Saint Anthony of Egypt Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Saint Anthony of Egypt - Research Paper Example He was born in 250AD to a well to do hermitic family in the middle of Egypt and died in 356 AD having lived for more than 100 years . His Christian parents protected him from dangerous worldly examples by watching him carefully in their home away from any pagan literature. He was born during the time Roman Catholicism was vast spreading, but the pagan doctrines were still profound in Rome . When he was 20 years old, he was orphaned and he inherited the vast wealth of his parents. Because of his desire to live an apostolic life, he gave up the wealth to the poor and devoted his life to serving God. Saint Anthony placed his sister in a house of virgins which was the first reference to modern Christian nunnery and later started living in solitude .As a disciple of Saint Paul of Thebes, Anthony began his practice of austere life at the age of 20 and later withdrew for complete solitude to a remote tomb in the desert. When he was 35 years old, he journeyed further into the wilderness to F ort Pispir across the Nile . During his retreat, he began his legendary work overcoming the devil's temptations famous in Christianity theology and iconography. In 305, he reemerged from his retreat to share with his monistic life fellow hermits, whom he successfully converted to his ways. After the end of the Christian persecution, he moved to a mountain in the desert where he established modern-day monastery, Dayr Mari Antonios . He visited Alexandria twice in his life and his second venture was to preach against Arianism.

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 87

Reflection - Essay Example The patient is also encouraged when you smile and comfort him. I gave the patient fruits and multivitamin tablets. What I realized from this medication is that, a patient under malnutrition tends to react positively faster after taking multivitamin. This also improves his appetite. Seeing a smile on the patients face really motivated me. I felt useful, confident, and also helpful to people who seek my help. It is normal for one to be slightly low in mood, but when you impact positively on the people you serve, definitely it cheers you up. The experience I had today make me feel important and proud of my presence in the hospital. My goals in future is to improve on my knowledge and skills on how to handle patients that feel they have lost hope. I have also decided to diversify my skills within the hospital by participating in other hospital activities that are not within my field of study. Additionally, I plan to learn new things daily in order to sharpen and improve my interest to handle

Impact of Celebrity Endorsement on Purchasing Habits

Impact of Celebrity Endorsement on Purchasing Habits To what extent does branding and celebrity endorsement affect consumer purchasing habits? The three brands you shall be focusing on are Benetton, Dove and Nike. However much one denies it, we are all consumers and our buying habits are undoubtedly influenced by advertising. In the last two decades, corporate marketing strategies have fully embraced the notion of branding as the material product begins to take a back seat and lifestyles, attitudes, values and experiences[1] are to be had in all good shops. Nike, Dove and Benetton have enjoyed massive success in harnessing the potent marketing device of cultural identification; consumers associate products with a rounded way of life, identify with the image a product offers and succumb to the adverts insistence that the product is necessary. In considering the extent to which branding affects consumer purchasing habits, the fundamental question of whether advertising can change behaviour, or just modifies established attitudes is further complicated by a semiotic problem. Roland Barthes suggested that words and signs are interpreted differently by each individual, and that the interpretation i s influenced by cultural understanding and conditioning. If so, then the many complex signs involved in creating a brand must fit artfully into a system of linguistic understanding; therefore begging the question, is culture affected by advertising or do established cultural boundaries govern advertising methods? The Nike brand has long represented rebellion and individual will. The Just Do It tagline, accompanied by images of celebrated sportspersons, went on to promote heightened performance and success, a notion of striving to compete and win. Despite controversies over their use of sweatshops, Nike escaped economic setbacks; the sport shoes they made in the sweatshops were not, after all, necessarily their defining image. Nike is a swoosh tick, performance athletes, fitness, health. After a brand-threat in the early 1990s, the marketing industry came to the following conclusion the products that will flourish in the future will be the ones presented not as commodities but as concepts: the brand as experience, as lifestyle[2], and this is exactly the approach taken by Nike that has kept the company close to the top of a very competitive market. In No Logo, Klein puts forward the suggestion that consumers dont truly believe theres a huge difference between products, which is why brands must establish emotional ties[3]. Nikes shoes are worn by athletes who perform amongst other athletes wearing Reebok, Adidas, Puma and in order to compete in a consumer market they must enter the consumers mind and find a unique way to stay there. Of late, the notion of individuality, revolution and victory have accompanied Nikes renowned air of rebelliousness; as with many modern campaigns, Nikes advertising targets consumers who are seeking to find individuality and respect in these sports goods. To further endorse the notion of the winning Nike lifestyle, Nikes website is exciting, flashy and aggressive; the advent of the internet has offered companies like Nike a fully-enhanced endorsement of their culturally apt product, and provides an arena is which advertising can become increasingly more involved in peoples everyday lives. This invasion of brands into our homes surely increases the opportunity for a product to become a necessity in consumers lives. Companies branding is about thirstily soaking up cultural ideas and iconography that their brands could reflect by projecting these ideas and images back on the culture as extensions of their brands[4], but the question still remains as to whether our established cultural understanding is created by or an obstruction to advertising. Remaining with the idea that a brand sells a lifestyle rather than a mere product, the recent change in direction with Doves (Unilever) endorsement of its skincare products is a particularly interesting event. It seems that Dove is to be congratulated on its Campaign for Real Beauty, which is a catalyst for activating Doves beauty philosophy and to announce a wider, more refreshing view on beauty[5], especially in a media climate that can still be criticised for its promotion of a very narrow definition of beauty. Whilst there is more harm than good in Doves campaign, it must not be forgotten that however moralistic a company may seem it still has profit as its central focus. To dismiss Dove as a product line that is using its consumers most sensitive issues to its advantage would be too partial an investigation when the very essence of a brand is in finding the most permanent method to win a consumers affections. Similarly to Nike, the Dove brand stands for the individual will to be; using their product will enhance your identity, help in your definition of a self that will fit in to the norms of society. Dove and Nike have both achieved the corporate transcendence [6] as outlined by Klein; in which a company transcends its product and becomes a free-standing meaning. The meanings implied in advertisements for branded products plumb the depths of our basic and universal needs and desires; their glossy images and suggestive language show us the way to be happy. Gain happiness through successful competition thanks to Nike, happiness brought on by the smooth skin and self-respect Dove can achieve whatever the route to happiness, a brand denies all barriers. The glossy adverts serve to influence our buying behaviour by offering an essentially better life. Celebrity endorsement of brands is part of the very construct of the brand itself. A product need only be associated with David Beckham and it’s representative of him; celebrities are established constructs with which consumers already identify and their use in advertising is a guarantee of the product’s quality. Celebrity is seen as the award for talent (be that physical or intellectual), so celebrity endorsement of products is certain to have an effect on consumer attitudes as the connection between the celebrity and a lifestyle already exist. In this sense, celebrities are respected members of society whose opinions are trusted; whilst a brand will fail if the product is particularly poor, even a mediocre brand will inevitably succeed if the right kind of celebrity (like Nike’s collection of experts; the famous athletes) to allow their lifestyle to be representative of a product. It is becoming clear that brands are invading society to the point where it is virtually impossible to tell the different between culture and branding. Sports are sponsored, entertainment is sponsored, the home is branded along with clothes, cosmetics and essential hygiene products; we form particular attitudes towards brands through various associations within life, through ‘brand advertising, word of mouth, peer influence, habits’[7]. Through all this, brands bombard us by positioning themselves within our life’s situations until they are ingrained as our cultural associations to activities and emotions. It comes to the point where, if brands have become ‘not products but ideas, attitudes, values and experiences, why can’t they be culture too?’[8] It is no longer possible to confidently say whether, in a branded world, consumers are capable of making autonomous purchasing choices. The case comes to United Colors of Benetton; so renowned for their controversial advertising campaign of birds covered in oil and new born babies. It was suggested that Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty is impoverished by the company’s profit-driven morals, but Benetton’s shocking images and their intended interpretations take exploitation a big step further. Benetton’s campaign tried to ’associate the name of the retailer with concern for social problems’[9], therefore invoking a cultural conscience in consumers and almost certainly having a strong influence on consumer purchasing habits. In an exposed global society, consumers are beginning to deal with a guilty conscience about the imbalance of wealth and aid in the world and brands like Nike, Dove and Benetton offer a individual-centred quick-fix solution to that concern. The irony that we are spending the cash which is the source of our guilt surely does not escape us; we continue to searc h for brands that epitomise our sense of self, our morals, our personalities. Advertisements are specifically designed to win us over on these very basic grounds and, whilst it may seem a paradox, branding will continue to effect consumer habits so long as the consumer exists in an consumer-led society. References Barthes, R. Image Music Text. London: Fontana: 1984 Corner, J and Pels, D (eds.) Media and the Restyling of Politics: consumerism, celebrity, cynicism. London: SAGE: 2003 Day, N. Advertising Information or Manipulation? Enslow Publications: United Kingdom: 1999 Heath, R. The hidden power of adveritisng: how low involvement processing influences the way we choose brands. Henley-on-Thames: Admap Publications: 2001 Jones, J.P. What s in a name? Advertising and the concept of brands. Armonk, N.Y: M.E Sharpe: 2003 Klein, N. No Logo. London: Harper Collins: 2000 Myers, G. Adworlds: brands, media, audiences. London: Arnold: 1998 Myers, G. Words in Ads. London: Arnold: 1994 Tanaka, K. Advertising Language a pragmatic approach to advertising in Britain and Japan. London: Routledge: 1994 Vestergaard, T. and Schrà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¸eder, K. The Language of Advertising. Oxford: Blackwell: 1986 www.benetton.com 04/05/05 www.dove.com 04/05/05 www.nike.com 04/05/04 1 Footnotes [1] No Logo p.30 [2] No Logo p.21 [3] as above p.20 [4] as above p.29 [5] www.dove.com [6] No Logo p.21 [7] What’s in a Name? p.235 [8] No Logo p.30 [9] Words in Ads p.10

Justice in Oedipus the King :: Oedipus Rex Essays

Justice in Oedipus the King After reading Oedipus the King, one may think that in this story, there was no justice, and nobody could avoid their fate. King Laius and Queen Jocasta, fearing the prophecy of the Delphic oracle, had the young Oedipus left on Mount Cithaeron to die, but the father dies and the son marries the mother anyway. Oedipus, seemingly a good person, also tries to avoid the second prophecy, only to fulfill the first. But even through all this, I have done some research and feel that there was justice in Oedipus, The King, and their fate wasn't completely sealed. First, the murder of King Laius. Laius seemed to die a unwarranted death, but he was not necessarily in complete innocence, for he had done some malicious things earlier in his life, such as the attempted murder of his son, Oedipus, and the kidnapping and rape of Chrysippus, a young man Laius fell in love with before Jocasta. And Oedipus wasn't as guilty under ancient Greek law as he is under our modern laws. It was every Greek's duty to harm his/her enemies, and as far as Oedipus knew, King Laius was an enemy. Queen Jocasta wasn't exactly guiltless, either. The great Queen had also tried with King Laius to kill their son, and had no respect for the prophecies of Apollo: "A prophet? Listen to me and learn some peace of mind: no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future." She was also the other half of a mother-son marriage. Greek law considered the act, not the motive - meaning that even though she nor Oedipus knew they were related, they committed the crime. Finally, Oedipus's guilt. In some ways, Oedipus was the most guilty of them all. Consider his 'hubris'. He regarded himself as almost a god, assuming that since he alone had solved the sphinx's riddle, he was the one of the gods' favorites. He was very quick to judge, and judged on the most flimsy of evidence. He calls on Tiresias to tell him what he should do, and when he doesn't like what he hears, Oedipus says, "Your words are nothing - futile", and

Case Study of Fdi in India vs China

A project ReportOnCASE STUDY OF FDI IN INDIA VS CHINASubmitted toMrs. Smita KashiramkaByRamya Singh2010B3A2613PIn Fulfilment ofStudy oriented ProjectBIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI30th November 2012| | | | | | | Abstract The report begins with the FDI definition and FDI reference with respect to India and its sect-oral and regional comparisons. This report undertakes a comparative analysis of the foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing from the multinational corporations (MNCs) into China and India.Examining the prevailing investment climate to account for the differences in FDI between the two countries and finally suggest some recommendations for India to achieve higher FDI. A review of Mckinsey report on India’s economic performance and growth potential has been done at the end of the report. Acknowledgements A Study oriented project is a golden opportunity for learning and self development. I consider myself very lucky and honoured to have been able to ge t this opportunity of doing such a project. My grateful thanks to Mrs.Smita Kashiramka mam who in spite of being extraordinarily busy with her duties, took time out to hear, guide and keep me on the correct path. I do not know where I would have been without her. Ramya Singh ID- 2010B3A2613P Table of Contents- 1. Introduction 2. 1. FDI definition 2. 2. Benefits of FDI 2. 3. FII’s 2. FDI Routes to India 3. 4. Forbidden territories 3. 5. Forms of FDI Investment 3. 6. Automatic Route 3. 7. Government approved Route 3. Amendments in FDI and Industrial Policies 4. 8. FEMA 4. 9. FIIA 4. Status of FDI in India 5. Round Tripping of FDI to China 6. Directional comparison of FDI in India and China . Recommendations for improving FDI to India 8. FDI in Retail 9. Review of Mckinsey Report of FDI in India 10. Conclusion 11. References 1. INTRODUCTION Background The official statistics of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in China and India exhibits a remarkable discrepancy that cons equently establishes the unmatched superiority of China in attracting FDI inflows. China ventured into the path of liberalization in 1979 by gradually liberalizing and opening up its economy. Removal of restrictions on inward FDI has figured out to be one of the prominent features in the Chinese reforms.China has indeed achieved remarkable success in FDI since it formally opened its door to FDI with the passage of the â€Å"Law of People’s Republic of China on Joint Ventures using Chinese and Foreign Investment† in 1979. By virtually having their non-state sector (counterpart of India’s private sector) run on free market principles and setting up large special economic zones, encouraging competition among Chinese provinces to attract FDI, offering substantial tax concessions, permitting the leasing of land and property, introducing overnment guarantees for investment and special arrangements regarding retention and repatriation of foreign exchange, China has bee n able to attract significant sums of FDI inflows. India, the only developing country of size and diversity of industrial base comparable to China, has also adopted a similar path of liberalization since 1991, by slowly shedding its FDI restrictions and allowing FDI through automatic route barring a few strategic industries of security concern .It is important to note that in 1997, India had joined the band of the top ten developing country recipients of FDI flows, whereas China had already acquired prominent positions at least since 1991. UNCTAD’s ranking of countries based on FDI relative to the size of the economy was 121 for India and 61 for China for the period 1988 to 1990. The corresponding figures for 1998-2000 are 119 and 47 respectively. While India has improved marginally, China reveals a huge success in terms of FDI ranking In 2002, the A. T. Kearney survey also found that China outranked the U.S. as the most attractive destination for FDI. The importance of FDI t o China is readily apparent. These discrepancies in the relative FDI attracting capabilities of India and China raise some important fundamental questions about the actual FDI potential of India. Can India possibly become an FDI destination as attractive as China?. The Report addresses this question at large. 1. 1 Definition of ‘Foreign Direct Investment – FDI' FDI refers to an investment made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises operating outside of the economy of the investor.Further, in cases of FDI, the investor? s purpose is to gain an effective voice in the management of the enterprise. Components of FDI- The components of FDI are equity capital, reinvested earnings and other capital (mainly intra-company loans). As countries do not always collect data for each of those components, reported data on FDI are not fully comparable across countries. In particular, data on reinvested earnings, the collection of which depends on company surveys, are often unreporte d by many countries. – United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)Foreign investment refers to investments made by the residents of a country in the financial assets and production processes of another country. It can come in two forms: Foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign institutional investment (FII). FDI or Foreign Direct Investment is an investment that a parent company makes in a foreign country. FDI brings in capital but also helps in good governance practices and better management skills and advanced technology infusion. But, FII or Foreign Institutional Investor is an investment made by an investor in the markets of a foreign nation.Foreign Institutional Investment is also known as hot money as the investors have the liberty to sell it and take it back. The FII investment flows only into the secondary market. It helps in increasing capital availability. Objective of the Study:- a) To analyze the pattern and direction of FDI flow in India. b) To identify factors those are responsible for comparatively lesser flow of FDI to India c) To identify reasons for regional imbalances in terms of flow of FDI. d) To review FDI policy of India e) To address various issue and concern relating to FDI. f) To make policy recommendation to improve the level of FDI.Nature and Source of Data:- The relevant data are collected from papers published(sources mentioned in the last)various sites of Government of India, Reserve Bank of India and Mckinsey report published by Mckinsey global institute, papers published etc. Other references have been mentioned at the end of the report. 1. 2 Benefits of FDI to the host country- * FDI not only brings in capital but also helps in good governance practices and better management skills and even technology transfer. Export market gets a boost due to this and consequently lesser import dependence.Foreign Investors invest in social, economic infrastructure, financial markets and marketing system help the dev eloping nations on the path of industrialization and modernization. Demand for various inputs give rise to development of the supplying industries, generating income, leading to a spur in the production process and a better living standard of the people employed in these industries. Quality products are available to the consumers at low prices. Foreign investment serves as boon to the government by bringing demand for various inputs giving rise to development of the supplying industries. . 3 FII's- Generate Enhanced flows of equity capital, improving capital markets, include reduced cost of capital, imparting stability to India's balance of payments, institutionalizing the market, improving market efficiency and strengthening corporate governance. 1. Foreign direct investment- the Indian scenario 2. 1 Forbidden Territories – FDI is not permitted in the following industrial sectors: †¢Arms and ammunition. †¢Atomic Energy. †¢Railway Transport. †¢Coal and lig nite. †¢ Mining of iron, manganese †¢Gambling and Betting †¢Business of chit fund †¢Trading in Transferable Development Rights (TDRs). Activity/sector not opened to private sector investment. 2. 2 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted as under the following forms of Investments – †¢Through financial collaborations. †¢Through joint ventures and technical collaborations. †¢Through capital markets via Euro issues. †¢Through private placements or preferential allotments. * Through financial collaborations-â€Å"Foreign collaboration includes ongoing business activities of sharing information related to financing, technology, engineering, management, consultancy, logistics, marketing, etc. which are generally, offered by a non-resident (foreign) entity to a resident (domestic or native) entity in exchange of cheap skilled and semi-skilled labour, inexpensive high-quality raw-materials, low cost hi-tech infrastructure facilities, stra tegic (favourable) geographic location, with an approval (permission) from a governmental authority like the ministry of finance of a resident country. †The examples of foreign collaboration between an Indian and abroad entity: * ICICI Lombard GIC (General Insurance Company) Limited is a financial foreign collaboration between ICICI Bank Ltd. India and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. , Canada. * ING Visa Bank Ltd. is a financial foreign collaboration formed between ING Group from Netherlands and Visa Bank from India. * Tata DOCOMO is a technical foreign collaboration between Tata Teleservices from India and NTT Decoma, Inc. from Japan. * Through joint ventures and technical collaborations-A joint venture is a new enterprise owned by two or more participants. Joint ventures are formed with several motives:- The main motive is to share the risks.A small firm with a new product idea that involves high risk and requires relatively large amounts of investment capital may form a joi nt venture with a large firm. A foreign company can invest in an Indian company through a joint venture agreement in the areas which are otherwise not reserved exclusively for the public sector or which are not under the prohibited categories such as real estate etc. For such foreign investments into India, a two tier approval mechanism has been provided. * Through capital markets via Euro issues- Foreign Investment through GDRs (GLOBAL DEPOSITORY RECEIPTS) – Indian companies are allowed to raise equity capital in the international market through the issue of Global Depository Receipt (GDRs). GDR investments are treated as FDI and are designated in dollars. * Use of GDRs –The proceeds of the GDRs can be used for financing capital goods imports, capital expenditure including domestic purchase/installation of plant, equipment and building and investment in software development, prepayment or scheduled repayment of earlier external borrowings. Investment in stock markets and real estate will not be permitted. FDI comes through ) Automatic route and b) Govt. approval route. 2. 4 Automatic route- Under the RBI’s Automatic Route, the Indian companies can issue shares up to prescribed percentage to person’s resident outside India without obtaining prior Permission either of the Government or RBI. These companies must be engaged in the Permissible activities under the FEMA. Companies engaged in manufacture of items, Reserved for SSI sector or those manufacturing items requiring industrial license or engaged in areas such as, defence, atomic energy or aerospace will not be able to avail of The Automatic Route.In terms of the guidelines issued in February 2000 and subsequent amendments, except in certain circumstances, foreign investment by way of issue of shares/convertible Debentures by Indian companies can be made in India under the Automatic Route without Any approval from the Government of India or the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In the Circumstances where the Automatic Route is not applicable, the foreign investor or the Indian company seeking foreign investment would require the approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).FIPB is a competent body to consider and recommend foreign direct investment (FDI), which do not come under the automatic route. 2. 4 Government approved route- Indian companies may want to issue shares to foreign citizens and companies Incorporated outside India under sectors not allowed under the Automatic route or any other general/special permissions. In such cases, it will be necessary to Apply to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).Foreign Direct Investment in India is allowed on automatic route in almost all sectors except –Proposals that require an industrial license and cases where foreign investment is more than 24% in the equity capital of units manufacturing items reserved for the small scale industries,  For transfer of ownership or control of India n companies  in sectors with caps from resident Indian citizens to non-resident entities, Government approval/FIPB approval would be required in all cases where: The ownership or control of an existing Indian company (currently owned or controlled by resident Indian itizens and/or Indian companies, which are owned or controlled by resident Indian citizens) will be/is being transferred/passed on to a non-resident entity as a consequence of transfer of shares and/or fresh issue of shares to non-resident entities through amalgamation, merger/demerger, acquisition etc, where a foreign investor has an existing joint venture/ technology transfer/ trademark  agreement in the ‘same field', prior to January 12, 2005, the proposal for fresh investment/technology transfer/technology collaboration/trademark agreement in a new joint venture for technology transfer/ technology collaboration/trademark agreement would have to be under the Government approval route through FIPB/ Project Ap proval Board Proposals falling outside notified sect oral policy/caps or under sectors in which FDI is not permitted and whenever any investor chooses to make an application to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board and not to avail of the automatic route. * Industrial Approvals/clearances- For starting a new project, a number of industrial approvals/clearances are required from different authorities such as Pollution Control Board, Chief Inspector of Factories, Electricity Board, Municipal Corporations, etc. * Labour Rules/Regulations- Under the Constitution of India, Labour is a subject in the Concurrent List where both the Central & State Governments are competent to enact legislation.Some of the important Labour Acts, which are applicable for carrying out business in India are – Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952; Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948; Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923; Maternity Benefit Act, 1961; Factorie s Act, 1948; Minimum Wages Act; Payment of Wages Act, 1936. * Taxation in India- Foreign nationals working in India are generally taxed only on their Indian income. Income received from sources outside India is not taxable unless it is received in India. Company taxation – Foreign companies are subject to a maximum tax of 40% on its net profits. The effective tax rate for domestic companies is 36. 75% while the profits of branches in India of foreign companies are taxed at 40%. Companies incorporated in India even with 100% foreign ownership, are considered domestic companies under the Indian laws. 3.Amendments- in the FDI and Industrial Policies 3. 1 FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act)- The Foreign Exchange Management Act (1999) or in short FEMA has been introduced as a replacement for earlier Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). FEMA was introduced because the FERA didn’t fit in with post-liberalization policies. A significant change that the FEMA brought with it was that it made all offenses regarding foreign exchange civil offenses, as opposed to criminal offenses as dictated by FERA. When a business enterprise imports goods from other countries, exports its products to them or makes investments abroad, it deals in foreign exchange.Foreign exchange means ‘foreign currency' and includes deposits, credits and balances payable in any foreign currency. It was a criminal legislation which meant that its violation would lead to imprisonment and payment of heavy fine. It had many restrictive clauses which deterred foreign investments. FEMA emerged as an investor friendly legislation which is purely a civil legislation in the sense that its violation implies only payment of monetary penalties and fines. 3. 2 Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA) Government of India has set up Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA) to facilitate quick translation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approvals into implementation.FIIA is assisted by Fast Track Committee (FTC), which have been established in 30 Ministries/Departments of Government of India for monitoring and resolution of difficulties for sector specific projects. Role of Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA) To understand and solve the problems of the investors , understand and solve the problems of the approving authorities, refer to the cases that has not been resolved at the level of FIIA to the agencies at the higher levels, and to start consultations with multiple agencies. Changes in FDI policy in Single Brand retail trading:- The policy regarding Single Brand retail trading has been liberalized and now FDI up to 100 percent is permitted under the Government route.Policy for FDI in Commodity Exchanges:- Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) can now invest up to 23 percent in commodity exchanges without seeking prior approval of the government. However, FDI will continue to need the approval of the FIPB DTAA (DOUBLE TAX AVOIDA NCE AGREEMENT) WITH MAURITIUS- According to the tax treaty between India and Mauritius, capital gains arising from the sale of shares are taxable in the country of residence of the shareholder and not in the country of residence of the company whose shares have been sold. Therefore, a company resident in Mauritius selling shares of an Indian company will not pay tax in India. 4. Status of FDI in IndiaVarious studies have projected India among the top 5 favoured destination for FDI. Cumulative FDI equity inflows has been Rs. 5, 54,270 core (1, 27,460 Million US$) for The period 1991-2009. This is attributed to contribution from service sector, computer Software, telecommunication, real estate etc. India’s 83% of cumulative FDI is Contributed by nine countries while remaining 17 per cent by rest of the world. Country-wise, FDI inflows to India are dominated by Mauritius (44 percent), followed by the Singapore (9 per cent), United States (8 percent) and UK (4 percent) Countries like Singapore, USA, and UK etc. invest in India mainly in service, power, telecommunication, fuels, electric equipments, food processing sector.Though India has observed a remarkable rise in the flow of FDI over the last few years, it receives comparatively much lesser FDI than China. Even smaller economies in Asia such as Hong Kong, Mauritius receive much than India in terms of FDI inflows. This is largely due to India’s economic policy of protecting domestic enterprise compared to above mentioned Newly Industrialized Asian Economies. Country-wise, FDI inflows to India are dominated by Mauritius (44 percent), followed By the Singapore (9 per cent), United States (8 percent) and UK (4 percent). the share of Mauritius is the highest due to the double taxation avoidance treaty with Mauritius. (Comparing India and China)Source: UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2009; Net FDI Inflow= Inward FDI flow Minus Outward FDI Flow . FDI stock of India has also registered a consistent grow th over the period of study. Net FDI stock for the period 1990-2000 was 1533 Million US$ which rose to 61523 Million dollars. However, net FDI stock of China is about 4 times than that of India. India’s inward FDI stock to GDP ratio improved from 0. 5 per cent for the 1990-2000 to 9. 9 per cent by the year 2008. Similarly, ratio of outward FDI Stock to GDP for the Corresponding period has registered a consistent rise and was at the level of 5 per cent In the year 2008 Source: UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2009; Net FDI Inflow= Inward FDI flow Minus Outward FDI Flow.There is a positive link between FDI and India’s growth story. India has been observing a consistent growth in net FDI flow. Ratio of FDI Inflow to Gross Capital Formation has improved from 1. 9 per cent during the period 1990-2000 to 9. 6 per cent in the year 2008. . Service sector has been the highest contributor of FDI inflow to India (22%). Followed by computer software and hardware (9%), telecommunica tion (8%), housing And real estate (8%), construction activities and power (7%). Net inward FDI into India remained buoyant during April-June of 2009-10 as Manufacturing sector continued to attract most part of FDI (19. 2 per cent), followed by Real estate activities (15. per cent) and financial services (15. 4 per cent). This trend Reversal (greater FDI in manufacturing sector) could be attributed to relatively better macroeconomic performance of India. During 2008-09, continuing liberalization measures to attract FDI and positive Sentiments of global investors about the growth potential of EMEs, including India. India evolved as one of the most favoured destination for investment in the service Sector due to low cost wages and wide demand-supply gap in financial services Particularly in banking, insurance and telecommunication. Gradually India has become Important centre for back-office processing, call centres, technical support, medicalTranscriptions, knowledge process outsourci ng (KPOs), financial analysis and business processing hub for financial services and insurance claims. There has been a wide concentration of FDI inflows around Mumbai Region (36%) followed by New Delhi Region (19%), Karnataka (6%), Gujarat (6 %), Tamil Nadu (5%) and Andhra Pradesh. It is alarming that these regions receive 77% of FDI equity inflow while rest of India accounts for only 23%. Lack of proper initiative from the various state governments is responsible for such wide disparities in FDI. China is the workshop of the world. Its $1,952 billion in output last year allowed it to overturn the US' 115-year reign as the world's largest manufacturer.China's manufacturing is labour-intensive: it produced almost the same percentage of world manufacturing output as the US (~19%) with about nine times the number of workers. China’s manufacturing success — seeded by foreign investment, superb infrastructure, a rational labour law regime, an infinite supply of migrating c heap farm labour — created the fastest poverty-reduction programmed in recorded history. Indian manufacturing must seize this opportunity. India accounted for only 1. 8% of global manufacturing value added (MVA) last year versus China at 23. 3%. Our per-capita productivity was a disappointing $107 versus China at $842. Budget 2011 plans a new manufacturing policy that aims to raise the share of manufacturing in GDP from 16% today to 25% in 10 years.How China became the world’s largest manufacturing destination:-China invited foreign direct investors to provide the capital and the expertise to achieve export competitiveness in a wide range of sectors, including electronics, apparel, plastic toys, stuffed animals, ceramics, and many other labour intensive sectors. In each sector, the key was to link foreign investor capital and expertise with a large and low-cost Chinese labour force. The foreign investors brought in the product design, specialized machine tools and capi tal goods, key intermediate products, and knowledge of marketing channels. The Chinese assured these foreign investors certain key conditions for profitability, such as low taxes, reliable infrastructure, and physical security, adequate Power, decent logistics for the import and export of goods, and so forth.Creating global manufacturing competitiveness is complex but two bottlenecks for Indian manufacturing are infrastructure and labour laws. Our current labour law regime has huge costs; exploding unorganized employment, lower organized manufacturing, encouraging buying machines rather than hiring people, corruption, blue-collar exploitation and higher organized sector skill intensity. Basically, labour laws have ensured that 100% of net job creation in the last 20 years has been in the low-productivity and sub-scale unorganized sector. Added to the acute infrastructure woes are the rigidities in Indian labour markets which makes it practically impossible to shed excess labour or g et rid of nonperformers.Looking beyond these two constraints, a number of studies and reports have highlighted other weaknesses that hinder India’s development as a major export oriented manufacturing base. Some comparative statistics are given below- Source- Bajpai N and Dasgupta N, â€Å"Multinational Companies and Foreign Direct Investment in China and India†, Centre on Globalization and Sustainable Development (CGSD) Working Paper No. 2 (Sect-oral Distribution of FDI) Maharashtra Region attracts FDI in energy, transportation, services, Telecommunications and electrical equipment. Delhi and NCR attracts FDI inflows in Telecommunications, transportation, electrical equipment (including software) and Services.While Haryana emerged as a preferred destination for electrical equipment, Transportation and food processing, Tamil Nadu has been successful in attracting FDI In automotive related and auto components sector. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Emerged as a popular des tination for software, computer hardware and Telecommunication. India’s rural areas such as Orissa has also been successful in Attracting FDI in securing large Greenfields FDI projects in bauxite, mining, aluminium and automotive facilities. 5. Round Tripping of FDI to China – The Chinese official statistical database does not provide disaggregated FDI that would directly project the relative contribution by the Non-Resident Chinese (NRC) population in China.However, based on the fact that a large proportion of NRCs residing in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Macao make FDI to mainland China, we will make the assumption that, in broad terms- any FDI originating from these countries will constitute expatriate FDI and mainland Chinese funds routed through local financial agents – round tripping. It is evident that the share of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and with it the share of MNCs in Chinese FDI inflows has been rais ing over the 1990s while the share of Singapore, Macao, Taiwan and Hong Kong (supposedly the NRC contribution) is falling. NRC contribution, which was nearly 80. percent of the total Chinese inflows in 1992, has gradually decreased over the 1990s, being on an average about 60. 5 percent over the decade. China’s FDI numbers include a substantial amount of round-tripping: A large amount of Chinese black money is recycled through Hong Kong and sent back to the mainland as FDI. Round-tripping in fact accounts for one-half of China’s FDI inflows, which thus reduces the reported level from $40 billion to $20 billion in 2000(see graph below). Even in 2001, more than 47 percent of FDI inflows to China came from these four countries (Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Macao) where a large proportion of NRC's reside. 6. Directional Comparison of FDI in India and China –China's FDI inflows are somewhat inflated due to ‘round-tripping’ investment through Hong Kon g, which poses as a foreign investment in order to acquire the benefits from preferential tax treatment. The World Bank estimates that about 20–30% of FDI in China was due to the round-tripping investment on the other hand, India's FDI inflows are underestimated because the figure excludes reinvested earnings. While it is very likely that the entire FDI from these economies to China may not be totally from the NRCs, but a very large part of it actually is. Expatriate investment has been a very small portion of aggregate FDI in India, in spite of gradual attempts by the government to simplify the regulations involving investments by the non-resident Indians (NRIs) into the country and hence the expatriateIndians do not form a large segment of the target investors in India, unlike in China. On the whole, it is observed that in India, FDI is flowing into areas where skilled labour is major input sectors are telecom, electrical equipment, including computer software, energy, and the transportation industry. These four sectors accounted for roughly 50 percent of FDI inflows remarkable difference exists in the expanse of the areas of foreign investments in India and China. FDI in China is rather extensive, being diffused over agriculture (farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery), mining, and manufacturing and significantly into the tertiary sector.Moreover, social-welfare related sectors like education and healthcare and wholesale and retail trade(till 2012) that have not yet been targeted in India as sectors competent for attracting FDI inflows, but these have contributed to FDI in China. China has, since 1998, stepped up its efforts to encourage foreign investments into technology development and innovation. Several incentives, such as import duty exemption for equipment and technology brought into China by foreign-invested research companies, tax breaks for incomes obtained from transfer of technology, and business tax exemption to foreign enterpri ses transferring advanced technology, are luring foreign investors to China. China most certainly attracted large sums of FDI in the manufacturing sector, a significant part of which could definitely be channelized to India had India not been plagued with inadequacies.India’s product reservation for the small-scale industry, stringent labour laws, inability of the firms to exit, if conditions so demanded (no exit policy), lack of decision-making authority with India’s state governments and hence lack of competition among Indian states to attract FDI (as against China’s provinces) were some of the key factors why India lost large sums of FDI. Fall in FDI in electrical equipment manufacturing in India has been due to the cheap Chinese goods flooding the market. The role of sub-national government as a catalyst to FDI inflows has also been ignored in India while decentralization of FDI seeking and related powers has been given due importance in china. The Chinese g overnment welcomes FDI and does not seek too much documentation for companies setting up ventures in China. Getting licenses is also easy for setting up a unit in china. Export-orientation in FDI in India and China- China has been successful in attracting huge export oriented FDI inflows in recent years.China invited FDI to provide the capital and the expertise to achieve export competitiveness in the manufacturing sector with the key link of providing cheap labour . The foreign investors brought in the product design, specialized machine tools and capital goods, key intermediate products, and knowledge of world marketing channels. The Chinese assured these foreign investors certain key conditions for profitability, such as low taxes, reliable infrastructure, physical security, adequate power, decent logistics for the import and export of goods. India has large scale reservation in the small sector industries such as handicrafts which have large demand in the world market. SEZ's and EPZ'sSEZs, along China’s coastline, were designed to give foreign investors and domestic enterprises favourable conditions such as import intermediate products and capital goods duty free for rapid export promotion and good infrastructure. India also had similar models of EPZ and Export Oriented Units (EOU). EPZs are located at various places including Cochin, Falta (near Calcutta), Kandla, Chennai, Noida, Santacruz (Mumbai), Vishakhapatnam and Surat. A unit could be set up in these zones subject to availability of space. Incentives provided to attract investment in these areas were ‘zero import duty', a ‘special 10-year income tax rebate' and other incentives. Eight special zones failed to achieve the export targets.Decentralization of decision-making authority was also a major reason for SEZ success in China. Another ingredient of infrastructure is the availability of power at competitive rate. Apart from cheap power there is no power failure in China, as in In dia. The EPZ's in India are one -third of the required size. In China all jobs are on contract basis, which stand terminated upon the expiry of the terms, which can be fixed/flexible or for a specific job. In contrast, the labour laws in India are extremely stringent and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 does not allow companies with 100 or more employees to retrench labour without seeking prior permission the concerned state government. EPZ's in India have performed poorly due to:-Insufficient logistical links with ports and airport, Poor infrastructure in areas surrounding the zones (e. g. unpaved roads and poor Physical security), Government ambivalence and red-tape regarding inward FDI, Unclear incentive packages governing inward investment, and Lack of interest and authority of state and local governments, and the private sector, Compared with the central government, in the design, set-up, and functioning of the Zones. Unclear ownership of land- A major part of land parcels in India is subject to legal dispute over their ownership. This prevents to acquire land for retail; housing and the courts take an enormous time for clearing such cases.As a result Indian developers have hard time raising collateral for loans against land for which they don’t have a clear ownership. Revising the law on land construction would give a major push to the sluggish construction industry of India. Parts of India are plagued by archaic laws such as ULCRA (Urban Land Ceiling Regulation Act) which created an artificial land scarcity leading to rising land prices further rising the cost of the housing Industry. Following Recommendations to improve FDI flows to India:- Apart from taking steps to improve infrastructural facilities and enhancing labour Market flexibility while the government has lifted sect oral caps for FDI over the last decade.Policies have thus far been ad-hoc and a source of uncertainty. Particular attention should also be paid to the removal of restrict ions on FDI in the Services sectors — including telecoms, banking and insurance, aviation, etc – as this will Help ease transactions costs for both consumers and business. The World Bank (2002) Has in fact proclaimed that â€Å"in virtually every country, the performance of the service Sectors can make the difference between rapid and sluggish growth† One sector that should certainly get this automatic approval is the education sector. Currently there is no FDI in education Allowed. Since it is well known that the education sector in India has reached a plateau.In terms of ideas or development, it is only fair that new ideas and methodologies from other countries are tried out. The SEZ'S and EPZ'S have failed to achieve their targets, for this the government must provide SEZs in strategic locations, close to ports or major industrial locations. Concurrent to this establishment of SEZs in strategic locations, the government should also provide all necessary infra structural facilities to ensure the success of the SEZ’s. The government needs to beyond the current policy of only allowing SEZs in areas that are already owned by companies applying for the SEZ: in effect, a SEZ should be like a huge industrial park rather than having one single company in it.Three, focus should not just be on the absolute amount of gross FDI inflows but also the type. More specifically, while India has experienced an infusion of FDI inflows in recent times, a large portion of the new inflows have been in the form of M&A's. Given that the latter does not necessarily imply new capital infusion into a country, the macroeconomic consequences of the two types of FDI can be quite different. The focus should not just be on the amount of Greenfield FDI inflows but also the positive externalities to be derived from them, including in terms of technological development. The effectiveness of the Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA) needs to be enhanced. Any investment promotion strategy must be geared towards the following: (a) image-building activities promoting the country and its regions and states as favourable locations for investment; (b) investment-generating activities through direct targeting of firms by promotion of specific sectors and industries, and personal selling and establishing direct contacts with prospective investors. India does have a vibrant manufacturing sector but that rarely comes out internationally because it gets drowned out by the more glamorous software and other service related sectors. This perception is a fundamental one and goes well beyond reasons such as red-tape, corruption, poor infrastructure though they are inter-related to an extent.To get rid of this tag is easier said than done but the government can do more promotion activities to this end, preventing diverting this FDI to China. There is the desperate need to create a deep talent pool. This is inherently dangerous for a country like Ind ia which has a tag of a services country; a sector that needs a deep talent pool to feed off. This lack of talent is reflected in the growth in wages which is one of the highest in the world. India has the highest wage inflation of any Asian economy. The one thing that makes India attractive is the cost arbitrage and if wages increase the way they are increasing, it is very likely that this arbitrage will disappear and along with it, valuable FDI dollars.To this end, it is necessary to continuously monitor the quality of students as well as the quality of teachers in educational institutions. The table below gives the rise in wages in different sectors for year 2012. While many policy barriers have been removed on FDI in India, results have at times been disappointing due to administrative barriers at the state level as well as lack of coordination between the central and state governments. There need to be greater coordination between the centre and states to ensure that the substa ntial foreign interest in investing in India gets translated into actual investment flows to the State. An example of this is the proposed $12 billion investment, India’s single largest FDI investment, by South Korean steel giant, Pasco.Pasco signed an agreement in June 2005 to set up a steel plant in Orissa but as of March 2008, the steel plant is yet to be start construction, let alone any operations. Every kind of problem ranging from political to environmental to allegations of land grabbing has affected this project. The main problem has risen from the allegation that they would make some villagers landless and Pasco cannot have a factory anywhere else because the raw material is in Orissa. This is a problem that the Orissa government could have easily foreseen but many governments in India have a tendency to promise too much and do too little. This clearly has impacted credibility of many state governments.India should continue to work towards developing a deep and liqu id corporate debt market. India is one of the few countries with a major equity market but With a highly illiquid corporate debt market. A well functioning corporate debt market Does one major thing for companies looking to invest in India. It is very likely that when Companies are investing their money in India or in any other country, they are more Likely to use debt rather than their own cash. Therefore, they would go to debt markets In their countries of origin and raise money there. However, this could lead to a considerable exchange rate risk because FDI is usually long-term and there is no good way of forecasting exchange rate movements in the long-run.If there a well functioning corporate debt market in India, it actually makes India that much more attractive. India should consciously work towards attracting greater FDI into R&D as a means of strengthening the country’s technological prowess and competitiveness. Policymakers are looking at FDI as the primary source of funds. It is important to Keep in mind that FDI on its own is not a panacea for rapid growth and development. What India needs is to put in place a comprehensive development strategy, which Includes being open to trade and FDI. This ought to go a long way to fulfilling the Ultimate goal of permanently eradicating poverty over the medium and longer-terms.India should remove the product reservation in small scale industries, bring in flexible labour laws, this will generate competitiveness in this sector which is critical for a growing economy. India has failed to evolve as inward FDI manufacturing destination. Manufacturing investment has potentiality to develop ancillary industries also. There is a wide spread under employment in agriculture. Manufacturing sector has greater scope of low end, labour intensive manufacturing jobs for unskilled population when compared with service sector. The issues of geographical disparities of FDI in India need to address on priority. India is a q uasi-federal country consisting of States and Union Territories.States are also partners in the economic reforms, and should offer several tax incentives etc for attraction. Data on FDI reveals that India has increase largely due to Merger and Acquisitions (M&A's) rather than large Greenfield projects. Business friendly environment must be created on priority to attract large Greenfields projects. Regulations should be simplified so that realization ratio is improved (Percentage of FDI approvals to actual flows). To maximize the benefits of FDI persistently India should also focus on developing human capital and technology. M&A's not necessarily imply infusion of new capital into a country if it is through reinvested earnings and intra-company loans.A Greenfield Investment is the investment in a manufacturing, office, or other physical company-related structure or group of structures in an area where no previous facilities exist. Governments should see that losing corporate tax reve nue is a small price to pay if jobs are created and knowledge and technology is gained to boost the country's human capital. There is abundance opportunity in Greenfield Projects. But the issue of land acquisition and steps taken to protect local interests by the various state governments are not encouraging. MOU ArecelorMittal controversy is one of the best examples of such disputes Due to poor quality primary education and higher there is still an acute shortage of talent. This factor has negative repercussion on domestic and foreign business. FDI in Education Sector is less than 1%.Given the status of primary and higher education in the country, FDI in this sector must be encouraged. The SEZ’s and EPZ’s of India have failed to achieve their export targets due to unclear rules and regulations by the government, overcrowding of units in these zones and poor infrastructure as discussed previously in the report. It is found that there are Lower indirect taxes in china, lower import duties on raw materials since the Government often sees that losing corporate tax revenue is a small price to pay if jobs are created and knowledge and technology is gained to boost the country's human capital, higher labour productivity encourage higher FDI’s in china.The Indian Government should also implement such regulations. In China, Foreign investment in research and development (R&D) and foreign enterprises transferring advanced technology to china are exempt from paying import duty; such policies aren’t seen in India. In order to improve technological competitiveness of India, FDI into R&D should be promoted; FDI can be instrumental in developing rural economy. There is abundance opportunity in Greenfield Projects. But the issue of land acquisition and steps taken to protect local interests by the various state governments are not encouraging. 8. FDI in Retail(how it is good for the country):-Small shops, street vendors and malls can all co-exist (as they are doing now): They all serve different needs, and different income segments. The FDI approval does state that â€Å"30 per cent of the products must be procured from small scale industries which have a total investment in plant and machinery not exceeding $1 million. FDI in retail will expand consumer base. Some categories currently have no big players: There are some categories of stores that are just not present in India. The suppliers of e. g. -air conditioning units have increased but the food sector supplies remain traditionally the same. Having a Wal-Mart will cater to the increasing consumer base. FDI in India Retail should be welcomed as this will bring a lot of money in India.Foreign Investment will help the government to build new infrastructure and improve rural infrastructure. Farmers will be the biggest beneficiaries from this move, as they will be able to improve their productivity and get high prices by selling their crops directly in the market to the lar ge organized players. Government will also gain by FDI through transparent and accountable monitoring of goods and supply change management systems. Products will be available to the consumers at reduced price since products will be purchased directly from the farmers and sold to consumers. This will provide lots of job opportunities to unemployed people in India.It will provide more options to the farmers with less wastage of agriculture product. FDI in retail will increase the competition for Indian players pushing them to improve their products and services. The final beneficiary of this competition will be the consumers. We have enormous wastage in foods and vegetables because small stores and vegetable vendors cannot afford refrigerated trucks, or any refrigeration. The stores lose money, and so does the consumer (because a lot of the fruits/ vegetables spoil too quickly after purchase. Hence the State governments should go with this agenda instead of opposing it and see the bi gger picture. 9. McKinsey report on economic performance of India-McKinsey Global Institute prepared a report on how the global economy works with a special focus on India which will be the most populated but remains one of the poorest economies. Special focus was given on the economic performance and growth potential of the country comparing its growth with its neighbour China. Following findings were made- A decade ago India and China had the same GDP per capital, but now India’s GDP is only half that of china. Some of the factors preventing India's GDP to grow in comparison to China are Low Productivity-This arises due to regulations concerning markets and products, land market ownership distortions and government owned businesses since they protect most industries from competition.Inequitable regulations-such regulations restrict competition thus reducing efficiency as seen in the telecommunication industries there private players have to pay a heavy licensing fees compar ed to government owned incumbents who do not do so. Uneven enforcement- the small scale industries steal power frequently compared to bigger more visible counterparts who can’t do so. Reservation of products for small scale industries-Around 500 products are reserved for small scale industries (as of 2001), such reservations restricts these industries to achieve production efficiency. Licensing or Quasi Licensing-Several sectors such as dairy require a license from Government before starting production. These licensing authorities prevent private entrants into entering competition.Government ownership of companies promote inefficiency and waste-their labour productivity levels are far below their private players- in telecommunications and electricity government control both the regulators and state electricity boards(SEB's) which are highly inefficient and lose around 30 % to theft compared to 10% of power lost by private players to theft. Poor infrastructure and less red tap e in port management could greatly reduce customs clearance time. Unclear Ownership- A large proportion of land in India is subject to legal disputes over their ownership and the courts are very slow in resolving disputes. This prevents buying land for retail and housing. Counterproductive taxation-Low property taxes, ineffective tax collection, subsidised user charges for water and power leave the local governments unable to invest in infrastructure e. g. – in Delhi water is supplied at 10% of its true cost. MEASURES TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY-The following measures were suggested – removing reservations on small scale industries, establishing effective proactive and independent regulators, rationalising taxes and custom duties, removing restrictions on foreign investment and widespread privatisation which will boost competition, further improving the quality of products, and at times, has reduced the cost also. Removing the barriers to higher productivity, privatization and a more efficient taxation could save the government from what it loses now by providing subsidies to the state owned enterprises, helping it to reduce its burgeoning budget deficit. Increased Productivity and opening more sectors to FDI would also create new jobs, which is crucial for the second most populous country of the world. 10. ConclusionIndia and China are exemplars of the changes brought on by globalization. They are two of the fastest growing economies in the world and possess two of the largest domestic markets by number of consumers. FDI has been a major contributor to both nations’ growth, bringing in more than just investment capital. FDI has fostered the introduction of technology, human know-how, and helped to link nations internationally. India has complex FDI regimes that, while allowing for large nominal volumes of FDI inflows, has major flaws. India still protects large economic sectors from investment, is slow to approve foreign acquisitions of domes tic firms (if at all), and is characterized by excessive bureaucracy.The analyses in the current study suggest that: China’s potentially huge domestic market is the major determinant of its inward FDI . Comparing to India, China’s better performance in attracting FDI fromwas mainly due to its larger domestic market and higher international trade ties along with better infrastructure and less of red tapism. . . 10. References 1) Bajpai N and Dasgupta N,†Multinational Companies and Foreign Direct Investment in China and India†, Centre on Globalization and Sustainable Development (CGSD) Working Paper No. 2 2) Wei W,†China and India: Any difference in their FDI performances? , Journal of Asian Economics, Vol-16 719–736(2005) ) Bensidoun I , Lemoine F, â€Å"The integration of China and India into the world economy: a comparison†, The European Journal of Comparative Economics,Vol- . 6, n. 1, pp. 131-155 4)http://www. investinginindia. in/ â⠂¬â€œ FDI Website. 5)M. Shamim Ansari, M. Ranga,†India's Foreign Direct Investment : Current Status,Issues,and Policy Recommendations†,UTMS Journal of Economics, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 1-16, 2010 6)Bajpai, N. and Dasgupta, N. , â€Å"What Constitutes Foreign Direct Investment: Comparison of India and China†, Columbia Earth Institute, Columbia University, Working Paper, April. 7)Agosin, M. and R. Mayer (2000). â€Å"Foreign investment in Developing Countries: Does it Crowd in Domestic Investment? † Discussion Paper No. 146, UNCTAD, Geneva

Corporate Culture at Apple

Corporate Culture at Apple Apple has a very secretive corporate culture. Often employees will choose not to speak out about apple until they are no longer employed there. Apple goes to greater lengths than any other company in the valley to protect its creative and intellectual environment. Apple’s security policy extends to blogs, speaking engagements, and even what people talk about with spouses. Most employees get the policies and respect them as well.The New York times reported that the company’s veil of secrecy began to take shape around the release og the original Macintosh back in 1984. Employees working on secret projects at Apple have to pass through a maze of security doors, swiping their badges again and again and finally entering a numeric code to reach their offices. Once inside the top secret areas, employees are often monitored by surveillance cameras as they work. Those working on more sensitive projects are allegedly instructed to â€Å"cover up device s with black cloaks when they are working on them. A former Apple marketing manager described the company’s â€Å"controlled leaks,† whick he said the company sometimes relies upon to gauge public reaction, confuse competitors, or encourage partners. I also came across an article where the former CEO of Apple’s big Israel acquisition Anobit shares his experiences of Apple culture. Ariel Maislos said â€Å"They say that Intel is full of paranoids, but at Apple, ‘they’ really are after you. † He worked at Apple for about a year after Apple acquired Anobit in December 2011.Maislos left Apple for what was said to be personal reasons. Maislos was also very familiar with Intel’s culture as well. While Intel engineers are given assignments and are rewarded for ingenuity and creativity, he said it’s a given at Apple that engineers will be at the top of their game. He said â€Å"At Apple, you have to run ahead just to stay in place, and there are very high expectations of everyone. Apple expects everything to be amazing. †

Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final Essays

Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final Essays Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final Paper Nike Considered Index TNS Review Final Paper We refer to different aspects of the Index in this review, so a ascription of the approach and its parts is provided. We then give an overall assessment, followed by technical examination of different parts of the Index and commentary on its public release. 1) Insight into the environmental impacts of materials used in product creation (material scores). 2) Incentives for Nikkei to make more sustainable products, in line with the companys priorities and goals (product scores). 3) Communication of the performance results using Nines internal standards (Considered benchmarks e. . Gold standard). 4) Company targets for continual improvement (stretch goals for eating com panky-wide benchmarks of product performance by a given year e. G. All footwear to be Considered Bronze by 2011). The two main tools that make up the approach are: Assessment Method Backdating from Success The assessment has been conducted using both the sustainability principles and backdating p lanning method of the unifying Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, promoted by The Natural Step in collaboration with its international research and practitioner networks. Four science-based sustainability principles from the framework describe success in terms of the conditions added for a sustainable society, providing an operational definition of sustainability that allows for a gap analysis between where we are today and where we need to arrive at in the future. From this whole systems perspective, it needs to be clearly stated that there is no such thing as a sustainable or an unsustainable material or product; there are only sustainable material and resource management practices. Product and material sustainability claims therefore need to be viewed carefully, and as part of a journey toward sustainability one that has many possible pathways. Material Assessment Tool (MAT). This tool scores and ranks the material types used to manufacture Nikkei products from least to most preferred. The scoring is based on: Major, known supply chain environmental issues within defined impact categories. A life cycle perspective, from cradle to gate. Publicly available data that is compiled and aggregated for general material types and typical supply chain scenarios. Third party input from specialists in materials environmental impact assessment methods. Weightings are assigned to impact categories, based on Nikkei priorities. 2. Understanding purpose and Context for the Index All tools serve a purpose. They need to be examined with their purpose in mind, and understood within the context in which they are used. To judge if this Index is a good tool for supporting Nines movement toward sustainability, Nines overall approach to sustainability must be understood: The Index has been developed to aid design and material choices as part of Nines Considered design ethos, which is part of an overall company sustainability agenda. Nikkei has long-standing commitments to sustainability in place. ; The tool is integrated into Nines innovation process. Dedicated personnel support the tools development and integration across the organization. The Index connects with, draws from and supports many other aspects of Nines sustainable business and innovation agenda (for example, procurement sustainability and audit programs, restricted substances lists, company targets and policies etc). The Considered Index. The Index rewards design innovation choices related to product creation by assigning scores to products. It encourages the selection of environmentally preferred materials (as scored in the Material Assessment Tool) as well as other practices where the designer can improve the environmental profile of the product, I. . Less waste generation, use of desired chemistry and an innovation bonus for breakthroughs that can be transferred across models. Nikkei uses these tools in a number of ways for example, aiding procurement decisions, setting of internal standards and more broadly for defining sustainable design performance. Nikkei has chosen to externally label Silver and Gold standard products, sending a signal to the consumer about Nines Considered design ethos. 2 Overall Assessment Using Sustainability as a Driver of Innovation Many traditional tools and approaches for measuring product or eternal sustainability take a static perspective, attempting to measure and assess the scale and severity of known issues and impacts today (primarily a risk avoidance approach). On their own these life cycle assessment approaches have limitations in terms of guiding strategic decision-making toward 1) sustainable resource management and 2) related business opportunities. Just as an analysis of any single move or piece of sports gear used in a football game cannot tell you who will win, one needs to look at the whole picture. Organizations wishing to use the Index and build from Nines experience should bear this in mind and ensure they build the necessary competencies and structures in place to make the best use of the results from the Index. It is therefore refreshing to see the approach Nikkei has taken combining quantitative material assessment with qualitatively- derived scores rewarding improvements in product creation. This approach highlights an evolution in thinking on measuring sustainability away from solely impact minimization and movement toward an innovation enabling strategic perspective. We believe this Index is a powerful demonstration of an overall backdating approach for enabling sustainable design innovation, not simply a set of tools for measuring movement away from environmental impacts.

Guide and Tips to Write a Definition Essay

Guide and Tips to Write a Definition Essay A Complete Guide on How to Write a Definition Essay What can be better for a student than writing tons of essays every week? Aren’t you one of those writing addicts? Then you may find the academic process rather boring and difficult. With so many academic assignments. Many students simply fail to complete the course due to a lack of writing skills. However, becoming an advanced writer is easier than it may seem. Our complete essay-writing guide will put an ease on the writing process as well as make your college life simpler. Tips on writing a definition essay Our complete guide includes a systematic instruction on how to write a definition essay. All you need is to follow each step as well as add some creative work to make your paper look outstanding. You will certainly get the A grade effortlessly. Describe your idea Choose a word that will perfectly describe your concept or paper idea. This word is supposed to become a fundamental issue. It will let you broaden the view of the topic itself. â€Å"Love†, â€Å"Hate†, â€Å"Truth† – look for the definition in the dictionary and pick a proper word for your essay. Avoid complicated objects Avoiding complicated objects and specific things is the best way to stay away from writing troubles. Never choose too mundane objects that are hard to define. Avoid too simple words like â€Å"table† or â€Å"chair. They will narrow down the process of creative thinking. Select a term ft. several definitions A good idea is to choose a word featuring multiple definitions and meanings. However, make sure that you do know the word and have a clear understanding of all the available meanings. It will provide more opportunities to write about different aspects of the word. Look the word up in a dictionary The first step is to find the official definition of a chosen word. Look it up in a dictionary. Memorize it and create a structure for the definition to reveal possible writing paths. The idea here is to find out as much about the word origin as you can. Use all available sources ranging from encyclopedias, original dictionaries, online resources, etc. Ask your friends, relatives, and teachers about the word. Summarize the information Get all the facts you know about one place and summarize the info. The main idea at this stage is to create your own vision of the word as well as your own definition. How to build an outline for the definition essay? Building an outline for the definition essay is the same as working out a clear plan. It should contain all vital aspects of the major work arranged in a reader-friendly manner. The main mission here is to establish a comprehensive coherence between each paragraph. The draft should include the following points: Introduction – introduce the main idea of your paper. Let readers know what you are going to speak about; Thesis Statement – make a strong statement describing the word or term you are going to define. Avoid writing too much in a thesis statement. Make it brief but clear; Body Paragraph – body paragraphs come as the major part of your paper. Make sure they are well organized and contain sections that are logically connected; Conclusion – right a short summary of your paper highlighting the core ideas related to the word. You need to make the ending of your paper interesting and impressive. Include some arguments and points to hammer the key ideas of the essay. It will certainly make an impact resulting in A grade for your work.

Campbell & Baileys Boston Office Essay Example for Free

Campbell & Bailey’s Boston Office Essay When Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office made the decision to restructure their organization and place a new emphasis on specialization, the business and employees faced multiple challenges during the process. Although communication problems were evidenced in the scenario, I was also concerned with the lack of buy-in by the employees within the organization. According to a recent writing in Bloomberg’s Business Week, employees are an important factor in determining how customers perceive the company’s brand. For this reason, companies should do more to nurture the company’s culture through internal branding efforts. In addition, when employers consider a company’s brand, they think in terms of marketing departments, advertising, and publications. In reality, a brand is made up of every experience that a customer has with an organization. (McKee, 2014). Management consultant Peter Drucker states â€Å"culture eats strategy for dinner† (McKee, 2014). When employees become stressed out at work, it impacts their performance and in turn the company’s productivity. In the Boston office, it was clear that Paul Callahan, the top grossing sales person, was stressed out. In a recent article, it is stated that depression and burnout afflict one-third of employees (Cooper, 2014). These afflictions can also negatively impact employee performance and morale. In the case of the Boston office, it would benefit the organization to speak with the employees and work towards obtaining their buy-in. Once the employees buy into the change, they can then pass that enthusiasm on to their customers to gain their buy-in as well. Cooper, C. (2014, May 15). Depression and burnout at work afflict one-third of employees. The Independent.

Museum visit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Museum visit - Research Paper Example The admission fees to the museum are minimal, and members and children under the age of 3 are admitted without any cost. Individuals from ages 3-12 and 62 and older need to pay only $5.00 (USD) for entrance. Teenagers and adults from ages 13-61 need to pay $8.00 (USD) for entrance. The museum encourages the public to call for any inquires, and their contact number is (313) 494-5808. Even individuals with disabilities can easily access the various exhibition centers in the museum. Several ramps and elevators serve all public areas. There are wheelchairs available for visitors, and strollers can easily be accommodated in almost all areas. For the convenience of the visitors and ease of stay, the museum offers lockers for rent, complimentary coat racks, and an ATM at the ground level. There is also a small cafe where visitors can relax particularly with their quick snacks acquired from the vending machines. The cafe also serves visitors who opt to bring their own meals. There is also a secure and affordable metered parking right at the back of the museum. Museum Features The museum is a humongous collection of artifacts and archival materials that are all about the African American history. The exhibitions and learning opportunities cater to the interest and curiosity of individuals of all ages. First, the museum features tours such as And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture, which is one of the core exhibitions of the museum, showcasing a journey in history from prehistoric Africa to the early civilizations. It shows a journey of slavery, resistance to bondage, emancipation, justice, and freedom. This can be experienced within the 22,000 square feet area of the museum. Second, there is a huge list of prestigious and respected names in the history of African Americans in bronze nameplates scattered around the terrazzo tile creation called the Ring of Genealogy. This exhibition is a 37-foot structure created by artist Hubert Mass ey. Third, there is an architectural wonder of 65 feet high glass dome. This glass dome --- called the Ford Freedom Rotunda --- with a diameter of 100 feet, is even slightly bigger than the State Capitol dome, and holds the Ring of Genealogy. A museum store is available and it offers real pieces of African American artworks, authentic books, and merchandise. There is also a library --- the Louise Lovett Wright Library --- and a research center --- Robert L. Hurst Research Center. There is also a place where 92 flags are prominently displayed and alphabetically arranged by origin and country. These are the regions where there is a considerable number of African descendant residents. Lectures, presentations, film showings, and even live performances are offered at the 317-seating capacity General Motors Theater. Exhibitions and Lectures The core exhibiton And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture has more than 20 galleries that showcase the tragedies, triumphs, and efforts of all the men and women who fought for freedom from ancient times to modern civilizations. It is an amazing experience that allows individuals to travel through time and territorial boundaries to explore history. Africa is also two-fifths grassland or tropical savanna. The climate is a typical tropical wet and dry. Savannas are used to herding by nomads. Rainforest trees allow for cocoa growing. Grains and beans were abound even in ancient

Marketing Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Strategy - Research Paper Example Small and medium scale enterprises have shown strong needs to purchase business (specifical accounting ) software in order hasten and make more accurate current manual accounting business transactions. Such companies have back offices where accounting and bookkeeping (Larson, 1995) services are being processed. The medium and larger companies do need software that can make their tasks easier. When the accounting system is accurate and is updated constantly by the computer, then the customers and suppliers will know, as soon as possible (ASAP), what the daily business problems are so that remedies that will lessen the damage done will be put in place earlier. This is where Sage comes to the rescue. Sage will help, in a big way, the small and medium rate industries with their bookkeeping needs and accounting functions. The software, however, is being purchased by some the small companies. Based on the above, the company has been very successful with the present marketing strategy (Thompson, 1999). The income statement clearly shows that there is its present income has been on the rise. Because the present strategy is on the right track, then we will now be implementing a new strategy will be discussed below. This strategy is called Resource based marketing (Kinnear, 1996) strategy. According to Sage Chairman Michael Jackson, Individuals in Sage are being treated very highly and respected as a person. Sage company is constantly invented new products and new processes for its large customers’ activities.

Determining How Costs Behave Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Determining How Costs Behave - Research Paper Example The purpose of this assignment is to study the behavior of fixed, variable and total cost at different level of business activities. The behavior of cost is related to the level of business activity (â€Å"Identifying Cost Behavior†, n.d.). It implies that a change in business activity exerts influence on the parameters of the above equation. This reaction of it is called cost behavior. Some costs may stay same, and others may change proportionally in response to a change in business activity. That is why; for managers of a company, it is necessary to understand how a cost reacts to a change in the business activity. This knowledge helps managers to determine future profit from a new product, prepare a forecast and create a budget (Horngren, Sunden, Schatzberg, & Burgstahler, 2012). From the perspective of cost behavior, there are three type of costs: fixed, variable, and mixed. Fixed are those costs that do not change due to the change of level of activity. However, fixed cost, if expressed per unit basis, varies inversely due to the change of level of activity (Caplan). Some of the examples of fixed costs are salaries, rent, and property taxes. Variable are those costs that change due to the change of level of activity. It is constant per unit. In linear equation, variable costs vary linearly with the change of level of activity. Variable costs, by definition, are considered as cost drivers (Horngren, Sunden, Schatzberg, & Burgstahler, 2012). Cost drivers also demonstrate cause and effect relationship between the level of an activity and costs related to that activity (â€Å"Types of Cost Behavior†, n.d.). Some of the examples of variable costs are direct material, direct labor, and sales commission. Mixed are those costs that have both fixed and varia ble components. The discussion above can be expressed as Total cost = Total fixed cost + Total variable cost. From this equation, we can

Advertising in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising in context - Essay Example Advertising is very important for every kind of business.Every businessman is constantly looking for the new advantageous ways to attract new customers and get more profit with low expenses.In the modern world information technologies offer new opportunities and new kinds of advertising. According to recent researches, ‘online advertising to consumer time ratio is circa 50%’, which is quite significant amount and thus, implies great advertising possibilities hidden in internet marketing (Walters, 2009). This point of view was confirmed with general opinion expressed in BBC News in 2006 that print and TV media are not able to meet current marketing needs, which could be satisfied with online resources. It can be explained by low cost of internet advertising and by the fact that now when people spend much time in the internet, internet advertising can be used not only for internet business but for any kind of business (Walters J., 2009). Origin of internet advertising It i s commonly accepted that history of internet advertising originated in far away 1991, when CERN presented their brainchild – World Wide Web in Switzerland (Abbate, 1999). Firstly, internet was exploited by grass roots around 1994, when such companies as AT&T, MCI, Sprint, and Volvo asked HotWired  to develop online ads for their sites (Singel, 2010). However the practice was not very popular because online connection was pretty slow, internet resources were not developed, which caused serious inconveniences. At the end of 1994 Roy Schwedelson, one of the first promoters of internet usage for commercial goals, made a speech about online marketing possibilities at the Information Superhighway conference in order to stimulate more agencies to exploit the Web for advertisement goals. In January 1995 Prodigy firstly put their online site on commercial base for the subscribers. Soon, such companies as MCI, Air Walk,  and Jim Beam followed their example. In response for increase d interest in online ads NetScape, Google, and InfoSeek started to develop structured official platforms for advertising. In 1996 further initiative in internet marketing was taken by Microsoft, which became the leading Web advertiser in short time (The history of internet advertising, 2007). Probably, the first noticeable online advertisements appeared at AT&T and Procter & Gamble  sites, when they realized advantages and great future of internet technologies and started to invested serious money in their web pages development (Herman & McChesney, 2004). Gradually, more companies and marketing agencies appreciated how they could gain from internet advertising and it could be said that at the end of 1997 – beginning of 1998 the industry got general commercial acceptance. By 2001 such dinosaurs of World Wide Web as Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, American Online, and Amazon achieved record number of views, which contributed about 125 to 442 million users. (Silk, Klein, Berndt, 20 01) Types of internet advertisements There are several types of internet advertising, which are widely applied nowadays: banner ads, unicast, sidebar, blogging and social network ads, pop-up ads, search engine submission and optimization, text links, floating ads, e-mail ads and many others (Rivers). Banner ads were developed to favor direct sales, which are also called branding sales, primarily. This kind of ads is similar to brick and mortar billboard ads, which main task is to provide consumers with certain information about particular brand briefly and awake their interest (Harris). Moreover, online banners usually imply that users would undertake some actions like clicking the banner or searching for further information. However, recent researches showed that nowadays banner ads are supposed to be quite ineffective: just 2-5 people out of 1000 click the banner while others simply ignore it (Wilson, 2009). Unicast ads are supposed to be more effective than classic banner ads and are presented with some kind of mini video commercials,

Environmental regulations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental regulations - Research Paper Example Due to the fact, the following essay explains various regulations that have come of age. Development of standards that guide the proper usage of water has been the work of the department of the pollution control with the assistance of other agencies (Rerks-Ngarm, 2009). The institute together with other agencies provides the item, the pollution center of excellence in an attempt of improving the air situation in the country. Other works include the monitoring of the air and pollution, emission inventories, and air quality teaching as the others were studying in order to work alongside other partners. Another step is the provision of technical expertise for the provision of support for groups working to reduce contaminated soil, as well as water emissions. In addition, the Thailand government prohibits direct emissions of polluted water by manufacturing companies into the environment. Other enactments ensure the limited burning of waste products such as the burning of PVCs is in an open air. Some of the direct legislation includes the conservation and enhancement of the natural environment quality act of 1992. The standard of water quality act that ensures clean waters is a consistent provision to the citizens. The noise and air quality acts of 2007 that limit the extent of noise, as well as air pollution. In addition, there is the quality of soil act of 2004 that ensures the conservation of soil. The department of labor stipulates the working conditions that articulate the holidays, the minimum wage, the severance pay and the supreme working hours. The supreme number of working time is eight hours in a day that sums up to forty-eight hours a week. The enactments are an exception of work that the law defines as hazardous. In such scenarios, the working hours are seven or forty-two hours in a working week. Employees have thirteen holidays in a year. Besides, the employees are entitled to vacations of six days after a whole year of work that has no breaks. The

Determining How Costs Behave Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Determining How Costs Behave - Research Paper Example The purpose of this assignment is to study the behavior of fixed, variable and total cost at different level of business activities. The behavior of cost is related to the level of business activity (â€Å"Identifying Cost Behavior†, n.d.). It implies that a change in business activity exerts influence on the parameters of the above equation. This reaction of it is called cost behavior. Some costs may stay same, and others may change proportionally in response to a change in business activity. That is why; for managers of a company, it is necessary to understand how a cost reacts to a change in the business activity. This knowledge helps managers to determine future profit from a new product, prepare a forecast and create a budget (Horngren, Sunden, Schatzberg, & Burgstahler, 2012). From the perspective of cost behavior, there are three type of costs: fixed, variable, and mixed. Fixed are those costs that do not change due to the change of level of activity. However, fixed cost, if expressed per unit basis, varies inversely due to the change of level of activity (Caplan). Some of the examples of fixed costs are salaries, rent, and property taxes. Variable are those costs that change due to the change of level of activity. It is constant per unit. In linear equation, variable costs vary linearly with the change of level of activity. Variable costs, by definition, are considered as cost drivers (Horngren, Sunden, Schatzberg, & Burgstahler, 2012). Cost drivers also demonstrate cause and effect relationship between the level of an activity and costs related to that activity (â€Å"Types of Cost Behavior†, n.d.). Some of the examples of variable costs are direct material, direct labor, and sales commission. Mixed are those costs that have both fixed and varia ble components. The discussion above can be expressed as Total cost = Total fixed cost + Total variable cost. From this equation, we can

Environmental regulations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental regulations - Research Paper Example Due to the fact, the following essay explains various regulations that have come of age. Development of standards that guide the proper usage of water has been the work of the department of the pollution control with the assistance of other agencies (Rerks-Ngarm, 2009). The institute together with other agencies provides the item, the pollution center of excellence in an attempt of improving the air situation in the country. Other works include the monitoring of the air and pollution, emission inventories, and air quality teaching as the others were studying in order to work alongside other partners. Another step is the provision of technical expertise for the provision of support for groups working to reduce contaminated soil, as well as water emissions. In addition, the Thailand government prohibits direct emissions of polluted water by manufacturing companies into the environment. Other enactments ensure the limited burning of waste products such as the burning of PVCs is in an open air. Some of the direct legislation includes the conservation and enhancement of the natural environment quality act of 1992. The standard of water quality act that ensures clean waters is a consistent provision to the citizens. The noise and air quality acts of 2007 that limit the extent of noise, as well as air pollution. In addition, there is the quality of soil act of 2004 that ensures the conservation of soil. The department of labor stipulates the working conditions that articulate the holidays, the minimum wage, the severance pay and the supreme working hours. The supreme number of working time is eight hours in a day that sums up to forty-eight hours a week. The enactments are an exception of work that the law defines as hazardous. In such scenarios, the working hours are seven or forty-two hours in a working week. Employees have thirteen holidays in a year. Besides, the employees are entitled to vacations of six days after a whole year of work that has no breaks. The

Relationship Between Depression and Addiction Essay Example for Free

Relationship Between Depression and Addiction Essay Depression is a psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty thinking and concentrating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, and low self-esteem. I’m going to show how it all can affect each other. Depression can be both genetically inherited and brought on by a traumatic experience either as a child or adult. â€Å"Community studies have estimated the 24% of women and 15% of men will at some point in their lives is clinically depressed. † (Zautra. Emotions, Stress, and Health, pg. 133). Depression is an extended period of disturbance in both positive and negative affect systems. A black period in a person’s life can have a lot of negative emotion and very little positive emotions. You could have a great day and then next thing you know you’re in a depressive state. This can be attributed to various stressful events or small instances that can set a depressive state into motion. Everyday emotions or stressors can lead to feelings of hopelessness and low self-esteem. â€Å"Large depression is the stuff of breakdowns. † (Solomon. The Noonday Demon, pg. 17). Depression is like a building rusting over the years but with grief and insecurities that eventually collapse. There are two models of depression: The first is the dimensional: it is on a continuum with sadness that represents an extreme version. The second is the categorical: this describes depression as an illness separate from other emotions. Within depression one of the first things to go is happiness, but soon after your other emotions follow. Some of these other emotions are sadness, your sense of humor, and your belief in and capacity for love. Depression is highly dramatic and visibly different. Depression exists in time. Depression also doubles the risk of heart attacks. It’s insipid, fogs the days, disables the color in each day and weakens ordinary action. It leaves you tired, bored and self-obsessed. It takes away trust in any relationship, you start to think that people are talking about you or they don’t love you. You start to think that they don’t care. Some people are so debilitated that they shut down and push everybody away. Depression is an intense dark place; it causes uncertainty and loss of control. When you have an episode you can’t find your balance to right it. When it comes it degrades one’s self and ultimately eclipses the ability to give or receive affections. You end up going along the gradual path or a sudden trigger of emotion that brings you to a place that’s generally different than reality. You feel you are turning into something feeble, like a child that more and more of you will just blow away in the wind. It makes you feel less and less than normal. It makes you feel insignificant and you start to doubt your worth. It’s not the consequence of a reduced level of anything we can measure. It hits people in different ways. Some are predisposed to resist or battle through it; some are helpless in its grip. According to recent research, about 3% of Americans – some 19 million – suffer from chronic depression. More than 2 million of those are children. †(Solomon. The Noonday Demon. Pg. 25). Depression claims more years than war, cancer and AIDS. Pills and love are 2 ways forward. It now exists as a personal and a social phenomenon. In order to treat depression you need to understand the experience of a breakdown, the mode of action, medication, and the most common talking therapy. Intelligent treatment requires close examination on specific variants of depression. Children, elderly and gender are some of these variants. Substance abusers form a very large subcategory of their own. They disguise the depressive illness by self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. Depression and substance abuse form a cycle. People who are depressed abuse substances in a way to free themselves from feeling depressed. Some people who abuse substances disrupt their lives to the point that they become depressed. Drug and alcohol addiction can be classified as genetic. Addiction is also considered an illness. Some people abuse drugs and alcohol to escape the horrors of their family and work situations. Some use because they were abused physically and mentally. Other because of losing their children, employment or marital breakdowns. Substance abuse results in enormous costs to the abuser and their families. As in depression, feelings of loneliness and lack of positive emotion are a source of why addiction starts. I found as an addict myself that to control my emotions; I would use cocaine to escape. I abused drugs to survive through my emotions. This avoidance of pain, combined with the misinterpreting of the feeling of wanting may be what underlines the treadmill of addiction. Cocaine seems to block dopamine uptake, so that you have more floating around in your brain; morphine causes the release of dopamine. Research shows that if the brain is constantly flooded with dopamine it will develop a resistance to the drug. It’s why we as addicts need more and more to get high. When addicts go into recovery, they no longer have the excessive release of dopamine. They start to feel flat and depressed. Others with family histories of addiction tend to have lower levels of endorphins than those who are genetically and inclined to addiction. A depressed individual is likely to become addicted more rapidly than a person who isn’t depressed. Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are the legal substances abused. Alcohol can do a great job of drowning out the pain. Cocaine is an expensive drug that causes a major crash after 48-72 hrs. It consistently depletes your neuron stores. This causes the crash. When you finally crash you have major fatigue, agitation and depression. Cocaine is considered to be a long term depression augmenter. Depression enables addicts. Depression weakens you and weakness is the surest path to addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs provide supportive settings in which people can safely share about their experiences with alcohol, depression and their own fears. With a sponsor and a therapist you can start on the path to healing yourself. Realizing what you need to change about yourself gives you the power to move on and eventually help others. It one of the hardest processes admitting that you are an addict. I know for me going back will kill me. Depression for me depletes my energy and causes me not to care about anything.