Nanogene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Nanogene - Essay Example ployees, which are also partial owners of the company; a concept that most organizations are pursuing in contemporary management, but with conventional practices such as differential organizational and human resource practices, salary and remuneration practices, rewards and recognition policies, etc. Most organizations also strive to align these practices and policies with their vision and mission; but the strategic alignment always has gaps and breeds inefficiency someway or other. Thus, employee commitment and responsibility, in the form of ownership, as well as its engaging culture are the reasons for its competitive edge in the market. On the contrary, present situation at Namaste Solar, which is to scale up their business in order to sustain their position in the highly competitive and volatile market, needs serious thought on aspects related to growth and expansion on larger scale compared to their previous smaller steps. All founders and employee-owners recognize this fact at Namaste, and that they have immense potential to grow and make larger profits. After much discussion and meetings held with all employees, as followed in its culture, Namaste Solar is now faced with three options, either to sell, invite external investment for a larger stake or retain its original values, vision and mission. Namaste’s culture, vision and values will be at stake if it decides on either first or second option, which on the other hand promise better growth and profits for the company. These options however do not promise growth and profits for Namaste’s employees as the new entrants and/or stakeholders would come with different expectations that may not match with Namaste’s culture; in this case, employees that are used to one way of leading their company and giving commitment may not be able to adjust to the new change and differences. This is probably a disadvantage of Namaste’s model that is its existence and sustenance in long run. Considering vast

Chinese martial arts Essay Example for Free

Chinese martial arts Essay Shamis: Way to Shaolin is a traditional dance performed by the Kung Fu Monks of Shaolin. Dance exists in many forms and can fulfil different functions: ritual, social or artistic. This particular dance fits into the ritual and artistic function. When performed and practised, ritual dance serves a strong function in sustaining the life of people through the culture and its procedures. Artistic dance is performed to be looked at and to entertain onlookers. The work itself can also be a means of expressing ones thoughts and feelings (Snook. B, 2004, p47-49). This essay will prove that the ritual function is most predominant in Shamis: Way to Shaolin. The ancient collection of Chinese martial arts referred to as Shaolin Kung Fu was created by a Buddhist Monk called Bodhidharma or Tamo who attempted to teach the monks of Shaolin the discipline of Zen meditation. They were not physically capable for the rigorous regime so he then continued to create a series of exercises to build up their health and increase their stamina (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 2). The exercises were both physiological and physical; the â€Å"goal being to control the body through the power of the mind† (The History of the Shaolin Monastery, 2008, para 1). The martial arts were developed out of necessity as the monks had to defend the monastery from thieves who tried to rob them of their treasures (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 3). Today, Shaolin Kung Fu is still practised and used for self-defence, health, fitness, character development, spiritual cultivation and life enrichment (Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu, ND, para 3, 4 and 6). The ritual function is clearly the most predominant function in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin, because of the great history and meaning of Shaolin Kung Fu to the Buddhist monks and the way it is performed. The dance components in Shamis: Way to Shaolin clearly fulfil the ritual function of dance due to the culture and beliefs represented. The dancers are all male Chinese Buddhist monks and they are wearing traditional outfits. The orange robes are dated back centuries and were originally chosen because of the dye available at the time. They are meant to symbolize simplicity and detachment of materialism (Exotissimo, 2010, para 1). The dancers are respecting themselves and others as they all bow together at the beginning of the performance and stand in a meditation position on one leg before dancing. The thin, wooden poles used in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin are martial art weapons used for defence. The monks are representing themselves as warriors protecting their beloved monastery which is part of their history. This is realised as the stage is representing the outside of their monastery with large doors opening outside to steps which lead downwards and have 2 Chinese statues guarding them. The movements of the Shaolin monks are also very sharp and aggressive. They shout HA! loudly together on particularly strong movements as a warning signal and to show it is their territory and monastery. This is a characteristic of ritual dance as the performance is portraying a function. The dancers engage themselves entirely on the performance using immense concentration and focus. Repetition, a characteristic of ritual dance, is used as the monks repeatedly twirl their poles and bang them on the ground. The ritual function is most predominant as the Buddhist monks are dancing for themselves for enlightenment as well as for their culture and beliefs. There are also dance components that fulfil the artistic function of dance within Shamis: Way to Shaolin. It is choreographed and performed onstage for an audience. The dance begins with a loud gong and then fast-paced, traditional music is played which is whistling and chiming. The music is played to assist the audience in understanding and enjoying the performance. The monks mostly all dance together in sync at the same time, the majority of the time in a 3 straight lined formation facing the audience. This is an artistic element because the dancers have practised their routine so that it would be appealing to watch. A smoke machine is used when the male dancers enter onto the stage and go down the steps which provide levels within the performance. Levels are again used during the dance because they are regularly leaping, crouching and jumping. At the end most of them go to either side and sit while watching 2 monks fight dance with poles in the middle. These components are all used for the benefit of the audience and the overall effectiveness of the dance. Therefore the dance is also clearly fulfilling the artistic function. The ritual and artistic functions are seamlessly combined in this dance. The artistic function includes music, formations, cannons and levels. The ritual function is more complex representing their culture and beliefs with the dancers being Buddhist monks, wearing traditional outfits, doing meditation and Martial Arts/Kung-Fu etc. Together the two functions create an unforgettable production with the ritual being the most predominant. Bibliography Exotissimo Blog (December 21, 2010) [online] Why do Buddhist monks wear orange robes and shave their heads? http://www. exotissimo. com/blog/buddhist-monk/ (13/03/2013) DVD Shamis: Way to Shaolin. 2001. (Live show video recording) South Australia, IMS Entertaining SA. Schaffhausen Book Snook. B, (2004) Dance Count Me In, McGraw Hill PTY LTD (p47-49) Shaolin Kung Fu History (date unknown) [online] ChinatownConnection. com http://www. chinatownconnection. com/shaolin-kung-fu-history. htm (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu (date unknown) [online] General Kung Fu Aims http://www. shaolin. org/general/kungfu-aims. html (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Mystical power of Shaolin Kung Fu (2008) [online] The History of the Shaolin Monastery http://www. shaolinmonksinmalta. com/ (date accessed 2/03/2013).

SABMiller PESTLE and SWOT Analysis

SABMiller PESTLE and SWOT Analysis INTRODUCTION: SABMiller is an international brewing company which not only relates with brewing business but also deal with hotels and gaming world. SABMiller Company comes from the organization SAB (The South African Breweries Limited) which was founded in 1895 and the position of SABMiller in todays market is they are having 98% share of the beer market. The main objective of an organization is to achieve commercial success in beer and other beverages by gaining customer satisfaction over quality and services as well as by fulfilling stakeholders expectation. For achieving this objective organization fulfill their goals of business growth and maximized long term shareholder value. SABMiller plays an important role in the South African soft drink market by holding 74% interest in Amalgamated Beverage Industry Ltd, the worlds largest bottling company of Coco-Cola products with an ownership of Appletiser South Africa Private Ltd. At the end of 31 M arch 2009, SABMiller is listed on the London and J ohannesburg stock exchanges, the group reported US$3,405 million in adjusted as pretax profit and group revenue of US$25,302 million. http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=180 (Accessed: 17/12/2009) HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT: BECOMING A GLOBAL BREWER HISTORY OF SAB: The South African Breweries Limited (SAB) was founded in 1895 and today SABMiller holds 98 percent share of the beer market. Jones, Adam (2003). In 1895 The South African Breweries Limited (SAB) is incorporated in London. SAB gain an ownership of Castle Brewery in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the same year company got a listing on London stock exchange, a brand new product Castle Larger got launched from a new commissioned lager brewery having capacity of 50,000 barrels per annum. In 1897 SAB got a position in Johannesburg Stock Exchange, SAB was the first industrial company which got listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and got first industrial share. In 1898SAB started producing Castle lager, which becomes a phenomenal success. In 1911 SAB started importing seeds free of charges and reduced to buy crop at market prices which results in stimulation in local market. In 1925 by buying a stake in the Schweppes Company, SAB diversifies into soft drinks. In 1950 SAB moved head office from London to Johannesburg. In 1956 SAB purchased Ohlssons Cape Breweries and Chandlers Union Breweries take, resulting union of three largest South African brewing companies and SAB gained 90 percent of the domestic market.. In 1994 by gaining joint venture with China Resources Enterprise Limited, SAB accessed in the Chinese beer market. In 1999 SAB reestablished headquarters in London. SABs divestment program reduces interests in beer, soft drinks, wines and spirits, and hotel and gaming. In 2000 SAB gain an accessed in Indian market by acquiring Narang Breweries and purchased its first brewery plant. http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=27 (Accessed: 17/12/2009) ESTABLISHMENT OF SABMILLER: In 2002 Company changes its name to SABMiller as SAB acquired number two U.S beer maker Miller Brewing Company for $3.48 billion in stock. In 2003Company purchased 60% stocks of Birra Peroni, Italys number two brewer. This was the first major investment SABMiller did in Western Europe. In 2005 Company merge with a Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, South Americas second largest brewer In 2008 SABMiller got control over Grolsch by acquisition and announced the construction of a new beverage plant in Juba, Southern Sudan. http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=27 (Accessed: 18/12/2009) STRATEGIC POSITION OF SAB IN 2007: According to many authors, Strategy plays an important role in organization for achieving objective and getting exposure in the corporate market, for example according to Andrews (1980) strategy can define various factors of an organization such as company policies, its range of business, its human and economic organization and its contribution to stakeholder. Johnson and Scholes (1999) cited strategy as a scope and direction of an organization over the long term period. To meet the proper need of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations, organisazation must utilize proper configuration of resources within a flexible environment to gain advantage. According to Grant (1995) corporate strategy deals with the ways in which a corporation manages a set of business together. By understanding the concepts of these authors and to identify the Strategic position of SAB it is must to analyze factors like business environment, core competencies, capabilities and stakeholder expectation, and these factors will be analyze by using PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis. SABMiller is a operating throughout the world and its networking is globalized if we compare its position in year 2007. It is having a good developed and mature market in many countries throughout the world, such as South Africa (Local market), Rest of Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, USA and Western Europe, Latin America. Let us discuss different markets of SABMiller throughout the world. SABMiller is having a well known and traditional market in South Africa. SABMiller monopolized different industries. Sales show that the growth potential is very low but profit factor is still there as customers are trading up to the segments. AIDS is a huge threat for the company in terms of availability of work force and this will play a negative impact on the disposable income of the population which will affect SABMiller. The market in South Africa is under threat. The market in Rest of Africa is highly potential having volatile political landscape. Business in Rest of Africa is explore and presence in Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and many on and still continue to grow, which is helped by clear segmentation strategy and by border distribution. These markets trade in soft currencies which is a very risky factor as seen in Botswana. By analyzing these markets in SABMiller portfolio the risk factor might lose confidence from stakeholders, as many core competences of SABMiller were developed in these markets. Markets in Asia and Eastern Europe show different characteristics like highly fragments, increasing disposable income and Due to these characteristics SABMiller gain an easy access to enter into these markets. While penetrating in Indian and Chinese market, SABMiller faced different problems like regulations and high competition but they are still exploring and expanding themselves in the markets like Vietnam. The markets in Western Europe and USA are very different to the once that SABMiller used to operate, as these are highly saturated and concentrated. Due to the perception made by stakeholders they traded too much using soft currencies. Miller started losing market quickly and SAB took an advantage over it and bring its own performance rating System to monitor employee. SABMiller perform very well in Latin American market. They were constantly doing their best in Latin American market. SABMiller put great efforts to take over Grupo Empresarial Bavaria and they have done it. PESTEL ANALYSIS: (P)OLITICAL: While dealing with government a great political sensitivity is needed. SABMiller faced problems in Regulation and Quality laws (e.g. Countries like India and China) for producing beer in large quantity and to gain economy of scale. Productivity got affected due to the political stability in certain countries like Botswana. (E)CONOMIC: SABMiller got really hurt because of devaluation of soft currencies. Markets in India and China gave very low profit margin. A highly rising cost of energy and aluminum affects the profitability. Latin market of SABMiller increased from 25.2 to 52.1 % which make harder to get out money from the market. Development of Fragmented market facilitate easer takeover. (S)OCIAL: SABMiller got adversely affected by new trends like wines and Spirits. Lifestyles in emerging markets have changed and beer consumption got increased due to the increase in the availability of disposable income. A devastating effect (T)ECHNOLOGICAL: Due to modern machinery, new packing can be easily introduced as evidenced in Czech. Easier to manage the ever broadening distribution network. A variation of beer got introduced in to the market. (E)NVIRONMENTAL: SABMillers profitability adversely got affected due to weather condition in Latin American market in 2006. (L)EGAL: Due to the local law, takeover attempts may generate problems. SWOT ANALYSIS: (S)TRENGTHS: Very strong in local market. Excellent portfolio and a large brand. High operational productivity. Different skills to succeed in developing markets. Economy scale is very high due to large market shares in some markets. Strong distribution channels and global networking. (W)EAKNESSES: Tendency of acquisitions. Dependability over the Soft currency. Expertise limited to the brewing industry only. Government acts as a key player, as main market are in highly volatile areas like Africa and Asia. (O)PPORTUNITY: Strongly growth of emerging markets. It is easy for SABMiller to buy in to a market with the help of highly fragmented developing mark (T)HREATS: AIDS problem in South Africa. Constantly rising cost of energy and aluminium affects the SABMiller profitability. Strong competition in countries India and China. SABMiller got affected adversely due to the new trends like wines and spirits. STRATEGIC IMPLIMENTATION IN FUTURE: A current strategic position of SABMillers has provided information about opportunities and challenges which it face in its business environment but it does not match with stake holder expectations, core competences and market reality because of which a dilemma got generated for SABMiller. To get proper strategy implementation in future for SABMiller a tool Ansoff Matrix is used. There are different choices available to SABMiller. CONSOLIDATION: By holding firms in the developing market this strategy will focus on reducing market risk like Western Europe, USA and Africa. This does not give any importance to competences developed by the company by initiating risky moves. As the company is highly efficient it is easily feasible. But the main issue is acceptance of this strategy as stake holders would not be really happy with this choice. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: This is very flexible and aggressive strategy where by company can respond by developing new products to the market. Premium beer segment is rapidly growing, as company will get a good product opportunity. For most parts, this strategy will be a usual business strategy and will build on what company has been doing throughout the year. But the growth of future is balance without any guaranty as customers (Drinkers) can be fiercely loyal to their existing brand. Stake holders will surely accept this strategy as it is certainly feasible. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: A new market segment is called as market development. SABMiller is having an excellent reputation in the brewing industry and by using this strategy SABMiller can easily tap out its competitors. African market is having a high potential for expansion of SABMiller. But small factors like AIDS, political instability and soft currencies are worrying the stakeholders if SABMiller decided to expand in Africa. This strategy will give highly profitable in markets like Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, as Miller gain success in Russian market by using this strategy. The problem which may occur will be of stakeholders expectation and which totally depends on market condition. JOINT VENTURE: This is the strategy which will be useful for the SABMiller in USA and Western European market. A joint venture with a major western brewer can bring to the table what SABMiller lacks (Penetration into competitive and saturated market). But the problem is of risk factor. As it is very risky business, opening up the developing markets to high profile competitor. DIVERSIFICATION: It is the least attractive strategy which SABMiller can use as an option. SABMiller is one of those companies which are having a true portfolio management. The implementation of synergy portfolio logic will be interested to see as it can work in favor of SABMiller by adding business to its portfolio which gives compliment and support to its core brewery business. ANSOFF MATRIX ANALYSIS: MARKET PENETRATION: Introduction of SABMillers premium brands in the USA and Western European market. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: Global expansion, particularly in developed and saturated market. New breweries in countries like Indian, Chinese and Vietnam. Development in border distribution channels in Africa. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Rapid growth of premium segment offers product development opportunity to SABMiller. DIVERSIFICATION: SABMiller is already having true portfolio of hotels, gambling centers and a match factory. CONCLUSION: From the past history SABMiller has shown a core competency in developing strategies and environmental scanning. The failure of penetrating in the saturated market and to defend its market from emerging competitors must be a challenging task for SABMiller. In future SABMiller have to face tough competition from its rivals. The key to SABMillers success will be a proper implementation of strategy and its brand portfolio. REFERENCES:  · Andrews, K.R. (1965), The concept of corporate strategy, New York: Dow Jones-Irwin.  · Grant, R.M (1995) Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 2nd edition, Basil Blackwell: Oxford  · Johnson, G and Scholes, K (1999) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and cause (5th edn). Harlow: Person Education.  · www.sabmiller.com http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=180 (Accessed: 17/12/2009)  · http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=27 (Accessed: 17/12/2009) BIBLOGRAPHY:  · Anderson, Robert, and John Willman, SAB Buys Czech Republics Largest Brewer,Financial Times,October 8, 1999, p. 23.  · Andrews, K.R. (1965), The concept of corporate strategy  · Ansoff, H.I. (1965), Corporate strategy: an analytic approach to business policy for growth and expansion, London: McGraw-Hill.  · Bobinski, Christopher, and Roderick Oram, South African Breweries in Polish Acquisition,Financial Times, 1996.  · Grant, R.M (1995) Contemporary Strategy Analysis, 2nd edition, Basil Blackwell: Oxford  · Johnson, G and Scholes, K (1999) Exploring Corporate Strategy.  · Martin, Peter, Selling Old Beer in New Bottles,Financial Times, 2002.  · Pringle, David, Miller Deal Brings Stability to SAB,Wall Street Journal, 2002.  · Simon, Bernard, An Old School Brewer for Miller,New York Times, 2003.  · â€Å"Trouble Brewing for the ANC,Economist, 1994.  · Willman, John, and Robert Anderson, SAB Is Prepared for More Beer and Scuffles,Financial Times, 1999.  · www.sabmiller.com.

The Awakening: The Fall of Kate Chopin’s Career Essay -- Biography

Did you ever wonder what it was like for a woman to live in the 1800’s? Like in any other decade, there were many memorable events that influenced the writers of this era, but for women writers, this era was characterized by feminism and the fight for women’s rights. Writers like Kate Chopin brought most of the feminist issues to the light through books such as hers, The Awakening. Kate Chopin had a difficult childhood, in which she lost most of her family members. When she began writing, she revealed beliefs of movement of leaders about rights of women. Critics say Chopin based most of the characters in her books on leaders of the movement, on herself, and on regular women of her time. Chopin’s life was in a downward spiral until she started publishing her works of literature. After publishing The Awakening, her life progressively began looking up. Kate Chopin’s birth was in St. Louis on February 8, 1851. Five years later, she started school at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Later on in her schooling, she found a classmate that had the same love for reading and writing as she, but not long after, she had to stop attending school for two years (Adams ix). This was because of the death of her father. Chopin was the only of her three siblings to live a long life. She lived with her widowed mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother (Long). Nine years later, her grandmother passed away. This was only shortly after that passing of her brother (Adams ix). When she finally went back to school, she had picked up her Cajun Uriegas 2 influence (Long). Chopin was now also a nonconformist. Her family owned slaves that she loved spending time with. She took down the union flag and hid it earning the name St. Louis’s littl... ...t 123). The Awakening shows the Creoles living in the French Quarters and how the other Creole Americans live (Hatchet 123). It also shows that the initial influence stayed strong (Hatchet 123). Kate Chopin had her share of rough times in life, but writing was her escape. She used her writing to let people know what was going on the world as far as women’s rights were concerned. The critics say that Chopin showed her rebellious attitude through her characters and the Creole influences that were apparent in her books. Kate Chopin was not a part of the women’s rights movement, but they inspired her writing in many ways. Women of this time had very few rights and what rights they had were not given up. Feminism was on the rise writers like Kate Chopin helped everyone see what women needed and deserved even though their opinions were very controversial.

Iceland Crisis and Causes Led to the Crisis

Iceland and the rest of the world reeling. In retrospect Iceland was essentially operatinglike a firm with a highly unviable growth model. However, the political relationship between Iceland and Britain also greatly added to the economic downturn and financialcrisis. Britain’s use of anti-terrorism laws, in an attempt to protect their economicinvestments in Iceland, essentially labeled Iceland as a terrorist state which onlycontinued to stagnate the inflow of foreign capital.Although without a doubt the primarycause of the Icelandic financial crisis was economic, political factors such as therelationship and interdependence between Iceland and Britain exacerbated the alreadydire situation. Iceland began as an isolated, fairly impoverished country whose survival was based largely on its fishing trade. 1 However, in recent years Iceland had been successfulat establishing itself as a premier offshore banking hub. At one point Icelanders wereecstatic and celebrated the fact that t heir tiny country of about 300,000 people had 3 banks in the worlds largest 300 banks. 2The Icelandic government was able to enticeforeign investors by setting interest rates very high, which encouraged foreigners toinvest largely in financial assets. The large inflow of foreign capital associated with suchmass foreign investment caused the krona to greatly appreciate. Since the krona wasgreatly overvalued it made all imports in both goods and services very inexpensive for Icelanders; the overvalued krona also made it a lot easier for Icelanders to borrow moneyfrom abroad. 3 The high interest rates, gargantuan capital inflow, and an appreciatedcurrency all aided in creating the economic boom that Iceland enjoyed for many years ?This economic boom encouraged Icelanders to borrow from abroad and many failed toforesee that such economic prosperity was limited and that a bust is inevitably going tofollow a boom. The lack of government oversight on the banking system also was an economic factor that led to the financial crisis. One large problem with the Icelandic banking sector is that the banks became so large that the Icelandic government was unable to operate asa lender-of-last-resort simply because Iceland with its mere 300,000 people has a verysmall tax base. 4 At the end of 2006 the total assets of its banks grew to be nine times aslarge as the countries GDP. It would have been less of a problem for the banks to be solarge if they had not remained domiciled in Iceland. It was perhaps too large and ideal of a goal for such a small country like Iceland to become an international financial center. Iceland was essentially acting like a firm when indeed they should have been lookingafter the economic stability of their whole country. The Icelandic government simplylacked the ability to financially sustain their banks in times of economic crisis. If some of the banks in Iceland had foreign lenders-of-last-resort they might have been able toweather out the economic storm.Iceland’s economic growth model was mainly built upon foreigninvestors being able and willing to keep on giving. However, due to the global economiccrisis foreign capital ceased coming in and when it did the myriad of public and privatedebt became quite evident. ? 6 Some analysts argue that problems with the krona have prevented Iceland from being able to control the financial crisis. Since Iceland does not have an effectual currency to manipulate they are largely unable to support the banks andhave no practical ways to bring down the inflation and interest rates, which have beenstaying in the double digits. This is just one of the many economic situations currentlyaffecting Iceland. Without a doubt the prime cause for Iceland’s financial crisis is largely theeconomic circumstances previously discussed. However, political factors such asIceland’s relationship with Britain also played a role in exacerbating the crisis and preventing Iceland from any chance it might have had of financial viability. Iceland andBritain once had a very mutually beneficial friendship, which could be seen in that theywere NATO allies and frequent trading partners.However, as the global economic crisis began to take hold this friendship became tenuous at best. The problems between Icelandand Britain began in late 2008 when Britain, in an attempt to protect its financial assets inIceland, invoke its 2008 anti-terrorism laws to freeze the British assets of a failingIcelandic bank. 8 Specifically Britain froze the assets of Landsbanki and seized the assetsof Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander. 9 The British seizure of Kaupthing Singer &Friedlander was followed shortly by the collapse of its parent bank, Kaupthing, which theIcelandic government had desperately been trying to keep viable.In many Icelanderseyes and certainly in the eyes of the Icelandic government Kaupthing was the last of theMohicans and its demise signaled the end of the Icelandic banking system ? T he political decision to invoke anti-terrorism legislation against Iceland essentially branded it as a terrorist state, which in the eyes of every Icelander was athorough abuse of a small neighbor. Due to this one political action Iceland was listed onthe British Treasury Department’s page with terrorist groups and states such as Al Qaeda,Sudan, and North Korea. 11At this point in the crisis the foreign capital inflows intoIceland were already dismal but this British action triggered an immediate freeze on anyremaining banking transactions between Iceland and abroad. Essentially no one wants todo business with a terrorist state. President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson stated that, â€Å"It(Britain) was absolutely being a bully against a small country because I am absolutelycertain that if it was the case of France and Germany, the British government would nothave acted in the same way- absolutely not†. The Icelandic Prime Minister at the time,Geir H.Haarde, believed that Gord on Brown had â€Å"sacrificed Iceland for his own short-term political gain thereby turning a grave situation into a national disaster†. 12 From the perspective of the Icelandic government their once cordial, neighborly relationship withBritain had been thoroughly abused to the point that a British foreign policy decision played an integral factor in the meltdown of the Icelandic financial sector Undoubtedly Britain’s political decisions affected the financial crisis in Iceland,yet, the Crisis in Iceland also greatly impacted Britain’s economic conditions.Like therest of the world, thanks to the downturn of the global economy Britain has beensuffering its own financial woes. When foreign capital inflows ceased in Iceland thiscaused the krona’s value to fall, which led Icelandic banks to be unable to finance their debts most of which are in foreign currency. This realization by all of the foreigninvestors who were once so eager to invest created a mad rush to get their money out of the failing Icelandic banks.Unfortunately, Icelandic banks did not have proper reservesto cover the massive withdrawals leading all three of Iceland’s banks to be nationalized. 13 Regrettably many British universities, municipal governments, charities and hospitals had been lured in by the high interest rates to invest in Icelandic accounts. CambridgeUniversity had $20 million invested in Icelandic accounts while 15 British police forceshave approximately $170 million frozen in Iceland. 14Many groups that had invested inthe Icelandic banking sector had done so in the convenience of their own home statesthrough the use of online investing sites such as Icesave. co. uk. On their website Icesavenow displays the message that â€Å"We are not currently processing any deposits or withdrawal requests through out Icesave Internet accounts. We apologize for anyinconvenience this may cause our customers†. 15 Certainly for large investors such asCambrid ge University this is much more than a small inconvenienceAt the center of Iceland’s financial troubles is that their banking sector was highlydependent upon a continued inflow of foreign capital. In turn, Iceland’s foreign investorswere also very dependent upon Iceland’s banks to maintain their viability. However,when the inflow of capital stopped the interdependence of Iceland and its investors became very clear. This is exemplified by the Icelandic-British relationship. Britishcitizens and companies alike had been ensorcelled by the call the of high interest rates inIceland.The viability of the banks was based largely on the ability to keep foreign capitalcoming into the country, which allowed the krona to appreciate. When the foreign creditmarket froze and investment decreased drastically the financial interdependence of Iceland and Britain manifested itself Iceland’s main pitfall and cause of its financial crisis is that they essentiallytreated their country as a firm and allowed the banking sector to get far too hugeconsidering, as we have seen, that it had no financial stronghold to back it up.Althoughthe blown-up banking sector and other economic factors created the financial crisis it wascertainly exacerbated by the failed diplomatic relationship between Iceland and Britain. Britain’s use of its antiterrorism legislation only made the economic woes of Icelandworse by essentially making it a pariah that should be avoided by the rest of theinternational community. In the end, Iceland’s financial practices had sown the seeds of their own destruction but the political actions of Britain ensured that it would be a longtime before Iceland’s financial sector will germinate once more.

A modernday revolution American turmoil in the 1960s essays

A modernday revolution American turmoil in the 1960s essays Hubert Humphrey once stated, When we say, One nation under God, with liberty and justice for all, we are talking about all people. We either ought to believe it or quit saying it (Hakim 111). During the 1960s, a great number of people did, in fact, begin to believe it. These years were a time of great change for America. The country was literally redefined as people from all walks of life fought to uphold their standards on what they believed a true democracy is made of; equal rights for all races, freedom of speech, and the right to stay out of wars in which they felt they didnt belong. The music of the era did a lot of defining and upholding as well; in fact, it was a driving force, or at the very least a strongly supporting force, in many of the movements that took place. However, it is to be expected that in attempting to change a nation one will inevitably face opposition. The Vietnamese werent the only ones involved in a civil war those years; in America, one could easily find brother turning against brother, or more commonly, parent against child, as each side fought to defend their views. The 1960s were a major turning point in the history of the U.S, and when it was all over, the American way of life would never be the same. Almost seventy years before the sixties even began, segregation was legalized. As long as both races had equal facilities, it was entirely legal to divide them (Hakim 64-65). In 1955, however, an elderly black woman by the name of Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was arrested. Parks later proved to be the true catalyst of the anti-segregation movement. When news of the arrest reached the black population, action was taken immediately. A massive bus boycott was organized, during which time no one of color could be found on a bus in the Montgomery area. Finally, in 1956, a law was passed proclaiming t...