Week2 DQ's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week2 DQ's - Essay Example McCarthy further contended that radio, television, the media, and industry were under the control of communist influence. This initiated a four-year investigation into the government, the US Army, and the media. McCarthy’s initial accusations were met with a public that was receptive to his viewpoint due to the escalating Cold War and the fear of a nuclear capable Soviet Union. His anti-communist portrayals were often loosely based on facts, and there was a substantial effort by the USSR to infiltrate America and spy on our defense industries. However, this public acceptance soon waned as he targeted devoted military personnel and well known members of the media. His flamboyant approach and outrageous claims gained him a negative reputation as being divisive as many of his claims proved to be unwarranted. The civil rights movement of the 1950s had its roots 3 centuries earlier as slaves struggled to gain their freedom throughout America’s history. World War II had brought greater public attention to the issue through the advent of mass communications and the country’s confrontation with the reality of supporting the same racist policies that Americans, including African Americans, had fought against in Nazi Germany. With the war behind them Americans were ready to turn their attention to their internal social injustices. On June 26, 1948 President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which outlawed discrimination and segregation in the Armed Forces based on race (Desegregation in the Armed Forces, n.d). This action set the stage for the escalation of the growing civil rights movement. The massive demonstrations and protests of the 1950s resulted in the signing of the Civil Rights bill in 1964. While it gave federal protection to minorities against discrimination, it could do little to eliminate the de facto prejudice that existed in America. The historic legislation opened the

Have Technology Taken over Some People Lives Essay Example for Free

Have Technology Taken over Some People Lives Essay Is there a concern about people becoming too dependent on technology? Do you think too much technology is too much for your children? Does technology affect the brain? Some of us think that there is a possibility that too much technology is affecting our children. They seem to not get the concept of things. Kids today can’t seem to think in a rational way. Everything done for children is through some type of technology. Technology is taught at such a young age that kids don’t get the opportunity to learn on their own and by the time they arrive teenage it seems to become more evident. Sarah Harris in a MailOne article â€Å"Too much internet use can damage teenagers brains† says, â€Å"Excessive internet use may cause parts of teenagers’ brains to waste away, a study reveals. Scientists discovered signs of atrophy of grey matter in the brains of heavy internet users that grew worse over time. This could affect their concentration and memory, as well as their ability to make decisions and set goals. It could also reduce their inhibitions and lead to ‘inappropriate’ behavior. Researchers took MRI brain scans from 18 university students, aged 19, who spent eight to 13 hours a day playing games online, six days a week. The students were classified as internet addicts after answering eight questions, including whether they had tried to give up using computers and whether they had lied to family members about the amount of time they spent online. compared them with a control group of 18 students who spent fewer than two hours a day on the internet. One set of MRI images focused on grey matter at the brain’s wrinkled surface, or cortex, where the processing of memory, emotions, speech, sight, hearing and motor control occurs. Comparing grey matter between the two groups revealed atrophy within several small regions of all the online addicts’ brains. The scans showed that the longer their internet addiction continued, the ‘more serious’ the damage was. The researchers also found changes in deep-brain tissue called white matter, through which messages pass between different areas of grey matter in the nervous system. These ‘structural abnormalities were probably associated with functional impairments in cognitive control’, they say. The researchers added that these abnormalities could have made the teenagers more ‘easily internet dependent’, but concluded they ‘were the consequence of IAD (internet addiction disorder)’. ‘Our results suggested long-term internet addiction would result in brain structural alterations,’ they said. The study, published in the PLoS ONE journal, was carried out by neuroscientists and radiologists at universities and hospitals in China, where 24million youths are estimated to be addicted to the internet. Wake-up call: Dr Aric Sigman said it was a shame that we needed photos of brains to realise that sitting in front of a screen is not good for childrens health In Britain, children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes a day in front of TV or computer screens, according to estimates by the market-research agency Childwise. Dr Aric Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, described the Chinese research as a ‘wake-up call’. He said: ‘It strikes me as a terrible shame that our society requires photos of brains shrinking in order to take seriously the common-sense assumption that long hours in front of screens is not good for our children’s health. ’ Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, described the results as ‘very striking’. She said: ‘It shows there’s a very clear relationship between the number of years these young people have been addicted to the internet and changes in their brains. ‘We need to do more experiments and we need to invest more money in research and have more studies like this. The neuroscientist has previously warned there could be a link between children’s poor attention spans and the use of computers and social-networking websites. She is concerned that not enough attention is being paid to evidence that computer use is changing young people’s brains. Professor Karl Friston, a neuroscientist at University College London, told the Scientific American journal the techniques used in the small-scale study were rigorous. He said: ‘It goes against intuition, but you don’t need a large sample size. That the results show anything significant at all is very telling. ’

Curfews: Whats the Point? Essay -- social issues

Curfews: What's the Point? The 14th amendment of the United States Constitution states that any state shall not â€Å"deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" (Legal). However, many cities and states in the US currently enforce curfew laws that deny young teens under the age of 18 their right to be in public places or to drive after certain hours. These laws are punishing minors for exercising their constitutional rights in the same way that adults do without such punishment; they are mostly causing no harm, and do not deserve to be discriminated against by the government in the way they are. Many believe that teens are responsible for a large percentage of crimes, particularly violent ones, and that having a curfew in effect helps lower crime rates. In one study, the average adult surmised that teens amount for 43% of all violent crimes, when in reality the number is only a mere 13%, and this number is made up by only a half percent of minors (Cobey). If this is the reason for creating curfews, it is clearly a discrimination against all minors, as reproving 99.5% of young citizens due to an inconsequential number of minors committing crime is certainly unjust. As a matter of fact, in some cases, applying curfew laws have actually increased juvenile crime rates. Teens begin to associate police officers with the curfew, and police officers begin to see a...

What Factors affect Britains climate?

Weather is different in every country even city. Climate is the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place. Through climate we can judge the type of fruit or vegetables that grow in a certain area. The Mediterranean climate is good for growing citrus fruits and grapes. Where as the American climate is good for growing bananas and Indian and Pakistani climate is perfect for mangoes. Britain is an island country and is surrounded by sea which gives it a varied climate. We never actually know what the weather will be like, one day it might be sunny the next there might be rain. As we have such a variable climate its hard to predict in general we have warm summers and cool winters our summers our cooler than other countries because we are surrounded by sea but our winters are milder. The main influence on Britain's climate which are important are latitude , altitude ,distance from the sea, ocean currents and the prevailing winds. Latitude: Latitude is the position north or south of the equator measured from 0à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to 90à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. If you are on the equator then your latitude would be zero. If you are near the north pole your latitude would be nearly ninety degrees north and if you are more to the south pole your latitude would be almost 90 degrees south. The further away from the equator you are the colder it is. Therefore when we compare the UK with a country such as Egypt, Egypt is always hotter because its more nearer to the equator than UK. As you can see on the diagram Egypt is more nearer to the equator than Britain and is therefore more warmer.(the diagram is not accurate jus a rough estimation of where the two countries may be) as one gets above tropic of cancer or Capricorn, the climate becomes milder, with warm summers and cold winters. This is known as temperate climate and this is what the UK climate is referred as. At points furthest away from the equator, the climate is colder and is called polar. Altitude: Altitude is the height above sea level, the higher we go the colder it gets altitude may be measured in units such as metres or miles but is usually measured in feet. When I say the higher you go the colder it gets a mere example is on top of mountain peeks, the peeks are way high up and it is much much much colder there and therefore the air there freezes into ice or snow. In Britain there are a few mountains but we are surrounded more by the sea and therefore the mountains don't have a lot of effect in Britain. Other countries such as Nepal that have a lot of mountain ranges are very cold and I personally think its because of the mountains. The temperature falls by about 1 degrees for ever 100 metres above sea level. Distance form the sea: The sea is cooler than land during summer and warmer in winter because it conducts heat slower than land and cools down slower than land in winter. Land heats up faster than sea because its denser and has a bit of metal in it which is a very good conductor heat. The centre of continents are subject to a large range of temperatures. In the summer, temperatures can be very hot and dry as moisture from the sea evaporates before it reaches the centre of the continent. Distance from the sea has a great effect on Britain as you can see on the map that Britain is surrounded by water an therefore makes our summer cooler and our winters are much milder. Prevailing wind direction: prevailing wind direction means the direction wind comes from. Winds that blow from the sea often bring rain to the coast and dry weather to inland areas. Winds that blow to Britain from warm inland areas such as Africa (a warm hot area) will be warm and dry. Winds that blow to Britain from inland areas such as the Netherlands (cold region) will be cold and dry in winter. Britain's prevailing winds come from a south westerly direction over the Atlantic. The winds are cool in the summer and mild in the winter. Because Britain's wind comes from the south west this means it brings fairly warm air because it comes from near the equator. It also brings water vapour from the ocean(as it comes over the Atlantic ocean)- and that means more rain! Ocean currents: The North Atlantic Current (North Atlantic Drift and the North Atlantic Sea Movement) is a powerful warm ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream northeast. Ocean currents can have a great effect on tempratures either reduce it or increase it. The main ocean current that affects UK is the gulf stream. The gulf stream is a warm ocean current in the north atlantic flowing from the gulf of mexico. The gulf of mexico has a higher temprature than uk because its more closer to the equator where as uk is more futher away near the north pole. This means that the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico to Britain is also warm. However, the air is also quite moist as it travels over the Atlantic ocean. This is one reason why Britain often has wet weather. Some local factors affecting climate: There are some local factors which don't have a major affect but do in a way affect all climate such as the two following;One place may be warm and dry because it is sheletered by hills whereas another place may unmasked to wind and rain. Also electronic things, cars leting of gas and central heating also give out heat. So therefore the city is made to be more warmer than the countryside. Air mass Some part of the world is hot some is cold. The result is that the air moves around- like the air in a cold building when you turn on the heater or even the cooker in the kitchen. The air moves around the world in huge blocks known as air masses. An air mass can be thousands of km across. It can be warm or cold or any temperature but depending on where it came from. If for example an air mass comes from the north pole and moves over to the UK there will be cold and dry weather if an air mass coming from the equator (a warm dry place) there will be warm weather. Often two different air masses will meet and clash over the UK which causes sudden changes in weather. Many different air masses cross Britain. That's why our weather changes so fast but if an air mass stays very slow or stays in one place the weather stays the same for days. The weather does not change from day to day at the tropics and poles because they have the same type of air mass all year round. Conclusion: In conclusion, although many factors affect Britain some are more imporant than others. Like the direction in which the suns ray hit the earth (equator). How far away a place is from the equator (latitude) the height above sea level (altitude), the distance from the sea, the direction the winds come from and the ocean currents. But all of these are based on one major factor which I didn't mention the SUN. How the sun affects us is affected by the rotation of the earth, latitude and cloud cover. Cloud cover is affected by the wind, another important factor, and the wind is affected by what it has passed over and altitude. Mountains redirect wind or force it up to form clouds if the wind has passed over a warm sea it will warm and wet, and if it has passed over a cold land mass it will be cold and dry. The sea have a huge impact on the land masses. Minor factors such as how built up a place is can have a big impact but in small areas, and lastly the ocean currents also is realted to which sea it came from then where about the sea is(maybe near the equator). So the sun to me is main factor which affects all climste including Britain's but Britains climate is more or less linked with the factor; the distance from the sea which is as I mentioned before is realated to the sun in all ways. Where we live in britain (england) the temprature in winter is not much less than 0à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C and in summer not much higher than 32à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C in the summer. Also the weather her is damp and there may be lots of sudden changes. Rain is fairly well distributed throughout the year, with February to march being the driest period and October to January the wettest. The Lake District is England's wettest region, receiving and average of 130 inches (330 centimetres) of precipitation( different forms of water falling from the sky) each year.

Malaysia-Singapore Relations

MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE RELATIONS UNDER MOHD. NAJIB TUN RAZAK 1: By Rusdi Omar Mas Juliana Mukhtaruddin Senior Lecturer, Department of International Studies, College of Law, Government and International Studies (COLGIS), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Sintok, Malaysia ABSTRACT Malaysia and Singapore enjoy and share a special relationship due to their geographical, historical, familial, cultural, political, economic and strategic features. Their relationship is characterized by interdependence.The competitive world has brought about a close neighborly cooperation between the two nations to build resilience and strength. This article will examine the state of bilateral relations between these two countries under Malaysia's Prime Minister Mohd. Najib, and will analyze the future prospect of Malaysia and Singapore under his era. Under his era, Malaysia has been embarking on a series of initiatives in improving her relationship with Singapore, leaving tensions that took place during Mahathir era.Looking at the history of relations between the two countries, the role of leadership has played important role in the up and down of relationship. Under new generation of leaders in these two countries, we expect that they have new visions and put more efforts to nurture good relations. Personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries still become the bases of relations between these two closed neighbors. The understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries has been and remain the fundamental to preserving long term mutual benefits.Leaders of both countries can play significant roles in overcoming conflicts and finding solutions to the problems that besieged the relations between the two countries. If both countries could maintain the momentum and capitalize the benefits of these initiatives, we foresee 1 This paper will be presenting to the 1st International Conference on International Relations and Development at Thammasat University, B angkok, Thailand, 19-20 May 2011. that both countries will not enter into troubled relationships like the revious periods, but it augurs well for strengthened relationships in the future. INTRODUCTION The aim of this study is to examine the state of bilateral relations between two sovereign countries under Najib. Both countries have experienced a common colonial experience but have failed to achieve a successful unification on gaining independence. Malaysia and Singapore relations are unique and special due to factors such as geography, history, politics, ideology, economy, culture and ethnicity. These factors sometimes have created tensions between both countries.The uniqueness of the relationship is perhaps reflected by the various terms used to describe the state of rivalry between the two countries such as â€Å"Siamese twins†, â€Å"sibling rivalry† or â€Å"family quarrel†, suggesting a complex love-hate relationship that has grown out of a shared common h istory and cultural background, coloured by political differences and, ironically, by economic competition and interdependency. 2 Both countries have emphasized from time to time their economic interdependence and defence indivisibility.Even though they have been characterized by competition in economic and social matters, because of a very high level of economic interdependence as major trading partners, the geographical proximity of the two causeway neighbours have made their economic, security, and prosperity indivisible. 3 Since Singapore’s independence from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Malaysia has been described as symbiotic and interdependent. However, this mutually beneficial relationship has been marred by a number of problems that threaten this cooperation.In explaining this relationship, the Rusdi Omar, et. al. (2005). Hubungan Malaysia-Singapura Era Mahathir. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia. p. 2. 3 K. S. Nathan. (2002). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Retrospect and Prospect. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24(2), p. 388. 2 then Singapore First Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says: `its relationship with Malaysia was one of its most important and complex foreign relations’. 4 Whereas, the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir remarked that: `It’s impossible to be friendly with Singapore because of the neighbouring city states unfriendliness towards Malaysia.Singapore gets into that kind of mood that they reject anything that comes from Malaysia. We try to be as friendly as possible but it’s impossible’. 5 Despite the inherent tensions between Singapore and Malaysia, their inter-connected histories resemble the complex relationship of `inseparable twins’. 6 There are various underlying reasons for this alternating relationship of cordiality and tension between both countries. It proceeds from the assumption that many factors com bine to make the Malaysia-Singapore relationship a special as well as â€Å"a complicated and delicate one†.The period stretching from 1997 to 2002 under Mahathir administration was by far the most stressful in the short history of relations between Singapore and Malaysia, with a number of issues reaching confrontational level and thus rendering them more difficult to resolve. The impasse came to an end when Abdullah Badawi becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 30 October 2003. Since Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister, there have been enhanced contacts and cooperation between the governments and peoples of the two countries.He is to revive and inject the G-to-G relations between both countries with a heavy dose of sensitivities and sensibilities, which, in turn, has had an immediate spill over effect in the enhancement of the P-to-P relations, which were bereft of the kind of sensitivities and sensibilities that formed the P-to-P relations during the Mahathir era. Dur ing Najib’s era, he does the same things like Abdullah did. He emphasize of G-to-G relations and P-to-P relations for strengthening the bilateral New Straits Times. (2003). May 5. p. 22. Asian Economic News. (2002). 14 October 14. p. 19. 6 Ghazali Shafie. 1990). â€Å"Singapore and Malaysia: Inseparable Twins†, in Trends, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Straits Times, December 21. 4 5 relations between two countries. Joint venture companies also played a major role in building good relationships between Malaysia and Singapore. 7 The rapprochement between the two countries should also be viewed against the background of changing local and international developments. These include the rise of religious extremism, the spread of international terrorism and the threat of epidemics such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza.These common cross-border problems brought home to the leadership of both countries the necessity and wisdom of maint aining good relations. The move towards greater contacts and cooperation was also dictated by globalization and the rise of China and India as well as the slowdown in the flows of foreign investment to both countries. THE ROLE OF THE LEADERS Leaders as social actors play an important part in determining the direction of conflict. They must play an effective role in overcoming conflict and finding solutions to the problems.If they know their function, they can play their role correctly and contribute to the preservation and stability of peace. 8 The role of the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore are crucial in determining the future relations between the two countries. The failure of diplomacy suggests the failure of the instruments of foreign policy. Patterns, channel and devices of communication must be made readily available to encourage close rapport between leaders of the two countries. The traditional wisdom occurred when once leadership change. It can augur general changes will happen, either for the better or for worse.Although the foreign policy does not change in total, but some how rather there is little substantive change. It could be seen when the transition of leaders taken place in both countries. 7 8 New Straits Times. (2010). May 25. Chandran Jeshurun, et. al. , Op. cit. , p. 11. Singaporean leaders like Mr. Goh Chok Tong and Mr. Lee Hsien Loong are widely perceived as merely continuing Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s policy and as such there will not be major changes in the direction of Singapore’s foreign policy towards Malaysia. Meanwhile Malaysia’s foreign policy has been redirected to suit the priorities of the current leaders.Tunku Abdul Rahman was understanding and sympathetic towards Singapore. Tun Abdul Razak was more aggressive with Singapore, while, Tun Hussein Onn was just continuing the prevailing policies at the time. The biggest paradigm shift in Malaysia-Singapore relations could be seen during the tenure of Dr. Mahathir. His vision 2020 policy was more challenging to Singapore than other neighbouring countries. The leadership styles of Mahathir and Lee Kuan Yew have been a strong influence in the manner bilateral issues between the two countries.Both leaders were aggressive in dealing with the issues. Both were also influenced by their past experience and the pre and post separation political baggage. Mahathir’s view towards Singapore may have been coloured by his experience as a medical student in Singapore whilst Lee Kuan Yew’s views towards Malaysia were mainly coloured by his involvement in Malaysian politics during the short period Singapore was in the Malaysian Federation and relations with Malaysia during the period immediately after the separation. Nevertheless, after the retirement of Dr.Mahathir in 2003 and under Abdullah Badawi and Najib as Malaysia’s Prime Ministers, it may show a better result of the bilateral relations in future. Malaysia, with Abdullah at the hel m, has set a very different tone at the personal level, which carry over into institutional level. In January 2004, during his first visit to Singapore as Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah spoke of working through all of the outstanding bilateral problems. Under his era, he tries to move forward to improve the relations with Singapore, and then Malaysia has been embarking on a series of initiatives to improve her relationship with Singapore.Similar with Najib’s era, he has been working with his counterpart of Singapore in resolving all the outstanding issues with a win-win situation approach. There were several visits and meetings have been done by both leaders in tackling these issue. As a result, they have finally agreed to settle the KTM land issue in Singapore during their recently meeting in Singapore. 9 So under his leadership, he tries to move forward in improving her relations with Singapore and then Malaysia has made several efforts to improve her relationship wit h Singapore in future.Despite the outstanding issues, the tone of relations has changed for the better in recent time with the rise of new leaders on both sides- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Malaysia and Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore. There is strong political will to improve bilateral relations, especially in bilateral economic relations. INITIATIVES/EFFORTS IN IMPROVING THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP Singapore-Malaysia relations are marked by close inter-dependence. Singapore and Malaysia have always shared strong economic and people-to-people linkages.From Singapore's standpoint, the relationship should be based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and adherence to international law and agreements. Singapore will continue to seek new areas of cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations with Malaysia even further. From Malaysia’s side, the relationship must be on â€Å"win-win† situation approach, which means both countries will get benefit from that relationship. Fr om my point of view, both Malaysia and Singapore know the importance of their relationship towards the development of their respective countries.We can not deny that we are interdependent in terms of economic, security and social aspects. For example, in term of economic aspect, most Malaysians know Singapore is one of the biggest investors in Malaysia and vice versa. There are several initiatives/efforts that will improve the relationship between both countries, such as intensifying official visits (government-to-government relations); developing people-to-people (P-P) contacts; deepening public sector economic links; expanding private sector economic links ; and renewing educational and sporting events. 0 If both countries could maintain the momentum and capitalize the benefits of 9 10 The Malaysian Insider. (2010). September 20. Saw Swee-Hock & K. Kesavapany. Op. cit. 2006. these initiatives, I see that both countries will not enter into troubled relationships like the previous p eriods, but it augurs well for strengthened relationships in the future. The first initiative that will improve the relationship between two countries is to intensify official visits of both countries.Official visits by heads of government, ministers, senior officials and etcetera must be intensified from time to time. Under the current leadership of both countries, many efforts have been taken to overcome these problems, for example, regular meetings that incorporate informal social activities such as annual golf and sports meetings between cabinet members of both countries, and the holding of joint cultural and religious festivals that involve the leaders from both sides of the causeway (e. g. Hari Raya and Chinese New Year celebrations held in Johor).Also, the number increase of visits between two countries at ministerial, senior officials and technical levels. All these efforts are designed to enhance peoples’ relationships so they can withstand the possible turbulence cr eated by political and other friction that might surface from time to time. Thus, it creates the necessary goodwill and positive atmosphere conducive to resolving issues and problems. The visit of Singaporean political leaders to Malaysia to meet their counterparts of Malaysia is a right time and very important event for both countries.May be from this visit, both countries can achieve some approaches in handling and resolving the unsettled issues, although I know it is impossible to settle all their problems which have long roots in history. The current infomal meetings and talks of the leadership of both countries for example is one approach for both countries to design a pathway to resume talks on bilateral issues. Although, I am sceptical that the recent informal meetings would achieve some tangible solutions on outstanding bilateral issues between the two neighbours, the existing meetings show us that both countries are now more open towards each other.Both leaders currently ex press their desire to improve bilateral relations of both countries and seem to have adopted a positive attitude towards each other. If both countries practice the principles of â€Å"win-win† situation, both will achieve outcomes which are mutually beneficial, whether politically, in security matters or in the economic sphere, we think both sides can resolve the outstanding bilateral issues in future. Secondly, both countries must develop people-to people contacts.We should encourage more visits, more tourist arrival from Singapore and Malaysia and vice versa and also explore ways to develop these contacts. Thereby, they will create the necessary goodwill and tolerance among their peoples. In promoting greater P-P contacts, both countries introduced the student exchange programs and the joint overseas youth exchange program and etcetera. These programs were for important for the new generations to know each others and they help to enhance understanding among the younger gene ration in the two countries. Mass media is an important instrument to flow information to the peoples.Mass media from both countries must be professional in flowing information about their people life and no to be emotional in flowing information of their sensitive issues. The information will help people on both sides to keep up with developments in the two countries and foster better understanding and bilateral ties. Thirdly, both countries must expand the public sector economic links. The current leadership in both countries made it a point to send the right signals to the business communities in sector both the private sector and the public sector with governmentlinked companies.Encouraged by the new political and business atmosphere, both of government and private sector have moved quickly in areas such strategic investments, corporate purchases and joint business ventures. From 2004, there was a surge in investment activities led by government-linked companies of both countrie s. The emergence of Temasek Holdings, the embodiment of Singapore Inc. , as a strategic stakeholder in Malaysia's largest listed company could mark a watershed in often-strained relations between the neighbours. It acquired 5 percent of Telekom Malaysia for RM2. billion, its first major direct investment in Malaysia. 11 This was followed by other government-link companies such as GIC Real Estate Pte Ltd bought 100 percent stake in Johore Bahru City Square Mall, it made investments in Sunway Pyramid Mall, Sunway City Berhad, Menara Standard Chartered, RB Land Sdn Bhd and bought 5 percent stake in Gamuda Bhd and Malaysia’s Shell Refining Co. Mapletree Capital Management, 11 â€Å"AMMB in Talks to Buy Out of Fraser Securities†, New Straits Times. (2005). February 2. Aranda Investments and Keppel Energy companies invested in Malaysia.One of the more significant investment flows from Malaysia was the purchase of a stake in Singapore’s Mobile One Ltd in August 2005 by Sun Share Investments Ltd, a joint venture between Khazanah Nasional and Telekom Malaysia. Fourthly, both countries must develop the private sector economic links. The private sector from both countries took advantage made investments in both sides under the current leadership. A lot of Malaysian private companies invest in Singapore and vice versa, such as Sime Darby, MISC, Berjaya Group, CIMB, AMMB Holdings, OSK Holdings, MCL Land, Parkway, United Oversea Land and etcetera.The close ties between the private sectors of both countries are important in globalizing world. The companies from both countries could collaborate and cooperate to tap opportunities arising from deeper economic integration. The leader’s positive stance towards better economic cooperation between the two countries was another reflection of the improving relations between the two neighbours since Abdullah Badawi and Najib took over the leadership of Malaysia government.Fifthly, both countries must take i nitiative in renewing educational and sporting events. First initiative was undertaken by the University of Malaya (UM) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in introducing the exchange program of students and staffs between them. These joint programs will create a healthy environment in forging close ties among students and staffs of both countries. We must create linking among industry sectors and the institutions such as a unique cooperation between the NUS and KUB Malaysia Berhad.The establishment of joint programs for student exchange program for secondary school of both countries and etcetera. Yet, the traditional sporting activities between officials of the two countries, such as golf, football, tennis, badminton and etcetera need to continue. Under current leadership, the sport activities have play pivotal role inculcate the people’s goodwill. These series of sport activities will renew friendly and build a good relationship among the peoples of both countrie s.The intensity of cooperations in various areas has been made possible by the warming of the relationship between the two countries in recent years. Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (Malaysian Head of State) during the officials visit to Singapore in 23 January 2006 has said that; â€Å" No doubt, the positive political environment, growing trade figures and investment flows, increasing exchange of visits and strengtherning cooperation in various areas, augur well for the future outlook in our bilateral relations†. 12PROSPECT OF MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE UNDER NAJIB Currently, it appears that both leaders in Malaysia and Singapore have shown some lights of cooperation and mutual understanding between them in accordance to the principle of prosper thy neighbour or to prosper its neighbours through economic aspects in order to realization their potential. Although having the outstanding issues, both countries will be able to remain friendly and cordial. According to Democratic P eace Theory, this states that democratic countries do not go to war with other democratic countries.According to this theory, democratic countries would refrain from using force against each other, because they are accountable to their citizens. In the context of Malaysia-Singapore relations, both countries do not go to war because they are democratic countries and prefers to resolve the outstanding issues either through diplomacy talks or the third parties involvement. In case of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore, although these two states do not implement complete aspects of liberal democracy such as full freedom of speech and freedom to form organizations, they also do not use military force to settle their problems.They use dialogs and other peaceful measures to negotiate their bilateral 12 Ibid. , p. 20. issues. Therefore, despite the many bilateral issues that have surfaced in the course of Malaysia and Singapore relations, armed conflict is very unlikely to b e a possibility, and certainly not when both countries are practising democratic forms of governance. Given this situation, we need to search for additional factors to explain the no war situation between Malaysia and Singapore. As in many newly independent countries, the role of leadership is one factor that can bring a country to be a war-prone or peace-prone state.The new regimes of leadership will play important roles in fostering the relationship of both countries in relation to democratic peacekeeping. If Malaysia and Singapore did become engaged in a full scale war, we would have to discount the popular argument that democracies are not likely to go into war against each other, given the fact that both Malaysia and Singapore are governed on democratic principles. It may be argued that the apparent flaws in their brands of democratic system of government would be given as the reasons.However, both governments are led by rational and pragmatic leaders who understand the extent of the negative consequences of war to both countries, and therefore this worst-case situation is not possible. In connection with improving Malaysia-Singapore relationship, economic interdependence is very significant for both countries in terms of their development process. With the importance of Singapore as a centre of commerce for most of Southeast Asia region, and in particular Malaysia, has much to gain in terms of trade and commerce.Similarly, Singapore, because of its own lack economic resources, will look towards Malaysia for its economic needs, such as investment in Malaysia, water and labour supplies etcetera. Such economic interdependence has long been recognized as important by both states as being important, and is arguably a reason that trade and investment between them remained substantial for several decades. The volume of bilateral trade between them has increased remarkably over the years. As it stands today, Singapore and Malaysia have somewhat established thems elves as largest trading partners in ASEAN.In future, we foresee that bilateral relations between two sovereign countries will augur well and confident it will be built a better future for the two neighbours in resolving other issues for the sake of their people based on the above-mentioned facts. CONCLUSION The intensity of cooperation in various areas has been made possible by the warming of the relationship between the two countries in recent year. There is some concern about the enormous scope and advantage of working together for mutual benefits even as they compete where they must and collaborate where they can.Nevertheless, as with any two neighbours, the prospect of downturns in bilateral relations, arising often unforeseen circumstances, cannot and should not precluded. It is in the interest of both nations and their peoples to guard against such downturns by careful management of the relationship, and this has certainly been made easier by the goodwill and cooperative spir it engendered under Najib. In fact, one of Najib’s achievements in the area of international relations is the much-improved bilateral ties between the two close neighbours.In conclusion, Malaysia and Singapore enjoy and share a special relationship, due to their historical and cultural linkages, and their geographical proximity. The current challenging world has brought about a close neighbourly co-operation between the two nations to build resilience and strength. Both Malaysia and Singapore, are acutely aware of the mutual importance of each other, and continually look for ways and means to improve relations between the two countries. It should however be implemented based on the principles that would lead to a â€Å"win-win† situation, and adhering to the rules of International Law.Singapore’s well being is important to Malaysia as Singapore is one of its largest trading partners. The establishment of good relations with Singapore is therefore economically vi tal to Malaysia. The win-win situation can only be achieved if both parties are willing to accept the fact that the key to solving the outstanding bilteral issues is their willingness to compromise. Malaysia would argue that this is something that has been commonly practiced by Malaysia and therefore an act that is not difficult to get into. Singapore on the other hand is beginning to realize its economic and social vulnerability.It is aware of the importance of regional goodwill and cooperation in combatting issues such as the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza, terrorism and religious extremism issues etcetera. The realisation by both nations that compromise is the key to better relations could eventually lead to its adoption and therefore better relations. Despite the differences in the approaches taken by both countries in resolving their bilateral issues, it is obvious that Malaysia and Singapore are mutually dependant on each other.Loo king at the history of relations between the two countries, the role of leadership has played important role in the up and down of relationship. Under new generation of leaders in these two countries, we expect that they have new visions and put more efforts to nurture good relations. Personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries still become the bases of relations between these two closed neighbours. The understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries has been and remain the fundamental to preserving long term mutual benefits.Leaders of both countries can play significant roles in overcoming conflicts and finding solutions to the problems that besieged the relations between the two countries. Future direction in the relations should be focused on developing more cordial and tactful relations. Instead of competing, there is always the possibility of entering a smart partnership venture in a fast developing regional economy. This would defin itely create a win-win situation for both countries instead of perpetual conflict. Under Najib Tun Razak the current Malaysian Prime Minister, there are signs of better bilateral relation in the future.With several good initiatives has been done by both countries leaders in resolving some legacy issues between them, such as Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990 (POA), over the issue of the future of railway land owned by the Malaysian government through Malayan Railways (Keretapi Tanah Melayu or KTM) in Singapore. I foresee that bilateral relations between two sovereign countries will augur well in the future and confident it will be built a better future for the two neighbours in resolving other issues for the sake of their people. REFERENCES Chandran Jeshurun, et. l. (January-March 2003). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: A Case Study of Conflict-prone Bilateral Ties. The Southeast Asia Conflict Studies Network Bulletin. p. 8. Chang Li Lin. (2003). Singapore’s Troubled Relations with Malaysia: A Singapore Perspective. Southeast Asian Affairs. p. 259-274. Ganesan, N. (1999). Bilateral Tension in Post-Cold War ASEAN. Pacific Strategic Papers. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Lee Poh Onn. (2003). The Water Issue Between Singapore and Malaysia: No Solution in Sight. ISEAS Working Papers on Economics and Finance No. . Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Kyodo News. 2005. Singapore and Malaysia resolve land reclamation dispute. April 26. http://www. channelnewsasia. com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/144527/1/. htm l Nathan, K. S. (August 2002). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Retrospect and Prospect. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24(2), p. 401. New Straits Times. (2010). May 25. Rusdi Omar, et. al. (2005). Hubungan Malaysia-Singapura Era Mahathir. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia. Saw Swee-Hock & K. Kesavapany. 2006. Singapore-Malaysia Relations.Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Smith , A. L. (2004). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Never Mind the rhetoric. APCSS, Hawaii. p. 143 -144. Star. (1999). June 5. Sun. (2000). January 22. Sunday Star. (1994). October 23 Trost, H. R. (1993). Historical Legal Claims: A Study of Disputed Sovereignty Over Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca). Maritime Briefing. Vol. 1, No. 1. p. 28. _________. (2003). Water: The Singapore-Malaysia Dispute and the Facts. Kuala Lumpur: National Economic Action Council. The Malaysian Insider. (2010). September 20.

Cowtowns essays

Cowtowns essays To the cowboys cattle towns or cowtowns ,as purists referred to them, were merrily desolated towns in the mist of the desert. It was here that these cowboys could rest, get a bite to eat, gamble, or meet women. Most people thought of cowtowns as evil towns, because so much immorality went on in them. At times these places could be exhilarating or sometimes even hazardous. This era was known as the Wild West. Many of these towns existed in Colorado, Kansas, Oregon and numerous other regions of the United States. Cowtowns came about because people needed beef in other parts of the U.S., particularly in the Eastern states. At fist cattle were driven from Missouri to Sedalia and later to Baxter Springs, Kansas. In early 1867 Joseph G. McCoy set out to establish a small town in which he could keep cattle. He found a settlement on the route of the Union Pacific Railway Company called Abilene. McCoy purchased land and built cattle pens. It took a little persuading for the Texans to herd their cattle north, but the first carload of cattle was shipped east on September 5, 1867 to Abilene, Kansas. Abilene was the fist of the cowtowns. Each cowtown, thereafter, had the same general layout. Soon after the cowtowns had been established, the noise and smell of the cattle was an ongoing nuisance to the residents. Most cowtowns went through a stage of chaos and corruption. In July 1871 the more highly regarded women of Abilene made a petition to the mayor to remove the evil in our mist, and prostitutes were moved to another part of town. At this time the ladies of the night, as the prostitutes were called were kept in an area called Hide Park. Violence was also widespread in cowtowns. Cowtowns were tamed, unaccompanied by two-gun marshals. These men were used because they were quicker on the draw than their cowboy opponents. These marshals established law and order. ...

Analytical Essay Sample on Information Studies Significant Changes

Analytical Essay Sample on Information Studies Significant Changes Free example essay on Information Studies: Developments in Modern technology, means more information, more cheaply and more quickly available than ever before. What are the significance of these changes? Indeed, it can be said that modern technology has allowed for the cheaper and quicker access of information, and indeed, for the increase of information available. But is it fair to say that technology is a consequence of societal changes. Human beings are most dependant on learning than any species . Information is the basis for communication and co-ordination, that is required for any human society. Due to these developments in modern technology, there have been social, economic, political and cultural changes. Although it isnt clear whether these are positive or negative changes. There has been a definite increase in the amount of information available, due to the developments in modern technology. For one, the government has little or no control over the information which passes in or out of the country. There is less censorship and monitoring, and so there are new sources and themes of information, moving freely around the world, via the internet. Also due to the digital information there is an increase in the kind of information that is produced and transported. Finally, perhaps the most obvious point about the increase in information is, modern technology has lead to some great discoveries. It has lead to increased knowledge, of subjects and world mysteries. It is fair to say then that modern technology has indeed, lead to more information than ever before. The introduction of digital information has brought about a decrease in the price of information. The price of information may only cost the price of a floppy disk, or a telephone call. There is also the convergence of the technologies found in households. For example, the radio, television and, tape and c.d. player, are all combined in one system. The cost of accessing information is virtually none existent, with the internet. The cost of accessing almost any information you want is the cost of a local phone call. To show how much the price has decreased it is interesting to notice that, during WW1 there was 3/4 computers in most countries, now, there are computers in almost every home. Yet when all of this is said, is it really that inexpensive. You must buy a computer, a modem and a television, then upgrade with a faster computer and upgrade software and hardware. Due to technology, information is available significantly quicker. There are no geographical limitations, anymore. Information can be received from anywhere around the world, within a matter of seconds of the initial request. For example, the internet, by simply keying in a word, there are numerous pieces of information on that subject displayed in generally under 20 seconds. Digital technology has also lead to the increased speed at which information is distributed. Yet computers are see as some as very fast yet, very stupid adding machines. Dr. Lee Komito. Yet although it may seem that because of this increase of speed, information and the decrease in cost , that all effects of modern technology is positive this is not true as technology has negative factors socially, culturally, politically and indeed, economically. The development of modern technology has brought about significant changes socially. Whether or not these changes are positive or negative is still to be decided. On the positive side the developments in modern technology has made it easier for the people to communicate with each other. There are many ways in which you can contact people, almost instantaneously. For example, normal and mobile phones and e-mails. Modern technology has allowed people to be accessible at all times. Also, the use of answering machines, means that, even though we are accessible at all times, we have more control over who we interact with. So it can be said that technology is moving towards trying to create a better life socially for the individual, as it was said: Dr. Murray Gell-Mann of the California Institute of Technology says that Society must give new direction to technology, diverting it from applications that yield higher productive efficiency and into areas that yield greater human satisfaction. (deNevers, 1972: 17). Yet, perhaps, due to modern technology people spend less time doing certain sociable activities, like shopping, which can be done from the home now. Although it can be said, that this leaves them time for other social activities. Another downside to the social significance of developments in modern technology an increasing number of people dont know there neighbours. This lack of interaction with people in their community leads to a breakdown in community spirit. Economically also the development in technology has made significant changes, for better or for worse. There is an assumption that improved technology automatically brings about more jobs and therefore more money. This is not necessarily true. The improvements in technology can be seen to have made jobs unstable. People need to know less and so they become cheap and replaceable. Also many of the jobs that used to be done by humans are now done by computers. Economically, developments in modern technology does have positive effects, it increases distribution, which inturn increases consumption. This increases the profits for manufacturing companies, and also, it should decrease, cost for the consumer as there is an increased amount of the product produced, but this is not always the case. There are three different sectors, agriculture, manufacturing and services.

Louise Brown the First Test-Tube Baby

Louise Brown the First Test-Tube Baby On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the worlds first successful test-tube baby was born in Great Britain. Although the technology that made her conception possible was heralded as a triumph in medicine and science, it also caused many to consider the possibilities of future ill-use. Previous Attempts Every year, millions of couples try to conceive a child; unfortunately, many find that they cannot. The process to find out how and why they have infertility issues can be long and arduous. Before the birth of Louise Brown, those women who were found to have fallopian tube blockages (approximately twenty percent of infertile women) had no hope of becoming pregnant. Usually, conception occurs when an egg cell (ovum) in a woman is released from an ovary, travels through a fallopian tube, and is fertilized by the mans sperm. The fertilized egg continues to travel while it undergoes numerous cell divisions. It then rests in the uterus to grow. Women with fallopian tube blockages cannot conceive because their eggs cannot travel through their fallopian tubes to get fertilized. Dr. Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologist at Oldham General Hospital, and Dr. Robert Edwards, a physiologist at Cambridge University, had been actively working on finding an alternative solution for conception since 1966. While Drs. Steptoe and Edwards had successfully found a way to fertilize an egg outside a womans body, they were still troubled by problems after replacing the fertilized egg back into the womans uterus. By 1977, all of the pregnancies resulting from their procedure (about 80) had lasted only a few, short weeks. Lesley Brown became different when she successfully passed the first few weeks of pregnancy. Lesley and John Brown Lesley and John Brown were a young couple from Bristol who had been unable to conceive for nine years. Lesley Brown had blocked fallopian tubes. Having gone from doctor to doctor for help to no avail, she was referred to Dr. Patrick Steptoe in 1976. On November 10, 1977, Lesley Brown underwent the very experimental in vitro (in glass) fertilization procedure. Using a long, slender, self-lit probe called a laparoscope, Dr. Steptoe took an egg from one of Lesley Browns ovaries and handed it to Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards then mixed Lesleys egg with Johns sperm. After the egg was fertilized, Dr. Edwards placed it into a special solution that had been created to nurture the egg as it began to divide. Previously, Drs. Steptoe and Edwards had waited until the fertilized egg had divided into 64 cells (about four or five days later). This time, however, they decided to place the fertilized egg back into Lesleys uterus after just two and a half days. Close monitoring of Lesley showed that the fertilized egg had successfully embedded into her uterus wall. Then, unlike all the other experimental in vitro fertilization pregnancies, Lesley passed week after week and then month after month with no apparent problems. The world began to talk about this amazing procedure. Ethical Problems Lesley Browns pregnancy gave hope to hundreds of thousands of couples not able to conceive. Yet, as many cheered this new medical breakthrough, others were worried about future implications. The most important question was whether this baby was going to be healthy. Had being outside the womb, even for just a couple of days, harmed the egg? If the baby had medical problems, did the parents and doctors have a right to play with nature and thus bring it into the world? Doctors also worried that if the baby wasnt normal, would the process be blamed whether or not it was the cause? When does life begin? If human life begins at conception, are doctors killing potential humans when they discard fertilized eggs? (Doctors may remove several eggs from the woman and may discard some that have been fertilized.) Is this process a foreshadowing of what is to come? Will there be surrogate mothers? Was Aldous Huxley predicting the future when he described breeding farms in his book Brave New World? Success! Throughout Lesleys pregnancy, she was closely monitored, including the use of ultrasounds and amniocentesis. Nine days before her due date, Lesley developed toxemia (high blood pressure). Dr. Steptoe decided to deliver the baby early via Cesarean section. At 11:47 p.m. on July 25, 1978, a five-pound 12-ounce baby girl was born. The baby girl, named Louise Joy Brown, had blue eyes and blond hair and seemed healthy. Still, the medical community and the world were preparing to watch Louise Brown to see if there were any abnormalities that couldnt be seen at birth. The process had been a success! Though some wondered if the success had been more luck than science, continued success with the process proved that Dr. Steptoe and Dr. Edwards had accomplished the first of many test-tube babies. Today, the process of in vitro fertilization is considered commonplace and utilized by infertile couples around the world.

Synthesis of Waiting for Superman (the movie) and the Article Time to Essay

Synthesis of Waiting for Superman (the movie) and the Article Time to Stop Waiting for Superman - Essay Example tion but the role that the larger society, which is represented by government and other state agencies, through the powers vested in them by the public has to play seem to outweigh all other factors. This is because it is the policies that these people formulate and leadership that they give that determines a greater part of the outcome of the educational system. in this paper therefore, the two works that have been mentioned earlier are synthesized to know how they address the issue of education in the modern American context. Reading through the article, the theme that is developed is how unacceptable it is to try to fix the educational system through wrongful means. This theme is presented from the view point of the administrative story of Michelle Rhee, who was the superintendent of Washington, D.C’s public schools. The issues presented in the article have to do with how Michelle Rhee took over as the superintendent and within a very short time she was seen as a superman who was going to fix not just the ailing D.C public school but that of the nation at large. This is because from policies that she put in place, most of which were focused on forcing principals and teachers to do the right thing by putting in their maximum effort, scores from schools in the state started improving. In no time, she was hailed and referred to by many in public discourse. She even had the attention of big politicians like Barack Obama and went on TV. As it turned out, all her efforts were the product of massive che ating. Synthesizing the article information with the movie, â€Å"Waiting for Superman†, there are some areas that the text can be said to align and agree on a common purpose. A typical example of this has to do with how both works treat the issue of standards of teaching. In the article, the author calls to question, the approach to teaching, where students are prepared only for to take tests, making â€Å"them better at taking state tests† (Stanford, 2013). In the

Gentleman Alone - by Pablo Neruda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gentleman Alone - by Pablo Neruda - Essay Example In the poem, Gentleman Alone, Neruda has explicitly talked about sex and lovers and the whole theme of the poem is preoccupied with the sexual content. The poem starts with the illustration of people who are surrounding the speaker. They include homosexual men, pregnant house wives, young girls, cats in their heat, all of whom are surrounding the house of the speaker and making love. The speaker’s tone shows that he is desperate about his loneliness when the whole world around him is making love. Sex and passion seems in the air and everybody in the poem is shown drenched with the lust of bodily experiences. People of all ages are getting involved in sex. The speaker talks about a beach paradise which is lined with palm trees, a scene that is depicting the summer season, and which is perfect for lovers. The poem then talks about a low salaried clerk who has been sleeping with his neighbor and has seduced her to making love. He takes her to the movies and continues to fill his desire of lust. The poet talks about his own despair when he sees that the husbands, students, priests and animals, all are occupied with sex and lovemaking. Hence, the message that we can figure out from this poem is that despite the fact that one is surrounded with people who are enjoying and having fun and are doing whatever they like, one is bound to live in despair if his heart is not happy just the same. When one is sad from within, then no matter how much enjoyment is going on around him, he will continue feeling sad and nothing in the world will seem pleasurable enough to soothe him. The poet is feeling lonely instead of the crowd surrounding him. People are making love and there is nobody to love him and thus he feels deserted. As far as the poetic devices used in the poem are concerned, the overall tone of the poem is melancholic depicting the speaker’s frustration that he feels inside him when he sees the world having fun. There is no alliteration and assonance obs erved in the stanzas. However, the poet has intensively made use of imagery and has described things that create vivid mental pictures using any of the five senses. For example, he has used imagery in phrases like ‘palpitating sexual oysters’ (line 5), ‘fat and thin and happy and sad couples’ (line 12), and ‘bees smell of blood’ (line 28). Metaphors have been used, for example, when the poet compares the women’s breasts with glistening eyes, heroes with horses and passionate princes, and beds with ships. The poet has been able to give human qualities to many inanimate objects by using personification in phrases like ‘my solitary home’ (line 6), nights of hunters and husbands ‘burying’ the poet (line 25), and ‘breathing forest crushes me’ (line 36). Onomatopoeia has also been used when the poet uses words like buzz to imitate sounds like in the phrase ‘and the flies buzz cholerically’ (l ine 28). The poet has used the first person narrative with him being a character in the story telling it from his perspective like in phrases ‘cross my garden at night’ (line 4), ‘enemies of my soul’ (line 7), and ‘bury me’ (line 25). There is no repetition of words, lines and stanzas. Every line seems independent of the one preceding it and there is no rhyming scheme as well. The poem has also not been divided into stanzas. The poet has sometimes used hyperbole to make

Changes in Gulf banking industry after global financial crisis Research Paper

Changes in Gulf banking industry after global financial crisis - Research Paper Example These economies experience some degree of vulnerability in the international market. The third segment of countries in the gulf region consists of the countries that have high demographic pressure, low functioning social safety nets and low levels of economic growth (Sharif, 2006). Social and economic crises within these countries have hindered their economic growth and they have been exposed to the rages of financial crisis. There are fewer countries in the third group than in the first and groups, but these countries are worse affected during the financial crisis. The countries in the third group include Sudan, Mauritania, Yemen, Djibouti, Comoros and Somalia. These countries received very little international support during and even after the crisis ended. Hence, the governments of these countries have been serious measures to improve the banking and financial systems in their own countries. Islamic banking in the contemporary finance world The banking industry in the gulf region has passed through a period of major improvements over the period of last five years. Over the years, Islamic banking industry has matured and has become a viable competitor of the conventional commercial banks operating in the Middle East as well as in the South East Asian countries (Koldertsova, 2010). At the global level, the banking system of the gulf region has increased in importance. The Middle East acts as the core launch pad for the promotion of the system of Islamic banking in the Western financial markets and business culture. The following section has been devoted to the study of the changes that have taken place in the banking industry in the gulf region after the global financial crisis. Changes in Gulf banking industry after global financial crisis Technological... Conclusion The effects of the financial crisis have to be considered by the policy makers while making plans for the future and improving the management systems internal to the organizations. It is important that banking and financial sector of the gulf economies have to be transformed and integrated in to the main stream financial system of the globe. It is, therefore important that the challenges in these economies are identified and the future prospects are determined with reference to the resources available to the economies for dealing with the challenges. In this regard, past experiences regarding failure of the banking industry have to be truly accounted for. The system of Islamic banking has spread from the gulf region and entered the practice of banking of the other developed countries in the world, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada (Venardos, 2006). After the financial crisis, this system has become more concerned about the ethical values o f financial transactions and has simultaneously increased its flexibility; so as to compete with the conventional interest based financial system. As a whole, the banking and finance industry in the gulf region has undergone certain developments and has become an exemplary finance practice in the global market (Khan and Bhatti, 2008).

An Enzyme Controlled Reaction-Catalase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Enzyme Controlled Reaction-Catalase - Essay Example l. Compute the rate of O2 production (cm3/s). m. Plot a graph of concentration of hydrogen peroxide against rate of oxygen production. 5.0 Safety Measures Hydrogen peroxide in high concentrations (18-28 vol.) is irritating to the eye and the skin. The contaminants can cause decomposition leading to explosion after a while. Pressure can build up if reaction containers are blocked. 6.0 Results This experiment has 1 independent variable, 1 dependent variable and 1 control variable. The independent variable is the various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, while the dependent variable is the rate of reaction in terms of oxygen production. The control variable is the temperature of the room and standard pressure. Table 1 shows the average results of the oxygen produced in different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. Percentage of Hydrogen peroxide Average volume of oxygen collected (cm3) over time (seconds) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 100 48.3 68.7 78.3 82.0 85.0 86.7 87.0 87.3 87.7 88.3 88.3 88.3 90 37.3 55.0 63.7 68.3 71.0 72.3 73.0 73.3 73.3 73.3 73.3 73.3 80 32.3 47.3 54.0 59.0 61.3 63.0 63.3 63.7 63.7 63.7 63.7 63.7 70 26.3 40.0 45.7 48.3 49.0 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 60 20.7 31.7 36.7 40.0 42.7 44.0 44.7 44.7 44.7 44.7 44.7 44.7 50 16.3 27.0 31.0 33.3 35.3 36.3 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 Table 1: Average volume of oxygen collected Figure 2: reaction at 100% concentration of hydrogen peroxide Figure 3: reaction at 80% concentration of hydrogen peroxide Figure 3: reaction at 50% concentration of hydrogen peroxide 7.0 Discussion To ensure that the process of measuring was accurate, I ensured the room temperature remained constant and the equipment remained in the same conditions for all the tests. In some tests, the level of concentration... To ensure that the process of measuring was accurate, I ensured the room temperature remained constant and the equipment remained in the same conditions for all the tests. In some tests, the level of concentration of hydrogen peroxide was not very accurate due to some technical hitches, but the level of inaccuracy was not substantial enough to affect the findings and conclusion of the experiment. From the results, it appears that less oxygen was produced within the first 5 seconds because the concentration was low. This is because, at higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, there are more molecules of hydrogen peroxide leading to more collisions that stimulates more enzyme-substrate to be formed – as the concentration decreased, this collision decelerated as evidenced by the graphs (Chelikani, Fita & Loewen, 2004). These results are exactly as it was expected. Catalase functions as catalyses in most living organisms, by decomposing hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water, as shown in the equation below.2H2O2 + Catalase  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2H2O + O2  Catalase significantly trims down the activation power required for the reaction. In absence of catalase, the breakdown would take a longer time to occur, and would not be able to support life. Since Hydrogen peroxide is a very potent by-product of metabolism, if not decomposed very fast it can cause damage to body cells.

Essay One Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

One - Essay Example Terrorism has become a menace and it hampers development and growth of a country. It is very important take appropriate measures. 250000 people were approximately killed in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; this still remains the most dreadful massacre of the civilians ever to take place in the history. A lot of things changed after the Second World War, the US became a force to reckon with. The US also tested atomic bomb under water and this was first done in the year 1946. The Bikini Islands in the Pacific was the place where these tests of atomic bomb were conducted. "The United States Representative to the UN Atomic Energy Commission unveiled a plan under which the US would surrender its monopoly of atomic weapons to an international body. The Soviets refused the proposal, and proceeded to develop their own weapons." (Baruch Plan for Atomic Control, 22 April 2009) In Germany nine of the most influential people were hung after their trials, these nine people committed malicious crimes such as killing about nine million Jews. The Germans just wanted to ensure that this should not be repeated and hence did justice to these nine people. In the year 1947 the Asian countries also made significant progress, India and Pakistan got independence and formed their own governments, this independence was achieved after a long struggle with the foreign forces. These were some of the most significant events that took place after 1945. US War on Terror The US war on terror was launched after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the US bombarded several countries to eliminate the terrorists, countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and a few others were invaded by the US. The sole purpose was to eliminate the menace of terrorism. During this invasion the US crossed all limits, several unethical activities were also carried out by the US soldiers, and they redefined the word torture. Several Iraqi citizens had their body parts removed by the US soldiers; many dogs were also used in this operation to torture the citizens. The eye balls of several people were removed and many barbaric activities took place. The US claimed that Iraq was in possession of biological weapons capable of mass destruction but no such weapons were found once the operation by the US in Iraq was completed. Saddam Hussein was also brought to justice during this invasion; he was hanged till death by the US. There are several ethical factors involved in "W ar on Terror". On the other hand the war on terror has decreased the terrorists' activities to a significant extent. The US eliminated many terrorists by air strikes in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. The same has reduced the activities of the terrorists and the same has dampened the zest of the terrorists which was very essential. Dampening the zest of the terrorists was very important because had this not happened, the terrorists would have executed several major strikes across the world. The war on terror is a very debatable issue, ethically it may be argues that it is a very bad thing but realistically it is a very good thing and there was a very high need for such a war on terror. The Impact of Terrorism Terrorism has affected our lives and there are no two ways about it, the impact it has left on the people who have lost their near

An Enzyme Controlled Reaction-Catalase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Enzyme Controlled Reaction-Catalase - Essay Example l. Compute the rate of O2 production (cm3/s). m. Plot a graph of concentration of hydrogen peroxide against rate of oxygen production. 5.0 Safety Measures Hydrogen peroxide in high concentrations (18-28 vol.) is irritating to the eye and the skin. The contaminants can cause decomposition leading to explosion after a while. Pressure can build up if reaction containers are blocked. 6.0 Results This experiment has 1 independent variable, 1 dependent variable and 1 control variable. The independent variable is the various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, while the dependent variable is the rate of reaction in terms of oxygen production. The control variable is the temperature of the room and standard pressure. Table 1 shows the average results of the oxygen produced in different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. Percentage of Hydrogen peroxide Average volume of oxygen collected (cm3) over time (seconds) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 100 48.3 68.7 78.3 82.0 85.0 86.7 87.0 87.3 87.7 88.3 88.3 88.3 90 37.3 55.0 63.7 68.3 71.0 72.3 73.0 73.3 73.3 73.3 73.3 73.3 80 32.3 47.3 54.0 59.0 61.3 63.0 63.3 63.7 63.7 63.7 63.7 63.7 70 26.3 40.0 45.7 48.3 49.0 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 49.3 60 20.7 31.7 36.7 40.0 42.7 44.0 44.7 44.7 44.7 44.7 44.7 44.7 50 16.3 27.0 31.0 33.3 35.3 36.3 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 37.0 Table 1: Average volume of oxygen collected Figure 2: reaction at 100% concentration of hydrogen peroxide Figure 3: reaction at 80% concentration of hydrogen peroxide Figure 3: reaction at 50% concentration of hydrogen peroxide 7.0 Discussion To ensure that the process of measuring was accurate, I ensured the room temperature remained constant and the equipment remained in the same conditions for all the tests. In some tests, the level of concentration... To ensure that the process of measuring was accurate, I ensured the room temperature remained constant and the equipment remained in the same conditions for all the tests. In some tests, the level of concentration of hydrogen peroxide was not very accurate due to some technical hitches, but the level of inaccuracy was not substantial enough to affect the findings and conclusion of the experiment. From the results, it appears that less oxygen was produced within the first 5 seconds because the concentration was low. This is because, at higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, there are more molecules of hydrogen peroxide leading to more collisions that stimulates more enzyme-substrate to be formed – as the concentration decreased, this collision decelerated as evidenced by the graphs (Chelikani, Fita & Loewen, 2004). These results are exactly as it was expected. Catalase functions as catalyses in most living organisms, by decomposing hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water, as shown in the equation below.2H2O2 + Catalase  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2H2O + O2  Catalase significantly trims down the activation power required for the reaction. In absence of catalase, the breakdown would take a longer time to occur, and would not be able to support life. Since Hydrogen peroxide is a very potent by-product of metabolism, if not decomposed very fast it can cause damage to body cells.

RNA silencing for the prevention of Phytophthora root rot in avocado Literature review

RNA silencing for the prevention of Phytophthora root rot in avocado - Literature review Example So, the scientists and the concerned people have found out a way to tackle this menace [2]. It is the use of RNA. The RNA is used to inhibit specific gene expression of the plants to prevent Phytophthora root rot in avocado plants. It was further found that the growing population is causing a sharp increase in the demand of the avocado across all over the world [3]. In order meet the rise in the demand, the farmers or the cultivators are using a number of elements to increase the production of the avocados. Overuse of the elements is further affecting the plants. The plants are getting affected by pests. Among them the rot root fungi is the most common form of the pests. Excessive spread of the fungi would destroy the crop and highly affect the cultivation of the crops so the scientists have discovered a number of methods which would prevent this. Among them RNA slicing is one of the most common methods for the prevention of Phytophthora root rot in avocado. According to a study, it was found that the Phytophthora root rot in avocado is primarily caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi, which is an economically important disease in the avocados around the world [1]. The crops when affected with fungi and gets harmed with Phytophthora root rot, it completely destroys the crops and leaving co crop for sell and make money out of it. In Australian agriculture, economic cost of losing were estimated in previous 20 years to be more than AUS$200 million per year [] and around US$44million in California annually []. The RNA silencing is used to increase the resistance of the avocado trees with the help of transgenic rootstocks. It is expected to reduce the incidences of fungi attack on the avocado plants. It was found that the fungi attack on the avocado trees could be prevented with the help of RNA interference process [4]. The authors further explain RNA interference as a cellular process where the RNA molecules

European settling in America Essay Example for Free

European settling in America Essay The discovery of the Americas was one of the biggest events in history. But some tend to look over the fact that the discovery of the Americas led also to the discovery of Native American groups who were already settled here. So did the Europeans really have the right to settle in the Americas? The Europeans had every right to settle in the Americas. They had this right because no nation or form of government had been established here. If a nation or government had been established, then it would be a different story. The problem with the Native Americans was that they were so sparsely spread out around the Americas. If they had all been in one large area things possibly could have gone better for them than they did. The Europeans did have every right to settle in the Americas, but they had absolutely no right to dispossess Indians of their land. The Indians had settled here years and years before the discovery of the Americas by the Europeans. The Indians had somehow ventured over to the Americas, just as the Europeans had done, and made a home here. Europeans had no right to take that away from them. The Europeans should have been more compassionate towards the Native Americans. They should have respected the fact that they had settled here first, but human pride got in the way and they wanted what they couldnt have. The Europeans lied, cheated , and stole from the Indians making for a very confrontational accommodation. This is not the way they should have gone about this. Many things could have been done to aid in a more peaceful accommodation. First and foremost, the Europeans could have settled anywhere else in the Americas, whereas it is very large with plenty of land. If they really wanted the specific land the Indians were on they could have coincided with them. They could have lived in peace amongst each other. The two cultures could teach other new things, and help one another. If this still didnt work, the Europeans could have peacefully negotiated with the Indians, no violence or deceit involved. Sadly, the Europeans hearts werent in the right place when they came across the Indians, and most of the Europeans wanted the Indians gone or exterminated. As Christians, we are supposed to help others and be compassionate. Had the Europeans approached the Indians with this mindset things could have been done more peacefully between the two cultures.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal: An Endangered Species

The Hawaiian Monk Seal: An Endangered Species The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus Schauinslandi) is an endemic species located on the Hawaiian Islands. It has the following taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Carnivora, Family: Phocidae, Genus: Neomonachus, and Species: Schauinslandi (fisheries.noaa.gov). It is found predominately on the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, with a smaller population located on the main islands. The monk seal arrived at the Hawaiian Islands anywhere from 3.5 to 11.6 million years ago. They are believed to have entered from the east via a passage way in Central America (fpir.noaa.gov). The animals were hunted aggressively in the 19th century for their fur. Since then, there population has not been able to recover. The monk seals face a number of obstacles to survival. Its population is still declining, as there were an estimated 1,112 remaining in 2015. Historically, its geographic range has been within the U.S. waters near the Hawaiian Islands. They can be found on the isolated beaches of the northwestern islands. They spend much of their time at sea near coral reefs. The seals habitat also consist of submerged sea banks, atolls, and other areas offshore. The monk seal typically forages for food at a depth of 60-300ft. deep (fisheries.noaa.gov). During breeding season, the monk seals are located on the sandy beaches of Hawaii. They prefer remote and secure locations when nursing their pups, which lasts a month until they return to the sea. The life span of a Hawaiian monk seal is 25-30 years. They mature at the age of five, and can grow up to 7.5 feet and weigh 400lbs. An interesting feature of the seal is they are born black, but grow a silver coat later in life. The monk seal is considered a benthic forager which eat fish, eels, octopus, and crustaceans (fisheries.noaa.gov). There are several reasons for the Hawaiian monk seals population has declined at such a rapid rate over the past few decades. First of all, the human population on the islands has disturbed the animals natural habitat. The seals often die after getting caught in fishing nets, and there is a decrease in food available which might be attributed to overfishing in the area. The seals have faced difficulty in finding sufficient food due to competition from other predators as well. Also, the monk seal is a source of prey for sharks which adds to its loss in numbers. Genetic variability is low among the Hawaiian monk seals, which has added to the species difficulty in recovering from its endangered status. This is compounded by the fact that subpopulations fail to migrate or interact with populations of differing islands. This has caused inbreeding which carries with it a host of negative consequences. Genetic diversity helps a species to recover by promoting disease resistance and adaptability to a changing environment. On the other hand, a lack of diversity increases a chance for disease and reproductive failure (Kretzmann 482-483). Inbreeding occurs when the number of potential mates is low, and it carries with it a number of concerns. When a species is facing extinction, the absence of genetic diversity can compound its struggle for survival. DNA testing of the monk seal has shown that its genetic diversity is extremely low. Because of this, an outbreak of an infectious disease could possibly cause the Hawaiian monk seal to become extinct (Kretzmann 487). If the seals were to breed with populations from differing islands, it could hypothetically increase their chance for survival. Mobbing, or the aggressive behavior exhibited by male seals, often results in the death of a female or young seal. It occurs when a group of males attempt to mate with one female and end up attacking the female. The resulting injuries can lead to infection or death. This is causing slower development of the seals population. It is found that in groups of smaller populations with slower growth rates, instances of this behavior are higher. It is thought that mobbing is a learned behavior that may take time to be overcome. Intervention can be used to decrease mobbing behavior, such as removing a set number of males from an area where there is an unequal gender ratio (Starfield and Roth 166, 169). There is currently action being taken to help the species recover. The Hawaiian Monk Seal Captive Care Workshop was created to halt the population decline and help it to recover. The organization believes that an annual reduction in population of 3.9% is due to the poor survival rate of juvenile seals. By supporting captive seals through rehabilitation, nutrition, and relocation, the group hopes to increase survival. It also advocates for other methods of helping the species, such as disentangling seals caught in fishing nets and removing debris from its habitat (Baker and Littnan 11). Other methods include removing sharks from the seals habitat, or relocating pups to areas where there is a lower risk from predators. Captive care and release helps undernourished or ill pups that might otherwise die. Once they are healthy, the young seals are relocated to an area where they will have a better chance of survival (Baker and Littnan 11, 12). It has been found that a high rate of seal pups die shortly after being weaned from the mother. The mother will leave the pup after one month of nursing, and if the pup is unable to find sufficient food, it faces starvation and death. The importance of the conservation efforts by these captive care and release programs cannot be understated. Since the Hawaiian monk seals have low genetic variability, they are more susceptible to disease. It is thought that another species, the Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus Tropicalis), had a susceptibility for disease which likely hastened its extinction. The morbillivirus is of particular concern for the Hawaiian monk seals. The morbillivirus is a string of viruses that include the measles, which can be spread quickly and easily. Once a seal has become infected with the virus, the lungs and brain are affected, which can lead to death in as little as 5 days. The disease has already killed thousands of Atlantic seals and dolphins. Since the seals have no immunity to these viruses, scientists have taken action to create and administer a vaccination (Rogers). Once scientists found a suitable vaccine, they began to administer it to the seals in 2015. The vaccination process begins with a single injection, followed up with a booster shot one month later. As of September 2016, 43 Hawaiian monk seals have received the vaccination. The group of scientists (HMSRP) administering the shots hope that this project will be successful and grow. The Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program is also involved in other interventions such as removing seals from fishing nets and hooks, rehabilitating malnourished pups, and relocating seals to higher survival areas. Their efforts have slowed the populations decline by over half in the past 3 decades (Rogers). While the monk seal once had instrumental value, and were hunted for their furs, this led to the near extinction of the species in the early 1900s. Since the seal is no longer used for human purposes, it is now appreciated mainly for its intrinsic beauty. Intrinsic beauty is something that can be valued for its own sake. The monk seal is a rare animal that can be appreciated for its uniqueness, and has been an important aspect of the Hawaiian Islands for over 3 million years. The Hawaiian monk seal is also important to other species and the areas ecosystem. They are an apex predator and play an important role in keeping a number of prey from becoming overpopulated. Therefore, they create a balance needed for in maintaining a diverse and stable ecosystem (Muneoka). This is a significant reason for the conservation of the Hawaiian monk seals. The Hawaiian monk seal has faces so many obstacles over the past century, yet it has been able to survive in spite of these. The most alarming problem that the seals face is lack of food. The juvenile seals are facing a continuing threat of starvation, and they are in constant competition with fisheries and other predators. Protected areas for the seals have been used in the past, and expanding these will likely help. It will not only increase food supply for the seals, but will also prevent them from getting caught by fish hooks or nets. Until there is a greater supply of food for the monk seals, efforts in capturing and rehabilitating the young pups is important. Also, once they seals are at a healthier weight, they can be placed in an area where there is a higher source of food and increased chance of survival. Relocating seals is also helpful in increasing genetic diversity, which will help in the species ability to fight disease. Inoculation of the monk seal is also a good attempt at decreasing the seals vulnerability of disease. One other concern, mobbing, is a factor that is decreasing the chance of the seals survival. Interventions, such as removing males from areas where there is an imbalanced ratio of male to female, are helpful. With all of these efforts, and the noble concern of the people involved, the Hawaiian monk seal is beginning to see a brighter future. The population of monk seals has rising 3% annually over the past 3 years. As of January, 2017, there is an estimate of 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals. This is a great improvement, considering there were 1,112 seals in 2015. Interestingly, the state of Hawaii has dedicated 2017 as the Year of the Monk Seal. In conclusion, with the continuing hard work of the hard working people involved to save the Hawaiian monk seal, there is great hope for the species survival in the future. Works Cited Hawaiian Monk Seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi). http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/seals/hawaiian-monk-seal.html. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. Historical Timeline of the Hawaiian Monk Seal. http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/Library/PRD/Hawaiian%20monk%20seal/HMS_natural_history_timelineWEB.pdf. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. Schmelzer, Isabelle. Seals and Seascapes: Covariation in Hawaiian Monk Seal Subpopulations and the Oceanic Landscape of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Journal of Biogeography 27.4 (2000): 901-914. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. Kretzmann, Maria B., et al. Low Genetic Variability in the Hawaiian Monk Seal. Conservation Biology, vol. 11, no. 2, 1997, pp. 482-490., www.jstor.org/stable/2387621. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. Starfield, Anthony M., et al. Mobbing in Hawaiian Monk Seals (Monachus Schauinslani): The Value of Simulation Modeling in the Absence of Apparently Crucial Data. Conservation Biology, vol. 9, no. 1, 1995, pp. 166-174., www.jstor.org/stable/2386398. Baker, Jason and Littnan, Charles. Report of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Captive Care Workshop, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 11-13, 2007. Pacific Islands Fish. Sci. Cent., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., (2008). Rogers, Kim. Why Rare Hawaiian Monk Seals Are Lining Up to Get Their Shots. Smithsonian (2016). http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/researchers-are-vaccinating-wild-marine-species-first-time-180960479/. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. Muneoka, Lauren. Why Care About Monk Seals? Kahea (2011). http://kahea.org/blog/why-care-about-monk-seals. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

Acid-Base Chemistry Lab Essay -- Scientific Research

The purpose of this lab was to determine the pH and total acidity of grape juice and wine. A second purpose was to experimentally determine the pKa of a monoprotic weak acid, polyprotic weak acid, as well as, a free amino acid, alanine. Acids and bases were defined by Bronsted-Lowry in 1923, in which acids were described as substances capable of donating a proton and bases are substances capable of accepting a proton (Thompson and Dinh 2009). In addition to defining acids and bases, Bronsted-Lowry further classified acids and bases as being either strong or weak. By definition, a strong acid or base is a substance that is completely dissociated in aqueous solutions and in contrast, weak acids only partially dissociate and reach their equilibrium with their conjugate base (Harris 2003). Buffers are comprised of weak acids and their conjugate bases. In the food industry, buffers are commonly used to protect changes in pH of food stuffs. The two conjugate components of the buffer resist changes in pH by absorbing the addition of any hydrogen or hydroxyl ions (Christen and Smith 2000). When weak acids and their conjugate bases are at equilibrium, their concentrations can be expressed in terms of the dissociation constant, Ka. For a strong acid, the Ka value is greater than 1 x 10-2M and less than 1 x 10-2M for a weak acid (Thompson and Dinh 2009). For weak acids, the relationship of hydrogen ion concentration and pH can be defined by the Henderson-Hasselbach equation (Thompson and Dinh 2009). Wine quality greatly depends on the quality of the grapes and the microorganisms involved in the fermentation process (Husnik and others 2006). When compared to lactic acid bacteria, yeasts are better suited for growt... ... Son HS, Hong YS, Park WM, Yu MA, Lee CH. 2009. A novel approach for estimating sugar and alcohol concentrations in wines using refractometer and hydrometer. J. Food Chem. 74:106-111. Thompson LD, Dinh T. 2009. Acid-Base Chemistry. FDSC 4303/5303 food chemistry laboratory manual. Lubbock, Tx.: Texas Tech University, Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Ugliano M, Moio L. 2005. Changes in the concentration of yeast-derived volatile compounds of red wine during malolactic fermentation with four commercial starter cultures of Oenococcus oeni. J. Agric. Food Chem. 53:10134-10139. Waite JG, Daeschel MA. 2007. Contribution of wine components to inactivation of food-borne pathogens. J. Food Sci. 72:286-291. Wintersteen CL, Andrae LM, Engeseth NJ. 2005. Effect of heat treatment on antioxidant capacity and flavor volatiles of mead. J. Food Chem. 70:119-126.

Monopolistic Competition

INTRODUCTION Pure monopoly and perfect competition are two extreme cases of market structure. In reality, there are markets having large number of producers competing with each other in order to sell their product in the market. Thus, there is monopoly on the one hand and perfect competition, on the other hand. Such a mixture of monopoly and perfect competition is called monopolistic competition. It is a case of imperfect competition. The model of monopolistic competition describes a common  market structure  in which firms have many competitors, but each one sells a slightly different product. Monopolistic competition as a market structure was first identified in the 1930s by American economist  Edward Chamberlin, and English economist  Joan Robinson. Many small businesses operate under conditions of monopolistic competition, including independently owned and operated high-street stores and restaurants. In the case of restaurants, each one offers something different and possesses an element of uniqueness, but all are essentially competing for the same customers. The aim of the given work is the study of monopolistic competition. The paper consists of introduction, body, conclusion and bibliography. In the introduction the aim of the work is defined and the structure of the paper is described. The body gives the definition of monopolistic competition, studies it main characteristics and comments on the main advantages and disadvantages of monopolistic competition. Conclusion sums up the results of the study. Bibliography comprises the list of references used when carrying out the work. MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION Monopolistic competition  is a type of  imperfect competition  such that competing producers sell products that are  differentiated  from one another as good but not perfect  substitutes, such as from branding, quality, or location. In monopolistic competition, a firm takes the prices charged by its rivals as given and ignores the impact of its own prices on the prices of other firms. In a monopolistically competitive market, firms can behave like  monopolies  in the  short run, including by using market power to generate profit. In the  long run, however, other firms enter the market and the benefits of differentiation decrease with competition; the market becomes more like a  perfectly competitive  one where firms cannot gain economic profit. In practice, however, if consumer rationality/innovativeness is low and heuristics are preferred,  monopolistic competition  can fall into  natural monopoly, even in the complete absence of government intervention. In the presence of coercive government, monopolistic competition will fall into  government-granted monopoly. Unlike perfect competition, the firm maintains spare capacity. Models of monopolistic competition are often used to model industries. Examples of industries with market structures similar to monopolistic competition include  restaurants,  cereal,  clothing,  shoes, and service industries in large cities. The â€Å"founding father† of the theory of monopolistic competition is  Edward Hastings Chamberlin, who wrote a pioneering book on the subject  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Theory of Monopolistic Competition†Ã‚  (1933). Joan Robinson  published a book  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Economics of Imperfect Competition†Ã‚  with a comparable theme of distinguishing perfect from imperfect competition. Monopolistically competitive markets have the following characteristics: * There are many producers and many consumers in the market, and no business has total control over the market price. * Consumers perceive that there are non-price differences among the competitors' products. There are few  barriers to entry  and exit. * Producers have a degree of control over price. The long-run characteristics of a monopolistically competitive market are almost the same as a perfectly competitive market. Two differences between the two are that monopolistic competition produces heterogeneous products and that monopolistic competition involves a great deal of non-price competition, which is based on subtle product differentiation. A firm making profits in the short run will nonetheless only  break even  in the long run because demand will decrease and average total cost will increase. This means in the long run, a monopolistically competitive firm will make zero  economic profit. This illustrates the amount of influence the firm has over the market; because of brand loyalty, it can raise its prices without losing all of its customers. This means that an individual firm's demand curve is downward sloping, in contrast to perfect competition, which has a  perfectly elastic  demand schedule. Monopolistically competitive markets exhibit the following characteristics: 1. Each firm makes independent decisions about price and output, based on its product, its market, and its  costs of production. . Knowledge is widely spread between participants, but it is unlikely to be perfect. For example, diners can review all the menus available from restaurants in a town, before they make their choice. Once inside the restaurant, they can view the menu again, before ordering. However, they cannot fully appreciate the restaurant or the meal until after they have dined. 3. The   entrepreneur  has a more significant role than in firms that are perfectly competitive because of the increased risks associated with decision making. 4. There is freedom to enter or leave the market, as there are no major  barriers to entry  or exit. 5. A central feature of monopolistic competition is that products are differentiated. There are four main types of differentiation: a. Physical product differentiation, where firms use size, design, colour, shape, performance, and features to make their products different. For example, consumer electronics can easily be physically differentiated. b. Marketing differentiation, where firms try to differentiate their product by distinctive packaging and other promotional techniques. For example, breakfast cereals can easily be differentiated through packaging. c. Human capital differentiation, where the firm creates differences through the skill of its employees, the level of training received, distinctive uniforms, and so on. d. Differentiation through distribution, including distribution via mail order or through internet shopping, such as Amazon. com, which differentiates itself from traditional bookstores by selling online. 6. Firms are  price makers  and are faced with a downward sloping  demand curve. Because each firm makes a unique product, it can charge a higher or lower price than its rivals. The firm can set its own price and does not have to ‘take' it from the industry as a whole, though the industry price may be a guideline, or becomes a constraint. This also means that the demand curve will slope downwards. 7. Firms  operating under monopolistic competition usually  have to engage in advertising. Firms are often in fierce competition with other (local) firms offering a similar product or service, and may need to advertise on a local basis, to let customers know their differences. Common methods of advertising for these firms are through local press and radio, local cinema, posters, leaflets and special promotions. 8. Monopolistically competitive firms are assumed to be  profit maximisers  because firms tend to be small with entrepreneurs actively involved in managing the business. 9. There are usually a large numbers of independent firms competing in the market. Product differentiation Monopolistic competition firms sell products that have real or perceived non-price differences. However, the differences are not so great as to eliminate other goods as substitutes. Technically, the cross price elasticity of demand between goods in such a market is positive. In fact, the XED would be high. Monopolistic competition goods are best described as close but imperfect substitutes. The goods perform the same basic functions but have differences in qualities such as type, style, quality, reputation, appearance, and location that tend to distinguish them from each other. For example, the basic function of motor vehicles is basically the same – to move people and objects from point A to B in reasonable comfort and safety. Yet there are many different types of motor vehicles such as motor scooters, motor cycles, trucks, cars and SUVs and many variations even within these categories. There are many firms in each monopolistic competition product group and many firms on the side lines prepared to enter the market. A product group is a â€Å"collection of similar products†. The fact that there are â€Å"many firms† gives each MC firm the freedom to set prices without engaging in strategic decision making regarding the prices of other firms and each firm's actions have a negligible impact on the market. For example, a firm could cut prices and increase sales without fear that its actions will prompt retaliatory responses from competitors. How many firms will an MC market structure support at market equilibrium? The answer depends on factors such as fixed costs, economies of scale and the degree of product differentiation. For example, the higher the fixed costs, the fewer firms the market will support. Also the greater the degree of product differentiation – the more the firm can separate itself from the pack – the fewer firms there will be at market equilibrium. In the long run there is free entry and exit. There are numerous firms waiting to enter the market each with its own â€Å"unique† product or in pursuit of positive profits and any firm unable to cover its costs can leave the market without incurring liquidation costs. This assumption implies that there are low start up costs, no sunk costs and no exit costs. The cost of entering and exit is very low. Each monopolistic competition firm independently sets the terms of exchange for its product. The firm gives no consideration to what effect its decision may have on competitors. The theory is that any action will have such a negligible effect on the overall market demand that an MC firm can act without fear of prompting heightened competition. In other words each firm feels free to set prices as if it were a monopoly rather than an oligopoly. Monopolistic competition firms have some degree of market power. Market power means that the firm has control over the terms and conditions of exchange. An MC firm can raise it prices without losing all its customers. The firm can also lower prices without triggering a potentially ruinous price war with competitors. The source of an MC firm's market power is not barriers to entry since they are low. Rather, an MC firm has market power because it has relatively few competitors, those competitors do not engage in strategic decision making and the firms sells differentiated product. Market power also means that an MC firm faces a downward sloping demand curve. The demand curve is highly elastic although not â€Å"flat†. There are two sources of inefficiency in the MC market structure. First, at its optimum output the firm charges a price that exceeds marginal costs, the MC firm maximizes profits where MR = MC. Since the MC firm's demand curve is downward sloping this means that the firm will be charging a price that exceeds marginal costs. The monopoly power possessed by an MC firm means that at its profit maximizing level of production there will be a net loss of consumer (and producer) surplus. The second source of inefficiency is the fact that MC firms operate with excess capacity. That is, the MC firm's profit maximizing output is less than the output associated with minimum average cost. Both a PC and MC firm will operate at a point where demand or price equals average cost. For a PC firm this equilibrium condition occurs where the perfectly elastic demand curve equals minimum average cost. A MC firm’s demand curve is not flat but is downward sloping. Thus in the long run the demand curve will be tangent to the long run average cost curve at a point to the left of its minimum. The result is excess capacity. While monopolistically competitive firms are inefficient, it is usually the case that the costs of regulating prices for every product that is sold in monopolistic competition far exceed the benefits of such regulation. The government would have to regulate all firms that sold heterogeneous products—an impossible proposition in a  market economy. A monopolistically competitive firm might be said to be marginally inefficient because the firm produces at an output where average total cost is not a minimum. A monopolistically competitive market might be said to be a marginally inefficient market structure because marginal cost is less than price in the long run. Another concern of critics of monopolistic competition is that it fosters  advertising  and the creation of  brand names. Critics argue that advertising induces customers into spending more on products because of the name associated with them rather than because of rational factors. Defenders of advertising dispute this, arguing that brand names can represent a guarantee of quality and that advertising helps reduce the cost to consumers of weighing the tradeoffs of numerous competing brands. There are unique information and information processing costs associated with selecting a brand in a monopolistically competitive environment. In a monopoly market, the consumer is faced with a single brand, making information gathering relatively inexpensive. In a perfectly competitive industry, the consumer is faced with many brands, but because the brands are virtually identical information gathering is also relatively inexpensive. In a monopolistically competitive market, the consumer must collect and process information on a large number of different brands to be able to select the best of them. In many cases, the cost of gathering information necessary to selecting the best brand can exceed the benefit of consuming the best brand instead of a randomly selected brand. Evidence suggests that consumers use information obtained from advertising not only to assess the single brand advertised, but also to infer the possible existence of brands that the consumer has, heretofore, not observed, as well as to infer consumer satisfaction with brands similar to the advertised brand The advantages of monopolistic competition Monopolistic competition can bring the following advantages: 1. There are no significant  barriers to entry; therefore markets are relatively  contestable. 2. Differentiation creates diversity, choice and utility. For example, a typical high street in any town will have a number of different restaurants from which to choose. 3. The market is more efficient than monopoly but less efficient than perfect competition – less allocatively and less productively efficient. However, they may be dynamically efficient, innovative in terms of new production processes or new products. For example, retailers often constantly have to develop new ways to attract and retain local custom. The disadvantages of monopolistic competition There are several potential disadvantages associated with monopolistic competition, including: 1. Some differentiation does not create utility but generates unnecessary waste, such as excess packaging. Advertising may also be considered wasteful, though most is informative rather than persuasive. 2. As the diagram illustrates, assuming profit maximisation, there is allocative inefficiency in both the long and short run. This is  because price is above marginal cost in both cases. In the long run the firm is less allocatively inefficient, but it is still inefficient. . There is a tendency for excess capacity because firms can never fully exploit their fixed factors because mass production is difficult. This means they are  productively inefficient  in both the long and short run. However, this is may be outweighed by the advantages of diversity and choice. As an economic model of competition, monopolistic competition is more realistic than perfect competition – many famil iar and commonplace markets have many of the characteristics of this model. Conclusion Our study gives us an opportunity to come to the following conclusion. Monopolistic competition is a  market structure  in which several or many  sellers  each produce similar, but  slightly  differentiated  products. Each producer  can set its  price  and quantity without affecting the marketplace as a whole. Monopolistic competition differs from perfect competition in that production does not take place at the lowest possible cost. Because of this, firms are left with excess production capacity. It is a type of competition within an industry where: * All firms produce similar yet not perfectly substitutable products. All firms are able to enter the industry if the profits are attractive. * All firms are profit maximizers. * All firms have some market power, which means none are price takers. Monopolistic competition has certain features, one of which is that there are large number of sellers producing differentiated products. So, competition among them is very keen. Since number of sellers is large, each seller produces a very smal l part of market supply. So no seller is in a position to control price of product. Every firm is limited in its size. Product differentiation is one of the most important features of monopolistic competition. In perfect competition, products are homogeneous in nature. On the contrary, here, every producer tries to keep his product dissimilar than his rival's product in order to maintain his separate identity. This boosts up the competition in market. So, every firm acquires some monopoly power. The feature of freedom of entry and exit leads to stiff competition in market. Free entry into the market enables new firms to come with close substitutes. Free entry or exit maintains normal profit in the market for a longer span of time. Selling cost is another unique feature of monopolistic competition. In such type of market, due to product differentiation, every firm has to incur some additional expenditure in the form of selling cost. This cost includes sales promotion expenses, advertisement expenses, salaries of marketing staff, etc. And the last feature of monopolistic competition is that a firm is facing downward sloping demand curve i. e. elastic demand curve. It means one can sell more at lower price and vice versa. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Ayers R. and Collinge R. , Microeconomics, Pearson, 2003 2. J. Gans, S. King, N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, Thomson Learning, 2003 3. Hirschey, M, Managerial Economics Rev. Ed, Dryden, 2000 4. http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/390037/monopolistic-competition 5. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/m/monopolisticmarket. asp 6. http://kalyan-city. blogspot. com/2010/11/monopolistic-competition-meaning. html Monopolistic Competition INTRODUCTION Pure monopoly and perfect competition are two extreme cases of market structure. In reality, there are markets having large number of producers competing with each other in order to sell their product in the market. Thus, there is monopoly on the one hand and perfect competition, on the other hand. Such a mixture of monopoly and perfect competition is called monopolistic competition. It is a case of imperfect competition. The model of monopolistic competition describes a common  market structure  in which firms have many competitors, but each one sells a slightly different product. Monopolistic competition as a market structure was first identified in the 1930s by American economist  Edward Chamberlin, and English economist  Joan Robinson. Many small businesses operate under conditions of monopolistic competition, including independently owned and operated high-street stores and restaurants. In the case of restaurants, each one offers something different and possesses an element of uniqueness, but all are essentially competing for the same customers. The aim of the given work is the study of monopolistic competition. The paper consists of introduction, body, conclusion and bibliography. In the introduction the aim of the work is defined and the structure of the paper is described. The body gives the definition of monopolistic competition, studies it main characteristics and comments on the main advantages and disadvantages of monopolistic competition. Conclusion sums up the results of the study. Bibliography comprises the list of references used when carrying out the work. MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION Monopolistic competition  is a type of  imperfect competition  such that competing producers sell products that are  differentiated  from one another as good but not perfect  substitutes, such as from branding, quality, or location. In monopolistic competition, a firm takes the prices charged by its rivals as given and ignores the impact of its own prices on the prices of other firms. In a monopolistically competitive market, firms can behave like  monopolies  in the  short run, including by using market power to generate profit. In the  long run, however, other firms enter the market and the benefits of differentiation decrease with competition; the market becomes more like a  perfectly competitive  one where firms cannot gain economic profit. In practice, however, if consumer rationality/innovativeness is low and heuristics are preferred,  monopolistic competition  can fall into  natural monopoly, even in the complete absence of government intervention. In the presence of coercive government, monopolistic competition will fall into  government-granted monopoly. Unlike perfect competition, the firm maintains spare capacity. Models of monopolistic competition are often used to model industries. Examples of industries with market structures similar to monopolistic competition include  restaurants,  cereal,  clothing,  shoes, and service industries in large cities. The â€Å"founding father† of the theory of monopolistic competition is  Edward Hastings Chamberlin, who wrote a pioneering book on the subject  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Theory of Monopolistic Competition†Ã‚  (1933). Joan Robinson  published a book  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Economics of Imperfect Competition†Ã‚  with a comparable theme of distinguishing perfect from imperfect competition. Monopolistically competitive markets have the following characteristics: * There are many producers and many consumers in the market, and no business has total control over the market price. * Consumers perceive that there are non-price differences among the competitors' products. There are few  barriers to entry  and exit. * Producers have a degree of control over price. The long-run characteristics of a monopolistically competitive market are almost the same as a perfectly competitive market. Two differences between the two are that monopolistic competition produces heterogeneous products and that monopolistic competition involves a great deal of non-price competition, which is based on subtle product differentiation. A firm making profits in the short run will nonetheless only  break even  in the long run because demand will decrease and average total cost will increase. This means in the long run, a monopolistically competitive firm will make zero  economic profit. This illustrates the amount of influence the firm has over the market; because of brand loyalty, it can raise its prices without losing all of its customers. This means that an individual firm's demand curve is downward sloping, in contrast to perfect competition, which has a  perfectly elastic  demand schedule. Monopolistically competitive markets exhibit the following characteristics: 1. Each firm makes independent decisions about price and output, based on its product, its market, and its  costs of production. . Knowledge is widely spread between participants, but it is unlikely to be perfect. For example, diners can review all the menus available from restaurants in a town, before they make their choice. Once inside the restaurant, they can view the menu again, before ordering. However, they cannot fully appreciate the restaurant or the meal until after they have dined. 3. The   entrepreneur  has a more significant role than in firms that are perfectly competitive because of the increased risks associated with decision making. 4. There is freedom to enter or leave the market, as there are no major  barriers to entry  or exit. 5. A central feature of monopolistic competition is that products are differentiated. There are four main types of differentiation: a. Physical product differentiation, where firms use size, design, colour, shape, performance, and features to make their products different. For example, consumer electronics can easily be physically differentiated. b. Marketing differentiation, where firms try to differentiate their product by distinctive packaging and other promotional techniques. For example, breakfast cereals can easily be differentiated through packaging. c. Human capital differentiation, where the firm creates differences through the skill of its employees, the level of training received, distinctive uniforms, and so on. d. Differentiation through distribution, including distribution via mail order or through internet shopping, such as Amazon. com, which differentiates itself from traditional bookstores by selling online. 6. Firms are  price makers  and are faced with a downward sloping  demand curve. Because each firm makes a unique product, it can charge a higher or lower price than its rivals. The firm can set its own price and does not have to ‘take' it from the industry as a whole, though the industry price may be a guideline, or becomes a constraint. This also means that the demand curve will slope downwards. 7. Firms  operating under monopolistic competition usually  have to engage in advertising. Firms are often in fierce competition with other (local) firms offering a similar product or service, and may need to advertise on a local basis, to let customers know their differences. Common methods of advertising for these firms are through local press and radio, local cinema, posters, leaflets and special promotions. 8. Monopolistically competitive firms are assumed to be  profit maximisers  because firms tend to be small with entrepreneurs actively involved in managing the business. 9. There are usually a large numbers of independent firms competing in the market. Product differentiation Monopolistic competition firms sell products that have real or perceived non-price differences. However, the differences are not so great as to eliminate other goods as substitutes. Technically, the cross price elasticity of demand between goods in such a market is positive. In fact, the XED would be high. Monopolistic competition goods are best described as close but imperfect substitutes. The goods perform the same basic functions but have differences in qualities such as type, style, quality, reputation, appearance, and location that tend to distinguish them from each other. For example, the basic function of motor vehicles is basically the same – to move people and objects from point A to B in reasonable comfort and safety. Yet there are many different types of motor vehicles such as motor scooters, motor cycles, trucks, cars and SUVs and many variations even within these categories. There are many firms in each monopolistic competition product group and many firms on the side lines prepared to enter the market. A product group is a â€Å"collection of similar products†. The fact that there are â€Å"many firms† gives each MC firm the freedom to set prices without engaging in strategic decision making regarding the prices of other firms and each firm's actions have a negligible impact on the market. For example, a firm could cut prices and increase sales without fear that its actions will prompt retaliatory responses from competitors. How many firms will an MC market structure support at market equilibrium? The answer depends on factors such as fixed costs, economies of scale and the degree of product differentiation. For example, the higher the fixed costs, the fewer firms the market will support. Also the greater the degree of product differentiation – the more the firm can separate itself from the pack – the fewer firms there will be at market equilibrium. In the long run there is free entry and exit. There are numerous firms waiting to enter the market each with its own â€Å"unique† product or in pursuit of positive profits and any firm unable to cover its costs can leave the market without incurring liquidation costs. This assumption implies that there are low start up costs, no sunk costs and no exit costs. The cost of entering and exit is very low. Each monopolistic competition firm independently sets the terms of exchange for its product. The firm gives no consideration to what effect its decision may have on competitors. The theory is that any action will have such a negligible effect on the overall market demand that an MC firm can act without fear of prompting heightened competition. In other words each firm feels free to set prices as if it were a monopoly rather than an oligopoly. Monopolistic competition firms have some degree of market power. Market power means that the firm has control over the terms and conditions of exchange. An MC firm can raise it prices without losing all its customers. The firm can also lower prices without triggering a potentially ruinous price war with competitors. The source of an MC firm's market power is not barriers to entry since they are low. Rather, an MC firm has market power because it has relatively few competitors, those competitors do not engage in strategic decision making and the firms sells differentiated product. Market power also means that an MC firm faces a downward sloping demand curve. The demand curve is highly elastic although not â€Å"flat†. There are two sources of inefficiency in the MC market structure. First, at its optimum output the firm charges a price that exceeds marginal costs, the MC firm maximizes profits where MR = MC. Since the MC firm's demand curve is downward sloping this means that the firm will be charging a price that exceeds marginal costs. The monopoly power possessed by an MC firm means that at its profit maximizing level of production there will be a net loss of consumer (and producer) surplus. The second source of inefficiency is the fact that MC firms operate with excess capacity. That is, the MC firm's profit maximizing output is less than the output associated with minimum average cost. Both a PC and MC firm will operate at a point where demand or price equals average cost. For a PC firm this equilibrium condition occurs where the perfectly elastic demand curve equals minimum average cost. A MC firm’s demand curve is not flat but is downward sloping. Thus in the long run the demand curve will be tangent to the long run average cost curve at a point to the left of its minimum. The result is excess capacity. While monopolistically competitive firms are inefficient, it is usually the case that the costs of regulating prices for every product that is sold in monopolistic competition far exceed the benefits of such regulation. The government would have to regulate all firms that sold heterogeneous products—an impossible proposition in a  market economy. A monopolistically competitive firm might be said to be marginally inefficient because the firm produces at an output where average total cost is not a minimum. A monopolistically competitive market might be said to be a marginally inefficient market structure because marginal cost is less than price in the long run. Another concern of critics of monopolistic competition is that it fosters  advertising  and the creation of  brand names. Critics argue that advertising induces customers into spending more on products because of the name associated with them rather than because of rational factors. Defenders of advertising dispute this, arguing that brand names can represent a guarantee of quality and that advertising helps reduce the cost to consumers of weighing the tradeoffs of numerous competing brands. There are unique information and information processing costs associated with selecting a brand in a monopolistically competitive environment. In a monopoly market, the consumer is faced with a single brand, making information gathering relatively inexpensive. In a perfectly competitive industry, the consumer is faced with many brands, but because the brands are virtually identical information gathering is also relatively inexpensive. In a monopolistically competitive market, the consumer must collect and process information on a large number of different brands to be able to select the best of them. In many cases, the cost of gathering information necessary to selecting the best brand can exceed the benefit of consuming the best brand instead of a randomly selected brand. Evidence suggests that consumers use information obtained from advertising not only to assess the single brand advertised, but also to infer the possible existence of brands that the consumer has, heretofore, not observed, as well as to infer consumer satisfaction with brands similar to the advertised brand The advantages of monopolistic competition Monopolistic competition can bring the following advantages: 1. There are no significant  barriers to entry; therefore markets are relatively  contestable. 2. Differentiation creates diversity, choice and utility. For example, a typical high street in any town will have a number of different restaurants from which to choose. 3. The market is more efficient than monopoly but less efficient than perfect competition – less allocatively and less productively efficient. However, they may be dynamically efficient, innovative in terms of new production processes or new products. For example, retailers often constantly have to develop new ways to attract and retain local custom. The disadvantages of monopolistic competition There are several potential disadvantages associated with monopolistic competition, including: 1. Some differentiation does not create utility but generates unnecessary waste, such as excess packaging. Advertising may also be considered wasteful, though most is informative rather than persuasive. 2. As the diagram illustrates, assuming profit maximisation, there is allocative inefficiency in both the long and short run. This is  because price is above marginal cost in both cases. In the long run the firm is less allocatively inefficient, but it is still inefficient. . There is a tendency for excess capacity because firms can never fully exploit their fixed factors because mass production is difficult. This means they are  productively inefficient  in both the long and short run. However, this is may be outweighed by the advantages of diversity and choice. As an economic model of competition, monopolistic competition is more realistic than perfect competition – many famil iar and commonplace markets have many of the characteristics of this model. Conclusion Our study gives us an opportunity to come to the following conclusion. Monopolistic competition is a  market structure  in which several or many  sellers  each produce similar, but  slightly  differentiated  products. Each producer  can set its  price  and quantity without affecting the marketplace as a whole. Monopolistic competition differs from perfect competition in that production does not take place at the lowest possible cost. Because of this, firms are left with excess production capacity. It is a type of competition within an industry where: * All firms produce similar yet not perfectly substitutable products. All firms are able to enter the industry if the profits are attractive. * All firms are profit maximizers. * All firms have some market power, which means none are price takers. Monopolistic competition has certain features, one of which is that there are large number of sellers producing differentiated products. So, competition among them is very keen. Since number of sellers is large, each seller produces a very smal l part of market supply. So no seller is in a position to control price of product. Every firm is limited in its size. Product differentiation is one of the most important features of monopolistic competition. In perfect competition, products are homogeneous in nature. On the contrary, here, every producer tries to keep his product dissimilar than his rival's product in order to maintain his separate identity. This boosts up the competition in market. So, every firm acquires some monopoly power. The feature of freedom of entry and exit leads to stiff competition in market. Free entry into the market enables new firms to come with close substitutes. Free entry or exit maintains normal profit in the market for a longer span of time. Selling cost is another unique feature of monopolistic competition. In such type of market, due to product differentiation, every firm has to incur some additional expenditure in the form of selling cost. This cost includes sales promotion expenses, advertisement expenses, salaries of marketing staff, etc. And the last feature of monopolistic competition is that a firm is facing downward sloping demand curve i. e. elastic demand curve. It means one can sell more at lower price and vice versa. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Ayers R. and Collinge R. , Microeconomics, Pearson, 2003 2. J. Gans, S. King, N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics, Thomson Learning, 2003 3. Hirschey, M, Managerial Economics Rev. Ed, Dryden, 2000 4. http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/390037/monopolistic-competition 5. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/m/monopolisticmarket. asp 6. http://kalyan-city. blogspot. com/2010/11/monopolistic-competition-meaning. html