Vanguardia movement in cuba Essay Example

Vanguardia movement in cuba Paper The art of the Cuban culture goes back to prehistoric times, when thefirst traces where found in caves. This type of art was later labeled as folk art because of their nature and craftsmanship. During the 15th and 16thcenturies the island was full of poverty and not much art streamed out. Painters from foreign countries flooded into Cuba saying it was the key to the new world. The Cubans came back in the 17th and 18th centuries when artists flourished and art became prominent, mainly through Francisco Javier Baez. In modern times there are 3 artists that are believed to be the most influential: Wifredo Lam, Victor Manuel Garcia, and Amelia Pelaez. Wifredo Lam was born in Havana, Cuba in 1887. In his early days as an artist his subject matter revolved around still lifes and landscapes of the places he traveled to with the Association of Painters and Sculptures of Havana. When he moved to Spain in 1923 his style shifted from realism to cubism and then to surrealism. He had hisfirst e xposition in 1939. His style in that exposition consisted of simplified shapes influenced by cubism and African sculpture. From the 1950s on he started focusing his art on graphic design and ceramics. The major features of his mature art are refined and bold designs, with a sensual violence and a personal vision of the primitive poet. In his last 30 years Lam has been the focus of a lot of retrospective expositions and his work is framed in tons of art galleries around the world. Once he moved to Paris, his focal points changed and he started painting women and women with their children, hinting into the era of feminism. Eventually, his art was used influence the practitioners of Santeria. Once he had been painting for many years, he started using dark, bold colors and his painting turned more erotic than before and more abstract. Victor Manuel Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba in 1897. Although hefirst started work

Global Financial Crisis Essay Example

Global Financial Crisis Essay Example Global Financial Crisis Essay Global Financial Crisis Essay Global Financial Crisis Name: Course: Date: : Global Financial Crisis The recent global financial crisis affected the growth of major economies around the world. The United States, for example, had to grapple with a growing deficit, negative growth rates and rising unemployment levels. Recently, some great economic minds together with the IMF gathered to address the effects of the global financial crisis. They identified several crucial lessons that we can derive from the crisis and brainstormed on how to avoid such crises in the future. According to some economists who attended the conference, there were many lessons to learn from during that period on the effectiveness of economic policy. Robert Solow cited one such lesson; he said that the use of monetary policy in the regulation of financial policy had reached it limits. Monetary policy had failed and was no longer a reliable measure for fixing major financial crises. He added that the education system was not producing enough skilled workers necessary for the maintenance of a buoyant economy. Another economist, Joseph Stiglitz mentioned the inability of economic models to predict or provide solutions for the economic crisis. There is a need to review the models used in analyzing economic situations since the existing ones had failed. He also referred to the use of deficit policies. The global crisis enlightened policy makers on the importance of deficit spending in addressing financial problems. Michael Spencer, another participant, also chided the government fo r enacting policies that focused solely on inflation. During the conference, they proposed several ways and policy issues through which we can get the global economy to accelerate growth and withstand such crises. Robert Solow proposed the adoption of fiscal policy in addressing financial crises. The credit mechanism should be enforced. The financial system should be induced to extend money to investors in order to boost economic growth. He also called for a review of the education system so that it focuses on providing skilled training and the incorporation of employers’ ideas while designing the education system. Stiglitz, on the other hand, called for a replacement of the dollar system with a global currency system. This, he said, will stimulate global growth. He also called for a regulation of the banking system to limit bank sizes and eliminate policy that guarantee the rescuing of banks in crisis. Spencer called on emerging markets to enact policy that will ensure equitable income distribution across vulnerable groups. Anot her participant, Otmar Issing called on banks to desist from providing excess liquidity as this causes an inflationary pressure on the economy. Participants in the conference were able to come up with practical economic ideas that can help revive the global economy after the financial crisis. They also provided intelligent ideas on how we can create economies that can withstand the adverse effects of a global financial crisis. References International monetary Fund. (2011). IMF Videos. New Ideas For a New World . ( Retrieved from http:// imf.org/external/mmedia/view.aspx?vid

Financial Markets and Instruments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Markets and Instruments - Essay Example ovides a liquid secondary market for illiquid assets like home mortgages and financial debt instruments, increases credit availability and offers low credit costs through low financing costs. Regulation has also played a role in the resurgence of securitization. With regulations that require stronger capital and liquidity positions for financial companies in the US, the consumer has been protected from the malpractices of investment bankers (Gaschler, 668). These regulations have led to consumer confidence and in turn led to the resurgence of securitization. Credit enhancement is a strategy used by companies to either improve the terms of their outstanding debt or credit worthiness, or both. Through credit enhancement, the credit worthiness of a borrower is increased while the lender is given reassurance that there will be no default. Investment banks have made use of both internal and external credit enhancement strategies to boost securitization (Powell and Rogers, 77). External credit enhancement can be done through letter of credit, wrapped securities, cash collateral account and surety bonds while internal credit rating can be done through excess spread, over collateralization, reserve account and credit

The 2004 and 2011 Tsunamis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The 2004 and 2011 Tsunamis - Essay Example Such occurrences, lead to a series of irregular movements that generates shock waves at the waves’ focus and this results in an earthquake. The magnitude and size of the resultant earthquake depends on the magnitude of the movement, and the depth at which the quake has occurred. The earthquakes that are intense but occur at relatively shallow points of water mass do result into severe earthquakes. Tsunami can only occur if the intensity of the quake developed exceeds earthquake magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale with a focus less than fifty kilometers in depth; otherwise, the entire effect is absorbed and no tsunami occurs. However, the main factor for consideration is the displacement of the intensity or the degree of placement of the sea floor. If an earthquake occurs on a large but shallow water mass, an intensive tsunami is realized. It is worth noting that the phenomena that lead to the 2004 and 2011 are extremely rare circumstances. The effects of quake waves are inte nse and usually lead to severe effects to both humanity and the earth itself. Notably, the 2004 and 2011 earthquakes that lead to tectonic plates and oceanic floor movement by about fifteen meters permanently altered the surrounding islands geography. Additionally, such quakes led to wobbling of the earth’s axis thus altering or shortening the length of days by fractions of seconds. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was later identified as an undersea mega-thrust earthquake. The earthquake that led to the 2004 tsunami is believed to have resulted from the subduction movement of the tectonic plates. This movement triggered a series of devastating tsunamis on the surrounding landmasses bordering Indian Ocean. The resulting waves stretched to numerous neighboring towns and cities killing over 230,000 people. The effects of this quake were felt in fourteen countries. The wave developed were thirty meters high with magnitude of Mw 9.1 – 9.3. This magnitude is the third large st that had ever recorded on a seismograph. The earthquakes’ effects lasted for the longest duration that had ever been observed, approximately 8.3 and 10 minutes. Notably, this earthquake led to a one centimeter vibration of the entire planet a phenomenon that triggered another earthquake in far regions including Alaska (Moos 1). The 2011 earthquake had a magnitude of MW 9.0. It was less than the 2004 tsunami in magnitude. It occurred undersea, and it was as well regarded as a mega-thrust earthquake. The 2011 earthquake triggered waves off the coast of Japan and had its epicenter approximately seventy kilometers east of Oshika Peninsula and its hypocenter at underwater depth that was later approximated to be about 32 kilometers (Rajamanickam 78). It was the most powerful wave to have ever hit Japan and the 5th most powerful earthquake on the global listing. The 2011 earthquake triggered a powerful tsunami with waves hitting the heights of up to 40.5 meters and travelled a di stance of up to ten kilometers inland. This earthquake moved the Honshu about 2.4 meters towards the east; thus, shifting the Earth’s axis by approximately a distance of between ten to twenty five meters (Nanto 5). The Japan tsunami led to numerous, devastating effects to objects and human life. It led to a number of nuclear accidents; notably, the level 7 meltdowns of at least three reactors in

History of Race, Sport, and Culture in Modern America Essay

History of Race, Sport, and Culture in Modern America - Essay Example The issue of racial differences between black and white races has come into special focus with the enormous strides being made in genetic mapping and other scientific protocols that attempt to pinpoint the markers of human biodiversity. One application for these studies in eugenic is determining the reason for the dominance of African Americans in sports. This paper will provide a summary of the studies and issues that deal with the social, cultural and political nuances of genetic racial differences in American sports history. The research used for this paper included online journals, commentaries from sports analysts and articles from the Jon Entine Website. There was also considerable material that gave insights on the various viewpoints for and against the concept of racial differences as a determinant of athletic prowess. The history of football, basketball, baseball, track and field and boxing were investigated as it pertained to African Americans, as well as the issues and controversies that attended the progress of African American athletes. Related research that dealt with the social implications of genetics and statistics that illustrated the trends in sports were also included. Jon Entine's book released in 2000 entitled Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We Are Afraid to Talk About It has been vilified by equal rights advocates as a thinly veiled attempt to further propagate racism in sports. However, at this point, the historical insight into African American participation in sports as provided in the book and various other sources will be briefly discussed. (Mosley) It is in the US that the stereotype of the "dumb jock" proliferated in society. In essence, it embodies the idea that physical prowess is inversely proportionate to intellectual capacity, a popular generalization that is the heart of the controversy behind African American athletic ability. (Entine) In European history athletic prowess was considered an indication of intelligence, and leaders were often chosen among the most successful fighters and best warriors. However, the 19th century saw the proliferation of pseudo sciences in Europe that claimed to quantify intelligence and other human characteristics by measuring the skull and other body parts. (Entine) The work of physician Samuel George Morton, for example, popularized the idea of eugenics and racial differences by using craniometry, or the ranking of racial intelligence based on the typical skull size of a certain race. His collection of 600 skulls was the basis of modern day racism in the US, where Asians and Caucasians are ranked at the top of the craniometrical scale while Africans and Native Americans were near the bottom. Many accepted this as incontrovertible truth that races like the Africans and Jews are less civilized, and thus inferior. (Entine) This began the ranking of racial and ethnic groups in which, unremarkably, white Europeans came out as the most superior intellectually and those of African descent were relegated to almost animal-like status. (Entine) The nineteenth century also saw the establishment of racial discrimination as a matter of public policy because Europeans did not want interracial mixing in their population. Their basis for discrimination were IQ tests that revealed that those of

Ethics in Accounting: Financial Reporting Scandals

Ethics in Accounting: Financial Reporting Scandals Introduction The first thing is character, before money or anything else. J. P. Morgan Integrity is of utmost importance for a successful career in business and finance in the long run. Some believe that the world of finance lacks ethical considerations. Whereas the truth is that such issues are prevalent in all areas of business. The business environment in much of the world is reeling from the revelation of several financial scandals in the past few years. The optimism of the turn of the century has been replaced by scepticism and distrust. It will be discussed as to how we landed ourselves in this situation, what is being done to correct it, and what the future holds for us. Though Enron has been used as the poster-child for this purpose, breakdowns in accounting and corporate governance in Enron as well as in other companies will be discussed. Some companies that have encountered financial reporting problems will be discussed along with the role of auditors (including Andersens role in Enron), the regulatory environment, some of the causes of the problems, and the current and possible future outcomes. Ethics and Accounting Ethics (maintaining fair and true statements) is a key part of financial reporting. For shareholders to trust a company with money, they must feel confident in the companys financial reporting. Financial reporting presents all data relating to the entityscurrent, historical and projected health meaning investors and shareholders rely upon the financial data available for making informed and educated decisions. To help entities comply with business regulations and maintain financial reporting, shareholders can trust the existing organizations designed to monitor different aspects of the accounting world. Primary organizations are Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). These three bodies together ensure financial reporting is fair, reliable, and available to all investors. The specific importance of ethics in business and in financial reporting is to ensure public and investor confidence in companies. Without a strong code of ethics and adherence to that code, individuals may not be certain their investments are secure. Accounting professionals must have a strong ethical and moral reasoning because their decisions regarding financial reporting can have major consequences for individuals as well as corporations and entire nations. Ethics in the business environment are more than just issues relating to accounting; because ethical practices can and will cross boundary from business practice to what a company may ask its accounting professionals to do in financial recording. The many recent scandals involving accounting and reporting fraud generally began at the CEO and made their way down into the financial records. Before the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, various financial abuses such as WorldCom, Enron, and Adelphia Communications plagued the American public and affected economic health of the entire nation adversely. Most of these frauds stemmed from unethical accounting practices instituted at the highest levels of the corporations, but carried out in the financial reporting practices of public accounting firms. In December 2001, Enron, which used to be one of the worlds leading energy companies once, filed the largest bankruptcy in the history of the U.S., using the retirement accounts of thousands of American workers, to enrich those at the highest levels of the corporation. Using thousands of off-the-records partnerships to hide nearly $1 billion in debt and to inflate profits, company had defrauded shareholders of billions. Due to these scandals, President Bush and Congress were forced to take tough stance in the form of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in July of 2002. When ethics seem to be on the downfall in a society, the common man naturally turns to the government for guidance. Various crises in the history of the United States have led to creation of several regulatory bodies and laws. The three entities in the US, mentioned above, work closely together to ensure financial accounting is honest. The SEC, the FASB, and the PCAOB are each an independent entity, but they often work in cooperation in certain areas such as oversight and reporting. While these three bodies work together, they rely on cooperation from member companies and from participation from â€Å"whistle-blowers† in companies and public citizens. As the Enron collapse illustrated, there were systemic failures in the private-sector watchdog-groups. The SEC and the PCAOB must work closely together and include way to fast-track criminal cases. Enron and other financial reporting scandals Enron was a great symbol of widespread problem in corporate America as its rise was as spectacular as its fall. Enron, formed in 1985 when Internorth purchased Houston Natural Gas was soon being run mainly by Houston Natural Gas executives, with Ken Lay as CEO. In 1990, both Jeffrey Skilling and Andy Fastow were hired. In 1996, Skilling became the President and COO. A meteoric rise in both reputation and stock value came by, with Enron being named as one of Fortunes most admired companies in 2001 and its stock price peaking at $90.56 a share as on August 23, 2000. Much of the companys success was credited to the financial wizardry of Fastow. However, companys fall was just around the corner, with Skilling resigning in August of 2001. This was followed by a $1.2 billion write-off, and the beginning of an SEC investigation in October. By December, Enron had declared bankruptcy and the share price was $.26 per share. If Enron had been a lone case, concern would have dissipated quickly and confidence in capital markets would not have plumped. But it was not so. Before Enron, there were companies such as Waste Management and Sunbeam — not significant by themselves, but they should have acted as a warning of what was to come. After Enron the disclosures kept coming. WorldCom was caught capitalizing expenses. While Enron was trying to outsmart the accounting and capital market regulators, WorldCom made accounting errors that even novice accounting students would know were inappropriate. A disturbing aspect of many of these scandals is the collusion among many executives. An important observation is that all of these scandals cant be attributed to one factor alone. Each one was different. Hence it can be concluded that the solution is not easy to find. There is no single accounting practice that made these entities vulnerable to executive excesses. What these scandals had in common was a culture that was pervasive in corporations. A culture had come in that made it permissible to lie to shareholders and the markets. â€Å"The ends justify the means† became the corporate mantra. Also, the watchdogs, the auditors had turned a blind eye with their focus just on their consulting businesses. They were not as vigilant as they should have been in audits. The auditors role in ensuring fair play Auditors are supposed to protect the public from the types of abuses that have been seen in the past. Even though financial statements are responsibility of management, the shareholders hire auditors for the protection of their interests and to add credibility to financial information provided by the firms. To be credible, auditors need both expertise and integrity. Expertise assures if there is a financial reporting irregularity, the auditor has the capacity to discover it. Integrity assures that auditors will disclose any irregularity they may find. These two qualities are essential. They are also multiplicative that is if either is missing, other has no value. It has been found that both were missing in many cases. Expertise was missing as audits had come under cost cutting measures of firms. This happened often at the cost of quality. Integrity was gone when auditors forgot that the first allegiance of a professional is to the public. Seldom did auditors betray management for the benefit of the public. Hence, even if they did discover reporting problems, rather than reporting them to the public they often helped management devise ways around the reporting problems. Auditors fell into this position (probably not because they were incompetent or unethical but) because of the cultures in major accounting firms. Andersen, Enrons auditor, is a classic example. There were good auditors who got caught up in an economic struggle leading to undue focus on revenue generation. An audit firm having the highest reputation for competence and integrity compromised on its values as that was the only way its partners thought to be economically competitive. In the more recent Satyam case in India, the fraud started at the top level management and reached the financial records. The role of Pricewaterhouse, Satyams auditor, is also controversial in the said scandal. Causes of financial reporting problems The regulatory environment had not changed suddenly then why did the financial reporting problems surface at the time, is a question to be pondered upon. There are many reasons, not one that dominates. It was a confluence of circumstances that opened eyes to the problems. The bursting of the bubble economy was a major reason these financial abuses came to light. When everything was seemed bright, nobody questioned companies financial reports. In accounting the lack of relevance of historical cost accounting and even the basic traditional accounting framework were being discussed. The â€Å"new economy† was not to last forever. And when it did not last, investors began to ask tough questions. For many of the questions, there were no answers — only denials and cover-ups. In the auditing profession, audits had become loss leaders. The balance sheets and income statements had lost value, so auditing of the statements was not important. Thus, many audits became hasty and more of a formality. No one was willing to pay for quality audits, so many audit firms believed there remained no sense in competing on the basis of quality. Cost drove audit decisions. Lower cost even with lower quality was the norm. The passivity of corporate boards was also a contributor. This was worsened by the growing number of complex financial transactions, most of which were beyond understanding of board members, who had gained their experience before such instruments came into being. Even a former accounting professor heading Enrons Audit Committee, a person of utmost integrity, had difficulty understanding the implications of the companys financial manoeuvring. Finally, the biggest culprit is the corporate culture. Focus was laid on short-term gains forgetting about all long-run considerations. Also the executive scorecard became focused on salary. Many players had become greedy — executives, investors, and attorney, among others — but more than that was the need to compete on the basis of compensation. Implications for accounting educators The perpetrators of most of financial reporting scandals are former students, graduates of accounting or MBA programs. So educators must ask themselves: What are they doing wrong and what must they do to fix the problems? The first obvious reaction is to emphasize ethics in business and accounting curricula. This is important. Educators in a business ethics class can not dissuade someone who is inclined to commit a fraud from doing so. But it is also true that most perpetrators did not at the onset set out to commit a fraud. They simply got ended up on a slippery zone. Also, the most disappointing aspect about most of the scandals is the number of people who, (though not personally involved) knew what was happening and still did nothing. Exceptions to the rule are some courageous whistle blowers, many of whom were products of university accounting programs. Thus, the focus of ethics classes should be to recognize and analyse the situations that can lead to compromise on ones ideals and values, and to promote the reporting of inappropriate behaviour. This can be best done in context because ethics issues come up in context, with you imagining yourself in the real situation. It is easy to go into an ethics class and give the answer that the instructor wants. It is an altogether different thing to put ones self in a case situation with conflicting pressures, and determine the appropriate action when ethics is only one of the many factors impacting your decision. Conclusion The accounting profession is in the middle of a challenging time. A reputation gained over years and decades can be lost in a day. Accountants were thought of as persons of high integrity working at an uninteresting job. In the current scenario the job has gotten more interesting, but at the cost of their reputation for integrity. It is essential to win back the trust of the public and maintain their belief in the importance of accounting. The road to restoring integrity of accountants today is a long one. The job will neither be quick nor easy, with the new series of financial reporting scandals that have come up. References Wikipedia online encyclopaedia Sarbanes-Oxley Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes- Oxley_Act#Overview_of_the_PCAOB.27s_requirements Financial oversight of Enron: SEC and private-sector watchdogs http://www.senate.gov/~gov_affairs/100702watchdogsreport.pdf http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/54065/accounting_ethics.html

Immortal Hopes of Animal Farm Essay -- English Literature Essays

Immortal Hopes of Animal Farm Communism is supposed to be a system under which all property would be held in common. The dignity of the poor workers oppressed by capitalism would be restored, and all people would live as equals in communism. This book, Animal Farm by George Orwell is an amusing story of allegory of the early history of the Soviet Union. Orwell wanted to make political writing into an art and to harmonize political concerns with artistry. As he became inspired by the Russian Revolution he wanted to show how some governments would do almost anything it took to succeed the rest. The book itself has acquainted many by providing a basis to describe the problems of communism as it was once tried in Russia during the 20th century. We have a deeply marked example in the history of Soviet Communism, where many were slaughter to only satisfy one person, Stalin. I believe George Orwell created Animal Farm with the goal of showing people that there is not a pure form of communism and to realize the mass amount of time, effort, energy, and lives it took for people (or animals) to realize that c ommunism (animalism) would not succeed. In Animal Farm Orwell verified the moral economic failure of the Russian Communist system. Mr. Jones symbolizes Czar Nicholas Romanov II, the leader before Stalin (Napoleon). Jones represents the old government (monarchy), the last of the Czars. Orwell implies that Mr. Jones (Czar Nicholas Romanov II) was losing his "edge". In fact, he and his men had taken up the habit of drinking. Old Major reveals his feelings about Jones and his administration when he says, "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, and he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving and the rest he keeps for himself." So Jones and the old government are successfully uprooted by the animals. Just like in November of 1917, when squads of Red Guards, sailors, and factory workers overthrew the government and showed them that they no longer had support. The pigeons symbolize Soviet Propaganda to countries like Germany, England, France, and even the United States. The USSR was very enthusiastic about its achievements and its... ...on of the seven commandments and the '"'Beasts of England'"', Napoleon becomes more of a dictator. I deeply and truly believe communism will never carry out the way it is planned to. There are too many factors to support this. But what I"'"ve come to an understanding is that Communism does not give equality. If anything it only takes away the little freedom some may have. Thus it also demolishes all hopes and dreams for it sets a constant never ending future. There will always be an abuse of power towards the naà ¯ve proletariats who are constantly seeking to better themselves. No matter the quantity of efforts towards equality one may give, there will not be equality; for we as humans become obsessed with power once we are entrusted and only to become even more power-hungry. I can say I truly learned from this book that communism will never be an efficient part of any government. For freedom is taken away without a warning as people become one with faded dreams of the better tomorrow. I believe George Orwell carried out his goal of teaching people that communism would not be eff icient and if anything the most loyal like Boxer would die in immortal hopes of life ever progressing.

Impact of Globalisation on International Business Essay

Tesfay Kumenit, Faculty of Law, University of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2008 The term globalization did not become popular until the 20th century. Then onwards, it has become a typical issue understood to affect the whole socio-economic and political life of states throughout the world. Besides, the discourse on globalization is complex with far-reaching effects on national and international laws and policies pertaining to the social, economic and political matters. It is commonsense knowledge that issues related to globalization are open to debates, as various people have varying perceptions about it. At one extreme, we have those who see globalization as an irresistible and benign force for delivering economic prosperity in economically underdeveloped areas. On other extreme, we have those who blame it as a source of all contemporary ills. Those people taking the latter line of argument emphasis on the negative impacts of globalization from various dimensions. Specially, they make frequent reference to the difficulties faced by small enterprises in underdeveloped areas in taking advantage of the benefits of globalization. As the result, the rural and informal economies remain on the margin, which in turn leads to persistent poverty. Besides, the industrial restructuring in force of competitive markets is highly probable to insecure jobs and dramatically affects the working conditions and rights of workers in some countries. In most developing countries, globalization has undermined traditional livelihoods, changed the traditional social security systems and increased rural-urban and intra-regional inequalities. Moreover, some multi-national investment have been exacerbating environmental degradation and generated pressures for cheaper and more flexible labor in order to retain competitiveness which in effect could erode the values of democracy and social justice. In relation to this, the accountability of these institutions engaged in business is debatable. In reality, some people feel that transnational bodies are unaccountable which usually disregard the local perspectives of cultural, linguistic, and other diversities. The other extreme argument is on the positive impact of globalization. To this effect, it is widely accepted that the key characterstics of globalization have been the liberalization of international trade, the expansion of FDI, and the emergence of massive cross-border financial flows. This resulted in increased competition in global markets. It is also widely acknowledged that this has become about through the combined effect of different understanding factors mainly policy decisions, to reduce national barriers to international economic transactions and the impact of new technology. Due to the effect of the latter, the natural barriers of time and space have been vastly reduced. At present, the cost of moving information, people, goods and capitals across the glop has fallen dramatically which in turn vastly expanded the feasibility of economic transactions across the world. As to this, people believe that markets can be global in scope and encompass an expanding range of goods and services. With the intention to benefit international communities on equal footing, various institutions were created. Among others, UN, ILO, WTO, GATT and IMF are the most influential ones. These institutions set certain preconditions that states shall fulfill to get membership. Beyond that, a number of laws are issued to liberalize international business transactions. By this, it is sought that regional cooperation in trade and finance could increase stability. As it is mentioned above, globalization can have both direct and indirect impact on states. It would also inevitably affect the laws of international business transactions either negatively or positively. As to the former, the challenges against globalization may dictate the revision of these laws in a manner which may equally benefit the poor and the rich. The question that must be capitalized is whether these laws are in positions to treat the north and the south as there is unbridgeable gap between them. If states are to be benefited from the globalization, most argue that there must be fair laws which consider the local realities in developing countries. Hence, some argue that the present laws to this end do not take the realities at ground in to account specially in third world countries. the fact that the market is highly competitive, the poor would be pushed out of game and this would even increased income disparities with in the industrial countries . he multi-national institutions which have small capital in industrial countries, may transfer to the countries with lower cost. These institutions would easily make profits in the expense of the poor. Then power would be shifted from local institutions to trans-national ones. Many agree that globalization by itself is not a problem. But, laws which are designed to regulate the global transactions shall consider the existing realities the failure of which may rise various impediments against globalization. Institutions like IMF, The World Bank, The WTO, The ILO, and other specialized agencies as well as business, trade unions and other NGOs are in a lead to guide the process to this effect. To be beneficiaries of these institutions, sates have to revise their domestic laws in conformity with the guiding principles and regulations of the above institutions. In the due course, they are expected to enhance social infrastructures and respect human rights. The other face of this achievement would enable poor countries to get assistance and donations from these powerful donor institutions. As a result, limitations on free trade would be minimized and this in turn may lead to the flow of foreign direct investment which directly or indirectly add to efforts of poverty eradication and promote sustainable development. These measures would make states to think of common laws regulating business transactions. By this, there would be free trade with no or little barriers across the borders. But this does not mean that multinational corporations are free to exploit resources for the sole purpose of profit maximization. Rather, they have to have social responsibility as well. In fact, it is debatable as to what responsibilities these institutions assumed to have. The debate in this regard largely revolve around the conduct of multi-national corporations and other large private companies which ,due to their sizes, have the ability to significantly influence domestic and international policy and the communities in which they operate. Central to the debate is the perceived deficiency of national and international law remedies regarding corporate accountability, particularly the ability of available regulations to successfully regulate a corporate’s conduct in jurisdictions outside their home state. Moreover, most people agree that the efficient functioning of the global markets depend on socially responsible business conduct. To this end, organizations, such as UN, the International Labor Organization (ILO) have developed compacts, declarations, guidelines, principles and other instruments that outline norms for acceptable corporate conducts. To sum up, though there are the divided idea as to how all states benefit from globalization, at present, most agree that issues in relation to human rights, environmental maters etc are the common concerns of nternational communities which have to be respected and promoted by the joint efforts in every corner of the world. Moreover, since international business transactions directly or indirectly related to these common concerns, it is believed to be a common concern as well. There fore, laws of international business transactions have to be in a position to respect and promote principles and guide lines provided to regulate other global concerns. From this, it is easy to understand, how much the laws of international business directly or indirectly are under the influence of globalization.

Market Research on Luxury Watches Essay

Market Trend There was a slow-down in the growth in sales of premium and luxury watches in India in 2008-’09. It prompted the market leader Titan industries to enter the economy market. Following the footsteps, luxury watch brands like Tag Heuer and Rolex introduced low-price models. But in recent years, mobile phones may also have dampened growth in the penetration of watches in India, as they provide a time read-out as well as alarm and other time-related functions. Watch industry experts believe that their product’s original function is increasingly losing importance, and that wristwatches are now being bought as fashion accessories. Owning more than one watch is like owning different pieces of jewellery. Competitive landscape The economy watch demand is being met for the most part by the unorganised sector and by direct imports. The premium segment is increasingly being peppered by fashion brands such as Esprit, Swatch, Fossil and Tommy Hilfiger. There has also been strong value growth for these brands, with growing demand from middle- and upper-income groups in urban India. Titan, HMT and Maxima are the leading Indian players and Timex, Casio and Swatch are now the strong multinational players in the market. More multinationals are entering the retail market, but no new domestic companies have done so, and the multinationals’ share of value sales has increased over the review period. Premium Brand & Product Perception With the watches market in India now becoming fashion and style driven, especially at the premium end, companies now launch models and designs every six months. International brands such as Fossil launch spring/summer and winter ranges. Titan, on the other hand, times its launches to fit in with the Indian festive season – Deepavali and weddings. Companies like Casio and Swatch and luxury brands like Rolex are exploring a niche market for chronographs, but this is currently negligible. Companies also need to respond to product innovations. The Citizen eco-friendly watch has been well received in India and is reportedly selling well in its price bracket, eliminating the trouble of replacing batteries and encouraging the use of multiple watches. Apparel brands such as Esprit, Tommy Hilfiger, Benetton and Levi’s have all gained familiarity among India’s urban youth, who may become more willing to try these brands’ premium watches. Affluent, urban Indians may feel more comfortable about buying premium watches, while continuing to regard luxury watches as examples of overindulgent or insensitive spending. ‘New’ Rich India : The ‘New’ rich India is now indulging into the experience of owning Luxury Brands. India’s rapidly growing high-end retail market is expected to increase from the around $3. 5 billion in 2008 to $30 billion by 2015. Luxury clothing, fragrances, premium wine, high-end watches have achieved good penetration among male Indian consumers. Among women, jewellery and cosmetics can already boast high levels of awareness, followed by categories such as handbags and mobile phones. These items, while not necessarily being better (in quality, performance, or appearance) than their less expensive substitutes, are purchased with the main purpose of displaying wealth or income or status symbol of their owners. There is a distinct shift from ‘Old luxury’ to ‘New luxury’. Old luxury is defined by the attributes, qualities and features of the product, whilst ‘New luxury’ is defined by the consumer’s point of focus on the experience that their purchase stimulates and not in ownership or possession of the product itself. † The customers Redefined luxury as they believe it to be a sign of self worth – â€Å"They are worth it;† it authenticates the buyer’s success and status; it is a signal to others that the owner is a member of an exclusive group; They require flawless performance in this application, the cost of product malfunction is too high to buy anything but the best. Motivation of Study: The matter of wearing and enjoying fine timepieces is a passion that these days must be justified. We like nice expensive watches even though cheap watches exist to do the same thing. Hence like any other luxury good , today modern shoppers buy luxury goods to reward themselves, to satisfy psychological needs or to make themselves feel good to show off their personality or to boost their self-esteem. Contribution of the research: This study aims to understand the above said consumer buying behaviour which will help the present marketing Managers to better reposition their branding and advertising strategy to capture the correct target market for luxury products to boost the sales in times where economy are at a challenge. Literature Review: Research Objective: This study intends to find out if consumer buying behaviour of young purchasers are influenced by factors such as premium price of luxury watches, perceived quality of luxury watches, societal status and brand loyalty associated with the consumption of luxury brand. This study also intends to evaluate whether perceived qualities of the luxury branded watch have influence on the buying decision of consumer. It is also intended to determine whether the high quality standards of luxury watches are the reasoning consumers opt for the luxury watches. Affiliations of social status of acquiring certain luxury branded goods will also be studied to understand whether consumer buying luxury branded goods just for the matter of being affiliate with certain quarters of people having the same luxury brand of goods. This study also will also evaluate whether brand loyalty of luxury brand will influence the buying decision of consumer. This study also aims to uncover whether a person who has been abroad is a reason for the consumer purchasing a luxury watch Research Question: The purpose of this study is to evaluate what motivational factors encourage consumers into purchasing luxury brand watches . In evaluating this statement , this study aims to answer the following questions : †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Is it the price or the type of users of the brand that drives the buying behaviour of the consumer for luxury branded goods? Is it the strong emotion of discriminating themselves with the lower class consumers that drives higher class consumers to turn to luxury brands? Is it the tag name of a mega brand that drives the long term demand for that luxury brand? Is gender a deterministic factor in deciding the purchase of a luxury brand? If yes then what factors are important gender wise ? Is it the product utility or the brand perception that is key for luxury watch brands? Will a person’s visit abroad influence his decision to purchase a luxury watch? Previous Research contribution : Findings of overall previous research indicate that individual’s preferences plays a key role in purchasing luxury goods. Individual’s preferences may be based on desire and non-desires, which are based on experience in purchasing luxury items from their satisfaction, or nondesire such as bias towards brand products. Leibenstein (1950, p. 188) classified demand of goods and services consumption in relevant to motivation into two main aspects: functional and non-functional. Functional demand is â€Å"demand for a commodity which is due to the qualities inherent in the commodity itself†. On the contrary, demand of goods consumption that comes from other factors, which is not the product quality, is defined non-functional demand. The outcome from Leibenstein’s (1950) study especially stresses the role of interpersonal effects towards luxury brands consumption, and derived three main effects; Veblen, Snob, and Bandwagon INTERPERSONAL EFFECTS Perceived Conspicuous Value Perceived unique Value Perceived Social Value Ostentation Non-Conformity Conformity VEBLENIAN SNOB BANDWAGON Interpersonal effects (Vigenron & Johnson) (1999 p. 7) Veblen Effect: The Veblen effect can be explained through conspicuous consumption in which people feel that it is necessary to purchase luxury products because they have a high price tag (Leibenstein, 1950). Conspicuous consumption is use by people to show wealth, power and status (Veblen, 1899). Prices of product have a significant aspect in consumers’ opinion of quality (Vigneron & Johnson, 1999). Studies by Erickson & Johansson (1995) have shown that price is used to judge quality of luxury products between a range of brands. Usually people would associate high prices with better quality. Additionally, those who do associate high prices with better quality would also suggest that high prices show a considerable amount of prestige (Lichtenstein et al. , 1993). Snob Effect: The snob effect takes into account personal and emotional desires (personal effects), and the influence of other people’s behaviour (interpersonal effects) towards the purchasing of luxury brand products (see Figure 1). The snob effect can be further explained through two circumstances. Firstly, the launch on new products which creates exclusivity in which the snob would purchase the product immediately because a minor amount of consumers at that particular time would have acquired it. Snob consumers only purchase â€Å"limited items that have a high value, whereas those readily available are less desirable. Rare items demand respect and prestige† (Solomon, 1994,p. 570). Products that are viewed as unique, popular, and expensive causes a higher demand for consumers (Verhallen & Robben, 1994), especially snob consumers. Snyder and Fromkin (1977) support the statement by Verhallen and Robben (1994) suggesting that people have the desire to be unique. India:The Affluent Masses: Luxury volumes have been spurred by a significant growth in the rich in recent past. The new rich come in varied shapes, sizes and style quotients. Exporters, multinational bankers, college kids earning plum salaries at call centers or BPO operations, well-heeled corporate wives, and successful entrepreneurs. What they have in common is that they have very high purchasing power Bandwagon Effect : The bandwagon effect represents consumers who purchase luxury products because they wish to fit in with a particular group. For example, people would consume products that are fashionable and stylish to associate themselves to similar people (Berry, 1994). Dubois & Duquesne (1993) explains that the snob and bandwagon effect are not alike. Although the similarity between the bandwagon and the snob effect is that people wish to enhance their self-concepts, the differentiation is that they purchase luxury items for different reasons. Bandwagon consumers purchase items to be fit in with others, whereas snob consumers purchase items to be unique and stand out. Individuals who fit in with groups that purchase luxury brand products and/ or wish to differentiate themselves from people who do not purchase luxury brands are influenced by the bandwagon effect (Vigneron & Johnson,1999) Luxury is reward :First time/New Purchasers :They use luxury goods as a status symbol to say â€Å"I’ve made it! †. They are motivated by their desire to be successful and demonstrate this to others. Luxury brands that have widespread recognition are popular; however they don’t wish to appear lavish or hedonistic in their appearance. They want to purchase â€Å"smart† luxury that exhibit importance while not leaving them open to criticism. Personal Effects : Consuming luxury products can also be from personal desires and taste. PERSONAL EFFECTS Perceived Emotional Value Perceived Quality Value Self-Actualization Reassurance HEDONIST PERFECTIONIST Personal effects (Vigenron & Johnson) (1999 p. 8) Hedonic Effect The hedonic effect occurs when consumers purchase luxury products and value the item. People who purchase items for self-fulfillment (e. g.inner direct consumers, Riesman, et al. , 1950, or role relaxed consumers, Kahle, 1995), and those who are not affected by interpersonal influences (e. g. conforming to group norms,Bearden, et al. , 1989) represent the hedonic effect. Dichter (1960) explains that motivation of noncognitive and unconscious is able to persuade consumer preference of products. Products that are consumed are known to have an emotional value that is added to their character (Vigneron & Johnson, 1999). When consumers purchase luxury products they expect that the item will offer benefits such as exclusiveness. Dubois & Laurent, (1994) stated that if products create an emotional value for consumers, it represents that the product is beneficial and holds an important characteristic. Perfectionist Effect The perfectionist effect exists when consumers purchase luxury items and expects superior products and performance as well as quality (Vigneron & Johnson,1999). People who represent the perfectionist effect are those who are associated to personal values and judge a product according to their value of a luxury band product. An example of the perfectionist effect is when consumers are purchasing a luxury watch they expect it to be accurate. According to Groth and McDaniel, (1993, p. 10) stated that â€Å"high prices may even make certain products or service more desirable†, because people view products with high prices with great quality (Rao & Monroe, 1989). Additionally, consumers may assess the level of how luxury a product is by its quality (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). Methodology Research Method: Quantitative data consists of closed end information that includes numerical figures. The study has collected quantitative data by applying closed-end questions towards a questionnaire. Focus Group Discussion to understand attributes both physical and emotional that influence the purchase of a luxury watch. The group comprised of 7 individuals , 3 female and 4 male participants who have been users of luxury watches. Data Collection: Primary Data collection: Gathering information from consumers of luxury watches through online questionnaire survey Secondary Data Collection: Research insights and hypothesis design with the help of previously published research work on luxury goods buying behaviour. Sampling: Non-probability sampling method is adopted. Since the target audience or respondents of interest are consumers of premium or luxury watches, the sampling method adopted here is convenience sampling and snow-ball sampling. Measurement & Scaling: Measurement Techniques used ? Perception map : ? Utility of features in the watch : Chronograph, Double dial, Indicator light etc. ? Stylish Designs that make the watch a fashion statement Respondents were asked to rate the 10 different brands in order to obtain their perception of these brands on the above defined dimensions Based on two predefined dimensions i. e ? ? ? Exploratory Factor Analysis : To understand the underlying factors influencing the purchase behaviour of luxury watch for men & women and overall Regression: To understand which interpersonal & personal effect is critical when consumers make a luxury watch purchase decision Discriminant Analysis: To understand the group behaviours based on the following discriminating variable ? Gender ? Trip abroad ? Work Experience:Purchasing power ? AMOS : Confirmatory Factor analysis to ascertain the Exploratory Factor Analysis RESULT AND ANALYSIS 1. Discriminant Analysis: Work-Ex & Fresher Inference: Wilk’s lambda (0.627) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; Box M test is also insignificant However based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating work ex & fresher are Attributes Q5_7_attribute_analog Q5_2_attribute_alarm Q5_12_attribute_torch Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q4_8_attribute_celebrity_endorsement Variable weight of discriminating function -. 366 . 361 . 331 . 271 . 262 2. Discriminant Analysis: Gender Inference: Wilk’s lambda (0. 578) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating males & females Attributes Variable weight of discriminating function. Q4_3_attrifashion_statement Q5_3_attribute_dualclock Q5_13_attribute_barometer Q5_8_attribute_motionsensor Q9_2_buy_in_store .329 -. 285 -. 269 -. 259 -. 255 3. Discriminant Analysis: Abroad Visit Inference: Wilk’s lambda (0. 573) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; however based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating foreign visited and not visited people Attributes Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q5_6_attribute_color Q5_16_attribute_warranty Q5_11_attribute_straptype Q4_9_attribute_brand_image Variable weight of discriminating function . 228 . 225 . 221 -. 207 -. 205 3) Exploratory Factor Analysis-(Male & Female) Research Question:- Is gender a deterministic factor in deciding the purchase of the luxury watch. If yes what factors are important gender wise? Hypothesis:- Women while making luxury goods purchase give more importance to emotional factors whereas Men go for Physical Utility features Factor analysis for male respndents(58 males) Results:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Fac1(Ostentation): o o o o o o o o ? ? ? ? ? ? Sth to remmeber, hand gesture, to be unique Fac2(value added feature) Calculator,digital,compass. Fac3(Generic requirements) Shape, water resistance Fac4(Economic requirements) Discounts Fac 5(Tech savvy) Compass, Motion sensor Fac 6(basic) Analog,water resistance Fac 7(Wrist suitability) Strap type Fac 8(extra feautres):Date and day display, brand image Exploratory factor analysis female Respondents (23 females):Fac1(Economical): o o o o o o Warranty, after sales, analog, emotional satisfaction Fac2(Style) Social status, to be unique, fashion statement Fac3(Special requirements) Alarm,altimeter, digital,dual clock Fac4(value added feature) Calculator,compass,barometer, torch Fac 5(Tech savvy) Hand gesture,discount Fac 6(Exclusivity) Motion sensor,alarm,brand image Result Analysis:? Men:o Attach importance to Ostentaion, value added feaures and style(veblenian effect and perfectionist effect are dominating) ? Women:o Style, Economic attributes an generic requirements ( Hedonist and snob effects dominate 4. Checking the Interpersonal and personal effects shown by males and female while purchase of luxury watch in Store Research Question:o Is it the price or the type of users of the brand that drives the buying behaviour of the consumer for luxury branded goods? o Is it the strong emotion of discriminating themselves with the lower class consumers that drives higher class consumers to turn to luxury brands? o Is it the product utility or the brand perception that is key for luxury watch brands? Hypothesis:-Luxury watch purchase is primarily to show off and as an indicator of status symbol: veneblian effect. Users also buy luxury watches due to perceived emotional value or for hedonist reasons Veneblian Effect:- Snob Effect Bandwagon Effect Hedonistic effect Type of effect Veneblian snob Bandwagon Hedonistic Coefficient 0. 517 0. 499 0. 274 0. 305. Inference:- As we can clearly observe from the above table that the veneblian effect is very prominent in all cases of interpersonal or personal effects. That means People tend to buy Luxury watches to show off of their Public and Social Status. Snob and Bandwagon effect follows Veneblian effect. 5. Regression Analysis to check whether long term demand for luxury watches is driven by brand image Research Question : Is it the brand image that drives the long term demand for that luxury brand? Hypothesis : Brand Image for lucury brands is responsible for the long term demand of these watches. Inference : Regression is insignificant with respect to the variables that drive brand image. Even the R^square value is 0. 071. Hence we can infer that brand image is not a good factor to explain the long term demand for luxury watches. 6. AMOS The default model is created based on exploratory factor analysis and taking research literature into account. Model Fit Summary Check: Cmin/DF 2-5 OK GFI > 0. 9 Not OK PGFI>0. 5 OK NFI,TLI,CFI>0. 9 Not OK RMSEA max 0. 1 Not OK Model is comparatively fit as such But Goodness of fit index is not holding well. Validity & Construct Reliability S No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Attributes Q4_1_attribute_social_status Q4_3_attribute_fashion_statement Q4_2_attribute_to_be_unique Q4_6_attribute_emotional_satisfaction Q4_9_attribute_brand_image Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q5_10_attribute_compass Q5_12_attribute_torch Q5_13_attribute_barometer Q5_3_attribute_dualclock Q5_4_attribute_altimeter Q5_2_attribute_alarm Q5_5_attribute_digital Q5_7_attribute_analog Q5_8_attribute_motionsensor Q5_16_attribute_warranty Q4_10_attribute_secon_time_brandpurchase Q4_4_attribute_premiumwatch_collection Q4_8_attribute_celebrity_endorsements. Constructs Error e1 e2 Delta 1. 028 1. 079 0. 608 0. 635 1. 282 1. 323 1. 687 1. 473 1. 793 1. 816 1. 032 2. 133 1. 407 1. 074 2. 078 0. 179 1. 402 1. 367 2. 019 Lambda 1 0. 67 0. 922 0. 884 0. 997 1 0. 912 0. 971 0. 774 1 1. 135 1. 005 1. 258 1 0. 876 0. 84 0. 403 1. 231 1 AVE CR Exclusivity e3 e4 e5 e6 e7 0. 81 0. 81 Tech_Savvy e8 e9 e14 0. 84 0. 68 Value_Added _Feature e15 e16 e17 e21 1. 22 0. 75 Reliability e22 e23 e26 0. 82 0. 69 Brand_Perce ption.

Leadership Evaluation Example

Leadership Evaluation Example Leadership Evaluation – Coursework Example Leadership Evaluation Too high Managerial incompetence is very rampant in various organizations. Even though incompetence means different things to different persons, it generally denotes inability to perform a satisfactory work. Organizations are managed by managers with different leadership skills. That is why some organizations perform better than others. Nevertheless, it is expected that different leadership styles and vast managerial personalities bring reasonable output measured in employee performance. With all the discrepancies in leadership qualities, managers’ competence should not be compromised. This implies that their incompetence should be within a reasonable level that they should work jointly with as many employees as possible. Incompetence level up to 75% is therefore too high to warrant any good governance (Hughes, 2012).Qualities of effective leaders Inspiring- they could paint a future’s vision that motivates employees to do whatever it takes to reac h there. During difficult times, especially during financial crisis, they could clear the organizational roadblocks that derailed employees’ creativity and unleashing wonderful energy to press on. Optimistic- they admired our work to uplift our living standards to clouds and discouraged any mischief. They encouraged us to perceive life in positive angle and kept promising us of better tomorrow. Even when some workers were low in spirit, they could encourage them and spread the message of optimism. Honest and just- they were fair in their duties and treated all workers equally. They could face issues the way they are. For instance, they could say this is possible and that is not. Traits of ineffective leaders Lazy- the manager reported to work very late and he could not solve an issue at stake. Procrastination was the order of his office. A lot of files awaited his attention all the time and he did not bother to check with his diary (Westby, 2003). To make the matters worse, h e could not make any commitments in paper.Poor communication- he could make follow ups in his instructions. He gave orders and could not bother whether they were delivered or not. When you meet in the corridors, he could embarrass you openly, even with slightest mistake that doesn’t warrant it. References Hughes, R. L. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.Westby, J. R. (2003). Leadership. New York: American Bar Association.

History of Corrections in America Research Paper - 1

History of Corrections in America - Research Paper Example After this period a medical model was adopted widely from 1930s to 1960s when it was replaced by the community model which lasted till 1970s. Crime control model emerged after this with heightened level of crime and sophistication. This short overview shows that numerous changes have occurred and can be a perfect indicator that judging from the past, a great deal is still on the way. This paper will concentrate on the history of corrections in America by touching on evolution of punishment, William penny and Pennsylvania system and related models as they have unfolded with time. For quite a long time colonial America did not have state or federal prisons. This is because the first prisons emerged after the Revolutionary War. Local towns had the responsibility of constructing their own jails. These jails however incarcerated only those sentenced to hanging or other forms of executions. Many states at the time enjoyed separate laws and punishment systems but in general terms, criminal acts were punished through physical means. Some of these physical punishments were quite severe even in those days’ standards for example mutilations of body parts e.g. noses and ears (Cole & Smith, 2007). Others included branding with hot iron, flogging, banishment and hangings among others. Depriving offenders of their liberty was not a common scenario and huge emphasis laid on infliction of pain. It is after the Revolutionary War that people went back to the drawing board to develop new mechanisms of dealing with crime and punishment. At this time America had just rece ived its independence from England and liberty was the most important of all individual assets. Those in positions of governance at the time thought that depriving a person of this treasured asset was a better punishment than the traditional pain-related punishments borrowed from England. Much of Americas and to some extent the world, owe the current developed state of prisons to Philadelphia and

Is Google Making the Digital Divide Worse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is Google Making the Digital Divide Worse - Essay Example Some sections of the population could not afford; thus, division into lines such as the Troost Avenue. Worse still, Google Fiber is making the divide worse as it continues to define the have and have not’s in the society. Even with campaigns and advertisements among the neighborhoods on Google Fiber, the community members realized that the major challenge was the cost of connection (Brick 3). It is worse than in Kansas City, there is no free or rather cheaper access to Wi-Fi like in Africa. It is not even clear whether Google has any plans to help the communities that are not able to access Fiber especially the poor households in Kansa City. One would argue that it is odd that the benefits of technology are known, but very little is done to support communities that do not have the ability to access the same (Brick 6). Though Google has offered to offer free services to different sites selected by the city, it is clear how this system will function as well as its long-term effe ct. Considering that different communities cannot access fiber, it is arguable that the system is not feasible. The digital divide can then be said to have profound roots that have perpetuated discrimination, differences in education and even access to capital and technology. The Google Fiber project is market-oriented and rarely helps the present community members especially the less fortunate members of the society. More commitment from Google may be instrumental in reducing the Digital Divide in the society today.