Progress and the Total Destruction of the Earth :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Progress and the Total Destruction of the Earth Throughout all of history, humans have been evolving not only genetically, but also culturally. Of the two evolutionary processes, cultural evolution happens more quickly, and has had a more noticeable effect on the environment compared to genetic evolution. Early hunter/gatherer societies evolved to agrarian society, which then had technological changes that affected the culture of the society. Unfortunately, while humans have been culturally evolving towards what is perceived to be progress, the environment has been compromised, marginalized, and degraded as it is continually exploited for human benefit and consumption. The culture of hunter/gatherer society was the least damaging to the environment in the long term before humans developed agriculture. There are several reasons for this. First, human population was much smaller in comparison to what it became during the agrarian age. Second, hunter/gatherer societies tended to be largely nomadic, which allowed the environment time to recover and regenerate whatever natural resources were used. Third, humans simply did not have the technologies to further exploit the environment. Human population was much smaller during the time of hunter/gatherer societies due to high rates of infant morality, infectious diseases, and social morality - infanticide, geronticide, and warfare (Southwick 128). Fewer people mean fewer demands on the environment. With growth in human population, the grasses and animal populations humans used for sustenance did not have time to recover, which turned into humans using the earth's natural resources in an unsustainable manner (class discussion 02.14.03). Humans living in agrarian society do not necessarily use the environment's resources in an unsustainable manner, but the greater the population density, the more land will be needed to support that population in a sustainable manner. As resources become more and more scarce, field owners will be less willing to let land lay fallow (class discussion 02.21.03). Humans then found a "tech fix" with the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals. Cipolla calls it the first great economic revolution (Cipolla 18). The development of agriculture lead to the development of communities, city-states, civilizations, and other settlements. The social structure that formed around agriculture brought about the possibility of specialization within a society, since not everyone had to hunt and gather all the time. Instead of living in an ecologically sustainable manner like the hunter/gatherers, people started living in an economic manner (Southwick 128 ). Specialization enabled the development of social institutions such as religion and government, and agriculture necessitated the development of irrigation.

Importance of Small and Mediun Entreptises in a Developing Economy

ID NUMBER: 11060659 COURSE: MANAGEMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES (SMEs) LECTURER: MR. ADAMS FADIR-RAHMAN DATE: 21-4-2010 QUESTION: TO WHAT EXTENT DO CAN IT BE SAID THAT GHANA CANNOT DEVELOP WITHOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF SMEs OPERATORS Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are companies whose headcount or turnover falls below certain limits. And the limit depends on the country in which the company is operating. SMEs contribute immensely to the economic development of a country . And it can be said that a developing country like Ghana cannot develop without the contribution of SMEs due to the following reasons: Firstly, SMEs contribute significantly to the provision of productive employment opportunities for rural and urban growing labor force in Ghana. The provision of employment opportunities increases the generation of income by the people . And when most of the people in the country are employed, it leads to the reduction of poverty. Secondly, they help to absorb productive resources at all levels of the economy and add to the flexible economic system in which small and large firms are interlinked. Such linkages are very crucial for the attraction of foreign investment. This is because the investing transnational corporations look for sound domestic suppliers for their supply chain. Thirdly, SMEs provide substitution for imported goods which create competition and leads to production of quality goods at affordable prices. This is to say that the substitutes of imported goods produced in Ghana by SMEs helps to create competition between the SMEs and the foreign producers. And this forces them to produce quality goods at affordable prices since there is competition. Furthermore, SMEs help in the provision of capital to individuals, other businesses and even the government. When the SMEs generate their income, they deposited them in the various commercial banks in Ghana. It is from these funds that the banks advance loans to their needy customers. And these funds are sometimes loaned to the government to finance its developmental projects. Also, the income generated by the SMEs is subject to tax. Thus their returns are taxed for the development of the nation. These taxes, when collected, are used for the construction of roads, schools, hospitals and other social amenities. More so, SMES help to produce and enhance the movement of goods outside the country. They also help to the country to export its raw materials or natural resources to foreign countries for foreign exchange. And it also paves the way for some local goods to be marketed outside the country. And this help to increase the gross domestic product (GDP) and per capital income of the country. Lastly, Most of the current larger enterprises have their origin in small and medium enterprises. This is to say that most of the large scale enterprises in Ghana were SMEs before their current state. SMEs are different from large scale enterprises in three main aspects; uncertainty, innovation and evolution. Therefore we can say that SMEs are the starting point of development in the Ghanaian economy towards industrialization. In a nutshell, judging from above, we can see that there is no way that Ghana can develop without the operations of SMEs. So what is required is for the government of Ghana to pursue the precise policy and regulatory reforms to turn SMEs into an effective instrument for the enhancement of economic growth. REFERENCE: SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTREPRISES,JONATHAN BLAY ,1993,CANADA IMPORTANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTREPRISES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,BASHIR AHMED FIDA,PAKISTAN,2008. WWW. THEFREELIBRARY. COM

Entrepreunership of Indra Nooyi Essay

INTRODUCTION Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi(born 28 october 1956) is an Indian-American businesswoman who is currently the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo which is the world’s second largest food and beverage business in terms of net revenue. She is one of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women as ranked by Forbes magazine. In 2014, she was ranked 13 in the list of Forbes World’s 100 most powerful women. Early life and career Nooyi was born to a Tamil Family in Madras (presently Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. She was educated at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Madras. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from Madras Christian College in 1974 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (MBA) from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1976. Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product manager positions at Johnson & Johnson and textile firm MetturBeardsell. She was admitted to Yale School of Management in 1978 and earned a Master’s degree in Public and Private Management. While at Yale, she completed her summer internship with Booz Allen Hamilton. Graduating in 1980, Nooyi joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and then held strategy positions at Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri. PepsiCo executive Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named president and CFO in 2001. Nooyi has directed the company’s global strategy for more than a decade and led PepsiCo’s restructuring, including the 1997 divestiture of its restaurants into Tricon, now known as Yum! Brands.Nooyi also took the lead in the acquisition of Tropicana in 1998, and merger with Quaker Oats Company, which also brought Gatorade to PepsiCo. In 2006 she became the fifth CEO in PepsiCo’s 44-year history. According to BusinessWeek, since she started as CFO in 2000, the company’s annual revenues have risen 72%, while net profit more than doubled, to $5.6 billion in 2006. Nooyi was named on Wall Street Journal’s list of 50 women to watch in 2007 and 2008, and was listed among  Time’s 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2007 and 2008. Forbes named her the #3 most powerful woman in 2008. In 2014, she was ranked #13 by Forbes.Fortune ranked her the #1 most powerful woman in busi ness in 2009 and 2010. On the 7th of October 2010 Fortune magazine ranked her the 6th most powerful woman in the world. INDRA NOOYI’S CHARACTERISTICS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR â ¦ HARDWORKING- Nooyi recommends not sitting on your laurels just because you have attained a high rank in the professional sphere. A tireless worker herself, she gets only 5 hours of sleep a night, and continuously educates herself, re-evaluating her decisions and ensuring that she is keeping the best interest of the company and its employees in mind. To her, her employees are like an extended family, and she ensures that their needs and concerns are addressed so as to ensure the overall running efficiency of the company. The formal and impersonal atmosphere at PepsiCo, therefore, is a friendly one where her receptionist is known to have fielded calls from her daughter regarding home work and television privileges. â ¦ PRUDENCE (WISE)- Nooyi said she tries to ascribe positive intent to everything people do or say. â€Å"When you do that it’s so much better to deal with people,† Nooyi said. â€Å"Does that mean I give people more rope than I need to? Yeah, but I’m very comfortable with it.† In this way, she aims to cultivate trusting relationships with both colleagues and direct reports, and to focus on developing executive talent. It’s a style that encourages entrepreneurial thinking across the company, says Reinemund, her predecessor and another influential mentor. â ¦ PLANNING AND ORGANIZING- Nooyi’s strategic measures to tackle the slow-down in the beverages and snack food industry included a productivity improvement program, the benefits of which were expected to the tune of US$ 1.2 billion over the next three years  beginning 2009. Other measures under her leadership included aggressive expansion into the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, China, When Nooyi was SVP, the strategic measures that she planned and implemented resulted in a growth in PepsiCo’s sales and profits. â ¦ INNOVATION She implemented a number of measures to improve the sustainability of the company’s operations and image by focusing on improvements in the health implications of PepsiCo products. Measures such as removing trans-fats from PepsiCo snacks, product innovations in the Quaker Oats brand to come out with a range of consumer perceived healthy snacks, categorization of its snacks into three categories named fun for you, good for you, and better for you were undertaken under her leadership. â ¦ ACHIEVEMENT AND MOTIVATION Forbes magazine ranked Nooyi fourth on the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 lists of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Fortune magazine has named Nooyi number one on its annual ranking of Most Powerful Women in business for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2008, Nooyi was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report. In 2008, she was elected to the Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences â ¦ RISK TAKING Pepsi faces rising production costs, lackluster U.S. sales, and attacks on its core snack and soda products from both competitors and health-conscious critics. As the company’s head and, since May, its chairman, Nooyi is taking on Pepsi’s challenges. And Nooyi, who formally took the CEO reins in October 2006, is giving Pepsi’s employees and shareholders good reason to ride her train — a powerful locomotive that has driven the company’s stock up 22% in the 12 months through Dec. 4, near a 52-week high. In May, the company hiked its dividend 25% and boosted its share buyback goal to $4.3 billion from  $3.3 billion. Revenue is expected to rise more than 10% this year. BARRIERS TO INDRA NOOYI:- â ¦ PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS Nooyi used to announce a specific profit target that the company will gain. But the company was unable to gain that much profit. So this annoyed the investors. During her tenure pepsi has often failed to hit her statuted profit target, which investor consider an unforgivable scene. â ¦ ECONOMIC FACTORS- Capital requirements are low for taking over a franchise, and profit margins are stratospheric. Nooyi’s plan looked plausible, and investors seemed willing to give it a chance; they pushed the stock down only incrementally despite the surprisingly downbeat profit forecast. Now she absolutely must execute the plan against strong and merciless competitors in a volatile economic environment. â ¦ COMPETITIVE FACTOR- The company is getting beaten up in its flagship product category, drinks, in the world’s largest market, North America. The soda pop planets shifted in their orbits last year when Pepsi-Cola was displaced as America’s eternal No. 2 carbonated soft drink, Coca-Cola was at No. 1; the new No. 2 is Diet Coke. That reordering is especially distressing to investors because there is scarcely a more beautiful business in the world than producing branded soft drink concentrate. â ¦ PERSONALITY FACTORS- Irate investors have been calling for Pepsi to sell off its snack food business or for Nooyi to step down, or at least announce a likely successor. She did none of that at the presentation. Instead, by outlining a plan that will take two years to pay off, she showed that she has the board’s support. But if that plan doesn’t show clear signs of working before year-end, the board’s support could evaporate. That’s why the next several months are make-or-break for her.

Caribbean Literature

The evolution of Caribbean Literature started centuries before the Europeans graced these shores and continues to develop today. Quite noticeably, it developed in a manner which transcended all language barriers and cultures. Today the languages of the Caribbean are rooted in that of the colonial powers – France, Britain, Spain and Holland – whose historical encounters are quite evident throughout the region.The cosmopolitan nature of the region's language and cultural diversity develop from the mixture of European languages with Native American languages (mainly the Caribs and Arawaks) in the formation of creoles and local patois (hybrid languages) and those of Africans brought to the Caribbean as slaves, not withstanding the contributions of Asians mainly from India and China, and Middle Easterners. The fabric of Caribbean Literature is woven with the historical issues of enslavement and forced migration, the related themes of home and exile, and colonialism and decol onization.The social and cultural themes of tradition, landscape, culture and community are also encompassed by Caribbean Literature. It also addresses such universal questions as identity, sexuality, family life, pain, joy, and the uses of the imagination. It is virtually impossible to keep Caribbean Literature only within the confines of writings produced within the Caribbean Islands. Caribbean Literature also transcends the borders of Central and South America extending to the shores of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana; and coastal areas of Colombia, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras.Evidence of aspects of Caribbean Literature can also be seen in literary works produced in various areas of the USA including Miami and New Orleans. Works of Caribbean Literature have also been produced by people of Caribbean ancestry who live primarily in Europe and major urban centers of the United States. ORAL LITERATURE Oral literature can be considered as the earliest form of Caribbean Literature co nsisting mainly of rich folk- tale traditions, legends andmyths, songs and poetry. Today this legacy is resplendent in popular music such as the CALYPSO, the Cuban SON, and the Puerto Rican BOMBA; in the traditions of storytelling originating out of West Africa and India; and in supernatural tales from African religions, including SANTERIA, LUCUMI,VODUN (vodoo), and SHANGO. Proverbs, riddles, and sayings that reinterpret African, European, and East Indian traditions are also most prominent in Caribbean literature.Among these are Anancy (a cunning spider) stories; animal dilema tales, which typically teach a moral lesson; stories of village life or evil women; tall tales; and rhetorical flourishes, such as boasting, toasts, and speeches. PRE AND POST INDEPENDENCE LITERARY WORKS Autobiography and poetry were the most prevalent literary works from the 16th century to the mid – 19th century. In these works were introduced themes that became common in Caribbean literature; exile, migration, displacement and questions of identity.The history of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave, (Related by Herself), is the most prominent of these writings in English. Early Caribbean writings in Spanish saw that of the autobiography of the slave Juan Francisco Manzano of Cuba in the 1820's and 1830's, Jose Maria Herida Placido ( a slave who was executed in1844 for his role in a slave uprising) and the Cuban anthropologist Miguel Barnet. Max Urena of the Dominican Republic produced nationalist works in the 19th century. The French speaking Caribbean saw works by Emeric Bergeaud and Desmevar Delorme.Distinct national literary traditions began in the 20thcentury because few Caribbean countries gained their independence before this period. Twentieth century Caribbean literature can be divided into three periods: the first thirty years during colonial rule; the years just prior to independence between the 1940's and 1960's or later, and the period after independence. During the fle dgling years (1930's) a movement celebrating African culture and values rose to prominence. The movement originated in France and was called NEGRITUDE.However, its founders include Leon Gontran Damas of French Guiana and Aime Cesaire of Martinique. Rene Maran of Martinique won the Prix Goncourt (a French literary prize) with the novel Batouala (1921) which called for identification with black culture. In the Spanish – speaking Caribbean African themes were presented in a most exotic manner, highlighting African and black identity for artistic inspiration. Prominent writers in this movement include Luis Pales Matos from Puerto Rico and Emillo Ballagas from Cuba.The works of Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen from the 1930's share sentiments with the politics of NEGRITUDE and address issues surrounding the struggle against colonialism. Alejo Carpentier, also of Cuba, achieved recognition with his novels in which he explores the history and sources of Caribbean culture. The English â₠¬â€œ speaking Caribbean abounds with prominent writers including Jamaican novelist Tom Redcam (Thomas Macdermot), Claude Mckay, Jamaican born poet, and perhaps the best known writer of this generation internationally.Mckay later became one of the leading writers of Harlem Renaissance, a flowering black culture in New York in the 1920's and 1930's. Other writers who rose to prominence during this period are C. L. R. James of Trinidad, whose works protest against colonialism and help to define the anticolonial political and cultural struggles of his time. He was also instrumental in the formation of the literary magazines Trinidad (founded 1929) and the Beacon founded (1931); these publications were instrumental in the development of a Caribbean literary tradition.Alfred Mendes and Ralph de Boissiere (Trinidadians) both contributed articles and poetry to the magazines. PRE – INDEPENDENCE RENAISSANCE This period saw the emergence of a generation of writers whose works sought aft er liberation and presented a distinctive portrait of Caribbean culture. The Jamaican Vic Reid, looks forward to a â€Å"new day† of independence with his novel New Day (1949); the displaced, downtrodden, urban population of the Caribbean is portrayed by Roger Mais also of Jamaica.He also experiments with jazz rhythms in his language, while Una Mason, a Jamaican poet uses blues rhythm in her poetry collections. A vivid portrait of Guyana's countryside and society is presented by Edgar Mittleholzer in his novel A Morning At The Office (1950). On the other hand, one of the first and most important Caribbean works dealing with childhood and coming of age in a colonial context was produced by George Lamming, from Barbados, in the novel â€Å"In The Castle Of My Skin† (1953).This novel focuses on the struggles of three young boys with poverty, a colonial education, social change and the forging of an identity; hovering in the background is the promise of migration to the me tropolitan centers. The mythology of Native Americans and Africans is emphasized in Wilson Harris's novel Palace of the Peacock (1960), while Martin Carter's Poems of Resistance seek liberation from colonial rule. During this period a number of female writers were also very active. Beryl Gilroy of Guyana wrote novels, children's stories, and an autobiography.Sylvia Wynter of Jamaica incorporates elements of folk culture into her work. From Dominica, Phyllis Shand Allfrey won recognition for her analysis of colonial power in her work, while Jean Rhys received critical acclaim for novels about women caught in situations they are unable to change. POST INDEPENDENCE This period saw the emergence of poets from the English – speaking Caribbean; Derek Walcott from Saint Lucia is perhaps the best-known Caribbean writer internationally. In 1992 he won the Nobel Prize for literature. In addition to poetry, Walcott is well known as a playwright.At the same time Eduard Kamau Brathwaite c hallenged the formal structures of European poetry by adopting the rhythms, references, and language of the African and Afro- Caribbean traditions. Brathwaite broadened the possible use of language in his works for a number of subsequent writers, including Jamaican oral poets Mutabaruka, Linton Quesi Johnson, and John Binta Breeze. Earl Lovelace and V. S. Naipaul count among other noted English – language writers born in Trinidad and Tobago. Naipaul received recognition for novels that focus on East Indians living in the Caribbean.Lovelace whose works won a Commonwealth prize wrote on issues of poverty, education, and village life. The French – speaking Caribbean saw prominent contemporary writers in Daniel Maxim of Guadeloupe and Edouard Glissant and Patrick Chamoiseau of Martinique. Chamoiseau explores issues of black identity, and creole cultural identity. The latter was produced along with Jean Bernabe and Rafael Confiant. Chamoiseau won the Pri Goncourt for his no vel Texaco (1929). Noted female writers are Maryse Conde of Guadeloupe who is considered a significant voice among female writers, having won several French prizes for her literary work.Simone Schwarz -Bart, also of Guadeloupe, writes of the search for identity while Nancy Morejon of Cuba is recognized as a leading poetic voice. Her collection entitled Cuaderno de Granada 1984 (Grenada Notebook, 1984) honors those who participated in Grenada's socialist revolution in 1983. Caribbean writers have impacted greatly on the international arena and have gained worldwide recognition for their numerous works. Literary critics are also recognizing the Caribbean roots of some African American writers who are explicit about their Caribbean parentage

Business Entity Case Study Essay

Lou, Jose and Miriam can go into business in the form of a corporation, or partnership, or LLC where Miriam provides monetary capital, while Lou and Jose provide manpower. An operating agreement or purchase-option agreement should be established under which Lou and Jose could each buy a predetermined portion of the business at a predetermined cost. If they choose to establish a corporation, they can elect to be taxed as an S corporation where they will not pay tax at the corporate level. The taxes will be paid at the personal level to avoid double taxation. One thing that should be guarded against is entering into a future agreement where manpower or future personal effort will be exchanged for shares or capital contributions. This is because capital contributions must have present value. Furthermore, Miriam must be aware that any present transfer of her capital contributions to either Lou or Jose capital account or shares, could be considered as a gift, and could subject Miriam to g ift taxation. Also, it could be viewed as taxable income to Lou and Jose, which would reduce their net investment value (Hartman, 2006). Extermination Business Based on the fact that Frank wants to establish the extermination business in many different places, the first thing he needs to think of is that his business should be a corporation. His plan will not qualify for a limited partnership. The only option available to Frank is the corporate option because Frank plans on establishing the business nationwide. Projecting the expected growth rate of the business, it may be best to file for a standard C corporation which will allow his business to take in more than 30 investors which will likely occur based on franchises or other opportunities by which he can acquire investor money for the business. One of the primary reasons is to remove his own personal liability by making the company a legal entity of its own. Frank must pay careful attention to the fact that he will be using chemicals in homes and they must be properly tested and  approved for public use. He must make sure that all the chemicals meet the requirements of necessary to be used in people’s home. Because of this, it is important for Frank to have someone who can take the time to verify the validity of each product that he uses to ensure its safety. Furthermore, he must ensure that he has adequate liability insurance to cover lawsuits should someone be injured by a chemical or by an employee in the home of a customer. The liability insurance would be necessary to cover the cost associated with medical bills or a lawsuit associated with an action taken on someone’s property. This insurance should be in place from day one and Frank must make sure that all employees are covered by such an insurance policy. Frank will have some time before he needs to focus on additional employment laws. The early stage of the business will not require a lot of paper works and legal actions. As the company grows to more than 50, it will require additional investments of time and money to ensure the company is operating within its legal boundaries. At that point the company will need to have some sort of legal representation to ensure the actions taken by the company are done in an appropriate and legal manner (Mallor, 2003). Construction Scenario Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a person cannot be discriminated against in employment based upon race, color, nationality, religion, sex age or disability, except where an employer would suffer an undue hardship if it were required to employ under the discriminatory condition, and where no reasonable accommodation of the employee is possible. In the case of Michelle who is pregnant, it presents an identifiable undue hardship to the employer, because should she or her fetus be injured during the operation of the jackhammer, the employer would be subject to a workers’ compensation claim. In addition, because the job requires the operation of the jackhammer, there is no reasonable accommodation that the employer can possibly provide, which would not prevent the employee from working. Therefore, even though the employer would discriminate against Michelle, it is not liable under either the Americans with Disabilities Act or under the Civil Rights Act which will be discrimination based on disability and sex respectively. In the case of Eric, him not having a high school diploma  excludes him from consideration for employment. However, as a person 40 years or older is protected by the Age Discrimination, because it is difficult for older employees to obtain high school diploma if they do not possess it already. This implies that, Surebuild could be liable for age discrimination, if the company uses the lack of a diploma as the reason for denying Eric. In the case of Felipe who does not speak English, Surebuild could be held liable for discrimination if English is not a requirement for the performance of the position he is applying for. Surebuild could be charged with discrimination against race, and nationality. Considering Nick, he has a high school diploma, and is well qualified for the job based upon his education. The problem he has is that, he has no experience and he is also epileptic. However, the advertisement does not state experience with a jackhammer as a requirement. The only issue at hand is his epileptic condition. Surebuild can deny Nick for employment and will not be liable for discrimination against him for being disabled. This is because he can have a seizure in the middle of the operation of the jackhammer and that can cause injury not only to himself but to others as well. However, if Nick can show proof or medical records that suggest that his illness is controlled by a certain medication and that he will not have a seizure while operating the machinery, then he should be qualified for the position. If Surebuild refuses to employ him based on his illness, the company will be liable for discrimination against the disabled (Mallor, 2006). References: Hartman, L. P. (2005). Perspective in Business Ethics (3rd Ed.). Columbus, OH: The McGraw-Hills Companies. Mallor, J.P., Barnes, J.A., & Bowers, T.L. (2003). The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment (13th Ed.). Columbus, OH: The McGraw-Hills Companies. * * *

International Foundation Programme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Foundation Programme - Essay Example 1. Question One According to the statistics from the United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), the number of international students from Europe enrolled in UK’s institutions of higher education was about 428,225 for the year 2010-2011. This indicates that there was a considerable increase in the number of students of approximately 6% compared to 2009-2010 405,810 students. International students make up 14% of full-time first-degree students, 70% of post degree full-time students, and 48% for full-time research degrees students (UKCISA). Among these, 26% are currently students in London, with about 11,320 of these students originating from Cyprus. Majority of the students currently studying in the UK are from the Republic of Ireland, with a student population of 16,855 (UKCISA). Majority of these students opt to study in the United Kingdom, as the standards of the education system in the UK are way above those in their countries of origin. If we look a t Cyprus for instance, the state is a relatively small island with lack of competitive marketing especially in the education sector. Therefore, UK becomes an enticing option for most of the Cypriots, as it is quite a big and powerful country. After completion of studies, a significant portion of these international students hopes to find employment opportunities within the UK labour force industry (UKCISA). 2. Question Two Because of globalization, the importance of English is growing inevitably. An analytical look and study at the world today indicates that there are 53 countries that predominantly use English as their official language or widely spoken. Statistics indicates that there are 192 independent countries across the globe. When we put this number into math, nearly 27% of the world countries do know English. Twenty-seven percent is quite a high number when compared to variety of different languages (Georgieva and James, 2010:37). Now if we look at this research it is clear that the demand for English should be high. Strong countries such as, UK, USA and Canada are English speaking countries, which makes English even more alluring. As seen from the analysis of world in general, English is stronger in some countries than in others across the world. If we take Europe for example, English is not that important. All rules and regulations are written in every language, which this creates more flexibility in terms of trade. English is quite important in world countries therefore nowadays countries like China are getting stronger in world market. As china now has one of the strongest economies and production power, this may make Chinese a must language rather than English. Globalization has made English such an important language that people compare it to basic skills of modern life, comparable to using a personal computer or driving a car (Georgieva and James, 2010:38). 3. Question Three International Foundation Year (IFY) helps students in their English as well as informing them of the education system of UK. The foundation incorporates rules of writing essays and the manner in which to do presentations. The international foundation year helps the student to gather all these important information so that they can improve their English. In addition, the foundation helps the person for the 1st year of university education (Page, 2006:119). It instils a sense of discipline among the students such that they do not fail in

The Dialectics of Wilson's The Piano Lesson by Elam Harry Essay

The Dialectics of Wilson's The Piano Lesson by Elam Harry - Essay Example The ghosts are symbolic of the past that keeps haunting the African Americans. Harry’s analysis is agreeable but excessively prejudiced.The next article â€Å"Call-and-Response: Parallel "Slave Narrative" in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson† by Boan Devon, which posits that Wilsons play is a propos on conflicts that arise when deciding the degree to which the past should affect the present. He argues that author of the play uses the piano as the benchmark to develop the argument on how people view the past. The author argues that the play consist of a traditional folklore incorporated into a true but metaphorical approach on slavery. According to Devon, the metaphorical narrative revolves around Willie Boy integrated into a family folklore revolving around Doaker. The approach is captivating and agreeable as it irrefutably explicates Wilson’s play. This paper is a critique of Elam Harry’s article â€Å"The Dialectics of Wilson's The Piano Lesson† an d Boan Devon article â€Å"Call-and-Response: Parallel "Slave Narrative" in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson.† The paper focuses on demonstrating the prejudice manner in which Elam has analysed the play â€Å"The Piano Lesson† and articulate the judiciousness of Devon’s scrutiny on the same play. ... mbol of conventional African Americans who believe their history should not be deserted while Boy Willy signifies noninterventionist African Americans who feel their past was futile and agonizing and should thus not preoccupy their future. Willie therefore tries to approve the American entrepreneurship to demonstrate his exodus from the wearying past African ancestry. Harry states that the whites viewed â€Å"The pain, struggle, and suffering of Charles family, represented by their personal histories etched into the piano† (Elam 370) with pleasure and coldness. The author further asserts that refusal of Berniece to dispose the piano represents the impact of the African American rebuttal to adopt western culture, which causes their continued poverty. Harry’s approach is distasteful, biased and fails to acknowledge any positive qualities of African American culture. Harry posits that African American culture â€Å"Has offered the only opportunities for expression and res istance.† (Elam 368). This is contrary to the portrayal in the play since Wilson has shown that the culture has facilitated unanimity among the African Americans. The author bigotry claims â€Å"The Current crisis and fragmentation of the African American family still bear the scars of this dislocation and disregard for family structure.† (Elam 368). The play does not depict Africans disregard to family structure. In deed, the Charles family tries to remain united such that at the end Willie decides to give up his dream of vending the Piano for the sake of family harmony. However, Harry acceptably attributes slavery to have contributed to the poverty in Charles family. He accurately interprets the piano as the African American culture passed on from generation to generation, which some African American’s