The Supernatural in Thomas Malorys Morte DArthur Essays

The Supernatural in Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur Sir Thomas Malory, although there isn't mu ch information about his life and death one knows that he is the author of "Le Morte D'Arthur". "Le Morte D'Arthur" is " the first prose account in English of the rise and fall of the legendary king Arthur and the fellowship of the Round Table. " 1 In "Le Morte D'Arthur" Malory incorporates previous poems and stories about the legendary king Arthur. But there is also a hint of supernatural forces and beings in the story. For example, the sword in the scabbard that could only be withdrawn by a man with "pure heart" or the episodes where people, who were sick, had to drink blood from "a fair maiden" or the man who was wounded had to drink the blood of his attacker and all of this in order to get better. This paper will focus on the supernatural aspect of Sir Thomas Malory's work "Le Morte D'Arthur" . The Arthurian legend is a legend who gave life to various interpretations throughout time; from medieval to modern prose and poems. In its essence the Arthurian legend is supernatural. The Excalibur which could only be pulled out of its stone by the knight who has never sinned nor betrayed anyone, only the knight with the purest heart and soul could pull out and deal with Excalibur's power. Excalibur is an integral part of King Arthur's legend . In the excerpt from the "English Medieval Literature: A Reader", Excalibur is still there, despite the fact that it is not named or the fact that it is not Arthur who actually pulls it out, but a knight who was imprisoned for slaying a knight. Balin, the knight who pulls out the sword of the scabbard, is warned that this sword would lead Balin to " ye sha ll slay with the sword the best friend that ye have, and the man that ye most love in the wor ld, and the sword shall be your destruction. " 2 Eventually, this is what happens. Balin, during his last fight, slays his brother, Balan, and Balan slays Balin. They can't recognize each other, because Balin left his shield and took a new one. Balin can't recognize his brother because he asked him since Balin never met " no knight that matched me " 3 . Although Balin, had many victories with this sword, in the end the sword led the knight to his destr uction, because Balin thought he could handle the sword. Personally, this reminds of an episode of the TV series "Charmed", where one of the three sisters pull out Excalibur out of its stone and the power of the sword went straight to her head and she almost, unlike Balin, killed her loved ones. The lady of the Lake is yet another supernatural element in "Le Morte D'Arthur". In the legend, the Lady of the Lake plays a pivotal role, because she gives king Arthur his Excalibur. However, there are two Ladies of the Lake in Sir Thomas Malory's "interpretation" of the legend. Nimue, one of the two Ladies of the Lake, is more important than the other. Even after Balin slays the second Lady of the Lake, Nimue continues to play that pivotal role as the original Lady of the Lake in the Arthurian legend. In "Le Morte D'Arthur" Nimue is presented as a "good, positive" character, whereas in the TV series "Once Upon a Time" Nimue is the first Dark One. As in the legend Nimue and Merlin are lovers and Merlin is the one who shows Nimue how to acquire powers, which she abuses and use them for dark magic. However, in the Arthurian Legend, Nimue or the Lady of the Lake, after becoming Merlin's apprentice, surpassing him and imprisoning him she leads king Arthur to his downfall . On the other hand, Merlin is another example for supernatural forces in Sir Thomas Malory's work . Merlin, just as Excalibur is an integral part of the Arthurian legend. Merlin is the good warlock, the one who helps Arthur in his battles. Merlin is the king's advisor. King Arthur unconditionally trusts Merlin because Merlin could see glimpses

Two Countries essays

Two Countries essays Two countries, one throne, immeasurable greed and Joan of arc were all part of the hundred-year war. France for the most part was not winning any major battles until the year 1415; 78 years after the war had already started in 1337. Although France was 3 times larger than England malnutrition and a struggle between the social classes would have a great impact on their side of the war. Until 1429 when Joan of arc arrives to help revive and unify France. Joan of arc born in Domremy, France was born to a life of peasant farming. Her natural name was Jeanne d arc. She had no military history, or knowledge of warfare but a message from the Kingdom of Heaven, that would help revive France and God willing win a war that was very much out of reach for the French. Joan at the age of 17 decides to go to the king to tell him of her message. Joan pleads to the king, Charles VII that the Kingdom of God called upon her to reclaim Orleans, a very strategic location for France. Charles VII desperate, skeptical, and on the brink of losing the war gives her a fresh army to battle the English. The English already tired after battling for 6 months at Orleans are about to withdraw from there until Joan arrives. Then, she consults with Captains at Orleans. After reported attempts to negotiate the English refuse and are insulted. Soon then after Bouis; who had been there previously but left to get reinforcements comes back to Orleans to fight the English at Bastille de Saint Loup, an eastern road to Orleans. Joan sees him and goes to aid him as they defeat the English there. Later the French troops would fight at Bastille de St. Jean le Blanc, where the English would fall back to the Bastille Des Augustins. Joan and La Hire join the French and defeat them there. During the fight though Joan steps on a c altrop and wounds her foot, later she would predict a more serious wound to come. The next day ...

Dental Admins 5 Interview Questions You Need to Master

Dental Admins 5 Interview Questions You Need to Master There’s no denying it: a great dental office needs a great admin. Do you want to cut through the job-hunting crowd and become the administrative assistant that dentists dream about? The first step is to ace your next interview. Charles Crawford at Dentistry IQ has targeted five key questions that you better be prepared for when it’s your turn to dazzle potential employers. 1. Are you approachable?Great admins work well with every other member of the dental office team, and are great with clients, so employers are going to want to know that you’re the sort of person others feel comfortable with, or avoid like the plague. If you want the job, be sure the person in charge of hiring thinks you’d be great to work with.2. Are you a good talker?Dental admins are often the faces of the practices they work for- as an admin you may even be the first person patients interact with- so of course potential employers are going to want to know if you’re charismatic , a great talker, someone people feel good communicating with.3. Do you know how to listen?Listening is an absolutely essential skill when you’re an admin in a dental practice- from communicating effectively with other members of the team to helping patients on a daily basis and making them feel like they’re being heard. Your job during the interview is to convince potential employers that you’re a born listener.4. Do you have attention to detail?Ask any great admin at any dental practice- large, small, or in between- what the must-have skills are for job success. There’s no doubt that an unflinching attention to detail will show up on every list. From those minor office logistics that help a practice run smoothly to important patient factors, your eye for detail better be razor sharp! If you want to leave your next interview confident that you just landed your next great job, you better have convinced the employer that your attention to detail is undenia ble.5. Do you have a good work ethic?Employers aren’t going to be thrilled to hire admins who stare blankly at the clock until 5pm hits, just waiting to bolt out the front door and head home. Let’s face it, if you want the job you’ll have to show that you have the extra drive and initiative to solve problems, offer solutions, and do what it takes to get the job done well. Sell potential employers that you have a great work ethic or they’ll quickly show you the door.Are you ready? Master these 5 questions and you’ll have potential employers lining up to hire you!

Reflection articles Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection articles - Article Example Thus, the issue of disrespect can be resolved in a number of ways. First, one has to review the kind of relationship he or she has with others in the office. Secondly, compare yourself with other professionals and listen to the view of other people about their jobs. Lastly, challenge yourself by setting and achieving several goals that are related to his or her career. In any group of individuals, there must be issues arising regularly. These issues are best handled through appropriate methods of resolution. Thus, in resolution of issues, one has to focus on the following aspects: Convert the complaints to respect, make sure all the statements are made using â€Å"I† or â€Å"we,† focus on the future only, come up with a solution, keep off from making demands and avoid generalizing of ideas. For instance, in an organization where an individual or individuals complain about a colleague not finishing up his or her job and over burden others, is an issue which needs to be addressed. In finding a solution to such issues, a number of factors have to be considered. These factors include: Avoiding a sarcastic tone in making requests or approaches, expect to work out the resolution steps effectively, be respectful to the parties involved and finally try to recognize the needs of every human; to be listened to and understood. Health professionals have a key responsibility of educating patients in regard to their specific health issues. For instance, dental hygienist has a role of educating patients about their oral health; instructions on oral hygiene and significance of maintaining oral hygiene. For one to perform effectively in this, one has to provide the patients with a general overview of the entire procedure placing emphasis on the specific words to be used in the whole process (Smith, 1). The phrases which are used in such practices are extremely vital to both

Misconception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Misconception - Essay Example For example, it is often thought that one cannot make a diagnosis of Tourettes syndrome without coprolalia.†1 There are several negative elements about the illness which can be blown out of proportion, thus leading to such misconceptions. The author of one book about Tourette’s â€Å"discusses how the medications, stigma, misunderstandings, and ignorance surrounding this disorder† have affected him.2 Some people have also decided to write what it’s like to live day-in, day-out with TS. Another author, Chris Mason, also decided to publish a book about Tourette’s. He â€Å"decided to inform the world about what its really like living day to day with Tourette’s†¦then [he thought]: What if I can have other people that have Tourette’s share their stories with me? From this simple dream came a collection of over twenty heartfelt and inspiring tales about normal everyday people who have Tourette’s and what its like to walk in their shoes.†3 This author described what it was like to live with Tourette’s on a daily bassis. â€Å"Over the course of his life, Chris has experienced everything from discrimination to misunderstanding to his family falling apart and even the loss of his mother, but he still gets up everyday with the hope that one day things will change.†4 There are a lot of people out there who still believe that coprolalia is the singular and necessary element one must have in order to have TS. â€Å"Many peoples concept of Tourettes syndrome includes people blurting out curse words. Stressing that dramatic aspect makes good TV† but has no bearing on real life.5 Coprolalia, versus a normal person swearing, takes on particular cultural interest because most times these are phrases which are—for normal people—verboten. So yes, these words are forbidden. When someone with TS uses these words, it shocks people—and it awes them. Why is this? It’s not exactly certain. Some people do think that the

Meaning of Life and Thanksgiving Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Thanksgiving Essay As the first pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock and had a feast with the Indians, they shared a moment of thanks together. They gave thanks for all their blessings, thus, creating our lovely day of Thanksgiving. When Thanksgiving is thought of, the first thing that comes to mind is turkey and a plentiful amount of food. Thanksgiving to me, is the time to be together with the ones you care about. Coming together for a day to just be with each other and to catch up is what Thanksgiving means to me. Family should be with each other to share memories and to realize the plentiful amount of blessings they have been given. Thanksgiving is not only a day for gorging on food or falling into a food coma, but talking with each other and just being glad to be with one another. Having family during Thanksgiving is a crucial part in my life. Having all of my relatives in one place for one day to talk and have fun with them makes Thanksgiving extra special for me. It is one of the few days of the year that I get to see everybody. The turkey, yams, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes is just the icing on the cake. Everybody in my family loves the food. We eat and eat until we cant eat anymore. My family has a tradition of playing soccer afterwards but that goes only so far due to our full stomachs. My cousins and I play a friendly game of poker, afterwards our failed attempts for soccer, for first dibs on dessert. After a good game of poker, my cousins and I look for ways to entertain ourselves meanwhile the adults talk about their lives and brag about their kids. Society today makes Thanksgiving look like a day just to eat. As society advances the meaning of Thanksgiving deteriorates into a secular holiday. The meaning of Thanksgiving seems obsolete. I truly believe that Thanksgiving should be refreshed in its meaning and should be celebrated with family and love. As people come together to share a special day in our history, this should be a day which people will not take for granted.

The Black Death :: essays research papers

The Black Death Early historians argued about the origin of The Black Death. Many, Christians who witnessed the carnage brought on by The Plague, believed that it came from the Jesuits, and that the Jews had poisoned the wells and groundwater, this type of thinking brought about the death of many Jews. Some believed that it came from the 'land of darkness' (Mongolia) Modern day chroniclers agree that The Black Death moved from east to west spreading like a shadow, crossing from India to China to Europe. Lois Sanctus of Avignon reasoned that The Plague originated in India, and notes that it had arrived on the Mediterranean coast of France in 1347. Historian and scholar Nicephorus Gregoras from Constantinople testified that in 1347 the disease had invaded humanity starting from Scythia, (southern Russia) and spread to Maeotis and the mouth of the Tanais, (Don River) and lasted throughout the year. Still another testimony from a Muslim author, Ibn al-Wardi claims that the Black Death had been present in the Mongol Empire as early as 1331 before spreading to India and China. Most historians today however agree that The Plague was carried by fleas, living on rats in the Asian Steppes, and were transported by Mongol armies moving east. The Plague would then have spread through the rest of Europe via merchant trading. Michele Da Piazza a Franciscan friar in the convent of Catania in Sicily succumbed to the disease, but not before noting the symptoms of The Plague including pustules on the arms and legs, and that The Plague penetrated the body so that its victims coughed up blood from the mouth and nose for days before the dying. Giovanni Boccaccio, a writer from Florence noticed further symptoms, certain swellings in the groin or armpit, roughly the size of an apple, accompanied by death. Further documentation from Lois Sanctus of Avignon states that The Plague had three definitive forms, Bubonic ? Painful swelling of the lymph nodes in the arm pits and the groin. Pneumonic ? affects the respiratory system. Septicemic ? The poisoning of the blood. It was believed that one could become afflicted if you so much as looked at an infected person. The Plague would however have been spread like the common cold, through physical contact or airborne contact. Medieval doctors of the 14th century were far lacking in the medical technology that we rely on today. Chroniclers of the Black Death attacked medical practitioners, accusing them of being cowards, incompetent and greedy.

Analyses on TED Talks

Yet in terms of effectiveness and persuasiveness, Bale's is better than Whodunit in addressing the problem behind the Issue. Bales performs superior than Wooden as he Introduces the problem clearly and directly, which is more effective for audience to understand the topic. In the introduction part, both of them share their personal experiences to form a hook to draw audience's attention. Bales uses his personal experience for introduction. In his first sentence he says, â€Å"The Interest in contemporary forms of slavery started with leaflet that I picked up In London. Instead of directly stating the thesis of his speech, Bales draws the audience's attention by telling when his â€Å"interest in contemporary forms of slavery started. † Meanwhile, Wooden starts off with â€Å"The global challenge that I want to talk to you about today rarely makes the front pages. † She continues by showing her family group photo in front of Attainment and connects it with an example th at happened in China. As an audience, I immediately know â€Å"slavery' will be the main topic throughout the speech of Bales and the question he raised – the possibility of having millions of slaves.His move induces my personal feeling towards the Issue. When I am well informed of what I am going to analyze, I will be more attentive to listen to the speaker, so do other audience. On the other hand, Whodunit's introduction of saying the photo was taken two weeks ago in fact is amusing, but its correlation with her topic is not as strong as Bale's did. When Wooden Is showing her photograph, It takes time for the audience to find out the main topic of this performance, which is vague when audiences are watching live elk.Furthermore, when we are comparing the two headings, â€Å"How to combat modern slavery† and â€Å"Our Century's greatest injustice†, it simply shows the difference in terms of clearness and directness on the two topics. Therefore, I am persuaded by Bale's style as he has a better Introduction. Besides the Introduction, regarding whose skills on explaining claims and showing examples are more enhanced and convincing, Bale's do as he has structuralizes and clear organizations. The body paragraphs are the utmost important parts for an article, a speech, or a critique.It is cause through the development of body paragraphs, we can decide whether an argument is persuasive or not. Although the content of the two issues are different from one another, we may compare the speeches by their claims, examples and evidences. Truly, both of the orators enrich their ideas with impressive examples, but am more Inclined to those presented by Bales. Bales claims that â€Å"slavery is an economic crime and people are doing it to gain profits. Bales tries to prove that by saying, â€Å"slavery would be recognized throughout all of human history. Hence, Bales 1 OFF re enslaved in 2010 and the average price for one of them nowadays is Just abou t $90 dollars in average around the world. Steps by steps, he explains the situation of slavery and provides suggestion for solving the problem. Thus, audiences are convinced by his speech and acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. For Whodunit's speech, she is trying to raise people's awareness about the unfair situation on female, hence showing that the status of women should be upraised as it will benefit the whole global society by presenting how four girls â€Å"moved out of a vicious cycle and into a virtuous cycle.In order words, there are four examples are explaining women are capable of acting the important roles in the society. Wooden does a great Job in explaining her thesis with the support of the examples, however I am not sure if she is objective enough. She does not mention the cases for male and the reasons behind why male are most likely showing upper status than female. In fact, taking about hegemonic masculinity may explain the condition in which men are dom inant and privileged (Connell). If she can include such information, audience may have more opportunities to Judge the problem.After comparing, I prefer how Bale does his speech, which is more detailed and persuasive. After raising people's awareness, both Bale and Wooden succeed in asking audience to call to action. All the hard works of the two speakers are to raise people's awareness towards the social issues. It is flog on dead horse if there's no further follow up – call to action. Bales narrates the story of a woman in Nepal which shows that we, people who got intellectual power, are the only hope to mitigate with slavery. Thus, he leaves audience the question, â€Å"Are we truly free?Meanwhile, Wooden reflects it is more blessed for us if we can help others as well by quoting researches, which shows there are few things can elevate our level of happiness and one of them is to contribute a cause larger than ourselves. She demonstrates that it is a great opportunity for audience not to hesitate but to Join the movement. She also leaves a question for the audience to nibble at: â€Å"How do we discharge that responsibility? † Both of the two orators starts their speech by taking the personal experience as the hook, then adding examples and claims to strengthen their ideas.At last, asking audience to show sympathy for the needy people. I believe from this act, audiences can be more motivated as knowing how the people are treated unfairly. In these two 220 minutes' talk shows, the audience is deeply engaged with these two global issues. Bales and Whodunit's sophisticated presentation skills raise our interest to further investigate the problems and the solutions. Dignity and rights of all members of human are the groundwork of freedom, Justice and peace in the world (Structure of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2).We are the lucky ones in his planet neither because of the ability to buy the latest tablet, nor enjoying a decent meal. We are lucky as we have the chance to study, have the chance to live in a safety place, and have the chance to not to be dead due to slavery or born in places with discrimination. Bale ends his speech, â€Å"Are we truly free if we are not thinking about these issues and help the needed ones? † We should constantly remind ourselves that we, as a responsible individual of this global community, should always take the initiatives to bail those who are underprivileged out from their predicaments.

Fdi- Boon or Bane

FDI IN INDIAN RETAIL SECTOR ABSTRACT: The research paper aims to understand whether the FDI policy introduced in the Retail sector in India is a Boon or a Bane. The paper gives an outlook of the Indian Retail Sector, its growth trajectories and its contribution to the national GDP. It also entails in detail the policy of FDI in this sector and its various clauses. The paper, in the end, talks about the benefits of implementing the FDI policy, and also what disadvantages it possess. 1. OVERVIEW OF INDIAN RETAIL SECTORIndian retail sector is the most booming sector in the Indian economy and largest sources of employment after agriculture. Trade or retailing is the single largest component of the services sector in terms of contribution to GDP. Its massive share of 14% is double the figure of the next largest broad economic activity in the sector. India is the second most attractive retail destination ‘globally from among thirty emergent markets. It has made India the cause of a g ood deal of excitement and the cynosure of many foreign eyes.With a contribution of 14% to the national GDP and employing 7% of the total workforce (only agriculture employs more) in the country, the retail industry is definitely one of the pillars of the Indian economy. It is undergoing a transitional phase to usher organized retail. The attitudinal shifts of the Indian consumers were in terms of â€Å"Choice Preference†, â€Å"Value for money’ and the emergence of organized retail format. The overall Indian retail sector is expected to rise to US $ 833 billion by 2013 and to US $ 1. 3 trillion by 2018.In line with the global developments in the retail industry, Indian retail is largely dominated by the unorganized retailers. It has witnessed a massive transition in the last decade. Of the total retail sales, the food and grocery segment constitute the major chunk. Growing in tandem with the economy is the Indian retail sector. The sector is on a high growth trajecto ry and is expected to grow by more than 27 per cent over the next 5 to 6 years. Initially it was predominately fragmented through the owner- run â€Å"Mom and PopOutlets†. The change in lifestyle, education, travel and disposable income has changed the pattern of consumption. Customers are aware of their surroundings and developments. The awareness was created through the advent of technology such as television, cable and satellite channels. They are accustomed to the organized retail format. Understanding the pulse or trend of the market the large corporate groups like ITC, Reliance, Tata, Rahejia and others are infusing staggering amounts of capital into organized retail sector.The Cardiovascular SystemSome of the leading Indian retailers who had tapped this market were Bata India Ltd, Big Bazaar, Crossword, Ebony Retail Holdings Ltd. , Food Bazaar, Globus Stores Pvt. Ltd. , Liberty shoes Ltd. , Music World Entertainment Ltd. , Pantaloon Retail India Ltd. , Shoppers Stop, S ubhiksha, Titan Industries, Trent, Benetton, Addidas, Reebok, Levis, Diary Farm, KFC, Metro, WalMart, Marks & Spencer’s etc are some of the popular global retail brands that have set up retail business in India.The organized retail sector comes with the concept of malls, supermarkets and department stores. Like Subhiksha, Marks & Spencer’s, Oberon etc it gives a different feeling and the environment of pick and choose from a variety of products. The modern retail formats are encouraging development of well-established and efficient supply chains in each segment ensuring efficient movement of goods from farms to kitchens, which will result in huge savings for the farmers as well as for the nation. The Government also stands to gain through more efficient collection of tax revenues.In the coming years it can be said that the hypermarket route will emerge as the most preferred format for international retailers stepping into the country. At present, there are 50 hypermark ets operated by four to five large retailers spread across 67 cities catering to a population of half-a-million or more. Estimates indicate that this sector will have the potential to absorb many more hypermarkets in the next four to five years. According to World Bank report, it is suggested to have an organized retail sector so that it is easy to have a direct control on the price mechanism and to control on the macro economic variables.Strengths 1. India attracted US$16. 9bn in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 2006, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development – a 153% year-on year increase. 2. A cheap, skilled, English-speaking workforce can do the jobs of Western workers for a fraction of the wages paid in North America or Europe. 3. Average annual GDP growth of 7. 7% is predicted by BMI through to 2016. With the population expected to increase from 1. 26bn in 2012 to 1. 32bn by 2016, GDP per capita is forecast to rise 77. % by the end of the forecas t period, reaching US$2,980. 4. The value of the retail segment is expected to grow from an estimated INR22. 53trn (US$489. 80bn) in 2012 to INR27. 73trn (US$739. 56bn) by 2016. Weaknesses 1. The competitiveness of local firms is undermined by official red tape, from foreign investment restrictions to inflexible labor laws. 2. Intellectual property rights are poorly protected in India, one of 12 countries on the 2009 priority watch list compiled by the US Trade Representative. 3.The rural population of India represents more than 70% of the total, while almost 37% is classified as not economically active by the UN. This is a major obstacle for retailers seeking to rapidly expand their customer base. Opportunities 1. India could enhance the competitiveness of the local industry through further liberalization and deregulation. 2. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is eager to reform the banking sector to increase the availability of long-term financing, particularly for large infrastructure projects. 3.The value of the OTC drug sector is forecast to grow by more than 94% by 2016, when it will be worth an estimated US$6. 58bn. Threats: 1. The arrival of Western players, including management consultancy Accenture and technology company IBM, is raising local wages in the outsourcing sector. 2. China remains a major competitor for FDI flows into India. India has excessive bureaucracy and poor infrastructure in comparison with China, which attracted US$60. 6bn of FDI in 2005. 3. International retailers are restricted by India’s strict FDI regulations.Single-brand retailers are able to own a 51% majority stake in a joint venture with a local partner, but multi-brand retailers must operate through a franchise or cash-and-carry wholesale model. 2. WHAT IS FDI Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) or foreign investment refers to the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more or voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital of the long term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of parameters.It usually involves participation in management joint-venture, transfer technology, and expertise. There are two types of FDI: inward foreign direct investment and outward foreign direct investment resulting in a net FDI inflow (positive or negative) and â€Å"stock of foreign direct investment† and outward foreign direct investment, which is the cumulative number for a given period. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares. FDI is one example of international factor movement. 3. FDI IN RETAIL: IT ALL BEGAN IN 2006In 2006 the Indian government took the first step to promote organized retail in India by opening up single brand retailing to FDI. There are five entry routes through which the international players enter into the market, such as franchising, cash and carry wholesale trading, joint venture, m anufacturing and distribution. Government of India permitted 100 per cent FDI in cash and carry wholesale formats through automatic route and up to 51 per cent FDI in single brand retail through Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).This rule made the international brand much easier to enter into the Indian retail market. Through this agreement Reebok, Nokia and Adidas entered the Indian market. However the franchising is one of the way through which small retailers embrace organized retailing through brand association where there’s a scope for leveraging business operations. The 100 per cent FDI permits for cash and carry has paved the way for retail giants like German Based Metro and US based Wal-Mart to set up their shops in India.Reliance Retail had made a tie up with UK based Marks & Spencer to float an equal joint venture and this would scale up 1400 stores by the end of the next fiscal year. The benefits of FDI investment in the retail sector were: 1. It improves t he quality in products and services because of higher competition 2. Improved the lifestyle 3. Economies of scale would help lower consumer prices and increase the purchasing power of the consumer 4. The technology upgraded the system in terms of logistics, production and distribution channels. It adds as a driver in the Supply Chain Management. . The FDI investment will help in flourishing and developing the retail segment. 6. It not only promotes tourism and would develop skills and manpower. 4. FDI NOW IN RETAIL India's retailing industry is essentially owner manned small shops. In 2010, larger format convenience stores and supermarkets accounted for about 4 percent of the industry, and these were present only in large urban centers Until 2011, Indian central government denied foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, forbidding foreign groups from any ownership in supermarkets, convenience stores or any retail outlets.Even single-brand retail was limited to 51% owne rship and a bureaucratic process. In November 2011, India's central government announced retail reforms for both multi-brand stores and single-brand stores. These market reforms paved the way for retail innovation and competition with multi-brand retailers such as  Walmart,  Carrefour  and  Tesco, as well single brand majors such as  IKEA, Nike, and  Apple.In January 2012, India approved reforms for single-brand stores welcoming anyone in the world to innovate in Indian retail market with 100% ownership, but imposed the requirement that the single brand retailer source 30 percent of its goods from India. Indian government continues the hold on retail reforms for multi-brand stores. On 14 September 2012, the government of India announced the opening of FDI in multi-brand retail, subject to approvals by individual states.This decision has been welcomed by economists and the markets, however has caused protests and an upheaval in India's central government's political coali tion structure. On 20 September 2012, the Government of India formally notified the FDI reforms for single and multi brand retail, thereby making it effective under Indian law. On 7 December 2012, the Federal Government of India allowed 51% FDI in multi-brand retail in India. The Feds managed to get the approval of multi-brand retail in the parliament despite heavy uproar from the opposition.The government of Manmohan Singh, prime minister, announced on 24 November 2011 the following: * India will allow foreign groups to own up to 51 per cent in â€Å"multi-brand retailers†, as supermarkets are known in India, in the most radical pro-liberalisation reform passed by an Indian cabinet in years; * Single brand retailers, such as Apple and IKEA, can own 100 percent of their Indian stores, up from the previous cap of 51 percent; * Both multi-brand and single brand stores in India will have to source nearly a third of their goods from small and medium-sized Indian suppliers; * All multi-brand and single brand stores in India must confine their operations to 53-odd cities with a population over one million, out of some 7935 towns and cities in India.It is expected that these stores will now have full access to over 200 million urban consumers in India; * Multi-brand retailers must have a minimum investment of US$100 million with at least half of the amount invested in back end infrastructure, including cold chains, refrigeration, transportation, packing, sorting and processing to considerably reduce the post harvest losses and bring remunerative prices to farmers; * The opening of retail competition will be within India's federal structure of government. In other words, the policy is an enabling legal framework for India. The states of India have the prerogative to accept it and implement it, or they can decide to not implement it if they so choose. Actual implementation of policy will be within the parameters of state laws and regulations. The opening of reta il industry to global competition is expected to spur a retail rush to India.It has the potential to transform not only the retailing landscape but also the nation's ailing infrastructure. A Wall Street Journal article claims that fresh investments in Indian organized retail will generate 10 million new jobs between 2012–2014, and about five to six million of them in logistics alone; even though the retail market is being opened to just 53 cities out of about 8000 towns and cities in India. It is expected to help tame stubbornly high inflation but is likely to be vehemently opposed by millions of small retailers, who see large foreign chains as a threat. The need to control food price inflation—averaging double-digit rises over several years—prompted the government to open the sector, analysts claim.Traders add huge mark-ups to farm prices, while offering little by way of technical support to help farmers boost their productivity, packaging technology, pushing u p retail prices significantly. Big foreign retailers would provide an impetus for them to set up modern supply chains, with refrigerated vans, cold storage and more efficient logistics. Foreign chains can also bring in humongous logistical benefits and capital; the biggest beneficiary would be the small farmers who will be able to improve their productivity by selling directly to large organized players. 5. ADVANTAGES 1. Huge Market Size and a Fast Developing Economy India is the second largest country in the world just behind China in terms of population. Currently the total population is about 1. 2 billion.This huge population base automatically makes a huge market for the business operators to capture and also a major part of it is still can be considered as un-served or not yet been penetrated. Therefore FDI investors automatically get a huge market to capture and also ample opportunity to generate cash inflows at relatively quicker times. The economy of India is also moving at faster pace than most of the economy of the world and inhabitants of the country also obtaining purchasing power at the same rate. 2. Availability of Diversified Resources and Cheap Labor Force The huge advantage every company gets by investing in India is the availability of diversified resources. It is a country where different kinds of materials and technological resources are available.India is a huge country and has forest as well as mining and oil reserve as well. These are also coupled with availability of very cheap labor forces at almost every parts of the country. From Mumbai which is in the west to Bengal which is in the east there is ample opportunity to set up business venture and location and most importantly labor is available at low cost. 3. Increasing Improvement of Infrastructure A lot of research study in India finds out that historically the country fails to attract a significant amount of FDI mainly because of problems in infrastructure. But the scenario is chan ging. The Indian government has taken huge projects in transportation and energy sectors to improve the case.The projects for developing road transport is worth of $90 billion, for rail it has undertaken several projects each worth of $20 million and for ports and airports the value of development projects is around $ 80 billion. In addition the investment in energy development is worth of $ 167 billion and investment in nuclear energy development is outside that calculation. These huge investments are changing the investment climate in the country and investors will benefit hugely by that (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, 2005; Dua & Rasheed, 1998). 4. Public Private Partnerships Another significant advantage foreign investors experience in India today is the opportunities of PPP or Public private Partnership in different important sectors like energy, transportation, mining, oil industry etc.It is advantageous in several ways as it has eliminated the traditional tira de barriers and also joint venture with government is risk free up to the great extent (GOI, 2007; IMF, 2005; Nagaraj, 2003). 5. IT Revolution and English Literacy Today the modern India considered being one of the global leaders in IT. India has developed its IT sectors immensely in last few years and as of today many leading firms outsource their IT tasks in India. Because of IT advancement the firm which will invest in India will get cheap information access and IT capabilities as Indian firms are global leader. Along with that Indian youth are energetic and very capable in English language which is obligatory in modern business conduction.This capability gives India an edge over others. Foreign firms also find it profitable and worthy investment by recruiting Indian HR (GOI, 2006; GOI, 2007; IMF, 2005; Lall, 2002). 6. Openness towards FDI Recently the Government of India has liberalized their policies in certain sectors, like Increase in the FDI limits in different sectors and a lso made the approval system far easier and accessible. Unlike the historical tradition, today for investing in India government approval do not require in the special cases of investing in various important sectors like energy, transportation, telecommunications etc (Economic Department, 2005; GOI, 2007; Nagaraj, 2003). . Regulatory Framework and Investment Protection In the process of accelerating FDI in the country the government of India has make the regulatory framework lot more flexible. Now a day’s foreign investors get different advantages of tax holiday, tax exemptions, exemption of service and central taxes. The government also opened few special economic zones and investors of those zones also get a lot of befits by investing money. Apart from that there are number of laws has been passed and executed for making the investments safe and secure for the foreign investors (IMF, 2005; Nagaraj, 2003; Planning Commission of India, 2002; World Bank, 2004).FDI can be a pow erful catalyst to vigorous competition in the retail industry, due to the current scenario of low competition and poor productivity. FDI will help if farmers can bargain. Villages only know how to produce things. We have to tell them how to market their produce, how to do value addition. One of the things we have talked about a lot in the book is cooperative farming. In India, farmers have small holding but they form a cooperative, it becomes a large holding and then form a cooperative, it becomes a large holding and then the farmer has bargain power. FDI will accelerate retail market growth, providing more employment opportunities. It s a basic principle that creating competition in general is good for the market. But the doubt is that, since proper procurement and distribution system and the infrastructure is not fixed, how the rest will fall in place, when the giant retailers enter our market. Back-end procurement will still remain big problem. Sumita Kale, economist, in his stat ement says that â€Å"the debate that by-introducing 51 percent FDI, a lot of money will flow out of the country is an old school of thought. Lots of our Indian companies are operating abroad and have successfully contributed to our economy. The bigger issue is that with benefits we might end up paying a price hence we must work on a reasonable solution.As mentioned earlier the farmer will benefit from FDI as they will be able to get better prices for their produce. The elimination of the intermediate channels in that procurement process will lead to reduction of prices for consumers. Foreign brand will promote healthy completion in market. Every time the government brings up the subject of FDI, the domestic retailers with the support of some politician jump to lobby against the bill. As the government initializing the FDI, there is bound to be some problems, which can definitely be resolved. The government in near future can appoint a regulating body to monitor the retail sector j ust like other sectors.There will be lot of man power requirement when FDI starts, logistic demands will be more, and people to serve in these stores will get jobs. Managerial positions will open up. Technological requirements and software developments will increase based on the Indian market software needs will be changed. Infrastructure and building constructions will take place. The living conditions will change, good roads will come up. There will be good flow of money that flows these are major benefits of FDI. 6. DISADVANTAGES Customers feel that retail stores offer better deals, but they don’t realize that they end up paying and buying more than what is required.If 51 percent FDI is allowed in multi brand, it will teach the local retailers about real competition and help in ensuring that they give better service to Indian consumers. It is obviously good for local completion and there are no consequences of our local kirana shops disappearing. The Kirana stores operate in a different environment catering to certain set of customers and they will continue to find new ways to retain them. Kirana stores are convinced that stores all big stores will be set up far away from the city and the travel time in India will not help us to go often and buy things from these large stores. Large store buying will help only in bulk purchases. So there is no need to fear about the FDI investment in this context.Investing in India definitely has some negative sides as well. Most noticeably India considered as a huge market but a major portion of that is a lower and middle class person who still suffers from budget shortage. The infrastructure of the country also needs to be improved a lot and already it is under huge strain. There are also problems exists in the power demand shortfall, port traffic capacity mismatch, poor road conditions deal with an inefficient and sometimes still slow-moving bureaucracy. The huge market in India is an advantage but it is also very diverse in nature. India has 17 official languages, 6 major religions, and ethnic diversity as wide as all of Europe.This makes the tasks difficult for the companies to make appropriate product or service portfolio. India is not a member of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes also not of the New York Convention of 1958. That make life bit difficult for the foreign investors. India still has a heavy regulation burden among other countries, for example the time taken to start business or to register a property is higher in India. Similarly, indirect taxes, entry-exit barriers and import duties have been major disadvantages (Nagaraj, 2003; Planning Commission of India, 2002; USITC, 2007; World Bank, 2004). KEYWORDS: Retail, FDI, SME, Multi-brand, Single-brand REFERENCES: 1) Amanpreet Kang. (2012).Evaluating Effects of FDI In Developing Economies: The Curious Case of Pharmaceutical Companies. ABS, Amity University Rajasthan (ISSN 2230 7230) 2) Anonymous. (11 Feb, 2008;). FDI reforms. Business Asia. 3) Anu Antony. (July – December 2009). The Transitional Shift Of Indian Market Space And FDI In Retail. Globsyn Management Journal. 4) Dr Surender Kumar Gupta. (Feb 2012). FDI and Indian Retail Sector-The Path Ahead. International Journal of Marketing and Technology (ISSN: 2249 1058). 5) Prof. G. V. Bhavani Prasad, E. Hari Prasad Sharma (June 2012). Impact Of FDI on Economic Development of India. International Journal of Marketing and Technology (ISSN: 2249 1058). 6) H. S. Yadav, Sangeeta Jauhari. (2011-2012).Foreign Direct Investment and Retail Trade in India (The Consequences under Globalization). Skyline Business Journal. 7) M. Chackochen and Pon Ramalingam. (April – June, 2012). FDI Investment: Retail Franchising. SCMS Journal of Indian Management.. 8) Tarun Kanti Bose. (1 May, 2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of FDI in China and India. International Business Research. 9) Anonymous. (2012). India Retail Report. Busine ss Monitor International. 10) Seth, Smriti. (29 Nov 2011). FDI in retail to make consumers king? 122 mn consumers set to gain [Retailing]. The Economic Times. 11) Arati R Jerath. (04 Dec 2011). FDI in retail: Is it another nuclear deal moment?. The Economic Times. 12) Rai, Manmohan. (16 Sep 2012).FDI in retail is anti-farmer and anti-small retailers, says UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The Economic Times. 13) Sen, Amiti. (26 Mar 2012). FDI in retail: Local sourcing seems to work well in multi-brand retail, but not in single brands. The Economic Times. 14) Anonymous. (11 July 2012). FDI in single-brand retail: No policy change, DIPP to put IKEA's concerns in FIPB court. The Economic Times. 15) Accord Fintech. (28 Jan 2012). SME's support FDI in multi brand retail: CII Survey. The Economic Times. 16) Ghosal, Sutanuka; Srinivas, Nidhi Nath. (02 Dec 2011). FDI in India: Farmer bodies throw their weight behind retail FDI. The Economic Times. 17) www. ebsco. com 18) www. proquest. com

The Biggest Mistake Youre Making at Work -The JobNetwork

The Biggest Mistake Youre Making at Work -The JobNetwork Jenny Blake, a former career coach at Google says: â€Å"Being stuck in one place for too long is not going to work.† In her new book Pivot, she goes on to describe what, in her view, is the biggest mistake people make in their careers. Namely, â€Å"Taking action based on fear or ‘shoulds’.†If you feel like you are stuck in an unfulfilling job or situation, afraid to change your situation for fear of it being the wrong decision, plagued by the â€Å"what ifs,† then Blake’s book might be an important read for you.In the meantime, here are 10  ways you could overcome your fear of change and make it work for you.1. Gather your courage.In order to turn an opportunity into an outcome, you’ll have to have the courage to try. Start shoring yours up.2. Embrace fear.Fear is totally normal, and almost impossible to get rid of entirely. We can’t get rid of it, but we can change our relationship to it by changing how we react when we†™re afraid.3.  Harness anxiety.Sometimes your anxiety is a very effective radar system helping you tell the good opportunities from the riskier ones. If you can dial down your panic a bit to listen to what your intuition is telling you, you can start to use your anxiety as a tool for helping you embrace the best change possible, rather than hiding from all change.4. Embrace failureJust like fear, failure can be a productive and useful tool. Next time you fail, try to figure out the lessons you can learn and move on. You won’t fail at the same thing twice!5. Be flexible.Learn how to improvise. You don’t want to be the person who makes inflexible plans and then is unable to think fast on your feet.6. Gamble a little.Sometimes it’s a numbers game, or a matter of odds. Make a bunch of small bets on yourself and eventually your minor wins will add up to something major.7. Don’t fear experimentation.You mustn’t be afraid of trying new things. If you experiment often and continue trying new ways to succeed, you’ll get there a lot faster.8. Choose your battles.You can’t win all the time. Pick the battles that mean the most to you, press for the things that matter, and retreat when it’s not worth your energy to fight.9. Always keep on moving.Make sure you keep moving forward, no matter what. Getting stuck is worse than stumbling a little on the path to success.10.  Don’t be a slacker.The best way to not be left in the dust- or better, to find your best path to where you want to be- is to keep up with your industry and your business. Stay on the cutting edge, where you have the best chance of pivoting.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Case Study Example Ahmed. It is not possible to cure Mr. Ahmed. Under these circumstances, Nurse Janet Simpson suggested the family members to talk with Dr. Hopkins and the staff Imam from pastoral care sitting in a conference room. The Imam explained to Doctor Hopkins that according to their religious belief, cessation of brain activity is not considered as death of a human being. At the same time, the Imam explained the family members that according to the medical staff, very soon Mr. Ahmed’s brain would cease functioning. It would be considered as death, even though cardiovascular system might still function. As time passed, Mr. Ahmed became a brain dead person. Dr. Hopkins again approached the family with the same request, to turn off the ventilator. However, family members did not agree to it, and Nurse Simpson also reminded Dr. Hopkins about what the Imam said. Dr. Hopkins was in a quandary. She answered the Nurse; â€Å"By the death, we mean brain death and that is the law†. Shite religious beliefs do not consider that the cessation of brain activity is death of a human being. This is Mr. Ahmed’s familys religious belief. This is client’s autonomy. This is client’s family’s autonomy. Dr. Hopkins, as a physician understands that she has to fulfill her medical duty by turning off the ventilator, because the patient is a brain dead person. This is Dr. Hopkins autonomy as a physician. She cannot exercise this autonomy. Her act may be classified as malfeasance, or considered to be against the beneficences to Mr. Ahmed and his family. The dilemma is a situation in which the choices of one of two opposing decisions are equally difficult. Dr. Hopkins choice is to turn off the ventilator or stay with the Shite religious belief. She understands that Mr. Ahmed medically is a dead person. Keeping the ventilator on she cannot perform a miracle. At the same time, she understands she has to follow Shite Muslim cultural tradition. Dr. Hopkins

"Taylor Rule and Inflation Targeting" Coursework

"Taylor Rule and Inflation Targeting" - Coursework Example Indeed, the rule reckons how the Federal Reserve System has raised the funds rate in responding to inflation. Moreover, the rule recognizes an output gap and observed inflation where the Federal Reserve manipulates the output gap to control inflation (Hetzel, 2000). However, there is uncertainty on whether the Taylor rule can offer fundamental explanation on future inflation rates especially in America. On the other hand, the central bank can use inflation targeting as a monetary policy. Inflation targeting influences the economy since it controls increase in price levels (Jahan, 2015). Indeed, if central bank in the U.S. used inflation targeting, it would declare a target inflation rate and seek to control the actual inflation toward the target inflation by regulating interest rates, which would consequently influence price levels. This will equally lead to a transparent monetary policy since the interest rates changes adopted by the central bank will foster clear and opposite inflation rates (Jahan, 2015). As such, under inflation targeting policy, the American economy would be more transparent and increasingly stable. The use of inflation targeting by the central bank in U.S would enable the economy to respond to economic shocks in the short run since inflation targeting entails â€Å"rules† and â€Å"discretion† in monetary policy (Jahan, 2015). Hetzel, R. L. (2000). The Taylor Rule: Is It a Useful Guide to Understanding Monetary Policy? Retrieved from