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Essay about Inclusion in Practice - 730 Words

(M/601/4070) Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in work with children and young people 3.1 Explain what is meant by inclusion and inclusive practice 3.2 Identify barriers to children and young people’s participation Inclusive practice is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging. Inclusion is about ensuring that children and young people, whatever their background or situation, are able to participate fully in all aspects of the life of the school. Inclusive practices will ensure that everyone feels valued and has a sense of belonging. Inclusion is not about viewing everyone as the same or providing the same work, but about providing the same opportunities and access to a†¦show more content†¦Disabled children and young people have the same right, as non-disabled children and young people to participate in decisions and issues that affect them. This is outlined in both the UN Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) and in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Despite this, disabled children and young people continue to face significant barriers and challenges to participation. In order to effectively embed disabled children’s participation, it needs to be fully accessible and inclusive. The social model of disability provides a framework for inclusive participation; by focusing on changing attitudes and removing or minimizing barriers that prevent disabled children accessing the same opportunities as other children and young people. Barriers and challenges to disabled children and young people’s participation sit within three broad areas: training, support and resources; knowledge, understanding and attitudes; process, systems and structures. Identifying and recognizing the barriers and challenges provides a good basis for planning to further disabled children’s participation. Barriers to participation may include: * Physical barriers These may include lack of equipment or resources which the children may need to enable them to participate fully. Physical barriers could also be present within the school environment if it has not been fully adapted to meet the needs of all pupils. These adaptions areShow MoreRelatedSupport Inclusion And Inclusive Practices2271 Words   |  10 PagesBe able to support inclusion and inclusive practices in work with children and young people. Explain what is meant by inclusion and inclusive practices. Inclusion is simply to be â€Å"included†. Inclusion is used to ensure that people with disabilities and needs are not restricted from activities and tasks due to this. Inclusion is about valuing all individuals and giving them a fair chance to be included without discrimination, inclusion should also include children from disadvantaged groups, of allRead MoreInclusion, The Educational Practice Of Children With Disabilities1728 Words   |  7 PagesInclusion, the educational practice of instructing children with disabilities as well as children without disabilities in one classroom, is a very controversial topic regarding the education of students in today’s society. â€Å"Inclusion seeks to establish collaborative, supportive, and nurturing communities of learners that are based on giving all students the services and accommodations they need to learn, as well as respecting and learning from each other’s individual differences† (Salend 5). TheRead MoreUn derstand Inclusion and Inclusive Practices in Work1033 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstand inclusion and inclusive practices in work with children and young people. The UN Convention on the rights of the child article 28 says that Every child has the right to an education article 2 says The convention applies to every child whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, abilities, whatever they think or say, no matter what type of family they come from. Schools have a duty to adhere to this legislation, they way that they do thisRead MoreInclusion Practices in Education Essay example4520 Words   |  19 PagesSpecial Education Inclusion What is OnWEAC? Welcome to OnWEAC, the Web site of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. WEAC represents 98,000 K-12 public school teachers and education support professionals, faculty and support staff in the Wisconsin Technical College System, education and information professionals employed by the state, retired members, and university students studying to become educators. OnWEAC provides services to members and non-members, including a databaseRead MoreInclusion Is The Educational Practice Of Educating Children With Disabilities819 Words   |  4 PagesInclusion is the educational practice of educating children with disabilities in the classroom with children without disabilities. In the past, people believed that children with disabilities were not capable of learning. This thought process hindered children with disabilities from being included in the general education population. After the ruling of Brown v Board of Education, families with children with disabilities began to fight for the rights of their children. Various families believed thatRead MoreAnswers 242 Equality Diversity And Inclusion In Dementia Care Practice699 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Title: 242 Equality, diversity and inclusion in dementia care practice Level: 2 Credit Value: 3 GLH 24 1 Explain what is meant by: a) diversity b) equality c) inclusion Diversity means people of different sexes, ages that all have their own different experiences, attitudes, beliefs and preferences. Equality means treating everyone fairly and making equal opportunities available. Inclusion involves making the individual the centre of their life, involving them in everything that is about them soRead MoreUnit 313. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Dementia Care and Practice.3305 Words   |  14 Pages | | | | | | | |Unit 313. Equality, diversity and inclusion in dementia care and practice. | | | | | | | |Q1(1.1) Explain why itRead MoreNVQ 3 Equality Diversity And Inclusion In Dementia Care Practice Assignment1696 Words   |  7 PagesDEM 313 Equality, diversity and inclusion in dementia care practice 1.1 Explain why it is important to recognise and respect an individual’s heritage An individual’s heritage is about his culture, history or personal experiences it is important to recognise and respect them because it is what makes him individual and unique. If we know them we provide a person centre care and focus on individual’s choices and preferences, he will then feel valued and included. For example Muslim doesn’t eat porkRead MoreInclusive Education : An Dominant Ideology Underpinning Academic And Social Schooling Policies Essay1534 Words   |  7 PagesAct (1992), the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008). These obligations and legislative provisions have introduced systemic changes to embrace and strengthen the inclusion of all students, irrespective of ability or disability, into regular schooling as part of the challenge to improve outcomes, for all students (Hardy Woodcock, 2015), wherewith all students feel supported and valued, and barriers to access and participationRead MoreDiscrimination and Young People706 Words   |  3 PagesFinal draft Feb 2010 Title Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in work with children and young people 3 2 Assessment criteria The learner can: 1.1 Identify the current legislation and codes of practice relevant to the promotion of equality and valuing of diversity 1.2 Explain the importance of promoting the rights of all children and young people to participation and equality of access 1.3 Explain the importance and benefits of valuing and promoting cultural diversity in work with children

Market Efficiency and Market Failure Free Essays

string(148) " from consumption of a good, and the demand curve that reflects the social benefits of this good would lie to the right of the market demand curve\." CHAPTER 4 Market Efficiency and Market Failure 1. Chapter Summary Governments of over 200 cities in the United States have placed ceilings on the maximum rent some landlords can charge for their apartments. Some firms have coaxed governments into imposing price floors, which are legally determined minimum prices that sellers may receive. We will write a custom essay sample on Market Efficiency and Market Failure or any similar topic only for you Order Now To understand the economic impact of government interventions in markets, it is necessary to understand consumer surplus and producer surplus. Consumer surplus is the dollar net benefit consumers receive from buying goods and services at market prices less than the maximum prices they would be willing to pay. In a demand and supply graph, consumer surplus equals the area below the demand curve and above a horizontal line drawn from the price axis to the point on the demand curve that represents the market price. Producer surplus is the dollar net benefit producers receive from selling goods and services at prices greater than the minimum prices they would be willing to accept. In a demand and supply graph, producer surplus is equal to the area above the supply curve and below a horizontal line drawn from the price axis to the point on the supply curve that represents the market price. In a competitive market, the equilibrium price for a good or service occurs at the quantity of product where the marginal cost of the last unit produced and sold is equal to the marginal benefit consumers receive from the last unit bought. Therefore, equilibrium in a competitive market results in an economically efficient level of output. At this same level of output economic surplus, the sum of consumer and producer surplus in this market is maximized. Some producers who believe an equilibrium price is too low will lobby for government action to set a higher legal price (a â€Å"floor price†). Some consumers who believe that an equilibrium price is too high will lobby government to legally require that a lower price (a â€Å"ceiling price†) be charged. Although price ceilings and price floors are not common, they have been established in some markets. Price floors were established in gricultural markets in the United States during the Great Depression. Government intervention in agriculture has continued ever since. Although the administration of price floors can be complex, the basic operation of this price control involves a government commitment to maintain a price (for example, $3. 50 per bushel of wheat) that exceeds the equilibrium price (for example, $3. 00). The price floor reduces the quantity demanded of the product while it encourages producers to increase the quantity supplied. The difference between these two quantities, a surplus, is typically bought by government at the floor price. The result of the price floor is to (a) transfer some consumer surplus that would exist at the equilibrium price to producer surplus and (b) create a â€Å"deadweight loss† or a net loss of consumer and producer surplus. The deadweight loss is also the efficiency loss that results from the price floor. Another example of a price floor is the â€Å"minimum wage,† which is a legal wage imposed above the equilibrium wage offered in the United States for most occupations. Since most workers earn wages above the minimum wage, this price (wage) floor affects low-skilled and inexperienced workers. Although the economic impact of the minimum wage is similar to that of price floors imposed in other markets (deadweight losses result), economists have disagreed about the extent to which the minimum wage reduces employment. Price ceilings are found most often in the markets for apartments in various cities; local governments will usually impose this type of price ceiling. In New York City, about 1 million apartments are subject to rent control. A simple description of the impact of a price ceiling on rent (administration of the ceiling will vary by city and over time) is that the quantity demanded at the ceiling price, for example, $1,000 per month, exceeds the quantity supplied. In contrast, if an equilibrium price of, say $1,500, were allowed, the quantity supplied would be greater and the quantity demanded would be less; these two quantities would be equal and there would be no shortage of apartments. The results of the price ceiling are to (a) transfer some producer surplus to consumer surplus and (b) create a deadweight loss or a net loss of consumer and producer surplus. Another possible result of the ceiling is the creation of a â€Å"black market† where buyers agree to rent apartments from landlords for greater than the legal price. Because the ceiling reduces quantity supplied, the black market price may exceed the equilibrium price. An externality is a benefit or cost that affects someone not directly involved in the production or consumption of a good or service. Negative externalities are costs imposed on non-consenting individuals. Positive externalities are benefits for individuals not directly involved in producing or paying for a good or service. Externalities interfere with the economic efficiency of a market equilibrium since they cause a difference between the private cost of production (the cost borne by the producer of a good or service) and the social cost, or the private benefit from consumption (the benefit received by the consumer of a good or service) and the social benefit. The social cost is the private cost plus any external cost resulting from production; the social benefit is the private benefit plus any external benefit that results from the consumption of a good or service. When there is a negative externality as the result of production, the market supply curve understates the true (social) cost of production. A supply curve that reflects social costs would lie to the left of the market supply curve. The equilibrium market price occurs where the marginal social cost of production exceeds the marginal benefit to consumers and there is a reduction in economic surplus. Economic efficiency would be increased if less of the good or service were produced. When there is a positive externality, the market demand curve understates the social benefits from consumption of a good, and the demand curve that reflects the social benefits of this good would lie to the right of the market demand curve. You read "Market Efficiency and Market Failure" in category "Papers" At the equilibrium point, the marginal benefit exceeds the marginal cost and a deadweight loss results. Because of the positive externality, too little of the good is produced. Negative and positive externalities lead to market failure due to the absence of private property rights for physical property (for example, a store or factory) or intangible assets (for example, for a new idea to improve a production process). Market failure may also result from the difficulty of enforcing private property rights (for example, lax government enforcement of copyright laws). Most of the time, the governments of the United States and other high income nations provide adequate enforcement of property rights, but in certain situations, these rights do not exist or cannot be legally enforced. When private solutions to externalities are not feasible, government intervention is justified. For example, by imposing a tax equal to the external costs that result from production of a good, government can â€Å"internalize† the externality. This causes the social, not just the private, cost of production to be borne by producers. In effect, the supply curve for the good shifts to the left. This supply curve would then cross the demand curve at a higher equilibrium price and lower equilibrium quantity. When production of a good produces a positive externality, government can internalize the externality by providing a subsidy to consumers. If the subsidy is equal to the value of the externality, this has the effect of shifting the demand curve for the good to the right; market equilibrium is achieved at the economically efficient level with a higher price and quantity. To reduce pollution, governments have often used a â€Å"command and control† approach. This may involve government imposition of quantitative limits on amounts of pollution firms can emit or the installation of specific pollution control devices. An exception to the command and control approach was the U. S. overnment’s attempt to reduce acid rain pollution. In the Clean Air Act passed by Congress in 1990, a reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions, a major cause of acid rain, from electric utilities was mandated. To achieve this goal, utilities were allowed to buy and sell emissions allowances. Each allowance is equal to one ton of sulfur dioxide. So long as the total amount of emissions does not exceed an annual mandated maximum amount (by 2010 this amount will be 8. 5 million tons), firms can emit sulfur dioxide in amounts equal to their allowances. Firms that face high costs of reducing sulfur dioxide have an incentive to buy more allowances than they have been allocated. Utilities that can reduce their emissions at low cost have an incentive to do so and sell some of their allowances. This program has achieved emissions reductions at much lower costs than had been expected in 1990. The success of the sulfur dioxide program has led some to suggest that a similar program be used by the United States and other nations to reduce emissions of so-called â€Å"greenhouse gases† that contribute to global warming. . Learning Objectives Students should be able to: †¢Understand the concepts of consumer surplus and producer surplus. †¢Understand the concept of economic efficiency, and use a graph to illustrate how economic efficiency is reduced when a market is not in competitive equilibrium. †¢Use demand and supply graphs to analyze the economic impact of price ceilings and floors. †¢Identify examples of positi ve and negative externalities and use graphs to show how externalities affect economic efficiency. Analyze government policies to achieve economic efficiency in a market with an externality. 3. Chapter Outline Should the Government Control Apartment Rents? 1. Rent control is an example of government regulation of prices. Rent controls (a type of price ceiling) exist in about 200 cities in the United States. Although the rules that govern rent control are complex and vary by city, rent control drives up the demand and price for apartments not subject to the controls. Consumer Surplus and Producer Surplus 1. Consumer surplus is the difference between the highest price a consumer is willing and able to pay and the price the consumer actually pays. 2. Producer surplus is the difference between the lowest price a firm would have been willing and able to accept and the price it actually receives. A. Consumer and producer surplus represent the net benefits consumers and producers receive from buying and selling a good or service in a market. B. Price ceilings and price floors reduce the economic surplus (this is consumer surplus plus producer surplus in a given market). C. Marginal benefit is the benefit to a consumer from consuming one more unit of a good or service. D. The height of a market demand curve at a given quantity measures the marginal benefit to someone from consuming that quantity. Consumer surplus refers to the difference between this marginal benefit and the market price the consumer pays. E. Total consumer surplus is the difference between marginal benefit and price for all quantities bought by consumers; this is shown in a demand curve as the area below the demand curve and above the market price. F. Marginal cost is the additional cost to a firm of producing one more unit of a good or service. G. The height of a market supply curve at a given quantity measures the marginal cost of the last unit produced for the producer. Producer surplus refers to the difference between this marginal cost and the market price the producer receives. H. Total producer surplus equals the difference between marginal cost and price for all quantities sold by producers. The Efficiency of Competitive Markets 1. When equilibrium is reached in a competitive market, the marginal benefit from the last unit sold will equal the marginal cost of producing that last unit. This is an economically efficient outcome. A. If less than the equilibrium output were produced, the marginal benefit of the last unit bought would exceed its marginal cost. B. If more than equilibrium quantity were produced, the marginal benefit of this last unit would be less than its marginal (opportunity) cost. C. Economic surplus is the sum of consumer and producer surplus. Economic surplus, or the net benefit to society from the production of a good or service, is maximized at equilibrium in a competitive market (when there are no externalities). D. A deadweight loss is the reduction in economic surplus resulting from a market not being in competitive equilibrium. E. Economic efficiency is a market outcome in which the marginal benefit to consumers of the last unit produced is equal to its marginal cost of production, and where the sum of consumer and producer surplus is at a maximum. Government Intervention in the Market: Price Floors and Price Ceilings 1. Though the total benefit to society is maximized at a competitive market equilibrium, individual consumers would be better off if they could pay a lower than equilibrium price, and individual producers would be better off if they could sell at a higher than equilibrium price. 2. Consumers and producers sometimes lobby government to legally require a market price different from the equilibrium price. These lobbying efforts are sometimes successful. 3. Price floors were established in agricultural markets during the Great Depression in response to pleas from farmers who could sell their product only at low prices. A. A price floor is a legally determined minimum price that sellers may receive. B. A price floor encourages producers to produce more output than consumers want to buy at the floor price. C. The surplus (equal to the quantity supplied minus the quantity demanded at the floor price) that results from a price floor is typically bought and stored by the government. D. The marginal cost of the last unit produced exceeds its marginal benefit and there is a deadweight loss which reflects a decline in efficiency due to the price floor. 4. A price ceiling is a legally determined maximum price that sellers may charge. A. Price ceilings are meant to help consumers who may lobby for a price ceiling after a sharp increase in the price of an item on which they spend a significant amount of their budgets (for example, rent and energy). B. At the ceiling price, the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied so that the marginal benefit of the last item sold (the quantity supplied) exceeds the marginal cost of producing it. C. Price ceilings result in a deadweight loss and a reduction of economic efficiency. D. Price ceilings create incentives for black markets. A black market refers to buying and selling at prices that violate government price regulations. Externalities and Efficiency 1. An externality is a benefit or cost that affects someone who is not directly involved in the production or consumption of a good or service. A. Positive externalities refer to benefits received from a good or service by consumers who do not pay for them. B. Negative externalities refer to costs incurred by individuals from a good or service for which no one pays. C. A private cost is a cost borne by the producer of a good or service. D. A social cost is the total cost of production, including both the private cost and any external cost. E. A private benefit is the benefit received by the consumer of a good or service. F. A social benefit is the total benefit from consuming a good, including both the private benefit and any external benefit. G. A negative externality causes the social cost of production for a good or service to be greater than the private cost. As a result, more han the economically efficient level of output is produced. H. A positive externality causes the social benefit from the production of a good or service to be greater than the private benefit. As a result, less than the economically efficient level of output is produced. A. Market failure refers to situations where the market fails to produce the efficient level of output. B. Figure 4-9 illustrates the effect of acid rain on the market for electricity and the deadweigh t loss that occurs due to a negative externality. C. Figure 4-10 illustrates the impact of a positive externality in the market for a college education and the deadweight loss caused by this externality. 3. In the absence of private solutions to externalities, government intervention is warranted. To achieve economic efficiency, governments may intervene in different ways. A. To reduce pollution, â€Å"command and control† policies have often been employed. A command and control approach refers to government-imposed quantitative limits on the amount of pollution firms are allowed to generate, or government-required installation by firms of specific pollution control devices. B. Since 1990, a market-based approach to reducing sulfur dioxide emissions from electric utilities has reduced emissions at much lower cost than was expected. The success of this approach has led economists to advocate more extensive use of market-based approaches, and less use of command and control policies, to reduce other forms of pollution. Homework Problems – Not to be submitted: 1. From the Review Questions: Try all of them! 2. From the Problems and Applications: #s: 3, 4, 5, 16, and 20. 3. From the APPENDIX: REVIEW QUESTIONS #S 3 AND 4. How to cite Market Efficiency and Market Failure, Papers

Determinants Factors Influencing Australian â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Determinants Factors Influencing Australian? Answer: Introduction Trade is an important activity for all economies whether developed or underdeveloped. According to OBrien (2015), trade has been and remains to be an important economic activity to the Australian economy; it has experienced a strong growth in the recent years. Most economies fail to have sufficient resources to produce all the goods required to meet the populations demand. This creates a need to source for goods from other countries that have surpluses. However, this does not mean that the resources are insufficient in all the economies; some economies have more resources to produce certain types of good and less for the production of others. This introduces the concept of specialization which will be important theory to explain the importance of international trade. We shall see that this is where a country produces goods that is more efficient in producing and trades them for those that its inefficient in producing. The paper shall show some of the goods the Australian economy is s ufficient in producing and those that it sources from other economies. Specialization also introduces the concept of importation and exportation; this is the exchange of goods between countries and earns the trading country a foreign exchange. It is more profitable for a country to export more than it imports because exportation is a source of income while importation is an expenditure. The difference between the exportation and importation of goods introduces the concept of balance of payment. An economy with increasing balance of payment is considered to be more efficient in production. Most of the world economies are running at a balance of payment deficit (they are importing more than their exportation of output). The exchange rate determines the attractiveness of either imports or exports. Since exchange rate is an important factor in international trading, this paper shall also determine the factors influencing the exchange rate. International trading has both positive and negative impacts, this has created a need for regulation. The paper shall analyze the various trade restrictions that the government imposes on international trading and the reasons for the same. The importance of international trade has resulted in economies adjusting their terms of trade (Gans et al, 2015); Australian terms of trade has improved over the years. The Reason for Economies Engaging in Trade According to Ortiz-Ospina Roser (2017), the desirability of free international trade is raised by the fact that it allows for specialization. By this, economies benefit because they only produce goods that are more efficient for them to produce and import the others. This is the origination of comparative advantage where the gains from trade are supported; this is the exchange that allows countries to produce what they produce best and import what they dont (Mankiw, 2015). There is some empirical evidence that trade does not lead to improvement in aggregate economic growth; it creates both winners and losers among the countries; so trade liberalizations have distributional consequences that has to be considered. The development of trade can be attributed to the advancement in technology and the globalization of world economies. Importation and Exportation China has been the largest source of Australian merchandize importation (Dfat.gov.au, 2014). Since the mid-2000s there has been a significant increase in the import of merchandize from China. This merchandize include computers and telecommunications equipment and Clothing. The following are the top five imports for the Australian economy; personal travel services, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, passenger motor vehicles and freight services. The major items of Australian exportation as at 2013 is the; iron ores concentrates, coal, natural gas, education related travels and personal travel services. Minerals and fuels constitutes of the greatest proportion of the Australian exportation sector. This economys export of natural gas has growth significantly; Australia is considered one of the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. Determinants of Exchange Rate Other than inflation and interest rate, the other importance economic factor that determines the countrys economic health level is the exchange rate. The level of trade in an economy is mainly determined by the exchange rate; it is important to the whole world of free market economy. Owing to this reason, the exchange rate is often put into consideration such that it is most watched, analyzed and manipulated by the government as an economic measure. Exchange rate does not only matter on a large scale, but also on a small scale; the investors real return from portfolios is impacted by the exchange rate. The trading relationship between two nations is affected by the exchange rate in the following ways. One is that in the foreign market, exports are made more expensive and imports cheaper by a rise in the countrys currency. On the contrary in the same market, exports are made cheaper and imports expensive when the countrys currency falls. The countrys balance of payment is increased by the lower exchange rate but is lowered by the high exchange rate. Spivak (2017) noted that there has been some rise in the value of the Australian Dollar; this will impact the Australian economy in that imports will be made cheaper and exports expensive. The balance of trade will improve. The exchange rate is determined by numerous factors; all the factors are related to two trading countries relationship. The exchange rates are expressed as a relative comparison of two currencies that are involved in trade. The following are the major factors that influence the movements of the exchange rate. Differentials in inflation For a country that has been consistently been experiencing a low inflation rate, its purchasing power rises; this rise causes an increase in the currencys value relative to that of other countries. Countries like Germany, Japan and Switzerland has been having a low inflation rate on the last half of the twentieth century. Canada and the U.S. are some of the economies that later achieved the low inflation. Higher inflation has caused a depreciation of these economies currency in relation to their trading partner countries. High interest rate also accompanies this depreciation of currency. Differentials in interest rate - There is a high correlation between exchange rate, inflation and the interest rate. The manipulation of the interest rate by the central bank influences both the exchange rate and the inflation rate; inflation and the values of currency is impacted by the changing interest rates. Lenders in an economy experiencing higher interest rates enjoy greater returns relative to those in countries with lower interest rate. Thus, foreign capital is attracted by higher interest rate and the exchange rate is forced to rise. However, the intensity of the impact of interest rate on the exchange rate is dependent on the economys inflation rate. If an economy is experiencing a relative high interest rate, and at the same time have a relatively higher inflation rate, the impact is mitigated. This is also the case when there is an additional factor that could drive down the currency. Similarly, a lower interest rate forces the exchange rate to decrease. The inflation ra te also helps in mitigating the impact of low interest rate. It has already been noted that a lower inflation rate raises the value of the currency; thus, if an economy is experiencing a relative lower interest rate, and at the same time having a relatively lower inflation rate, the impact is mitigated. Current account deficit This is the balance of trade recorded by a country from trading with its trading partners. It reflects all the payments that were made between countries; the payment include; goods, services, dividends and interest. A deficit is the contrary of surplus where exports exceeds imports. A current account deficit is a representation of an increased countrys spending on foreign trade relative to what the country is earning from international trade (a deficit occurs when a country imports more than it exports and this is not good for the health of the economy. In order to make up for the deficit, the country borrows more capital from the foreign sources. This means that a current account deficit makes a country to require more currency from the foreign sources that what is received when it sells its exports. Other than receiving less from exporting, the economy supplies more currency to the foreign market to obtain products; this is more than the foreigners demand. According to Bergen (2017), the countrys exchange rate is lowered by the increased demand for the foreign currency; this happens until the domestic goods and services become cheaper for the foreigners, and the foreign assets become too expensive for the generation of sales for domestic interests. The Australian economy has been operating at a deficit for most of the years for the past 50 years. This has been attributed by the importation of goods and services exceeding the exportation of commodities and services. As at 2015, the exportation level was way lower than the importation level. The impact of this on the Australian economy is a reduction in the exchange rate. Public debt Large-scale deficit financing lifts the level of public debt. Countries use these financing for government funding and paying for the public sector projects. This is one of the ways in which domestic economy is stimulated. However, foreign investors are less attracted to nations with huge debts and public deficits. This is because large debts are believed to cause inflation; when the inflation rate rises, the servicing of the debt will involve future repayment with cheap real dollars. The scenario may be worse if the government makes a decision to repay a large debt by printing more money; this would raise the economys money supply and the inflation rate will rise. Further, the government may be forced to raise the securities supply to be sold to the foreigners if it is unable to use the domestic means to service its deficit (the domestic means may include increasing of the money supply or the selling of government bonds). If the securities supply is raise, the security price falls. Lastly, if foreign investors believe that a country is at a risk of defaulting on its obligations on a large debt, they become more worrisome. The willingness of foreign investors to own securities dominated by such a countrys currency falls since there is high risk of default. Based on this argument, the countrys debt rating is an important determinant of the exchange rate for its trade. Terms of Trade It is related to the balance of payment and the current accounts; it is a ratio used in the comparison of export to import prices. If a countrys exports price exceed that of its imports, it can be said to have an improved terms of trade. Terms of trade are considered to be lower when a countrys import price exceeds that of its exports. An increased demand for a countrys exports is an indicator of improved terms of trade. If the demand for exports fall, this is an indicator of decreased terms of trade. Increased terms of trade results in an increased revenue from exports and the countrys currency rise in demand (the currencys value increase). If the exports price rises by a rate smaller than the rise in imports price, there will be a fall in the currencys value relative to all its trading partners. The Australian terms of trade were lower in the 1980s and 90s. However, the graph above shows that there is an increased terms of trade in the 20th century. The trend for the Australian terms if trade is thus sloping upwards. The highest level of terms of trade was recorded in 2011. Political Stability and Economic Performance Economic performance is a major factor considered by foreign investors when they are making decisions on where to invest their capital; they always find strong economic performance to be more attractive; these economies are considered to be more stable. Investors always avoid investing on economies perceived to be persistent in economic and political risks. A country with positive attributes (less or no political and economic risks) draw the attention of foreign investors. For instance, a political turmoil may result in confidence on a currency being lost consequently resulting in the movement of capital to countries that are more stable. Trade Restrictions The Australian government imposes trade restrictions on imports as a strategy to protect the domestic producers. Since the Australian economy is being faced by a rising unemployment problem the government impose the restrictions on importation so that the domestic producers may be able to get enough market for their produce and at a higher price that would enable them to expand and create more jobs. The trade restrictions are in such a way that a quota is imposed on imports. This makes imports more expensive and thus results in less demand for imports. This action does not benefit either of the two trading countries. This is because the domestic consumers lose in that there is a reduced supply and thus they are forced to buy the goods at a higher price. The exporting country losses a market share and thus loses a significant amount of foreign exchange. Pattern of trade of China with Australia The relationship between Australia and China started long time ago. The immigration from China to Australia started in the 19th century. Later, Australia started offering pay education to the Chinese and this has increased the flow of Chinese to Australia (Inglis, 2012). China has signed several trade agreements with China in an attempt to boost trade between the two economies. The initial biggest trading partners before the integration with China were Northern America and Europe. The integration shifted the market to Asia-pacific countries. Integration of China with Australia in terms of trade The integration of Australian with China has greatly improved (more). This is because the connection between the two countries has been raised. Ceipps (2017) noted that there was a proposal by China to include the development plant in northern Australia in its ambitious one belt, One Road Initiative. This will facilitate cross-border trade. The Asia-Pacific countries receives many goods and services from Northern Australia; these also includes mineral and agricultural products. This has already developed a trade gateway for the whole of Australia. The potential inclusion of northern Australia in the Chinas One Belt, One Road is a wider economic integration with the Asia-pacific that has been enabled by the free trade agreements, and also the China-Australia free trade agreement (Ceipps, 2017). Australian terms of trade and composition in China There has been an evolvement in the composition and direction of Australian trade over the past 40 years. This has been as a result of a shift in both the global economic climate and the Australian economy. In the 1960s, North America and Europe were the major markets for both the Australian imports and exports. However, due to increased terms of trade with the Asian countries, the sourcing has geographically shifted to Asia. The proportion that Asia contributes to the Australian imports and exports (two-way trade of goods and services) is over 60% (Dfat.gov.au, 2014). China is one of the largest economy in China and a great trader partner with Australia. The 200 Changes of terms of Trade between Australia and China There significant improvement in the terms of trade between Australia and China as has provided in the analysis above. In 2005-06 China became the largest source of Australian imports; this was after a growth of 51% from 2003-04; the trade deficit was 8% (Abs.gov.au, 2007). In 2006-07, the demand for Australian minerals by China was so strong; the export for these minerals more than doubled the 2003-04 record. This caused the Australian mineral industry to be in a boom and the trade deficit was 4%. China was then considered to be the second largest Australian export market after Japan. Impacts of the increased terms of trade on Australian economy The growth of the Australian economy has accelerated in the recent few years owing to the increased integration with China. China has rose to be a prosperous economy and has raised its demand for Australian goods and services. The Australian economy has been noted to grow by 23% within the past decade due to the improvement in trade with China. There was a cut in the Chinas trading tariff which saw a doubling of the Australian export in the first 3 quarters of 2016. The signing of the free trade agreement between Australia and China according to Garnaut (2017), is expected to remove trading tariffs and much benefits are expected to flow to Australia. Conclusion International trade is an important driver of growth in the Australian economy. Trade in Australia has a big contribution to its gross domestic product. In the recent years, growth of trade in Australia has improved. There has been an increased terms of trade between Australia and the Asian economies which has contributed to much of its two way trade shifting from North America and Europe to Asia. China is the largest Australian trade partner. The prosperity of China has led to an accelerated growth in the Australian economy. The two countries are expected to continue improving in terms of their trade owing to the proposal laid out by the Chinese economy on its intended integration with Northern Australia. The real return from a portfolio is determined by the currencys exchange rate in which that portfolios bulk of investment are held. The purchasing power of income is decreased by a declining exchange rate; the capital gains from any returns are also reduced. The exchange rate has been deducted to influence the income factors like inflation, interest rate, and capital gains derived from domestic securities. There are numerous complex factors determining the exchange rate. Investors should have an understanding of how their investments rate of return is influenced by exchange rates and the currency values. References Abs.gov.au. (2007). 5368.0 - International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia, Oct 2007. Abs.gov.au. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/0/618AFF5416C64078CA2573E9001016FE?OpenDocument. Bergen, J. (2017). 6 Factors That Influence Exchange Rates. Investopedia. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/04/050704.asp. Carbaugh, R. (2015). International Economics, 15th Ed. Australia: Cengage Learning. Ceipps, T. (2017). Australian trade and investment to benefit from Belt and Road. Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/australian-trade-and-investment-to-benefit-from-belt-and-road/news-story/0651724103f5e11d4f56a204c42df580. Dfat.gov.au. (2014). Fifty years of Australias trade. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/fifty-years-of-Australias-trade.pdf. Gans, King, Stonecash Mankiw. (2015). Principles of Economics. Australia: Cengage Learning. Garnaut, J. (2014). The six main benefits from a free trade agreement with China. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-six-main-benefits-from-a-free-trade-agreement-with-china-20141111-11kkh9.html. Inglis, C. (2012). Australia and China- Linked by Migration. Sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://sydney.edu.au/china_studies_centre/china_express/issue_2/features/australia_and_china.shtml. Krugman, Obstfeld Melitz. (2011). International Economics: Theory and Policy (9th Ed). Pearson Addison Wesley. Mankiw, G. (2015) Essentials of Economics (7th Ed), Australia: Cengage Learning. OBrien, G. (2015). Australias trade in figures. Aph.gov.au. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/AustraliaTrade. Ortiz-Ospina, E., Roser, M. (2017). International Trade. Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://ourworldindata.org/international-trade. Salvatore, Dominick. (2013). International Economics (13th Ed). John Wiley Sons. Spivak, I. (2017). Australian, New Zealand Dollars May Extend Gains in Risk-On Trade. Dailyfx.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/daily_briefing/session_briefing/euro_open/2017/07/19/Australian-New-Zealand-Dollars-May-Extend-Gains-in-Risk-On-Trade.html. Tradingeconomics.com. (2017). Australia Terms of Trade. Tradingeconomics.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017, from https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/terms-of-trade.

William RaspberryS The Handicap Of Definition Essays - Berries

William Raspberry'S ?The Handicap Of Definition? A Summary of William Raspberry's ?The Handicap of Definition? Paris Owens Essay2: Second Summary En112c.002 Dr. Butler March 2, 2000 A Summary of William Raspberry's ?The Handicap of Definition? In ?The Handicap of Definition? William Raspberry emphasizes the stereotype of what it means to be Black. Raspberry uses many beliefs that has taken a toll on African Americans on the definition of being Black. Raspberry uses many comparisons to compare blacks to whites and other ethnics. He begins off by using basketball as an example. Raspberry quotes, ?If a basketball fan says that Boston Celtics' Larry Bird plays black the fan intends it and Bird probably accepts it as a compliment?(543). He also emphasizes ?if you tell a white broadcaster he talks black he'll sign up for diction lessons?(543). Raspberry explains how many children think hard study and hard work are white (543). He tells how scrimping today in the interest of tomorrow's goals is white?(543). Raspberry uses many of these comparisons in the essay. Raspberry talks about incredible array of habits done by different ethnic groups. He confesses black youngsters tend to do better at basketball, for instance, is that they assume they can learn to do it well, and so they practice constantly to prove themselves right (543). Raspberry emphasizes the importance of developing positive ethnic traditions (544). He tells how people suspect Jews have an innate talent for communications (544). People make assumption that Chinese are born with a gift for mathematical reasoning (544). Raspberry thinks we are raising up yet another generation of young blacks who will be failures by definition?(544). Raspberry concludes the essay referring to blacks in the work force. He says, ?many of the things about which blacks make this assumption are things that do not contribute to their career success-except for that handful(544). Raspberry explains in the essay, we have to show our kids how to make it in American mainstream, not just black subculture (544). Raspberry finishes by explaining, ?we have to make our children understand that they are intelligent, competent people, capable of doing whatever(544). Work Cited Raspberry, William. ?The Handicap of Definition.? Washington Post 1982. RPT. In The Macmillian Reader 5th ed. Judith Nadell, John Langan, and Linda McMeniman. Boston: Allen and Bacon, 1999. 542-544. Bibliography A Summary of William Raspberry's ?The Handicap of Definition? Paris Owens Essay2: Second Summary En112c.002 Dr. Butler March 2, 2000 A Summary of William Raspberry's ?The Handicap of Definition? In ?The Handicap of Definition? William Raspberry emphasizes the stereotype of what it means to be Black. Raspberry uses many beliefs that has taken a toll on African Americans on the definition of being Black. Raspberry uses many comparisons to compare blacks to whites and other ethnics. He begins off by using basketball as an example. Raspberry quotes, ?If a basketball fan says that Boston Celtics' Larry Bird plays black the fan intends it and Bird probably accepts it as a compliment?(543). He also emphasizes ?if you tell a white broadcaster he talks black he'll sign up for diction lessons?(543). Raspberry explains how many children think hard study and hard work are white (543). He tells how scrimping today in the interest of tomorrow's goals is white?(543). Raspberry uses many of these comparisons in the essay. Raspberry talks about incredible array of habits done by different ethnic groups. He confesses black youngsters tend to do better at basketball, for instance, is that they assume they can learn to do it well, and so they practice constantly to prove themselves right (543). Raspberry emphasizes the importance of developing positive ethnic traditions (544). He tells how people suspect Jews have an innate talent for communications (544). People make assumption that Chinese are born with a gift for mathematical reasoning (544). Raspberry thinks we are raising up yet another generation of young blacks who will be failures by definition?(544). Raspberry concludes the essay referring to blacks in the work force. He says, ?many of the things about which blacks make this assumption are things that do not contribute to their career success-except for that handful(544). Raspberry explains in the essay, we have to show our kids how to make it in American mainstream, not just black subculture (544). Raspberry finishes by explaining, ?we have to make our children understand that they

Rasmussens Encephalitis Essays - Encephalitis, Immune System

Rasmussen's Encephalitis Essays - Encephalitis, Immune System Rasmussen's Encephalitis Keyur P. Biology...Science Rasmussen's Encephalitis The human immune system is an amazing system that is constantly on the alert protecting us from sicknesses. Thousands of white blood cells travel in our circulatory system destroying all foreign substances that could cause harm to our body or to any of the millions of processes going on inside. Now imagine a condition where this awesome system turns against the most complex organ in the human body, the brain. Deadly as it is, this condition is known as Rasmussens encephalitis. The meaningful research on Rasmussens encephalitis was begun (unintentionally) by Scott Rogers and Lorise Gahring, two neurologists, who were at the time measuring the distribution of glutamate receptors in the brain. Later on when more provocative information was found they enlisted the help of James McNamara and Ian Andrews, epilepsy experts at Duke University Medical Center. The details on Rasmussens encephalitis were very bleak at the time when the men began their research. All that was known is that Rasmussens encephalitis was a degenerative disease of the brain that caused seizures, hemiparesis, and dementia normally in the first ten years of life. The seizures that were caused by Rasmussens encephalitis were unstoppable by normal anti-seizure drugs used conventionally. What the worst part of the disease was that the pathogenesis for it were not known and even worse was how it developed. The first clue was delivered when Rogers and Gahring were trying to register the distribution of the glutamate receptors using antibodies, that tag on to the receptor itself. The proteins that make up the glutamate receptors(GluR) are only found inside the blood brain barrier(BBB). Glutamate and a few related amino acids are the dominant form of excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system of mammals. If one of these GluRs happens to wander into the actual bloodstream, that is outside the BBB, it would be considered an outsider and destroyed immediately. So if these GluRs were put into the normal blood stream then the immune system would produce antibodies which could then be used in the searching for the glutamate receptors. In order to test this theory the researchers injected the GluRs into the blood stream of a normal healthy rabbit hoping to produce good results. At this point the experiment took a dramatic turn, after receiving a few doses of the protein two of the three rabbits began to twitch, as though they were suffering the pain of an epileptic seizure. Now the help of McNamara and Andrews was enlisted. When McNamara and Andrews examined the brain tissue of the rabbits, they saw what seemed to be a familiar inflammatory pattern, clumps of immune cells all around blood vessels. This description exactly matched the description of persons suffering from Rasmussens encephalitis, moreover something as this would never be found in a healthy brain. A healthy brain has its blood capillaries enclosed in the BBB membrane, so such a case as the one mentioned above would not be possible. As protective as the BBB is, it can be breached by something like a head injury. What was happening was that the antibodies which were out to get the GluR proteins were somehow finding a way into the brain and directing an attack towards all GluR receptor proteins in the brain itself. After some more examinations Rogers and McNamara decided that these attacks were the cause of the seizures that are often experienced by sufferers of Ramussens encephalitis. Then if the case is of antibodies in the bloodstream, than sufferers of Ramussens encephalitis should have them in their bloodstream and healthy normal peoples shouldnt. When this was actually tested the results were positive that Rasmussen sufferers did have these antibodies in their bloodstreams and healthy people did not. These were not only the right kind of antibodies but, the very antibodies that caused the seizures in people and rabbits. Thus when these antibodies were removed by plasma exchange(PEX) it caused a temporary relief from the seizures but soon the body starts making more antibodies of the type and the seizures start once again. After all the examinations two questions remained, why does the body mount an immune response against one of its own brain proteins, and

Personal Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Change - Essay Example no longer loved my grandmother; instead, it was the result of the fact that she no longer spent so much time watching me due to the fact that I grew up and no longer needed such a high level of care. The ending to the situation came about right after my grandmother had a stroke. It was at this point that she was no longer capable of taking care of herself and required nearly constant care by either a loved one or a professional caretaker. As the situation progressed, I reclused into a type of neutral zone where the feelings, thoughts, and childhood closeness I shared with my grandmother were but a distant memory; although a happy one. Due to the fact that she was just a shell of her former self during this time, it was impossible for me to rebuild the relationship we had once enjoyed during my youth. It was at this point that I made the fateful decision to withdraw myself from her and not spend the time that I would have been happy to spend with her had this occurred during my early youth. Sadly, the new beginning only came after my grandmother had passed away from a second stroke. This new beginning was of course something that I should have realized far sooner but due to my own selfish motives and lack of patience, had not come to grips with yet. Due to my grandmother’s passing, I instantly regretted the fact that I had not made a more concerted effort to be with her during her final years. Although I still loved her deeply, I realized that it was my own selfish nature that had kept us apart and caused me to miss out on the very last chance I would ever have to speak with and spend time with my grandmother. As the old saying goes, â€Å"you never appreciate something until you lose it†. In this way, this new beginning caused me to come to a full and complete appreciation for this as well as purposing within my own mind to not let another such situation occur without me doing all my best to spend the quality time with the loved one prior to the risk of

Evaluating an International HRM Strategy Assignment

Evaluating an International HRM Strategy - Assignment Example This paper assesses not only the human resource management of ZARA per se but its HRM in relation to expatriate management if it were to enter into joint venture agreement in New Zealand (the host country). To this end, the paper begins with an analysis of the economic environment in New Zealand and its potential relationship with ZARA’s HRM policies. Keeping in view the ageing population pyramid and low female participation rates in New Zealand, hiring expatriates would be necessary as the joint venture team would be a mix of expatriates and host country employees. During this process, cultural training and supporting policies would be necessary to reduce failure rates of expatriate management. Finally, recommendations are offered towards the end regarding the areas that ZARA would need to focus on with respect to strategic human resource management in New Zealand. ZARA, an iconic global fashion brand, was founded by a businessman Amancio Orgega in 1975 owing to his aim of ex panding his factory’s operations by opening a new outlet in La Coruà ±a (don Quijote, 2013). The company has enjoyed great success since its inception with continuous growth in the fashion line being the epitome of ZARA’s overall business strategy. By 1986, the company enjoyed extensive distribution in Spain with outlets in all major cities, whereas two years later, the company decided to open its doors to the global market including its first destination- Portugal (don Quijote, 2013). ... 2. HRM and the Environment ZARA is considering entering into a joint venture in New Zealand which, currently, represents an untapped market for the company. It is, therefore, important to analyze the economic environment of New Zealand at present. The country’s economy now follows the free market mechanism with little government intervention. Its economy is highly export-driven and very competitive. Keeping this in mind, ZARA’s entry into the region could expose it to intense competition from other foreign firms. With an expected growth rate of 2.5% and 3.4%, the country demonstrates high resilience to the global economic downturn that negatively affected the economies of most of the developed world (IHS Global Insight, 2013). On the flipside, New Zealand’s currency appears undervalued compared to the dollar (IHS Global Insight, 2013). This combined with the potential for the housing market in New Zealand to heat up puts it at the risk of facing recessionary effe ct in near future. Furthermore, the low levels of inflation along with high unemployment levels (50%) (IHS Global Insight, 2013) could mean that the cost of hiring locals for ZARA would be low. Consumer spending is also expected to grow modestly which does not present an overly optimistic picture for ZARA. This is because of the high housing debts compared to slow growth in income. Additionally, government’s intention of reverting to modest surplus in 2015 shall result in reduced spending (IHS Global Insight, 2013). Nevertheless, there appears to be growth in consumer spending with the same increasing by approximately 1.2% by 2015 (IHS Global Insight, 2013). On the whole, the consumption picture appears to be mixed and one may expect fair amount of consumer

Fudations of busesiness computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Fudations of busesiness computing - Essay Example I have read the CQU policy on plagiarism and understand its implication. I can produce a hard copy of this assignment within 24 hours if requested." A knowledge worker is someone who works for a living at the jobs of producing or utilizing knowledge. Today we are able to define knowledge workers as contributors in the knowledge economy (Jonathan, 2005). The knowledge economy proposes a financial situation where information and its management are the product and the activity. In the context of todays business world, without a knowledge worker, an immense deal of the business world would come to a standstill. Knowledge workers are occasionally known as information workers, and some times people argue that information workers carry out additional tedious responsibilities than knowledge workers. Knowledge Workers are capable to carry out several activities that are ambiguous in their gain to an outsider, however are really important to the overall success of a company and business. They have the capacity to make use of the most excellent sources to achieve the information they required, which are together correct and modern. After t hat, with the data readily available they excel at pulling out the main information, understanding it, and then manipulating it to offer the organization and its business the maximum benefit possible (Jonathan, 2005). For instance, a knowledge worker can be somebody who works at some of the jobs of acquiring, programming, analyzing, organizing, storing, distributing, marketing, searching, planning, or else contributing to the makeover and business of information and those who effort at utilizing the knowledge so produced. In this question I will discuss the difference among the `information technology and `information system. Information system occasionally refers to an organization of persons, data records and activities that process the information and data in an association, and it comprises the

Effects of FDI in the Dominican Republic

Effects of FDI in the Dominican Republic Introduction Background and purpose The Dominican Republic has done a major shift in its economy, coming from an agricultural economy, to one based on services. An estimate of the sectors contribution to the country are, 60.2% in services (tourism, transportation, communications, finances, others), 15.5% in industry (manufacturing), 11.5% in construction, 11.3% in agriculture, and 1.5% in mining (CIA fact book). As of right now only tourism leads the service industry, but is soon to be challenged by the investment of contact centers. Because of this shift in its economy the Dominican Republic has become home to various foreign investments, but the one this study will focus on is on the foreign direct investment in contact centers, or call centers as they are also known. It is important to explore the advantages the Dominican Republic offers to attract such foreign investment, as well as to analyze the fact that although there are benefits, it could also lack the necessary infrastructure to sustain this rapidly growing industry. Due to the ongoing world financial crisis, many international companies are struggling to keep their business afloat and looking to establish their contact centers outside of their home based countries. Saving money and reducing operational cost are some of the main reason companies move and do foreign direct investment (FDI) abroad. Investing and conducting operations overseas seems to be the answer that foreign contact centers are looking for in order to meet such goals. It can be said that the Dominican Republic offers an answer to the difficulties contact centers companies are experiencing and continue to confront back at home. Some of the solutions given to these companies are a great business climate for foreign direct investment (FDI), incentives and good geographical location, among other compensations. As a result of moving abroad contact centers gain a particular advantage over their competitors. These advantages can range from cheaper operational cost, strategic location a nd skilled personnel, to a variety of options which may or may not be available in the Dominican Republic. But like everything in life not everything is perfect, the country also needs to confront a sad reality, which is that although it offers good things to investors, it also lacks of other good things. This study will provide the key aspects of contact center FDI in the Dominican Republic in order to present some of the weak and strong points the country has on this industry. By doing this the report looks at what the country has to offer to current and future investors in the contact center industry. It will also provide-from the investors point of view-what makes the Dominican Republic an attractive place to invest foreign capital in contact centers, as well as some of the problems encountered throughout the business venture. Although information provided by the governmental institutions in charge of spreading information about this industry say the country is capable, suited and ready to meet all the requirements of international investors, it is a fact that no system is perfect. This is where facts will be laid down in order to show what truly attracts, keep or loses these investments on the island. Based on those previously mentioned facts the study will look at what improveme nts can be made by the country in order to keep a competitive edge on the rapid growing industry. With this information the reader will comprehend the flaws in the system, and what measures are needed in order to correct them and generate a more positive investment climate. Along with this positive investment climate the study will show the impact call center FDI has had in the country. An efficient and effective investment climate can only be produced by pointing out the pros and cons of what the Dominican Republic has to offer to its investors. The conclusion of the study wishes to convey that these improvements can be achieved by taking action upon the recommendations given. Being that this study is based mostly on empirical knowledge, some of the observations made will be presented based on the industry expertise of the writer of over 7 years or working experience in this field. Research questions Is the Dominican Republic a good place for FDI? Have contact centers FDI created a real impact in the Dominican Republic? Research methodology In order to answer the questions mentioned above, this paper we will use a mixture of methodologies in order to analyze if the country is truly a good place for contact center FDI and if the industry has had an impact in the Dominican Republic. These methodologies include interviews, qualitative research and quantitative data. Organization of paper This document will be composed of four chapters, the first one being its introductory part. The first chapter will provide a brief introduction and background of the Dominican Republic and what sectors comprise the FDI in the country, along with the research questions and research methodology. The second chapter will present an overview of foreign direct investment, inflows, trends, performances and investment climate that pertains the country, as well as the promotion agency in charge of FDI in the country. This information will be in comparison with selected economies from the Caribbean, Latin America and others. The third chapter will cover a more in-depth analysis of contact centers in the Dominican Republic, flaws and investor perspective. The study will also look at a specific company from which the study will depict the impact this specific center has had in the country. The concluding and fourth chapter will provide key findings from the study and recommend future improvement s based on those findings. Overview of FDI in the Dominican Republic FDI trends and performance in Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic, like many other developing countries, is actively seeking to attract FDI. They are not only seeking FDI as an important factor in creating employment opportunities and additional source of income, but rather for the reason of potential spillovers of knowledge and technology. The strong public support for FDI in the Dominican Republic is expressed through the creation of the Center for Exports and Investment of the Dominican Republic, institution in charge of all exports and investment, along with other measures taken by the government. Some of these measures include simplification of administrative procedures, aid from the CEI-RD in logistics and information, subsidies, tax breaks, exemptions and other instruments that facilitate FDI. Before addressing the question of whether FDI in the Dominican Republic has led to development, spillovers of knowledge and technology, as well as, if it is a good place for contact centers to establish and invest, the study will provide an overview of FDI inflows and trends in the Dominican Republic. FDI inflows in the Dominican Republic have made a miraculous recovery from 2004 to 2008 according to the data by the World Bank (World Bank, World Development Indicators). As any other developing country, the inflow of foreign capital was affected by the political environment, which reflected in an average loss of almost 200 million dollars per year during the 2000-2004 governmental period. During this period the collapse of a major bank caused financial turmoil and many investors were forced to leave the country. After a change of government and the macro stability was placed back in track by the new authorities, the country received an average foreign capital inflow of 450 million dollars a year, to earn a total of over two billion dollars in FDI inflows (See figure below). This great recovery happened during the 2004-2008 period, as it was first mentioned, and it is still improving as the country keeps positioning itself as a preferred destination for FDI. Although contact centers are not the main reason for this fast recovery in the FDI, the new rapid industry of contact centers are playing a very important role as it continues to evolve into a leading industry in the service field. In President Fernandez first governmental period (2004-2008) the country recovered from the worst financial crisis in many years. During 2005 the country predicted a GDP growth of 9.3% and inflation to be brought under control at 7.3% throughout the 2004-2008 years. By managing these issues President Fernandez said We have rescued the confidence of investors by achieving macroeconomic stability (Leonel Fernandez, 2004). Having achieved macroeconomic stability, the Dominican Republic received US$1 billion worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2005, up 40% from 2004, and U.S. investment accounted for around 40% of the total (CEI-RD, 2006). This led to an improvement of FDI inflows and mechanisms to continue attracting and sustaining this newly found investments. Below are the net inflows of FDI for various Latin American and the Caribbean countries, including the Dominican Republic. Investment climate When one thinks of the Dominican Republic, images of tropical beaches and all-inclusive resorts may come to mind, but this ten million-strong nation, occupying two thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, also has one of the Americas fastest growing economies and diverse scenery in the Caribbean (BusinessWeek, 2006). The briefing paper Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008 is one of the latest editions of a series issued annually by the Unit of Investment and Corporate Strategies of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Division of Production, Productivity and Management. This report presents-in a very detail manner-the foreign investment done in Latin American and Caribbean countries, showing their relative differences and investment climate among other indicators. This report also touches on the contact center industry, which has contributed greatly to the ever increasing FDI inflow of the Dominican Republic. Comparing to oth er countries the Dominican Republic shows one of the best FDI inflows by reflecting a relative difference of 83%. What this means is that FDI activities has been constantly growing in the country, thus reflecting good initiatives from the country and a positive improving investment climate (see image below). A good investment climate is not created by simple marketing; it takes hard work, good economic policies and first-class governance on behalf of the government and its Head of State. Because many countries offer desirable investment conditions companies frequently ask themselves, where they should invest their capital. The answer needs to be provided by the country that wishes to be the host of the foreign investments these companies wish to make. The Dominican Republic has characteristics that make it a desirable place to make an investment of any kind, but the question that still lingers around is if the country can really sustain an investment of great magnitude. Offering the right investment climate in the Caribbean is something that the country wishes to achieve, but is not always successful on doing so. With a long history of attracting considerable FDI in a variety of sectors, the Dominican Republic is a regional leader in attracting contact center foreign investment. Longstan ding political stability and a diversifying economy have led many foreign firms to choose the Dominican Republic as an investment destination. Recent success in attracting FDI is due to the countrys investor-friendly legal regime, generous incentives, and infrastructure capable of supporting new technologies, including information technology (FDI Magazine. Financial Times Magazine. August 2005). As mentioned earlier, this success is fairly new and the Dominican Republic still faces the challenge of maintaining and attracting this foreign investments. A great way to see how well positioned is the country and the investment climate it offers is to do a comparison of economies. Doing Business 2010: Reforming Through Difficult Times is the seventh in a series of annual reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. The report presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 183 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time (Doing business, 2010). Looking at this specialize report the Dominican Republic reflects its ranking in ease of doing business and other important world ranking criterias that foreign investors consider necessary to know before investing in any. Although this report is using specific economies, the data compares the Dominican Republic to the economies of countries around its region, as well as others from a distant hemisphere and much more developed than the island. One basic criterion for investment is the ease of doing business, the chart below reflects a clear weakness for the Dominican Republic in this area by ranking lower than a Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Puerto Rico and Jamaica are much smaller countries, which may contribute to more agile processes, but the fact that they are neighboring countries there should be a bigger similitude among them in terms of how business is handle. This is a clear sign that depending on how a country handles its business will reflect how efficient their mechanisms are, therefore providing a bigger ease of doing business. Another factor that should not be of much importance is the fact that Jamaica and Puerto Rico receive assistance, guidance and at times are regulated by developed countries. This should not be an excuse for why the Dominican Republic is falling behind in such a basic and important principle. (Doing business, 2010). The chart below, which has also been extracted from the Doing Business 2010: Reforming Through Difficult Times Report, touches on another very important factor for investors when they consider making an investment abroad. The ranking given in this chart is compared to the selected economies of Haiti, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Rwanda and others. This comparison is done once again in order to show how the Dominican Republic presents itself as a favorable investment location. Yet again this favorable climate for investors is not providing the best climate because is falling behind to neighboring economies which only advantage seems to be a more organize and efficient system. The Dominican Republic continues to improve, but is weak in its bureaucratic process, which as a result continues to slow down its progress. Dominican Republics ranking in doing business (Doing business, 2010) Once an investment is done, one of the biggest-if not the main concern of any investor-is how secure is their investment in a foreign country, meaning how are they protected from any unwanted situation. The Dominican Republic has recently passed a new legislation which provides a greater protection to its investors, thus providing investors with a contingency plan if anything happens. The graph below shows the global ranking of the Dominican Republic in terms or protecting its investors, which is a great improvement from other areas already mentioned. Although this is a very important concern for investors, it still addresses a post-investment situation. What this mean is that it does not really provide an immediate impact in attracting a foreign investment if the other factors are encouraging, but it does boost investors confidence in the country they plan to invest as well as adding to a better investment climate. (Doing business, 2010) In an interview to CEI-RD Minister Eddy Martinez in the renowned Dominican daily show Hoy Mismo, transmitted by channel 9, he talks about the investment climate in the Dominican Republic and mentions key factors that make the country a great place to invest-compared to other countries in the region. He talks about establishing incentive mechanisms in order to attract those capitals which appraise the value of the investment not only for the amount, but for the impact these investments will have in terms of technology transfer, creation of employment, type of employment, quality of products produced in the country and if they will carry out Research Development activities. Although this mechanism is something the country whishes to implement, it is still not fully incorporated, thus leaving room for error. The institution is still trying to educate and integrate the contact center community so they can share these incentives and goals with other investors who want to do future busine ss based on the country incentive structure. To disseminate this information the CEI-RD has done seminars concerning these incentives, and is moving forward to the implementation of those incentive policies. During the interview CEI-RD Minister mentioned that many investments come through different ministries, therefore many investors are not sure who and how their investment are handle. This reflects a clear disorganization in the governmental mechanisms, which translates into a weakness. Minister Martinez suggests the government creates an integrated mechanism of investment. What this means is that no matter the origin of the investment or ministry, it will end up in a single place. This will allow proper follow up of the investment, and in case a project gets stuck, the institution can determine where being detained due to bureaucracy or lack of project handling. Based on that integrated mechanism the country can increase its FDI inflows by having all projects in a single place, thus providing one more reason to invest in th e Dominican Republic. Promotion agency (CEI-RD) and incentives offered The Dominican Republics government has implemented a liberal framework for attracting FDI. It makes no distinction between foreign and local companies in terms of ownership restrictions and ability to qualify for investment incentives. Foreign investment is permitted in all sectors except those related to public health and the environment (such as storage and disposal of hazardous or radioactive waste), as well as national security. The Dominican Republic government also offers full exemption from all taxes, duties, charges, and fees that affect production and export activities in free trade zones, which it introduced in 1969. The free trade zones aim to attract high-tech manufacturing (including electronics and electrical components) as well as more traditional manufacturing-such as of automotive parts, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, plastics, metals, injection molding, textiles and footwear, jewelry, tobacco and of course contact centers. The incentives offered last up to 25 years for zones on the Haitian border, and up to 15 years for all other zones. In May 2006 there were 59 industrial parks and free trade zones in the Dominican Republic, hosting more than 600 companies, providing over 190,000 direct jobs, and occupying 2.1 million square meters. Although there are no performance requirements for foreign investors, few sector-specific incentives are offered to them. (World Bank Group, MIGA, Snapshot of the Caribbean, 2007) All of the benefits mentioned above and the continuing inflow of investment is happening thanks to efforts from the government and the institution in charge of carrying out FDI promotion. The institution carrying out this very important task is the Dominican Republics Export and Investment Center (CEI-RD), which is headed by Eddy Martinez, as the Minister and Executive Director of this government institution that promotes national strategic export and foreign investment opportunities and works hands-on with local and foreign enterprise to facilitate business activity. Because the institution knows the importance of investment they are aggressively targeting investors through offices in New York, Miami and California, and because of the nations entry into the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA-DR. The Centro de Exportacià ³n e Inversià ³n de la Repà ºblica Dominicana (CEI-RD) as it is called in Spanish, is the countrys one-stop investment promotion intermediary. It has three main departments: Export Promotion, Investment Promotion, and a Training Center. The CEI-RD aims to strategically promote the valuable conditions that the Dominican Republic offers as an investment destination and foreign trade developer, by pursuing priority areas as defined by the Government, to increase employment, technological transfer and the social welfare of the Nation. The agency organizes and participates in trade missions both overseas and locally as well as provides tools to assist investors, such as an export directory. (World Bank Group, MIGA, Snapshot of the Caribbean) The CEI-RD is the official organization responsible for the promotion of international trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). It was created as a product of the fusion of the Center for the Promotion of Exports of the Dominican Republic (CEDOPEX) and the Office for the Promotion of Investments of the Dominican Republic (OPI-RD), according to Law 98-03, effective on June 17, 2003. The CEI-RD is comprised of two main operational areas, export promotion and foreign investment promotion and its functions include many promotions, but some of the more relevant to this study are promotion of the countrys advantages to attract foreign investment, coordination with other government institution related to foreign trade in the interest of achieving an expedient and efficient flow of exports and investments in the country, promotion and development of FDI and business from the CEI-RD offices abroad, currently in Miami, New York and Chicago, participating actively in trade negotiations and ad ministration of resulting agreements, contribute to the improvement of the legal framework and its proper application. Also throughout the Foreign Service network, new offices will be opening soon in Puerto Rico and Silicon Valley The institution services are available for local and foreign companies to facilitate the exports and investments of the country which is an advantage to any investor. Among the services the CEI-RD offers, and which are relevant to this study, they have specialized consulting, technical assistance in meeting the regulations and norms required for the export of goods and services, which is helpful to new investor who are not familiar with the legal framework. They also have validation of certificates of origin, technical assistance relating to trade agreements, recommendations for improving the production process and benefiting from tariff preferences. The new investor can also benefit from visits on behalf of the CEI-RD specialized staff to their companies in order to evaluate the production process under trade agreements and preferential programs. One very important service the CEI-RD offers is that they ensure the correct application of norms relating to export and investment proced ures by administrating Law 84-99 on the reactivation and promotion of exports and Law 16-95 on foreign investment. Other services, although not specific to the industry, offered by the CEI-RD and from which investors could benefit are product profiles and market analysis, business intelligence, legal and economic information, registration of exports and foreign direct investment, facilitation of a network of representatives abroad and foreign trade documentation center. As any other promotion agency the CEI-RD has several promotion programs that make the Dominican Republic attractive for FDI. These programs include National and International Trade shows and expos where it presents companies, local and foreign, can showcase their products. The CEI-RD also coordinates trade missions in order to ensure a successful transaction as well as training programs relating to international trade. In these specific programs-relating to international trade-local companies can get educated and learn how to export their products and foreign investors can learn about the local market and opportunities. Another very important promotion program-and the one of the most significant-is the coordination of business meetings to present what the countrys has to offer, as well as to contact potential investors and exporters. With this two-way program, foreign and local investors will have a mutual gain by making the necessary contacts to get their business started, thus gene rating future FDI. (CEI-RD, 2010) Contact center FDI in Dominican Republic Overview of contact center FDI As it was previously mentioned, this study looks at the pros and cons of contact center FDI from various angles, one been from the host country point of view and the other the investors point of view. From the host country the study takes into consideration a report created by the economist Jonathan Aragonez, from the Center of Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD), as well as other documentation of contact centers from the CEI-RD. These documents will provide the necessary data to point out the countrys benefit and disadvantages. Do to the lack of published papers that truly criticize or analyze the contact center industry, this study will support many of its facts on three things. These three key contributions are empirical knowledge of the writer, interview conducted to the economist previously mentioned, and interview with a contact center owner who is doing FDI in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has had strong export services for many years, and as a result there are 40 to 50 call centers registered with the Dominican Call Center Association. Investors currently operating in the country cited skilled workers, most of whom are bilingual, as their main reason for choosing it as their investment location (Dominican Republic Contact Center Association, 2010). The country has a large, well-trained labor force and although Spanish is the countrys official language, investors can find workers that also speak English. Apart from the stable, fast growing economy, attractive cost structure and near shore location, it can be said that people are the primary competitive advantage in the Dominican Republic. Investors in the Dominican Republic always emphasize the Dominicans high learning ability and proficiency in English. (Eddy Martinez, 2006). The countrys large size means that land is available for green field investment-if one was to be done-although most investors opt to rent or lease a work space for their operations. The country also offers great access to all markets being that is one of the six countries in the world that has a free trade agreement with the U.S. and Europe. Some of the other countries that have such a privilege are Israel, Jordan, Chile and Mexico (Office of the United States Trade Representative, 2010). Other favorable investment factors included the countrys well-developed, affordable telecommunications infrastructure which is the only one in the Caribbean with access four international cables through the Americas Region Caribbean Optical-Ring System Cable (ARCOS-1). What this means is that the Dominican Republic connection to the U.S. or any other country is redundant, thus ensuring contact center businesses to always be connected. Contact centers in the Dominican Republic generate 25,000 direct jobs, from the 57 companies registered and operating in the country. In the next two years those centers are expected to create 30,000 additional jobs, which when added to the indirect ones are more than 150,000 in. This information comes from the CEI-RD, which also says almost all of the data and information technology centers have been installed in the country in the past three years, meaning this great progress has been done in record time. This year alone-and not including centers outside of free trade zones-Contact Centers constituted 15% of approved companies in the free trade zones of the Dominican Republic, being matched only by textile companies (Approved companies by the Free Trade Zone and Export Committee, 2010). In previous reports the committee also shows how these companies add to the countrys GDP year after year, reflecting in a steady and secure growth of this industry. Companies approved in 2010 Free Trade Zone and Export Committee, 2010) The contact center industry in the Dominican Republic is one that has maintained a steady and significant growth. By doing so it has provided a great deal of jobs in the Dominican labor market, citing that for the year 2009 the industry counted with 22,000 jobs. Taking into consideration that the growth of this industry will be of about 27% and 36% annual growth during the next five years, it means that by 2014 the number of jobs can grow to an astonishing 150,000 jobs if the average annual growth rate is of only 27%. If the industry grows at an average of 37% annually, we are talking about having 250,000 jobs, which is almost double of the previous projection. (Jonathan Aragonez, 2010) Strengths, weaknesses and investors perspective of contact centers FDI Deciding whether to invest or not in a country is a decision which is influenced by what the country has offered and showed you, and what other investors say their experience has been. Investors will most likely take other investors input as the reality of how business works in a country. With that being said, one of the biggest disadvantages mentioned by investors is that the Dominican Republic doesnt count with a large enough English speaking community to hold growing operations. This statement comes from the interview with Mr. Blake Janover, contact center owner who has experienced the lack of English speaking representatives. He mentions that the Dominican Republic is a great place to invest, but not the best in the world due to some more important flaws than not enough English personnel. The main weaknesses mentioned by this contact center owner are banking, finance, and overall infrastructure, which is why he runs everything through an external company abroad instead of legally constituting a Dominican company. He also says that it takes time to get things rolling in the country, but he likes the Dominican Republic because it offers a huge tax benefit, as the US offers almost none (Blake Janover, 2010). Further details given by Mr. Janover can be seen in the Appendix. As for the interview with Mr. Jonathan Aragonez, an economist for the Center of Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic, he explains that the Dominican Republic offers contact center investors a great deal of benefits. In his interview he mentions some of the exclusivity of Dominican Republic, its treaty and skilled labor force. The most significant interpretation I could gather form the interview was that an investor is usually winning when investing in a contact center. This is an industry that is expected to grow at a steady 27 to 36 percent in average in the next 5 years, so the investor is bound to make a great profit in the business.(Jonathan Aragonez, 2010) Both the investor and the host country agree in one thing, the Dominican Republic offers advantages that many other countries dont have, and that is why the country is becoming a leader in the industry. These advantages are not only extended to the country and the investor, but are also transferable to the workforce. The average starting salaries in the contact centers are between RD$18,000 to RD$22,000 pesos. This amount is three times more than the average salary of RD$6,000 pesos-established by law-for people working office jobs such as law clerk, assistant or financial analyst (Ministry of Labor of the Dominican Republic, 2007). The contact center salaries are only matched by those of Doctors or Engineers in production plants, which is very demanding professional field in comparison with being a contact center agent. Although this is good for an individual whose only skill may be to speak English, it affects other labor markets due to the fact that the salary is so much

Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Teaching Education Teac

Philosophy of Education I began my college education in 1987. I attended two full years and one part-time year before accepting a position with an engineering firm in 1992. I was employed there for the next nine years and was promoted three times. Even though this was a good stable career, I was not satisfied. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I never gave up hope and continued to take a class when I could. In the fall of 2001, I had the opportunity to work part-time and finish my degree. I am so excited to achieve my lifetime goal of becoming an educator. Almost everyone has a teacher they remember. Some are remembered for being a positive influence. Others are remembered for negative traits they exhibited. Often times a student never forgets the impact a certain teacher had on the outcome of their lives. My goal is to be the teacher who puts forth the extra effort for my students so they may achieve all their dreams. I would like to be the teacher students remember, not because I was nice or made things fun, but because they were challenged to learn. Within my classroom, I hope to create a nurturing environment so each child can learn to his or her fullest potential. Being a teacher carries so much responsibility. In addition to teaching each child effectively, you are also a role model and example in your classroom. Children model behavior they are exposed to at home as well as at school. Principals, teachers, coaches, and aides should be...

Stability of Characters in to Build a Fire and the Tell Tale Heart

Henry James’ argues that a character is only as interesting as their responses to a particular situation, can be supported by using any written works that a student may encounter, given that the story has at least one character. I intend to prove that the instability of the main characters in each story will ultimately be their downfall. The story â€Å"To Build a Fire† by Jack London is about a man struggle with nature and his inability to trust his human instinct, and In Edgar Allen Poe’s story â€Å"The Tale-Tell Heart† is about a man who proclaims he is not crazy but plans and executes the murder of an old man. In the beginning of â€Å"To build a Fire† the man realizes how cold the weather is outside but he only sees this as a fact and not a threat to his health. Jack London writes â€Å"As he turned to go on, he spat speculatively. There was a sharp, explosive crackle that startled him. He spat again. And again, in the air, before it could fall to the snow, the spittle crackled in the air. Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below-how much colder he did not know. But the temperature did not matter. † (120) This is one example where the main character ignores his human instinct and doesn’t bring items that would cover his face and cheekbones. Also read The Story of an Eyewitness Essay Analysis Any man with common sense knows to bring the right items for the journey if he’s going to be traveling in weather that will be colder than fifty degrees below zero. While on this trip the man is accompanied by a dog that follows the man on his unadvised journey. The dog uses its natural instinct to outlive the man on this trip. The dog is a native husky and I believe represents pure instinct in this story in which the man doesn’t use at all. The dog knows to bite the ice off of his feet so that they do not become frozen from the harsh conditions. He buries himself in the snow when the man cannot start a fire because his hands are too cold to pull his matches out of his pocket. With the dogs keen since of smell he knows when the man is dying and understands that the man wants to kill the dog so that he can insert his hands inside the dog’s carcass to warm him up. In this environment the dog is actually smarter than the man because he uses his natural instincts to stay warm and keep himself alive. In â€Å" The Tale-Tell Heart† the narrator in which is assumed to be a man takes care of n old man who I perceived to be rich. For some strange reason, the narrator was obsessed with the old man’s eye. â€Å"It was open-wide, wide open-and i grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness- all a dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man’s face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, preci sely upon the damned spot. †(414) The old man was going to be murder for his pale blue eye. For seven straight nights at midnight the eye was closed. It wasn’t until the eight night when the narrator accidently woke the old man up and once the narrator saw that blue eye he began to grow furious and knew that that was the night he had to kill the old man. Normal people would have a look of disgust on their face after committing a murder, but the narrator smiled and then would try and convince himself that he was not mad. After murdering the old man the narrator begins to hear voices in his head. Those voices told him the eye was evil, and that he was doing the right thing. He would also hear a groan of terror many nights at midnight. The narrator could also hear the old man’s heart, even after he had been murdered. It is impossible to hear a person’s heartbeat with the naked ear. He also thought the police officers were laughing at his horror of the heartbeat. The voices caused him to murder, and then caused him to give into the police when he easily could have gotten away with it. These two main characters both have obstacles to conquer in their own ways. In â€Å"To Build a Fire† the main character is fighting and resisting the obvious signs that tell him he should not make the trip in that inclement weather but proceeds anyway. I believe that the man is so arrogant that it makes him ignorant. It seemed to me that the man felt like he was bigger and better than anyone on this planet and not even nature could endanger him. For that very reason was why the man could not make it to his destination, but the dog in which he tried to kill not only survived but also made it to the destination. In â€Å"The Tale-Tell Heart† instead of a fight with nature the narrator is fighting with the voice inside his head or yet another personality. I believe that by day the narrator was a normal man who really cared about taking care of the old man, but by night his alter ego would kick in and basically talk control of his mind. That is why the story keeps going back and forth with trying to convince the reader of his sanity. Although both of the stories are different, the main character mind frames are both fragile and unstable. The may not be fighting the same fight but they are fighting something whether it be nature or the voices in there head. Throughout both of the stories the characters do thing that make the reader wonder. It just goes to show how unstable each character is.