application handlers that deals with data during Web Services runtime. The JAX WS converts the calls matching it with the SOAP messages. Annotations used in the JAX WS simplify the deployment and development of these Web Services, their service end points and the service requestors, clients. JAX WS requires Java EE 5 or later version of Java. JAX WS provides two tools for generating Java artifacts, namely wsimport and wsgen for top-down and bottom-up approaches respectively The wsimport tool is used for the top-down or the contract first approach that is the Java files are created from the WSDL file. And the wsgen tool is used for the bottom-up approach or the code first approach that is the WSDL file is generated from Java classes. JAX WS uses Java annotations to make the simple POJO classes work as the Web Services. For example, the annotation @WebService is used along with a Java class, to declare simple POJO class to act as a Web Service. Considering a simple example import javax.jws.WebService; @WebService pubic class MyService { System.out.println(Hello WORLD); } Advantages The JAX WS 2.0 uses annotations for declaring and attaching any data related to Web Services. Using the annotations makes it simpler for the user to create Web Services. It provides better cross-platform interaction, making the communication platform independence. The JAX WS supports both synchronous and asynchronous calls. JAX WS supports asynchronous polling and callback. Along with SOAP 1.1, the JAX WS 2.0 also supports 1.2 It also supports MTOM (Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism) for dealing with binary data among the Web Services and better optimization of the SOAP messages format. JAX WS supports both REST and SOAP Web Services. Axis2 The Apache Axis is the Web Service project from the Apache Software Foundation. It is an open source web service framework for XML-based web services. The Axis has its implementation in Java and it is being developed in C++. Using Axis2, we can implement Axis framework. The Axis2 is a Web Service container for the Axis framework for creating and developing XML-based Web Services. Axis2, as compared to its forerunner Axis1, has a much better, configured and flexible architecture. It also provides more scalability as well as productivity as compared to axis 1. Axis2 Implementation While creating and developing Web Services, the Ant build tool has an important role in the development process. The WSDL2JAVA and JAVA2WSDl are the two build tools that important for developing the Wed Services. The WSDL2JAVA tool is used for the top-down or the contract first approach that is the Java files are created from the WSDL file. And the JAVA2WSDL tool is used for the bottom-up approach or the code first approach that is the WSDL file is generated from Java classes. For deployment of the Axis2 Web Services, it is necessary to create its own format aar file, and deploy it to the services folder of your axis2. The aar file is similar to a jar file and can be developed using the following command jar -cvf MyService.aar Benefits of using Axis2: Axis2 supports both SOAP and REST Web Services Axis2 also supports both, synchronous and asynchronous calls. Also Axis2 supports Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism for binary data handling. But it has some limit to the size of the binary data it can handle. Comparing Axis2 and JAX WS Axis2 can be considered as more mature framework as compared to JAX WS framework Axis2 supports ADB, JIXB, XMLBeans whereas JAX WS supports only JAXB for binding support. JAX WS supports its own implementation of JAX WS programming model and does not support Axis2 programming model. At the core of Axis2 is the AXIOM, while for JAX WS its the Java Annotations that works as the core JAX WS in transport neutral but the Web Services feature pack only supports HTTP/HTTPS Axis2 and JAX WS both handle the Bottom Up approach equally good The Axis2 supports the Top Down approach a bit better as compared to JAX WS Unlike Axis2, the JAX WS does not require any configuration file such as service.xml. It is all handled by the Java annotations. Conclusion: Comparing these two Web Services frameworks, the choice cannot be deduced to either of the Web Service framework completely, because each one of them has different qualities. The Axis2 has better and more mature architecture as compared to the other one. But at the same time, this adds to the complexity in implementation. Whereas the JAX WS, though a bit immature comparatively, is simpler and easy to implement. Plus, it also has an advantage of being the sun standard for the Web Services implementation, adding a feather to its hat. Thus, depending on the service or implementation to be carried out, the appropriate Web Service framework can be selected, though the JAX WS is comparatively pretty simple to implement.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Immigration :: essays research papers

Like many other areas over the past years, the US has seen a rapid increase in immigrants who have come to the region seeking better lives for their families. These immigrants, like those throughout U.S. history, are generally hard workers and make important contributions to the economy through their productive labor and purchasing power. Most immigrants usually fill essential service jobs in the economy, which are vacant. Unfortunately, like new immigrants throughout U.S. history, â€Å"they experience conditions that are commonly deprived, oppressive, and exploitive† (Conover, 2000). They are paid low wages with little potential for advancement, are subjected to hazardous working conditions, and are threatened with losing their jobs and even deportation if they voice dissatisfaction with the way they are treated. Many work several jobs to make ends meet. Many also live in substandard housing with abusive landlords, have few health cares options, and are victims of fraud and other crimes. Immigrant problems are related to trade agreements designed to enable large corporations to capture both consumer markets and cheap labor. These agreements protect rich investors, but not the workers or the environment. In the U.S., millions of production and assembly jobs are lost when corporations move operations overseas. Poor countries have had to sell state industries and open national borders to multinational corporations in order to meet a new economic order and payment of international debts. This process has restricted markets for home industries, driven out local producers, and forced people to immigrate. The U.S. borders can never be sealed, because millions of people are seeking ways to support their families, so will come to where jobs are available. Furthermore, American businesses want and need these workers. While the multinational corporations and their rich investors benefit from corporate welfare deals and seek out havens to avoid supporting society with their taxes, ordinary Americans have to pick up their tab. This situation sounds familiar in American labor history, where immigrants have been a mainstay in the national workforce. It wasn't until the labor movement gained strength that workers in the U.S. were able to turn â€Å"exploitive jobs into occupations that enabled them to support their families and improve their living conditions† (Dougherty, 2004). Higher wages have also increased their purchasing power, stimulated economic growth, and higher standards of living. Labor contracts and new laws, regulations, and policies established a more open employment system, procedures for addressing complaints, and safer working environments. Immigration :: essays research papers Like many other areas over the past years, the US has seen a rapid increase in immigrants who have come to the region seeking better lives for their families. These immigrants, like those throughout U.S. history, are generally hard workers and make important contributions to the economy through their productive labor and purchasing power. Most immigrants usually fill essential service jobs in the economy, which are vacant. Unfortunately, like new immigrants throughout U.S. history, â€Å"they experience conditions that are commonly deprived, oppressive, and exploitive† (Conover, 2000). They are paid low wages with little potential for advancement, are subjected to hazardous working conditions, and are threatened with losing their jobs and even deportation if they voice dissatisfaction with the way they are treated. Many work several jobs to make ends meet. Many also live in substandard housing with abusive landlords, have few health cares options, and are victims of fraud and other crimes. Immigrant problems are related to trade agreements designed to enable large corporations to capture both consumer markets and cheap labor. These agreements protect rich investors, but not the workers or the environment. In the U.S., millions of production and assembly jobs are lost when corporations move operations overseas. Poor countries have had to sell state industries and open national borders to multinational corporations in order to meet a new economic order and payment of international debts. This process has restricted markets for home industries, driven out local producers, and forced people to immigrate. The U.S. borders can never be sealed, because millions of people are seeking ways to support their families, so will come to where jobs are available. Furthermore, American businesses want and need these workers. While the multinational corporations and their rich investors benefit from corporate welfare deals and seek out havens to avoid supporting society with their taxes, ordinary Americans have to pick up their tab. This situation sounds familiar in American labor history, where immigrants have been a mainstay in the national workforce. It wasn't until the labor movement gained strength that workers in the U.S. were able to turn â€Å"exploitive jobs into occupations that enabled them to support their families and improve their living conditions† (Dougherty, 2004). Higher wages have also increased their purchasing power, stimulated economic growth, and higher standards of living. Labor contracts and new laws, regulations, and policies established a more open employment system, procedures for addressing complaints, and safer working environments.