Indian Consumer Behavior

CONSUMER LIFESTYLES IN INDIA (NOVEMBER 2004) 1. INTRODUCTION This report analyses consumer lifestyles in India and forms part of a 52-country series that complements the Euro monitor Consumer Lifestyles Database. Each country profile is structured under the following sub-headings: †¢ Population †¢ Consumer segmentation †¢ Regional development †¢ Home ownership †¢ Household profiles †¢ Labour †¢ Income †¢ Consumer and family expenditure †¢ Health †¢ Education †¢ Eating habits †¢ Drinking habits †¢ Shopping †¢ Personal grooming †¢ Fashion †¢ Leisure †¢ Savings †¢ Media †¢ Communications Transport †¢ Tourism The information in this report was gathered from a wide range of sources, starting with the national statistical agencies. This information was cross-checked for consistency, probability and mathematical accuracy. Secondly, we sought to fill in the gaps in the official National statis tical offices by using private sector surveys and official pan-regional and global sources. Furthermore, Euromonitor has carried out an extensive amount of modelling in order to come up with interesting data sets to complement the national standards available. The wide range of sources used in the compilation of this report means that there are occasionally discrepancies in the data which we were not able to reconcile in every instance. Even when the data is produced by the same national statistical office on a specific parameter, like the total population in a particular year, discrepancies can occur depending on whether it was derived from a survey, a national census or a projection and whether the data are mid-year or January. For slow trends, data are presented for 1990, 1995 and 2000-2003. Where it is interesting to look at projections, the data encompasses 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. Fast-moving trends such as communications are illustrated with data sets relating to 1990, 1995, 2000-2005, 2010 and 2015. Consumer goods data cover the period 1998-2003. 2. POPULATION 2. 1 Population by Age 700 million Indians are under the age of 35, making India one of the youngest nations in the world. The population of youth is almost equally divided between men and women, and in terms of numbers is more than the population of Latin America and the Caribbean put together. The changing demographics can be attributed to a slowdown in birth rate during the 1990s as well as rising levels of diseases amongst the 30+ age group. The biggest attraction for international players is perhaps the sheer numbers that provide them turnovers that corporates dream of. The 5-9 year-age group was the largest in 2004 though growth rates have been dropping over the review period. By the end of the forecast period though, the 15-19 year-age group is expected to be the largest in a digression from the historical trend indicating that the country will age slowly. In absolute terms, 10-14 year olds, 15-19 year olds and 20-24 year olds grew by approximately 25% since 1990. The changing demographics has been due to the high levels of birth rate in the last decade resulting in a population that attained these age levels post 2000. The population above 70 years of age will more than have doubled over the 1990-2015 period. 97% growth is expected amongst the 80+ group over the 2000-2015 period. Migration to other countries, better healthcare and a slowdown in birth rate are expected to contribute to some of these trends. The median age of the population is rising, albeit extremely slowly. Death rates are dropping gradually with improved access to healthcare but it is also accompanied by rather high levels of birth rate. According to an Oxford University Press publication by Tim Dyson, Robert Cassen and Leela Visaria by 2015, shifts are expected. The median age would rise to 31 from the current 24, and the proportion of 60+ would rise from 7% to 11%. Table 1 Population by Age: 1990-2015 ‘000 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 0-4 yrs 114,799 119,235 120,974 117,342 116,462 116,324 5-9 yrs 102,289 110,845 115,921 118,296 115,260 114,758 10-14 yrs 89,781 100,560 109,302 114,583 117,137 114,226 15-19 yrs 85,268 88,870 99,696 08,541 113,937 116,575 20-24 yrs 77,264 84,180 87,878 98,790 107,722 113,188 25-29 yrs 68,307 76,098 83,001 86,771 97,607 106,430 30-34 yrs 59,422 67,262 74,926 81,753 85,361 95,802 35-39 yrs 49,661 58,435 66,152 73,656 80,244 83,504 40-44 yrs 41,157 48,632 57,281 64,854 72,146 78,395 45-49 yrs 35,384 39,977 47,346 55,842 63,253 70,294 50-54 yrs 31,1 25 33,892 38,442 45,667 53,980 61,191 55-59 yrs 26,547 29,144 31,917 36,391 43,422 51,469 60-64 yrs 21,023 23,942 26,496 29,242 33,590 40,300 65-69 yrs 15,507 17,879 20,598 23,047 25,711 29,807 70-74 yrs 10,547 12,112 14,196 16,614 18,870 21,331 75-79 yrs 6,274 7,213 8,471 10,146 12,127 4,023 80+ yrs 3,678 4,497 5,951 7,536 9,431 11,708 TOTAL 838,033 922,775 1,008,549 1,089,072 1,166,258 1,239,325 Median age of 21. 68 22. 45 23. 28 24. 31 25. 62 27. 05 population (Years) Death rates (per ‘000 10. 63 9. 49 8. 67 8. 07 7. 66 7. 49 inhabitants) Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 2 Population by Age (% Analysis): 1990-2015 % of total population 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 0-4 yrs 13. 70 12. 92 11. 99 10. 77 9. 99 9. 39 5-9 yrs 12. 21 12. 01 11. 49 10. 86 9. 88 9. 26 10-14 yrs 10. 71 10. 90 10. 84 10. 52 10. 04 9. 22 15-19 yrs 10. 17 9. 63 9. 89 9. 97 9. 77 9. 41 20-24 yrs 9. 22 9. 12 8. 71 9. 07 9. 4 9. 13 25-29 yrs 8. 15 8. 25 8. 23 7. 97 8. 37 8. 59 30-34 yrs 7. 09 7. 29 7. 43 7. 51 7. 32 7. 73 35-39 yrs 5. 93 6. 33 6. 56 6. 76 6. 88 6. 74 40-44 yrs 4. 91 5. 27 5. 68 5. 95 6. 19 6. 33 45-49 yrs 4. 22 4. 33 4. 69 5. 13 5. 42 5. 67 50-54 yrs 3. 71 3. 67 3. 81 4. 19 4. 63 4. 94 55-59 yrs 3. 17 3. 16 3. 16 3. 34 3. 72 4. 15 60-64 yrs 2. 51 2. 59 2. 63 2. 69 2. 88 3. 25 65-69 yrs 1. 85 1. 94 2. 04 2. 12 2. 20 2. 41 70-74 yrs 1. 26 1. 31 1. 41 1. 53 1. 62 1. 72 75-79 yrs 0. 75 0. 78 0. 84 0. 93 1. 04 1. 13 80+ yrs 0. 44 0. 49 0. 59 0. 69 0. 81 0. 94 TOTAL 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 3 Population by Age (Growth): 1990/2015, 2000/2015 % growth 1990/2015 2000/2015 0-4 yrs 1. 33 -3. 84 5-9 yrs 12. 19 -1. 00 10-14 yrs 27. 23 4. 51 15-19 yrs 36. 72 16. 93 20-24 yrs 46. 50 28. 80 25-29 yrs 55. 81 28. 23 30-34 yrs 61. 22 27. 86 35-39 yrs 68. 15 26. 23 40-44 yrs 90. 48 36. 86 45-49 yrs 98. 66 48. 47 50-54 yrs 96. 60 59. 18 55-59 yrs 93. 88 61. 26 60-64 yrs 91. 69 52. 10 65-69 yrs 92. 21 44. 71 70-74 yrs 102. 24 50. 26 75-79 yrs 123. 51 65. 54 80+ yrs 218. 34 96. 76 TOTAL 47. 89 22. 88 Median age of population 24. 76 16. 19 Death rates -29. 52 -13. 55 Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January 2. Male Population by Age Males constitute 52% of the population. Half are under the age of 29 and are looking for earning opportunities. Though liberalisation and the recent NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government headed by ex-prime minister Shri Vajpayee did much to invest in infrastructure and create jobs, much of this has apparently not perco lated down to the lowest income classes if election results in mid-2004 (when the incumbent government was unceremoniously and unexpectedly voted out) are anything to go by. Not surprisingly, the 5-9 year-age group is again the largest segment, representing almost 11% of the total population. In relative terms, this segment has been stagnant since 1990 and has declined marginally since 2000. Due to a larger base, 15-19 year olds will constitute the largest segment by 2015 despite higher growth by other groups. In keeping with general demographic trends, the population below the age of 20 years grew the maximum over the review period. Dropping mortality rates and better healthcare has increased this population group. The median age of the male population in India is approximately the same as the overall median age of the population. It was 22 in 2000 and stands at a little more than 24 years in 2003. Much of India is a male dominated society, and even in urban areas, women are shouldering more and more household running responsibilities. On a lighter note, urban men are more conscious of their looks be it clothing or even actual physical features. One would find many highlighting their hair or even exploring a manicure or a facial massage in big metro cities such as Mumbai or Delhi. The latest corporate entrant to the beauty services business under the name of Kaya Skin Clinics caters to both men and women with clinics even in Dubai. This is a Marico India Limited promoted venture. There is an entire new category of urban men – â€Å"the meterosexual male† that is as demanding about clothes, footwear, music and even grooming aids or beauty treatments as women. In burgeoning malls, men are spending as much or even more as women due to greater financial independence in relative terms and the freedom to spend money on items of desire or personal use. The youth desire items such as cell phones, PDAs and other electronic gizmos. Footwear is another item high in purchase priority. Whether it is body piercing or permanent tattoos, it is all about making a statement. Fitness and sports-related equipment also catches their fancy. The coming decade from 2004 to 2013 will see growth in the 30-55 age bracket by 2%. This will translate into significantly increased demand for items such as travel and leisure, home and household items, lifestyle accessories and even alcoholic drinks. Table 4 Male Population by Age: 1990-2015 ‘000 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 0-4 yrs 59,160 61,431 62,314 60,391 59,897 59,773 5-9 yrs 53,002 57,354 59,926 61,095 59,437 59,106 10-14 yrs 46,682 52,240 56,672 59,329 60,571 58,960 15-19 yrs 44,611 46,274 51,849 56,325 59,034 60,314 20-24 yrs 40,457 44,130 45,829 51,433 55,942 58,675 25-29 yrs 35,848 39,901 43,545 45,268 50,814 55,247 0-34 yrs 31,216 35,289 39,246 42,842 44,475 49,798 35-39 yrs 25,991 30,655 34,636 38,494 41,955 43,397 40-44 yrs 21,137 25,386 29,959 33,846 37,579 40,840 45-49 yrs 17,895 20,428 24,595 29,063 32,849 36,427 50-54 yrs 15,631 17,003 19,497 23,552 27,898 31,550 55-59 yrs 13,346 14,462 15,831 18,258 22,165 26,325 60-64 yrs 10,533 11,826 12,925 14,266 16,58 8 20,254 65-69 yrs 7,660 8,753 9,948 10,992 12,271 14,405 70-74 yrs 5,127 5,833 6,779 7,820 8,771 9,917 75-79 yrs 3,008 3,398 3,956 4,692 5,527 6,303 80+ yrs 1,756 2,094 2,684 3,338 4,129 5,050 TOTAL 433,062 476,458 520,192 561,005 599,902 636,341 Males as % of total 51. 68 51. 63 51. 8 51. 51 51. 44 51. 35 population Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 5 Male Population by Age (% Analysis): 1990-2015 % of male population 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 0-4 yrs 13. 66 12. 89 11. 98 10. 76 9. 98 9. 39 5-9 yrs 12. 24 12. 04 11. 52 10. 89 9. 91 9. 29 10-14 yrs 10. 78 10. 96 10. 89 10. 58 10. 10 9. 27 15-19 yrs 10. 30 9. 71 9. 97 10. 04 9. 84 9. 48 20-24 yrs 9. 34 9. 26 8. 81 9. 17 9. 33 9. 22 25-29 yrs 8. 28 8. 37 8. 37 8. 07 8. 47 8. 68 30-34 yrs 7. 21 7. 41 7. 54 7. 64 7. 41 7. 83 35-39 yrs 6. 00 6. 43 6. 66 6. 86 6. 99 6. 82 40-44 yrs 4. 88 5. 33 5. 76 6. 03 6. 26 6. 42 45-49 yrs 4. 13 4. 29 4. 73 5. 8 5. 48 5. 72 50-54 yrs 3. 61 3. 57 3. 75 4. 20 4. 65 4. 96 55-59 yrs 3. 08 3. 04 3. 04 3. 25 3. 69 4. 14 60-64 yrs 2. 43 2. 48 2. 48 2. 54 2. 77 3. 18 65-69 yrs 1. 77 1. 84 1. 91 1. 96 2. 05 2. 26 70-74 yrs 1. 18 1. 22 1. 30 1. 39 1. 46 1. 56 75-79 yrs 0. 69 0. 71 0. 76 0. 84 0. 92 0. 99 80+ yrs 0. 41 0. 44 0. 52 0. 60 0. 69 0. 79 TOTAL 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 6 Male Population by Age (Growth): 1990/2015, 2000/2015 % growth 1990/2015 2000/2015 0-4 yrs 1. 04 -4. 08 5-9 yrs 11. 52 -1. 37 10-14 yrs 26. 30 4. 04 15-19 yrs 35. 20 16. 33 20-24 yrs 45. 03 28. 03 5-29 yrs 54. 12 26. 87 30-34 yrs 59. 53 26. 89 35-39 yrs 66. 97 25. 29 40-44 yrs 93. 22 36. 32 45-49 yrs 103. 56 48. 11 50-54 yrs 101. 84 61. 82 55-59 yrs 97. 25 66. 28 60-64 yrs 92. 29 56. 70 65-69 yrs 88. 04 44. 81 70-74 yrs 93. 41 46. 28 75-79 yrs 109. 53 59. 33 80+ yrs 187. 55 88. 16 TOTAL 46. 94 22. 33 Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January 2. 3 Female Population by Age 58% of the Indian female population is bel ow the age of 29. Of this 45% are over the age of 15 years. Female population proportion is likely to go up in the next decade following stringent official norms for sex determination and abortion of the female foetus. The current sex ratio stands at 933 females per 1,000 males as per the last census. Considering the decline in sex ratio from the previous census in 1991, female infanticide is still rampant not only in certain backward rural areas but also in a new form using modern technology in urban areas. Women in urban India have come a long way since the expectations their mothers or probably grandmothers had to live up to. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was a rarity to see working women. It went without saying that female members of the household handled household running responsibilities. Few would be seen dressed in anything but a sari, the national dress. Smoking and drinking were strict no-nos. Even going to the beauty parlour was considered highly emancipated! Cooking was always at home and done by women. Sacrificing personal wants and compromise were desirable attributes. The scenario dramatically changed in the 1990s with India’s entry onto the world beauty scene. Suddenly, every woman wanted to look good or do something that made a difference to her or to someone else. The salwar-kameez is almost a universal dress code. Originally, a North Indian attire, it caught the imagination of women from every region for its convenience and comfort. Young women are much surer of what they want and how to get it. Domestic duties such as cooking are minimised or taken care of in other ways. They would much rather work or do something that they would much rather be doing. Western-style dressing consisting of pants and a shirt is much more common even in workplaces. Social drinking is largely acceptable though still not desirable. On the other hand smoking is still a no-no notwithstanding the rise in number of working women who smoke in public. More and more women today have access to some means of income be it small or large amounts and even take investment decisions or play a significant role in the decision making. Today, one can see a mix of all kinds of women ranging from the traditional conservative to the ultra modern sophisticate. Even the traditional conservative is surprisingly quite progressive in emotional matters pertaining to education or even careers. While women are now increasingly comfortable with their bodies and do not mind even flaunting it, they still would prefer striking a balance between home and work. With more and more women earning their own money, they are now almost equally positioned as bread earners in families. Most men find it difficult to deal with this situation since money and the way it must be spent (larger sums that probably go beyond household expenses) is still considered a male domain. But there is an increasing segment that is now taking investment decisions as well. The stock market boom in 2003 attracted large numbers of housewives who got into the act of trading shares, earning just that little bit extra irrespective of their socioeconomic status or educational background. The attitude towards motherhood is changing. It is now more a matter of choice than chance. Young urban educated women are taking parenting much more seriously. Previously, the first child was born at an average age of 25, today in some parts it is 32 years. Women-on-vacation is another phenomenon slowly becoming visible at railway platforms, airport lounges and even gravelled roads. Single, married, divorced or bereaved and aged anywhere from 16-70 years, women are on the move. As the population ages and more working women constitute the Indian population, there will be a demand for items of personal use and anti-ageing products and services. The number of women smoking or drinking is also on the rise. Earlier considered taboo, rising pressures professionally and personally have only contributed to this changing paradigm. Table 7 Female Population by Age: 1990-2015 ‘000 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 0-4 yrs 55,639 57,805 58,660 56,951 56,565 56,552 5-9 yrs 49,287 53,491 55,994 57,201 55,823 55,652 10-14 yrs 43,098 48,320 52,630 55,254 56,565 55,266 15-19 yrs 40,657 42,596 47,848 52,217 54,903 56,261 20-24 yrs 36,806 40,050 42,049 47,357 51,781 54,513 25-29 yrs 32,460 36,197 39,456 41,504 46,793 51,183 30-34 yrs 28,206 31,972 35,680 38,912 0,886 46,004 35-39 yrs 23,671 27,780 31,516 35,163 38,289 40,106 40-44 yrs 20,020 23,247 27,322 31,008 34,567 37,555 45-49 yrs 17,489 19,549 22,752 26,779 30,404 33,867 50-54 yrs 15,493 16,890 18,945 22,115 26,082 29,640 55-59 yrs 13,200 14,683 16,086 18,133 21,257 25,144 60-64 yrs 10,490 12,116 13,571 14,976 17,001 20,046 65-69 yrs 7,847 9,126 10,651 12,054 13,439 15,402 70-74 yrs 5,420 6,278 7,417 8,794 10,099 11,414 75-79 yrs 3,266 3,815 4,515 5,453 6,600 7,720 80+ yrs 1,922 2,403 3,267 4,198 5,302 6,658 TOTAL 404,970 446,317 488,357 528,067 566,356 602,984 Females as % of total 48. 32 48. 37 48. 42 8. 49 48. 56 48. 65 population Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 8 Female Population by Age (% Analysis): 1990-2015 % of female population 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 0-4 yrs 13. 74 12. 95 12. 01 10. 78 9. 99 9. 38 5-9 yrs 12. 17 11. 99 11. 47 10. 83 9. 86 9. 23 10-14 yrs 10. 64 10. 83 10. 78 10. 46 9. 99 9. 17 15-19 yrs 10. 04 9. 54 9. 80 9. 89 9. 69 9. 33 20-24 yrs 9. 09 8. 97 8. 61 8. 97 9. 14 9. 04 25-29 yrs 8. 02 8. 11 8. 08 7. 86 8. 26 8. 49 30-34 yrs 6. 96 7. 16 7. 31 7. 37 7. 22 7. 63 35-39 yrs 5. 85 6. 22 6. 45 6. 66 6. 76 6. 65 40-44 yrs 4. 94 5. 21 5. 59 5. 87 6. 10 6. 23 5-49 yrs 4. 32 4. 38 4. 66 5. 07 5. 37 5. 62 50-54 yrs 3. 83 3. 78 3. 88 4. 19 4. 61 4. 92 55-59 yrs 3. 26 3. 29 3. 29 3. 43 3. 75 4. 17 60-64 yrs 2. 59 2. 71 2. 78 2. 84 3. 00 3. 32 65-69 yrs 1. 94 2. 04 2. 18 2. 28 2. 37 2. 55 70-74 yrs 1. 34 1. 41 1. 52 1. 67 1. 78 1. 89 75-79 yrs 0. 81 0. 85 0. 92 1. 03 1. 17 1. 28 80+ yrs 0. 47 0. 54 0. 67 0. 80 0. 94 1. 10 TOTAL 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 9 Female Population by Age (Growth): 1990/2015, 2000/2015 % growth 1990/2015 2000/2015 0-4 yrs 1. 64 -3. 59 5-9 yrs 12. 91 -0. 61 10-14 yrs 8. 23 5. 01 15-19 yrs 38. 38 17. 58 20-24 yrs 48. 11 29. 64 25-29 yrs 57. 68 29. 72 30-34 yrs 63. 10 28. 94 35-39 yrs 69. 43 27. 26 40-44 yrs 87. 59 37. 45 45-49 yrs 93. 65 48. 86 50-54 yrs 91. 31 56. 45 55-59 yrs 90. 48 56. 32 60-64 yrs 91. 10 47. 72 65-69 yrs 96. 28 44. 61 70-74 yrs 110. 60 53. 89 75-79 yrs 136. 38 70. 98 80+ yrs 246. 49 103. 82 TOTAL 48. 90 23. 47 Source: UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January 2. 4 Fertility and Birth Fertility rates in India fell to 2. 9 in 2003. The decline can be attributed to the rise in mean age at ma rriage and the postponement of the child-bearing decision. The average age of Indian women at child birth rose to 28 years in 2003. In some urban areas and metro cities it could well be early 30s. As women seek higher educational and professional achievements, urban families are postponing having children. In many cases, one of the reasons cited is that they would like to know their spouses better before giving rise to a social responsibility. Amongst celebrities such as personalities from the film industry as well as fashion, adoption is being increasingly accepted. These are usually highly successful, financially independent women who cannot or do not find the need for a spouse to raise children. Men still take a back seat where adoption is concerned. A complete change in the way earning opportunities present themselves in an increasingly open economy and the transient nature of jobs, values and money have made Indians seek personal confidence and stability before committing themselves further. Birth control has received total government support irrespective of the political party in power. However, a large number of women may not be able to afford birth control even if they wish to do so. Large numbers of couples want to space or limit births but they are not using any method of contraception. According to official sources, a nationwide survey it undertook showed that approximately 16% of couples or about 30 million couples have an unmet need for contraception. High fertility is one important factor affecting the reproductive health of women. One out of every 75 women of reproductive age dies from child birth-related causes. Other reproductive health indicators also reflect a generally poor health status. Only 15% of mothers receive complete antenatal care, and only 58% receive any iron/folate tablets or syrup. Only 34% of deliveries take place in facilities, and, at best, 42% are assisted by a health professional. Though there are official government norms for promoting two children families, there are many holding public positions that have three or four or even more children. It is therefore difficult for lawmakers who themselves go against government policies to implement them with complete resolution. There is a wide disparity in the population growth rates amongst various states. Southern states have achieved a greater measure of success in almost stabilising their birth rate growth due to a higher level of education and literacy in general. On the other hand, Northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar represent a dismal picture. There is an unmet need for family planning in these states and about 25% of it is in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state. Is it a boy or a girl? The legacy of a declining sex ratio in the history of the Census of India took a new turn with the widespread use of new reproductive technologies (NRTs) in urban areas. NRTs are based on the principles of selection of the desirable and rejection of the unwanted. In India, the desirable is the baby boy and the unwanted is the baby girl. The result is obvious; the Census of 2001 revealed that with a sex ratio of 933 women for every 1,000 men, India had a deficit of 3. million women when it entered the new millennium. To stop the abuse of advanced scientific techniques for selective elimination of female foetuses through sex -determination, the government of India passed the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act in 1994. But techno-docs based in the metropolises and other urban centres, and parents desirous of begetting only sons, have subverted it. Outreach to the most vulnerable elements of the population is very limited, and the quality of services, in general, is poor. Additional constraints exist in the delivery of services. For family planning, the choice of methods is often limited and sterilisation remains the method of choice. Other approaches, including delaying the age of marriage and first pregnancies, and encouraging longer birth intervals, present major social and policy challenges. Religious and medical barriers exist in some areas, as do cultural issues associated with the preference for boys and denial of opportunities for girls and women. However, both the private and the public sector are taking substantial initiatives in the area of healthcare and there have been some improvements. Fertility rates fell by 23% over the 1990-2003 period though there was a slight increase in 2002. Some studies have shown that the increase was due to natural calamities in 2001 and 2002 accompanied by civil disturbances when citizens were mostly confined to their homes and had limited entertainment options. The fertility rate fell the following year by nearly 4% in 2003 over 2002 in keeping with the trend over the last decade. Table 10 Fertility and Birth: 1990/1995, 2000-2003 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 Average age of women at 20. 40 24. 20 26. 70 27. 20 27. 80 28. 33 hildbirth (years) Birth rates (per ‘000 30. 07 27. 45 24. 90 24. 37 23. 78 23. 40 inhabitants) Fertility rates 3. 80 3. 48 3. 06 2. 99 3. 02 2. 91 (children born per female) Source: National statistical offices, Council of Europe, UN, CIA World Factbook, Euromonitor Table 11 Fertility and Birth (Growth): 1990/2003, 2002/2003 % growth 1990/2003 2002/2003 Average age of women at childbirth 38. 87 1. 91 Birth rat es -22. 18 -1. 60 Fertility rates -23. 42 -3. 64 Source: National statistical offices, Council of Europe, UN, CIA World Factbook, Euromonitor 2. 5 Population by Marital Status There are only two dominant types of population by marital status in India – married or single. Married Married couples form more than half the population in India. Marriage is a sacred institution accompanied and governed by numerous social and religious customs and sanctions. Elders in the family normally arrange marriages in most of India and even with changing social fabric, parental acceptance and blessings are important. The result is a blend of the old and the new where brides/bridegrooms-to-be actually meet or see each other before the marriage and are allowed to exercise their choices. Marriage and child rearing is an accepted way of life and youngsters between the ages of 18 and 30 do look forward to settling down and getting married. An unmarried individual would stand out in the predominantly middle-class Indian society. However, acceptance of this is also increasing. There are a number of young adults, usually successful in their own lives, who choose not to get married or are unable to get married. Cracks and strains have started showing in a number of marriages due to postponement of the marriage decision, new income earning opportunities, changing lifestyles, new technologies and a sea change in attitudes and spirations in urban India. Hence, married families in 2003 grew at a slower rate than divorced or single families at only 1. 4%. Divorce Divorce is a little uncommon but is growing in incidence with young couples not willing to compromise or spend time on making a relationship successful. Interestingly, it is couples who knew each other before marriage that are seeing a rise in divorce rather than â€Å"arranged† family affairs that are part of Indian convention. There are instances of certain communities that are using technology (SMSs – Short Messaging System) to divorce their spouses by sending the message â€Å"divorce† thrice! The number of divorce cases filed in some cities reaches as high as 17,000 cases in Kolkata city with Pune having the least at 2,000. Some 9,000 cases are filed each year in Mumbai city alone. Widowers Widowers form a small 5% of Indian society that predominantly consists of youth. Rising longevity, increasing age at marriage and even social reform with respect to â€Å"child widows†, â€Å"child marriages† and â€Å"widow remarriage† have contained the growth of this category of the population. There are not too many widows/widowers in urban areas and even these generally stay with their families as in their sons or daughters. In certain rural areas, with lack of healthcare and awareness of a number of health conditions, widowers could form a slightly larger population segment. Co-habitation Co-habitation is still not viewed with much respect in a society steeped in tradition. In the Western state of Gujarat there is actually a quasi-legal arrangement called â€Å"Maitri Karar† that stipulates the responsibilities of a contract â€Å"friendship†. However, there are a growing number of homosexuals –both men and women, who have come out of the closet and are finding some acceptance. There are at least five lesbian groups in the country which are striving to provide dignity to this section of the populace. There is a large number who is probably not even aware of their preferences and go through much turmoil in the process. Yet, permissiveness is at an all-time high. 27% of the population in Bangalore; Chennai 28%; Delhi 22%t; Hyderabad 20%; Kolkata 32%; Mumbai 24% feel that both partners should be free to have extramarital sex with the spouse's consent. Delhiites are most likely to have done it at a younger age than their counterparts in other cities. Hyderabadis and Mumbaikars show the maximum inclination to infidelity. Adultery is going middle-class, to small-town India, going commonplace, even going boring. Dangerous liaisons used to be for the aristos and the plebs. Those in between, the middle classes, were tethered by moral chastity belts – only their fantasies could roam freely. Or it was all within the family, the extramarital dalliances, that is. The scarlet letter is now fading fast: stigma is getting passe and guilt for an increasing number is no more than a twitch. New technology is an important factor encouraging the phenomenon. Internet and mushrooming cyber cafes have helped, as have mobile phones and SMS facilities. Middle-class India is having a great time and most Westerners are shocked at the change. Table 12 Population by Marital Status: 1990/1995, 2000-2003 ‘000 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 Married 471,829 494,405 516,978 524,708 532,254 539,637 Divorced 3,093 5,010 8,059 8,214 8,365 8,510 Widowed 52,532 56,663 53,373 54,144 54,895 55,629 Single & other/unknown 310,578 366,696 430,138 438,100 445,958 453,729 TOTAL 838,033 922,775 1,008,549 1,025,166 1,041,471 1,057,505 Average age of women at 19. 00 22. 90 25. 50 25. 90 26. 50 26. 97 first marriage (years) Source: National statistical offices, Council of Europe, UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 13 Population by Marital Status (% Analysis): 1990/1995, 2000-2003 % of total population 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 Married 56. 30 53. 58 51. 26 51. 18 51. 11 51. 03 Divorced 0. 37 0. 54 0. 80 0. 80 0. 80 0. 80 Widowed 6. 27 6. 14 5. 29 5. 28 5. 27 5. 26 Single & other/unknown 37. 06 39. 74 42. 65 42. 73 42. 82 42. 91 TOTAL 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 100. 00 Source: National statistical offices, Council of Europe, UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January Table 14 Population by Marital Status (Growth): 1990/2003, 2000/2003 growth 1990/2003 2000/2003 Married 14. 37 4. 38 Divorced 175. 1 5. 59 Widowed 5. 9 4. 23 Single & other/unknown 46. 09 5. 48 TOTAL 26. 19 4. 85 Average age of women at first marriage 41. 93 5. 75 Source: National statistical offices, Council of Europe, UN, Euromonitor Note: As at 1 January 2. 6 Population by Educational Attainment Indians place a lot of importance on higher education as is evident from the number of graduates as well as the number of Indians doing extremely well in other parts of the world. Despite huge odds, the literacy rate now stands at more than 65% for the country as a whole. In terms of numbers, most of the population has some form of primary education. Kerala is the only state that has 100% literacy. Public expenditure on education now stands at 4% of GDP, well below the Kothari Commission recommendation of 6% way back in 1968. The private sector is now taking increasing initiatives in primary level education after having participated in a mixed fashion in the form of self-financed colleges and institutions of higher learning. This is one of the factors for higher growth in the level of education attainment at higher levels as compared to primary education. There are about 888,000 educational institutions in the country with an enrolment of about 179 million. Elementary Education System in India is the second largest in the World with 149 million children of 6-14 years enrolled and almost three million teachers. This is about 82% of the children in the age group. Compulsory education has been enforced in four States and Union Territories (UTs) at the primary stage of education while in eight States/UTs there is compulsory education covering the entire elementary stage of education. As many as 20 States/UTs have not introduced any measure of compulsion. Though education is in the concurrent list (ie both the Central and State governments are responsible for this social sector) of the Constitution, the State Governments play a very major role in the development of education particularly in the primary and the secondary education sectors. In order to facilitate donations including smaller amounts from India and abroad for implementing projects/programmes connected with the education sector, the Government constituted the â€Å"Bharat Shiksha Kosh† as a Society registered under the Society Registration Act, 1860. The Kosh was officially launched on 9 January 2003 during the celebration of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas. The Kosh will receive donations/contributions/endowments, from individuals and corporate, Central and State Governments, non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin for various activities across all sectors of education. Table 15 Population by Educational Attainment: 1990/1995, 2000-2003 ‘000 1990 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 Primary & no education 372,583 378,124 391,590 400,014 408,770 417,596 Secondary 79,103 121,874 163,622 167,434 171,221 175,064 Higher 79,478 92,137 107,140 109,858 112,464 115,123 TOTAL 531,164 592,134 662,352

To the Indians Who Died in South Africa

T S Eliot’s poem ‘To the Indians who Died in Africa’ is an interesting Eliot piece. It is not often you read a poem by Eliot which refrains from striking the grand pose. He tended to invoke the giant issues of human soul every time he penned a poem, except of course, when he wrote those cat poems. But this is a puzzlingly small-aimed poem. A bit advise not grand wisdom, I guess. That this poem in imbued in the war and empire atmosphere is obvious. What he has to say to the Indians is funnily passive, â€Å"Look, it is ok if you die absurdly in a foreign country’.It is noteworthy how Eliot deploys rhetoric to persuade the reader that it is indeed true that there was a common purpose among the Indian and the English soldiers. It appears to me that in the first two stanzas the speaker  Ã‚   evokes the image of the ‘normal scene’ so that we see how different it is for one to die in a foreign country. Then of course he goes on to assert that this need no more be seen as unusual or as tragic. He seems to suggest that the place where a man meets his destiny is his destination. He associates destiny with the inevitable culmination of one’s life as well as one’s efforts.He suggests that the divide between home and exile is illusory; that the opposition between ‘our’ and ‘your’ is not real. Every country will have such places where ‘foreigners’ are buried (whether it is the English midlands or some village in Punjab – ‘Five Rivers’). He emphasises that the common purpose really erases the differences that notions of ‘home’ and ‘exile’ foster; the divide that notions of national difference highlight. The death of an Indian soldier in Africa fighting Germany and defending England may appear absurd.But the speaker points out that the Indian and the English soldiers are united in a common purpose. As for greater meaning in such lives a nd deaths, he says it is to be seen only after ‘final judgment’. To the Indians Who Died in Africa * T. S. Eliot A man’s destination is his own village, His own fire, and his wife’s cooking; To sit in front of his own door at sunset And see his grandson, and his neighbour’s grandson Playing in the dust together. Scarred but secure, he has many memories Which return at the hour of conversation, (The warm or the cool hour, according to the climate)Of foreign men, who fought in foreign places, Foreign to each other. A man’s destination is not his destiny, Every country is home to one man And exile to another. Where a man dies bravely At one with his destiny, that soil is his. Let his village remember. This was not your land, or ours: but a village in the Midlands, And one in the Five Rivers, may have the same graveyard. Let those who go home tell the same story of you: Of action with a common purpose, action None the less fruitful if neither you nor we Know, until the judgement after death, What is the fruit of action.Eliot, T. S. â€Å"To the Indians Who Died in Africa. † Collected Poems 1909-1962 This is what Narayan Chandran has to say about this poem: It is intriguing that T. S. Eliot has repeatedly drawn upon Indic sources, especially the Bhagavad-Gita and its philosophy of disinterested action, while writing on war and world affairs through the 1940s. Eliot’s Occasional Verses, particularly â€Å"To the Indians who Died in Africa,† betray the poet’s imperialist biases, unlike much of his poetry, in which they do not seem to surface visibly as in his prose writings and conversations.Couched in the language and imagery of the Gita, Eliot seems to tell the Indians that their action is its own reward; the irony hardens as we recall historical facts and situations that drove hapless Indians to support the Allied war effort in many theaters outside India. The essay also looks at two other Britis h writers on Indian themes, Kipling and Forster, whose texts seem to cast an interesting sidelight on â€Å"action,† whose punning resonance Eliot seems to relish in writing his war poems. Eliot, evidently, had little use for the philosophy he quoted back to the distressed Indians.

Critically analyze how successful the British government's use of Essay

Critically analyze how successful the British government's use of Spending Reviews has been as a way of making government more - Essay Example Definition and history of Spending Reviews The Spending Review is ‘the HM Treasury led process that allocates public expenditures.’1 It is intended to ‘set a clear direction for reform, focused on shifting power from central government to the local level.’2 In the late 1990s, the New Labour government came into power in the U.K., and embarked on several reforms whereby public spending may be made more effectively. One of these reforms is the introduction of medium-term spending reviews. The first Comprehensive Spending Review was conducted in 1998 and published in July of that year. Three subsequent spending reviews were conducted in the years 2000, 2002 and 2004. The subsequent Comprehensive Spending Review was conducted in 2007, and the next after that in 2010.3 The diagram on the following page shows the progression of Spending Reviews from 1998 when the process was first adopted and the first Comprehensive SR was conducted, to the next CST in 2007. ... Source: OECD Senior Budget Officials Network4 The adoption of the CST98 was in line with the public sector reform for that year, which introduced the three year spending plans, as well as the use of resource based accounting and budgeting. The review stressed greater protection for capital spending, proper asset management, and was anchored on outcome-focused performance targets.5 In 2009, the Government borrowed one pound for every four pounds it spent. As a result, the cost of debt servicing (which is comprised of interest payments on public debt) exceeds what the Government spends for England’s schools in one year.6 Significance of spending reviews as strategic tool for government Spending reviews provide government a tool for controlling public spending in two ways: (1) that during the budget planning process, proposed spending could be more effectively aligned with the strategic goals of government; and (2) that interim reviews could act as a monitoring tool to ensure tha t the actual expenditures are consistent with the budgeted allocations and, if not, that justification could be found which nevertheless serves the strategic goal, and where none could be found, that further spending could be halted along this line before runaway expenses could be incurred. There is a fundamental difference between the Comprehensive Spending Review conducted in 1998, 2007 and 2010, and the spending reviews conducted in 2000, 2002 and 2004. The CSR is a fundamental strategic review of spending priorities, while the SR creates ‘merely incremental changes to existing priorities.’7 There is a distinction between two types of public expenditures that are provided for in the spending reviews. The first is the annually

The world is Flat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The world is Flat - Essay Example This is actually true as no two countries would fight against each other if they have similar interests and it is only a clash of interests that would bring about conflict between these countries. Countries like the United States of America and Great Britain have never really had any conflicts amongst themselves in recent years and the reason for this cannot be far-fetched. Over the years, the US has been an ally of Great Britain and it is not unusual that these two great countries have not had any reason to fight against each other. The reason is due to the fact that they are of the same global supply chain, thus corroborating Friedman’s argument that countries in the same global supply chain can never fight a war against each other. You can never hear two developed countries that share the same ideology fighting against each other. In order to disproof Duiker’s belief that the trend toward globalization could lead to fragmentation, one should consider two countries th at are thriving to be economically successful. The interests of these countries are aligned by the goals they share and this means that they are preoccupied with the success of their economy and would quell any crisis that could lead to conflict between them.

How to Improve Employee Engagement in an Organisation+ HR startegies Term Paper

How to Improve Employee Engagement in an Organisation+ HR startegies of being able to measure Employee Engagement - Term Paper Example This study has also outlined various HR strategies implemented by Tesco management so that they can maintain their leading position in the UK based retail industry (Brajer-Marczak 259-261). From the study, I have gained an idea of Employee Engagement policies that are used by Tesco. Tesco is using the strategies centrally from the UK based headquarters to different subsections of global distribution centers. I came to know about the term â€Å"helicopter view† that is mainly the HR and Employee Engagement policy of Tesco. It is primarily a modified version of the conflict management strategies. Broad issues are collected from different branch operations. HR policies of Tesco are aiming to offer more quality in products, and on store ambiance. Tesco is facing the challenge from ASDA, Sainsbury, Morrison’s, Walmart, LIDL and ALDI. Therefore, employee retention and development policies must be well designed. In addition, I have learned that Employee Engagement policies of Tesco are collecting demands and knowledge from the employees. This type of HR policy will reduce different type of recurring training and development cost. Collective bargaining is enterta ined to ensure proper features of the workplace and remuneration policies. Employee engagement policies of the Tesco are discussed in details to ensure more quality. The term employee engagement is making the HR process more complex. Employees are engaged into the business policies and strategic directions in order to increase the commitment towards the organization. Organizations are increasing loyalty management process that will aid them to retain skilled and expert employees. On the other hand, productivity of the retail firms will gradually increase with the help of motivated set of employees. Emotional support provisions to the employees will make them feel more valued (Bridger 127-129). Concept of employee engagement is

Macroeconomics of the health care policy in United States Essay

Macroeconomics of the health care policy in United States - Essay Example The general health care was viewed important by each and every Americans and they took pride in the development of the system within the country, the increasing use of modern updated technologies and the growth of modernized hospitals dispersed in different areas of the country. People of the country started believing that health care system of the country has been one of the contributing factors behind the enormous growth of the country. However, it appeared to be just a myth when in the twenty first century several researchers and analysts within the health care system concluded that the health care system of the country was in a position of providing proper health care to only 60% of the chronically ill of the country. Series of statistical facts regarding the health care system of the country reveal that the system is collapsing. The main reason that was viewed behind the collapse of the system was that about 15.8% of the population of the country was not provided with health ins urance despite the country being the highest in its expenditure behind the health care system of the country. The country’s expenditure of the health care sector in the year 1990 was 12 % of the total GDP of the country of that particular year which increased to 13.1 % in the year 2000. The other industrialized countries of the world mainly Canada, West Germany, and Japan spent much less on the health care of the country but still they were able to cover most of their total population much more comprehensively than the United States of America. (Kronenfeld, 2002, pp. 1-9: Patel, Rushefsky, 2006, pp34-35: Shi, Singh, 2005, p144) Use of the most advanced techniques for improving health care thus did not imply that the populations of the... The price of the products hence will not be in accordance with the consumer’s preference since the producers have more information regarding the medical service provider and other medical products. These market imperfections have always been a cause of concern of the health care system of the country. Moreover, according to the data published by OECD in the year 2003, there exists an inverse relationship between the public spending on health care and the contribution of the latter in the total GDP of the country. The data reveals that with increasing public spending the sector’s share in the GDP reduces. Regulations on the health care system reduce competition among the different providers and hence it results in a reduction of their efficiency. Moreover, a majority of the hospitals of the country are generally financed by parties other than the buyer of the health care policies and its suppliers. Thus, proper macroeconomic policies to regulate these loopholes in the he alth care system of the country are to be taken so as to ensure a proper functioning of the system with the society being optimally benefited. The government should encourage people to increase their propensity to save such that those resources come to help in times of need for buying proper and required medical and health services. With the high rate of savings, highly deductible medical insurance with low premiums can be provided by the government that will appear beneficial both from the individual and social point of view.

Middle Eastern Studies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Middle Eastern Studies - Term Paper Example Others include the nationalization of assets previously owned by foreigners or ‘enemies of state’ and foreign aid. Collectively, such revenue streams are economically referred to as â€Å"rent†; similarly, states that are primarily dependent on such revenue streams are referred to as â€Å"rentier states† (Gelvin 247). Infamously, such states are referred to â€Å"allocation states† coined from the fact that the states’ distribution of rent generated in the aforementioned manner favors particular clients or projects. Each state in the Middle East-more or less- relies on rent income. In the period between 1980 and 1988, a third of Egypt’s government revenue was derived from rent. Over the same period, it also benefited substantially from aid from the United States amounting to about $2 billion annually (Gelvin 247). The involvement of Western powers in the oil wealth of the Middle East has entrenched historical backgrounds. More specific ally, their participation was ‘cemented’ through the establishment of agreements or concessions that saw the emergence of strong consortia that have firm hold-unto now-within the oil industry (Fawcett and Giacomo 15). Oil companies would come together to undertake large contracts which exceeded the capacity of any single firm. Such contracts –perhaps uncharacteristically so-extended between sixty and seventy-five years and granted these consortia exclusive rights to exploit, produce, refine, transport and market the oil. Over the past half century, the most dominant consortium in the oil industry has been that of the â€Å"seven sisters† consisting of Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Gulf Texaco and British Petroleum (Gelvin 249). However, the blatant imbalance in the distribution of the benefits from oil exploitation as to the host nations propelled the formation of an association that would better represent the concerns of oil producers. Furthermore the threat of diminished returns arising from a fall in demand and subsequent slashing of prices by the consuming West-as was the case during the recession of the 1960s- had to be effectively dealt with. The formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1970 significantly increased this power and with it oil prices rose by 380 percent. Oil wealth therefore shifted from the industrialized and importing Western states to the producing Middle East (Gelvin 250). The Middle East has seen the staging of two major games. Firstly, and which has recently surfaced with revolutionary effects, that of citizens and governments; usually on opposing ends and rarely in cooperation (Richards and Waterbury 1). The recent revolutions in Middle Eastern states-dubbed the Arab Spring-such as Libya, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Greece have born evidence to this play. In this game, the motive and desire for the advancement of prosperity and national development has seen the ousting of lo ng-serving governments. In Egypt, specifically, it has seen a transition in which the ousted government and long-serving officials additionally face criminal proceedings. The political space internally is highly uncertain with the much anticipated calls for free and fair elections pitted against the influence of the interim Egyptian military council. Secondly, another battle is underway intersecting the region’

Project Managing Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Project Managing Marketing - Essay Example In other areas, health reforms are being pushed by health organizations to encourage healthy living that advised people to avoid fats and to eat only healthy foods. As these issues are closely linked to the operations that would eventually affect profitability of the KFC, a change of marketing plan that definesits corporate responsibility to its stakeholders is needed. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been defined as â€Å"the concept that an organization has obligations not just to conduct its business and adhere to legal guidelines, but also to look out for the welfare of â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. the community, and society at large† (ecomii, N. d.). CSR is also viewed as a PR device to gain good favor from customers, and in some point refers to corporate ethics and good governance. As such, a new marketing plan is designed in order to improve the image of the KFC and increase its profitability. This will address the ethical problems in use of caged chicken and a chang e of direction that illustrates KFC markets and the strategies it is going to use to continue to attract customers and to create a solid revenue system for the company. In effect, this marketing plan is a strategy that determines exactly what the market wants – and coming up with a plan that will satisfy its wants. Organizational structure Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is well known restaurant chains when it comes to chicken. The company’s headquarters are found at Kentucky (where it derived its name) in the U.S. As per company record, KFC has over eleven thousand restaurants located in over eighty countries of world. Some of the countries served outside U.S. are UK, China, Thailand, Kuwait, Spain and Barbados, Puerto Rico, Pakistan and many others. The major product of the company is chicken served in various forms such chunky chicken hot pie, chicken fillets, chicken sandwiches among others. KFC has a total of 300 sets of menus being served in its outlets. As part of YUM! brand that operates a global restaurant system, KFC teams up with other restaurants like Pizza Hut and Taco bell brands (About Us). 1.1. Vision The vision of the marketing plan is to provide customers the ultimate satisfaction of eating healthy foods and to provide choices that respond to their tastes and budget. KFC does this by giving customers options between organic and non-organic chickens in the menu that customers can easily order in many KFC restaurants found worldwide. Management will be committed to the success of the plan and is willing to spend for the necessary resources for its successful implementation; that the marketing plan is in the context of the organization’s overall business plan and that the people in the organization down to the supply chain will share a similar view to the marketing function. 1.3. Objectives The overall objectives of the marketing plan is to create a new corporate image that projects KFC as sustaining ethics in animal welfare as part of its corporate social responsibility to its stakeholder and ultimately increase its profitability Replying to the demands of PETA and other animal welfare pressure groups, the use of organic chicken is proposed along with the standard chicken menu used by KFC in its restaurants. Advantages in using organic chicken are: it is healthy, tastes better and safe to eat. An organic chicken, as opposed to caged chicken, is not fed

Is marriage an outdated tradition Essay Example for Free

Is marriage an outdated tradition Essay Is Marriage an Outdated Tradition? In this essay I will be explaining whether marriage Is an outdated tradition along with my opinion and the ones of Christians. In my oplnlon I believe that No, marriage Is the same strong, important connection it was 100 years ago. The difference is the people who enter into it, and the way society no longer supports the couples who choose it. Weve become a need It now society and are ready to discard whatever doesnt give us Instant happiness. Divorce has become so acceptable that couples go Into arriage with the plan to divorce If they arent satisfied (prenup) as compared to the people in our past who believed marriage was forever and were motivated to keep working at the relationship and to make it work. Today couples are ready to give up as soon as its not fun or the sex becomes dull. The other part of the problem Is societys lack of support for marriage. The UK benefit system Is too lenient towards those who choose to have children without being married therefore helping them with housing, childcare, schooling and food. The rest f the family before would be providing emotional support and pressure for the couple to work at the relationship, now its more looked at it as being only their problem and not a problem for the people around them. Today were more concerned about an individuals right to personal happiness than to supporting responsible or ethical behaviour-I believe a persons happiness Is extremely Important but peoples morals and ethics are what make them happy. I also believe the idea that something thats worth having is worth fighting for, having omething a long time, the pride of working at something, at pushing through the hard stuff to be able to stand back and look with pride at having made something great, is gone. The Christians of the Catholic Church teach prohibition of premarital sex along with the rejection of homosexual marriage, abortion and contraception but also the acceptance of everyone and equality but while all those are very Important none is what makes the bond of marriage stick. It happens when two people who are free to marry and are physically and emotionally capable of marriage give themselves o each other, understanding that marriage means being open to life and commitment and to faithful love till death.

The Disadvantages of Using Facebook Among Students Essay Example for Free

The Disadvantages of Using Facebook Among Students Essay A very good morning to Miss Shirly and my fellow friends. Today, I, Shaatmi Batumalai, will be delivering a speech titled ‘The disadvantages of using the Facebook among students’. As we all know, today’s world is full of modern technologies, especially in the field of communication. No one can deny the efficiency of these tools, such as Twitter, Skype, Friendster, and so many more. Unfortunately, if wrongly used, these brilliant inventions can also bring disadvantages for its young users. Hence, let me bring your attention again towards the title of my speech, ‘The disadvantages of using the Facebook among students’. First and foremost I would like to enlighten on the issue of Facebook’s bad influences on students results. Students who are addicted to Facebook tend to lose their concentration on their studies. This is mainly caused by the students’ uncontrolled time spent being on-line. They become too wrapped up with their activities, and fail to complete their school tasks, and finally fail to cope up with their studies. Next, students are unaware of the company they keep through their accounts. They are fascinated by the activity of chatting with strangers who might appear attractive or interesting. They don’t even realize that, sometimes this may even cause serious problems such as arguments or even gang fights which can damage a student’s peaceful life. Last but not least, students may also face health problems with excessive Facebook usage. This makes them to not to have enough sleep. So when they go to school the next morning, they just sleep on their desks and make their teachers to be angry with them. Besides, students may also experience short-sightedness with too much of Facebook. Based on my opinion, the Facebook is like an addictive drug for its users. It is quite challenging to stay away from the exciting life but as matured students we must try to concentrate on our studies. As a conclusion, it is up to the individual to choose the right ways of using these technologies for their own benefits. With this, I end my speech. Thank you for listening.

One Of The Latest Buzzwords Tourism Essay

One Of The Latest Buzzwords Tourism Essay One of the latest buzzwords that have come into general usage in the world of tourism is that of Integrated Resorts. Over the last two decades, a number of large tourist integrated resorts have been developed around the world, many of which have become highly popular holiday destinations. The growth in tourism generated by these integrated resorts has brought significant economic and social benefits to their respective countries, including increased foreign exchange earnings, direct and indirect employment. In addition, the resorts development has stimulated local and regional development, encouraging new local industries and international trade. The success of these integrated resorts can be largely attributed to the adoption of an integrated approach to their development, caretirl planning and implementation that took into consideration regional environmental, economic and socio-cultural factors. This kind of approach helps minimise environmental, socio-economic and marketing probl ems often associated with uncontrolled tourism development. The development of integrated resorts has grown rapidly over the last two decades also as a reaction to the proliferation of unplanned beach resorts. On the supply side, many governments have increasingly turned to integrated resort developments in an attempt to improve the well-being of the local population by generating iobs and increasing income, and private investors have seen integrated resorts as a way to maximise their profits, while on the demand side, statistics are not available on the relative proportion of tourist demand for integrated resorts. In the context of globalisation and widening international tourist markets, it is acknowledged that integrated resorts offer great opportunities to visitors for leisure, recreation and sports, but due to the difficulty in assessing the impacts that may result from the construction of an integrated resort, as plans for integrated resorts are developed by consultancy iiirms and private investors that rarely publish or divulge their secrets before resort operation, most research has been conducted only after the construction of integrated resorts. The notion of integrated resorts came into plrominence in Mauritius after the successful approval ofthe environmental impact assessment report and construction of Tamarina Golf, Spa and Beach Club that is the first integrated resort in Mauritius. 1.1 Tourism Industrv in Mauritius Mauritius has considerable natural advantages as a holiday destination such as beautiful coral beaches, warm clear lagoons, colouriixl reefs, picturesque mountains, a subtropical climate, a southern hemisphere location, an atmosphere that is exotically different, yet safe and stable, and people who are friendly and welcoming. These Advantages have been exploited with attractive well run hotels with good amenities, direct and reliable air services, efficient supporting infrastructure and effective marketing as an up-market quality destination. It is therefore hardly surprising that tourist arrivals have been rising by more than 8 percent a year and the tourism industry has become one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy, accounting for 19 per cent of gross export earnings and providing employment directly and indirectly for about 50,000 people. However, there are problems. Average spending per visitor has not been going up as fast as hoped, and there have been some signs of adverse reactions at tourist numbers and behaviour. Infrastructure constraints have developed in the form of congestion at peak times at the airport and inadequate efiluent treatment leading to deterioration in water quality in some of the lagoons_ In the longer term, there will be more general environmental constraints, in the form of limits to the capacity for absorbing ever increasing numbers of visitors in a small densely populated country with a finite length of beaches and a sensitive coastal ecology. It will be necessary in fixture to place a ceiling on the number of tourists in order to protect the environment and, indeed, the fixture of the tourism industry itself Mauritius has been very successful in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the 197Os. However there has been a decline in the growth of FDI since the mid-19S0s, particularly i n the manufacturing sector. However, FDI growth has started to pick up again since 2005, led by the tourism sector, particularly the Integrated Resort Scheme as illustrated below. Foreign Direct Investment by Sector, 2003-2007 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 (USD million) Export Processing Zone 2.7 8.7 3.6 2.8 2.2 Tourism 3.4 4.2 18.2 83.0 144.0 Banking 46.0 10.9 15.4 111.0 70.0 Telecommunications 0 1.3 5 _ 9 1 .4 0. 5 Other 16.8 37.8 52.0 30.7 64.3 Total 68.9 62.9 95.1 228.9 281.0 As illustrated above, tourism has proved to be a credible alternative source of foreign currency earnings. However the country will not be able to cope with a policy of mass tourism which is unsustainable. Also the characteristic of the country, which is a Small Island Developing States (SIDS) facing special disadvantages associated with small size, insularity, remoteness and proneness to natural disasters, limits the prospect of tourism development. Hence since the economy of the country is highly vulnerable and the totnism industry having reached its carrying capacity, therefore sustainable tourism development is very instrumental. Mauritius has therefore resorted to the rejuvenation of its tourism life cycle, as this is nearing or has reached the stagnation stage, through the development of an alternative luxurious product known as Integrated Resort, as illustrated below. This good mix of tourism and real estate development has been high on governmentsagenda and has led to governments intervention in the tourism sector with the twin objective of tourism rejuvenation and FDI increase. 1.2 Aims of study The development of the tourism industry in Mauritius has been considered as an important economic diversification tool for the nation. Realizing the importance of the tourism industry in the economic development of Mauritius, government has initiated the Integrated Resort Scheme. Therefore the aim of this dissertation is primarily to conduct an investigation regarding development and impacts of integrated resort in Mauritius. 1.3 Objectives of study This study purports to investigate the anticipated and current socio-economic and environmental impacts of integrated resorts in the Mauritian context. In particular, this study will aim to achieve the following objectives: To investigate the context of integrated resort development and its aims and objectives in the development of Mauritius tourism. To know the criticisms about the initiation of integrated resort in Mauritius. To determine the positive impact of integrated resort in terms of society, economy and environment of Mauritius. To know the negative impact of integrated resorts in terms of society, economy and environment of Mauritius. To recommend guidelines for sustainable integrated resort development and minimizing negative impacts of integrated resort development. This good mix of tourism and real estate development has been high on governmentsagenda and has led to governments intervention in the tourism sector with the twin objective of tourism rejuvenation and FDI increase. 1.2 Aims of study The development of the tourism industry in Mauritius has been considered as an important economic diversification tool for the nation. Realizing the importance of the tourism industry in the economic development of Mauritius, government has initiated the Integrated Resort Scheme. Therefore the aim of this dissertation is primarily to conduct an investigation regarding development and impacts of integrated resort in Mauritius. 1.3 Objectives of study This study purports to investigate the anticipated and current socio-economic and environmental impacts of integrated resorts in the Mauritian context. In particular, this study will aim to achieve the following objectives: 0 To investigate the context of integrated resort development and its aims and objectives in the development of Mauritius tourism. 0 To know the criticisms about the initiation of integrated resort in Mauritius. 0 To determine the positive impact of integrated resort in terms of society, economy and environment of Mauritius. 0 To know the negative impact of integrated resorts in terms of society, economy and environment of Mauritius. 0 To recommend guidelines for sustainable integrated resort development and minimising negative impacts of integrated resort development. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Tourism Impact Mauritius has built its successful up market tourism sector on a fragile and vulnerable natural resource. The growth of the tourist industry in an unplanned manner has led to the following negative impacts:  » High volume tourism has made an enormous impact on parts of the coast. There are plenty of examples of virtually every imaginable type of tourism impact on the environment, including the destruction of coastal wetlands and other sensitive environments, organic pollution and coastal erosion for example. Flic en Flac. 0 There are problems associated with monitonng and auditing due to institutional weaknesses. Most casual tourists bring their own equipment and are relatively self-contained, thus bringing in minimal cash into the country while making a large impact on the enviromnent for example tourists from Reunion and other islands of the Indian Ocean. y 2.2 Tourism Environmental Impacts The natural environment is under increasing threat hom unmanaged human activities, and in assessing the impacts of tourism, it is essential to adopt a holistic view that recognises both the direct and indirect consequences of tourism activities and their intrinsic link with other sectors (Glenn Kreag 2001). Growth in the tourism sector may generate new impacts on the coastal zone but also raise the intensity of existing impacts by placing additional burdens on resources that are already overextended. For this is a feature of human settlement and not just of tomism. However, where this is exacerbated by a significant increase in the number of visitors and people employed within the industry, the tourism sector must take responsibility for providing solutions to the causes of environmental degradation. The major environmental impacts identified and theiR direct consequences on tourism development as well as impacts associated with activities that support the tourism sector are highligh ted as: * Water Resources and River Ecosystem * Estuaries and Wetlands * Soil Erosion and Sedimentation * Waste Disposal and Pollution * Coastal Erosion * Marine Resources * Recreational Activities 2.3 Tourism Economic Impact In the developing world, economic impacts frequently outweigh other considerations when it comes to tourism development. The need for foreign exchange and the ease by which the industry can be developed relative to other sectors, makes tourism development a national priority (Glenn Kreag 2001), It is therefore important to have a clear understanding of the tourism industr`ys economic impacts, particularly because not all of them are positive. These impacts are the primary impacts, employment opportunities, impacts on the labour force, inflation and the availability of essential resources and over-reliance on tourism. 2.4 Classification of Impact There are several ways of looking at economic impacts. The following classification of impacts reflects the multi-sectoral nature oftourism: Primary Impacts arise from the inflow of foreign cash as a result of visitor expenditure. They are fairly well recorded by banks and businesses such as airlines, hotels and restaurants. They are relatively easy to measure. Secondary Impacts arise when the currency inflows penetrate to other sectors. This happens when the tourism industry passes some of its business on to other businesses, for instance, when an airline company contracts to provide on-board meals. Wages earned by people involved in sport services also fall into this category. Tertiary effects arise when currency flows are not the result of tourist expenditure, but when the practise of tourism led to other opportunities. For instance, a filmmaker on holiday in Mauritius may decide to use that country as the venue for his or her next film. Or a tourist may be so enchanted with the sandy beaches and blue lagoons of Mauritius that he or she buys a bungalow. From the above, it can be seen that the total economic impact of tourism is very hard to calculate indeed, but it would be wise to commission a thorough analysis of the tourism industry results. For instance, the high percentage of foreign workers in the tourism industry results in wages ending up going to their home countries which reduces the net benefit to the host Country. 2.5 Tourism Social and Cultural Impacts The socio-cultural impacts of tourism are basically the consequences of either the development of the tourism industry or the presence of the tourists (and the characteristics of the tourist-host relationship) (Sharpley 1994). The table below contains a comprehensive list of these impacts, following the classification adapted from Pizam Milman (1984), and Burdge (1994). The social and cultural impacts of tourism can be vast, and unfortunately many of them are negative. They include: 0 An intrusion of western culture into the host population. The tendency is often for local people to try to emulate westem consumerism. In new destinations, local populations are often not aware that many tourists work hard most of the year and then take time off for leisure. Instead, the tourists appear to have a lifestyle that is only enviable and the temptation to mimic them in terms of- dress or personal assets such as watches, sunglasses, etc, is great. 0 Value systems may be eroded, particularly in poor areas where tourists can be seen as an opportunity to make a fast buck. This may lead to theft prostitution, and sometimes violent crimes. Local customs are often not respected by tourists who may be unaware or insensitive to them. It is critically important that the government and other role players make tourists aware of such issues; Valuable cultural artefacts are olten bought by tourists, and shipwrecks are regularly plundered. The table below show some of the main impact of tourism on a country IDIPACTS IDF TOUllISlI Positive Negative Impacts on population Population increase (immigration, no emigration) Immigration of seasonal workforce (positive in case of lack of labour negative in case of unemployment) Presence of second home owners (positive if involved in community life negative if not involved) Changes in population distribution (by age, sex, race, ethnicity) Urbanisation of population Changes in labour market New jobs Seasonal jobs New types of jobs in tourism Unskilled jobs Increased value of knowledge, language Lack of labour in traditional sectors skills Economic diversification Increased economic inequality Stimulation of underdeveloped regions I Changes in community structure, characteristics Income from tourism Increase in the number of temporary residents (not very committed) Growing importance of service sector i Conflicts with second home owners Stimulation of social, cultural life Difficulties in acquiring real estate Increase in the value of land Increase in real estate prices s Development of infrastructure Increase in prices, intlation Wider opportunity for shopping Loss tiw Improvement in the destination image Transformation of value systems Increase in residents pride in their Religious conflicts settlement l (with second home owners, with tourists) Decrease of prejudices, disappearance of Overdependence on tourism stereotypes, increase in tolerance Congestion Traiiic problems Transformation of social stratification (owners of totuist resources rise, owners of traditional resources fell) Impacts on individual and family level Increase in social mobility i Disruption of social networks p (especially among the young and women) i Improvement in leisure opportunities Changes in the rhythm of life _ Meeting new people, wider social Loss of importance of liiendship Improvement in the quality of life Increase in perception of danger (due to increased criminality) Language skills Xenophobia Income hom totuism Commercialised hospitality Improvement in attitudes toward work, Deviant behaviours (alcoholism, politeness, manners prostitution, I gambling, drug abuse vandalism) Local language suppressed Increased sexual permissiveness Transformation of family structure Transformation of consumer habits Changes in housing conditions Transformation of behaviour (demonstration effect) Impacts on cultural and natural resources Protection of rare resoufces of Disappearance of local habits, traditions outstanding beauty Revival of local arts, crafts, cultLual Commercialisatknl of culture events Revival of local architectural traditions Littering, pollution 2.6 Conception and Development of Integrated Resort in Mauritius Mauritius has during recent years been facing serious economic problems owing to the need to comply with free trade agreements and globalisation. This has severely affected sugar and textile exports, two major pillars of the natio al economy, and consequently our balance of payment. Despite serious economic problems, Mauritius has succeeded in realising a remarkable economic transformation due to a diversified economy resting on other pillars like financial and business services sector and that of tourism, hospitality and property development. Hence the development of the Integrated Resort Scheme can be seen as an economic strategy. As a national strategy the Mauritian government has come along with the introduction of the IRS under the Investment Promotion Act 2000 through the Investment Promotion (Integrated Resort Scheme) Regulations 2002 in order to boost up foreign direct investment which is a necessary component in the fight to compensate for the decrease in sugar and textile income inflow. This has been a strategic attempt with the twofold objective, firstly to attract more foreign direct investment and secondly to strike a more favourable balance of payment. Hence recently Hospitality and Property Development have emerged, attracting substantial investment fiom both local and foreign investors under Investment Promotion Regulations 2007 which promotes the Real Estate Development Scheme comprising of IRS and RES (Real Estate Scheme) projects which are expected to be implemented in the next few years. The objective of the Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS) is to attract mainly high net-worth non-citizens into Mauritius by allowing them to acquire luxury villas of international standing and at the same time providing high-class amenities and facilities including golf course, marina, individual swimming pool, catering, nautical and other sport facilities and health centre within the boundaries of the integrated resort area. The acquisition of a villa for residential purposes by a foreigner under the Scheme will allow the foreigner his family to reside in Mauritius as long as he holds the property. Whilst the Investment Promotion Act 2000 expresses governments political will to expand the economic sector by creating the Board of Investment, the Business Facilitation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 enhances business opportunities towards IRS projects. The Investment Promotion Act 2000 and Investment Promotion Regulations 2007 provide the legal framework for guidelines with regard to the implementation of these projects. The Finance Act 2007 introduced amendme ts to the following Acts of Parliament in order to regulate the promotion, implementation and marketing of IRS projects in Mauritius: 0 Investment Promotion Act 0 Land (Duties and Taxes) Act 0 Morcellement Act 0 Non-Citizens (Property Restriction) Act 0 Registration Duty Act  » Sugar Industry Efiiciency Act 2001 0 Environment Protection Act 2002 Here under is a list of IRS projects currently being implemented: Solares at Flic en Flac, Villas Valriche, Les Villas Telfair, Les Salines, La Balise Marina, Domaine de lHarmonie, Barachois villas and River Club. A few other projects have received their letter of approval recently and upon compliance to conditions laid down they will receive their IRS certificates. In some other cases the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, which analyses the environmental, biophysical and social impact of a proposed development, is being scrutinised in order to ensure that the proposed development is sustainable. The Integrated Resort Scheme provides:  » for the development of luxury residential units of international standing on freehold land of more than 10 hectares to be sold at a price exceeding USD 500,000  » high-class leisure and commercial amenities and facilities intended to enhance the residential units. These may include but not limited to, golf course, marina, nautical and other sport facilities, shopping mall, restaurant and wellness centre. 0 day-to-day management services such as security, maintenance, gardening, solid waste disposal and household services have to be provided to the residents. 0 for a social contribution in terms of social amenities, community development and other facilities for the benefit of the neighbouring community where the IRS project is implemyed/ However the following conditions concerning the eligibility for the acquisition of residential property from an IRS Company have to be complied with: (a) a non-citizen of Mauritius (b) a citizen of Mauritius (c) a company registered as a foreign company under the Companies Act 2001 (d) a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2001 (e) a Socià ©tà ©, where its deed of formation is deposited with the Registrar of Companies (l) a trust, where the trusteeship services are provided by a qualified trustee licensed by the Financial Services Commission It is instrumental to examine the importance and justification of the IRS in Mauritius liom a scientific point of view. Integrated resorts initiatives and development can be primarily viewed from the macro-economic perspective of foreign capital inflow (FDI) where as on the other hand they can be explained from the perspective of the market failure concept which has necessitated the rejuvenation process of the resort cycle in Mauritius. The strong linkages of tourism and IRS with other economic sectors should be the key in realising that tourism and new products are a powerful factor for economic growth and employment. This can clearly be seen by the nature of tourism and permanent residence needs, that is to say, as an industry it calls for goods and services such as: transportation, food, fuel, water and electricity, crafts, tour services, entertainment, communication, etc. These linkages have always had a positive economic impact in Mauritius. Of coLuse tourism and HKS development not only benefit the private sector but contribute significantly to government revenues in the form of sales, business, corporate, personal, departure and of course, import levies. 2.7 The Rationale for Government Intervention in Mauritius Tourism Sector Continuing globalization of competition has given confirmation to the market-oriented view entertained by the Mauritian government which justifies its intervention in the tourism sector by creating the integrated resort scheme to favour our export oriented strategy. It is believed that markets should be given primacy in the production and distribution of goods and services while government should provide the proper institutional infrastructure for markets to function properly. In cases of ket failure government should intervene to correct any imperfection and intervention is also justified because the more important the sector is to the economy, the greater intervention should be in order to ensure socially compatible objectives that foster sustainable development. The public sector can exercise varying degree of influence over the direction of tourism development by acting on both the demand side and supply side (Akehurst et al, 1994). In Mauritius the demand management policies and the management of its supply side must be seen to go in pair with governments macro-stabilization policy in an attempt to reach a state of equilibrium. Micro policies have to be endorsed to make markets function better. Govemmenfs political structure and the functioning of rivate institutions have to go in pair as well, Barriers and rigidities should be removed so that new projects like integrated resort development could function more efficiently. Without appropriate macro-economic policies market-oriented projects in the tourism sector will have to struggle for survival. Thus the role of government in ensuring a better economic climate is of vital importance to improve returns in the lCOl1I`lSII1 Sà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬CfO!` The Mauritian government had taken actions to correct market failure in the economic and tourism sector by rntroducrng the integrated resort development that is the integrated resort scheme Market failure arises from a situation where the riee market does not guarantee environmental protection and community involvement rn development process Since the tourism sector rn Mauritius rs not an integrated

The Notebook critique Essay -- essays research papers

The Notebook By Nicholas Sparks â€Å"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life... but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough. -Noah Calhoun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we were assinged to do a book critique, I knew right away I was going to do a Nicholas Sparks novel. I have read all of his books, cried many tears and felt many emotions as I pictured the people falling in love, people doing heroic events and people living their normal life. I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to do, but I had to go with the book that affected me the most, The Notebook. The Notebook was the first novel written by Sparks and personally it is my favorite. He is a wonderful author who possesses the ability to have that deep heart felt emotion and love that many women search for in life. He wrote the book in such a way, that I as a female related to. I have felt the emotions Allie felt, I have been through the heart break, so relating and picturing events from The Notebook was never an issue for me, or maybe any other woman either.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Notebook is a book written about a forbidden love from the south in the 1940's. The main characters, Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton come from two very different backgrounds. Noah is a poor boy who works hard for everything he has, and Allie is a rich girl who is determined to go to a great co...

Analysis of On the Waterfront Essay -- Eliza Kazan, Budd Schulberg

On the Waterfront is a classic, award-winning and controversial film. It received eight academy-awards in 1954, including best-picture and director. The director, Eliza Kazan, in collaboration with Budd Schulberg wrote the film’s screenplay. Based on actual dockside events in Hoboken, New Jersey, On the Waterfront is a story of a dock worker who tried to overthrow a corrupt union. Marlon Brando superbly portrays the character of Terry Malloy. He is a young ex-prize fighter, now a dock worker given easy jobs because his brother is the right-hand man of the corrupt union boss Johnny Friendly. After Terry unwittingly allows himself to be used in setting up a man’s death, he starts to question the basic assumptions if his life. This includes his loyalty to his brother and Johnny, who after all ordered him to take a dive in his big fight at Madison Square Garden. The film’s controversy exists in the fact that Terry decides to testify against Johnny Friendly. His testimony attempts to show how it is fundamentally right to break group silence in a tough situation, even if a person appears to â€Å"rat† on his friends. To be at peace with oneself, Kazan seems to say, one must tell the truth, despite the fact that one will face ostracism, and, as in the film, probably be murdered. Kazan makes the hardships of testifying painfully clear. Thus, Brando’s character is a hero. However, a dark agenda exists behind the film’s plot. On the Waterfront was made in 1954, two years after Kazan willingly testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1952, Kazan named the names of eight friends and colleges allegedly affiliated with the communist party. Kazan was an active member of the communist party in the 1930s, until he went through a violent break with the party prior to the hearings. He said that communism could override a person’s intellect and beliefs. He also stated that Hollywood and Broadway heavily financed the party. Recounting his decision to testify, Kazan said, â€Å"Communists were in a lot of organizations--unseen, unrecognized, unbeknownst to anybody. I thought if I don’t talk, nobody will know about it.† On the Waterfront is Kazan’s justification for his decision to testify. In the film, when a union boss shouts, â€Å"You ratted on us Terry,† Brando shouts back: â€Å"Maybe from where your standing, but I’m standing over here no... ...â€Å"You’re a cheap, lousy, dirty stinkin’ mug. And I’m glad what I’ve done to you,† disturbed some people. Critics interpreted this to mean that Kazan was not sorry for his severely damaging testimony. It appeared that he had no remorse for his actions. For other viewers, the buried agenda of On the Waterfront tarnishes the picture. The critic John Rosenbaum told Roger Ebert that he could â€Å"Never forgive Kazan for using the film to justify himself.† In later years, Kazan did eventually have remorse for the people whose lives he ruined and the blemish his testimony left on the whole film industry. In his 1988 autobiography he says, â€Å"I have some regrets about the human cost of it. One guy I told on I really like a lot.† Twenty years later, unlike On the Waterfront’s victorious ending, in Kazan’s picture The Visitor, a man also testifies against former friends; however, that movie ends on a note of despair. Perhaps the words of a legendary character he helped to create, haunted Kazan. As Terry Malloy said, â€Å"Conscience. That stuff can drive you nuts.† Bibliography: References 1. Dirks, Tim. On the Waterfront: Greatest Films. 2. Cannon, Damian. On the Waterfront.

Development Of Buddhist Education

Buddhism has greatly influenced present day Vietnam. The rise of its civilization can be traced through the effect of Buddhism on the different dynasties. The early wars won by Vietnam can be associated with Buddhist leaders and even the faith that kept the people together during the years of suffering was Buddhism. It has been proclaimed before as the national religion of the country because of its contribution to society and it is only fitting that it be included in the education of Vietnamese children.To gain a better understanding of the development of Buddhist education in Vietnam, we need to know first the roots and development of Buddhism as a religion, what are its beliefs, how it affected the lives of the Vietnamese populace, how it was integrated to education and from thereon discuss the developments that went through up to contemporary times. Buddhism: Origin and Teachings Buddhism originated from southern Nepal around 530 B. C. as an offshoot of Hinduism. Gautama Buddha, â€Å"a prince who bridled at the formalism of Hinduism as it was being interpreted by the priestly caste of Brahmans† , was its founder.He spent years meditating and wandering as an ascetic until he discovered the path of enlightenment to nirvana. Nirvana according to him is â€Å"the world of endless serenity in which one is freed from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. † Buddhism espouses that there are four noble truths – man is born to suffer in successive lives, earthly pleasures and possessions are the cause of this suffering, man shall be delivered from suffering upon cessation of this craving, and following the eight fold path, man shall achieved deliverance – and through this he shall receive salvation.The foundation of the Buddhist concept of morality and right behavior, the eightfold path, consists of right views, or sincerity in leading a religious life; right intention, or honesty in judgment; right speech, or sincerity in speech; right conduct, or sincerity in work; right livelihood, or sincerity in making a living; right effort, or sincerity in aspiration; right mindfulness, or sincerity in memory; and right concentration, or sincerity in meditation†. It is the most important religion in Vietnam.Unlike other religions, â€Å"Vietnamese Buddhism stays on earth rather than ascends up to heaven, attaches to exorcism and prayers for wealth, happiness and longevity rather than heads toward nirvana. † Most Vietnamese practice Mahayana Buddhism rather than its Hindu counterpart. The doctrinal distinction between the two consists of their differing views of Gautama Buddha: the Mahayana school teaches that Gautama was only one of many â€Å"enlightened ones† manifesting the fundamental divine power of the universe; the Theravada school teaches that Gautama was the one-and-only enlightened one and the great teacher, but that he was not divine.The Mahayana sect holds further that laypersons can attain n irvana, whereas the Theravada school believes that only ordained monks and nuns can do so. The beginnings of Buddhism in Vietnam The early beginnings of Buddhism may be traced back from as early as 300 B. C. It was said that Therevada Buddhism have been â€Å"imported directly into Vietnam from India through sea routes since the 2nd century A. D. † Although some believe that â€Å"Buddhism spread first from China to Vietnam's Red River Delta region in approximately the second century A.D. , and then from India to the southern Mekong Delta area at some time between the third and the sixth centuries† , evidence shows that Buddhism reached Vietnam even before it entered China. In the past, Vietnam was very much like the intersection between India and China. At that time, either walking, or by boat, people made a trip from India to China or vice versa, in doing so they must cross Vietnam. Vietnam, therefore, was a good place to stop by for foreign business people as well a s Buddhist monks.Back to 3rd century BC, after King Asoka organized the Third Council -a Conference to Collect the Dharma- at Pataliputra, India, he sent 9 Buddhist monk delegates overseas. The monks went from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean to teach Dharma. One of these, lead by Sona and Uttara went to Burma then Indochina, including Viet Nam. Now, in Haiphong -60miles north east of HaNoi- there is a memorial tower to commemorate King Asoka that was built by local Vietnamese Buddhists at that time to express their gratitude to King Asoka.From that evidence, we may come up with conclusion that Buddhism came to Vietnam as early as 300 years BC, even before China. Then in the second century, Buddhism in Vietnam became more popular and developed with the contributions of Marajivaka, K’Ang Seng Houei, Tchi Kiang Liang three great Buddhist monks who came from India and a local scholar, Mecu Fo. Because Mecu Fo is a key character in Buddhism’s development in Vietnam, we sho uld take a closer look at him. He was Vietnamese or might have been born and raised in a great Chinese-Vietnamese family.We must take into consideration that his place of birth was not originally a Chinese territory, it was just annexed to China from Vietnam. Since he was skilled in Chinese education, he used this skill in order to convert more people into Buddhism. Mecu Fo was mandarin and took advantage of his position to teach his people about Buddhism. Due to his contributions in the propagation and spread of Buddhism in Vietnam, he is considered as the first ever Buddhist lay man in Vietnam. Buddhism: Its Role in Liberation and Its Golden AgeDuring the Ly and the Tran dynasties, Buddhism achieved a golden age in Vietnam. It was during the time of Emperor TRAN NHAN TONG that the first Vietnamese Meditation, Truc Lam Yen Tu was founded , this however did not come until 1010 several decades after Vietnam’s independence from China. However, it is accurate to say that Buddhis m was a very important element in the country’s fight for freedom. For several centuries, the Chinese conquered Vietnam and ruled the people with an iron hand.The Chinese’s main objective was to transform Vietnam into another Chinese territory and annex it afterwards to mainland China. In order to achieve their goal, great atrocities were done to the people both physically and psychologically, the Chinese even employed Sinicization or cultural invasion in order to uproot Vietnamese culture from its citizens and replace it with theirs to ease the annexation. Despite the suffering, there was one thing that kept the Vietnamese people from breaking down and it was their religion.By living on the teachings of Buddhism, the people believed that the wicked shall eventually be punished and that they should keep on surviving until that day comes. During the Chinese rule, revolutions such as that led by two sister trung aimed at liberation were attempted but to no avail. In thes e revolts, Buddhism also played a great role, its temples became the common meeting grounds for freedom fighters and the perfect place to mobilize troops. Finally, in 939 a Vietnamese general named NGO QUYEN, led the Vietnamese people to victory over the Chinese on the decisive battle on Bach Dang river thus ending the Chinese rule.After the war, Buddhist monks in coordination with the newly established government tried to build the kingdom. To show his gratitude, the emperor Dinh Tien Hoang helped organize the Shangha and named Khuong Viet and Phapthuan, both Buddhist monks, as his national security adviser and Secretary of State respectively. Another major milestone for Buddhism during this dynasty was that it was declared as the national religion by the emperor, who was himself a Buddhist.The establishment of the kingdom was coupled with several hardships, the most crucial of all is the threat of another Chinese invasion. Although at first was a mere thought among the people, it became clear when a Chinese spy disguised as a delegate for diplomatic relations entered Vietnam to size up its military power. Upon entering Vietnam, the first person the delegate met was a ferry-man who was to take him to the capital, he was however surprised when the ferry-man was able to converse with him at a level worthy of government office.When the delegate arrived and conversed with Vietnam’s national Security adviser, he concluded based on his meeting with the ferry man and Khuong Viet that Vietnam was well-prepared for an invasion and that invading it would be disastrous. Apparently, the ferry-man who amazed and confused the delegate with the level of learning of a mere ferry-man was Phaptuan in disguise. In the end, the two highest-ranking monks were responsible for averting a possible attack through their diplomatic skills and it forever went on in history as the first diplomatic war won by Vietnam.After more than 30 years, the Chinese began to strengthen its mil itary force on the borders of Vietnam resulting to an election of a fitting leader to decide on the course of action on the said threat. The leader chosen was a talented, kind and high moral man, he was the Commander in Chief of the army and is known as Ly Cong Uan, thus started the Ly Dynasty. Ly Cong Uan was a Buddhist monk raised by Zen Master Van Hanh in a Buddhist temple who then became his national adviser. Under his reign, 300 Buddhist temples were built and the Sangha was well organized with over 1000 monks. He incorporated Buddhist teaching in all aspects of governance.

Negative Communication

Negative communication is a kind of statement wherein the reader will receive a disapproving message regarding a matter where he/she is concerned. These messages usually result in an unpleasant negative reaction to the reader or receiver of the message so great caution is observed in order not to make the reader’s reaction worse than expected. Despite the fact that it results to a negative reaction to the reader, negative communication is still a part of any work. One situation is telling an employee who applied for a higher position in his company that he is not the one chosen for the position. An example of a letter having this kind of situation may be used in order to further describe the principles behind the construction of negative messages. The letter goes this way: Jan. 04, 1979 Anne Sweet Call Center Representative, Outbound Services World Directory Los Angeles, California   Ã‚  91330-8245 Dear Ms. Sweet: Thank you for applying for the Team Leader position. Your qualifications are good and may improve as you work hand in hand in our company. I have examined your information and seen that your stay in the company is not long enough to equip you in being a better team leader. You have been in the company for eight months and I am sure that you will continue to progress in the succeeding months or years to come. A greater amount of experience will make you more proficient. Also, a greater exposure to team building activities will enable you to be a better team leader in the future. Your good communication skills and good relationship with your coworkers are good points for you for these qualities are great points in order to be entitled as a team leader. Keep them up. Sincerely: Mr. Hughes Manager for Outbound Services In the letter, a buffer beginning was used. After a brief beginning, the reason for the letter is stated but not directly. It tries to deliver to the reader that she has not been accepted for the team leader position. The reason however is directly stated so that the reader knows why she has not been accepted. The lead was stated right after the pace in order for the reader not to have false hopes regarding her application. Following the lead is a suggestion that will enable the reader to be a better team leader in the future. A suggestion is put here to make clear that she may still be able to be a good team leader given the stated suggestion. The suggestion was also the motivation used so that the reader will still do well in her job and continue working in the company. A short but positive end is used in order not to increase the disappointment that the reader already have. Stating the positive points of the reader in the end will probably revive the reader and still hope for a better improvement and position in the company. It may be seen in the letter that it has not been directly stated that she was not qualified for the position. It has been in this manner because it may probably result to negative psychological effects to the reader and may perhaps, will discourage her to re-apply for the position even when she has already finished all the requirements. This kind of message was created very carefully so that the negative effects will not increase. As long as a negative message are to be delivered, proper care and attention to the words that should be used should be taken into great consideration. It should always be put in mind that negative effects especially psychologically, may probably occur in great amounts if the message was not taken with great concern. References: Writing Negative Messages. (21 August 2002)   Retrieved on Apr 26, 2007 from http://homepages.wmich.edu/%7Ebowman/badnews.html Revive the Lost Art. Retrieved on   Apr 26, 2007 from http://www.csun.edu/%7Evcecn006/lettr.html