Research report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Research report - Essay Example t also enables companies to cater to the increasing and incessantly changing demands of customers and therefore is considered as a fundamental element of client relationship tactic (Christopher, 2012). It allows managers to make sure that products are being delivered to customers at the right time, place and quantity. They always seek the opportunity to expand their business to those companies that offer them with cheaper source of labour and raw materials in order to decrease their raw materials (Prater, Biehl and Smith, 2001). In addition, their move to expand into a different country is also driven by their urge to cover a greater market (Gunasekaran, Patel and McGaughey, 2004). It is with regards to this fact that the researcher will be reviewing the case of Rolls Royce strategy to choose Singapore as its manufacturing location. This study is inspired by an article published in the Financial Times written by Grant (2014) titled â€Å"Aerospace manufacturers head to Singapore innovation hub.† In this study the researcher will be providing an in-depth explanation of the factors that has driven this move by Rolls Royce managers to shift its manufacturing base to Singapore. The researcher will also be emphasizing on the risks and challenges that needs to be considered by the managers of the company in order to improve its global supply chain performance. Finally, the researcher will be endeavouring to recommend certain strategies that can be implemented by Rolls Royce managers in order to tackle the potential challenges and risks in the company’s international supply chain. Rolls Royce’s decision to shift its manufacturing division to Singapore was driven by a number of reasons associated with the requirement to bring down cost of sales, increase operational and supply chain frequency and meet the growing demand of its customer base. First of all the corporate tax rate is considerably lower in Singapore (17%) (Grant, 2014) when compared to the rate that is

A report for a new business venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A report for a new business venture - Essay Example This traditional practice of metal work or goldsmith has evolved into a multi- billion dollar industry that produces jewelry in common and rear objects and minerals (Erick, 1982). Currently in the UK there are very few companies that have venture into this business due to the professionalism and capital that is required. For one to successfully venture into this business he or she needs a strong capital base and a loyal customer of whom the products can be constantly sold to. In terms of competition, the industry has stiff competition since the products are not among basic commodities and therefore implies that the market is small because of the few number of people who can afford the product. However, for this particular business venture we will tend to use common materials and objects to create our product to limit on the cost of production as well as the price of the commodity. We intend to lower the price of our jewelry products to make them affordable to all our customers. There is a lot of competition in the jewelry business due to the limited amount of customers who are interested or can afford the jewelry products. In the UK most of this companies are large scale companies who mostly make their products from rare minerals such as gold and diamond. In order to beat the existing competition, our business will majorly focus on fabricating jewelry from common materials such as rocks and crystals that are easily available. This will reduce the cost of fabricating the jewelry and in turns lower the prices or our products which will enable our business to cover a large market including those consumers with very low purchasing power (Team, 2013). For a startup, the business will have just a few employees but with excellent skills of fabricating jewelry from the rocks and crystals (Erick, 1982). The rocks and crystals will be collected from farms and some of them will be bought from rock collection stores. The materials will then be fabricated

Chapters 15 20 Questions Answers Essay Example for Free

Chapters 15 20 Questions Answers Essay 1. In Chapter 15, Amir meets with the dying Rahim Khan. Where are they? Peshawar, Pakistan 2. What does Amir say about cliches? Why does Amir use the cliche about an elephant in the room to describe his meeting with Rahim Khan? They are usually dead on. The elephant is the truth about Rahim Khan’s condition – he is dying and doesn’t have much time left. 3. Afghanistan has been seized by what political group in Chapter 15? Taliban 4. In Chapter 16, Rahim tells us what happened to Hassan. What has happened? Where is he living? Hassan went to live in a village just outside Bamiyan where. Rahim Khan finds Hassan, who tells him that Ali was killed by a landmine. Rahim Khan asks Hassan and his wife, Farzana, to live with him. Hassan at first refuses, but agrees after learning of Baba’s death. Their first baby was a stillborn girl. Hassan’s mother, Sanaubar, returns to the home, starving and ill. Hassan and his wife nurse his mother back to health. She in turn delivers Farzana’s son, Sohrab. Sanaubar dies when Sohrab is four. 5. Who is Farzana? Who is Sohrab? Farzana is Hassan’s wife. Sohrab is their son. 6. What happened in 1998 by the Taliban in Mazar-i-Sharif ? The Taliban massacred many Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif. 7. In Chapter 17, Rahim gives Amir a letter from Hassan, who wrote it six months before. What is the tone of this letter? How does Amir react? Hassan is the same old Hassan; a loyal friend who is concerned about Amir. Hassan wrote the letter with excitement and pride. Hassan says he would like to see Amir again. Rahim Khan reveals, however, that Hassan and his wife were murdered by the Taliban a month after the letter was written. Their son, Sohrab, is now living in an orphanage in Kabul. 8. In Chapter 18, Amir finds out that both Hassan and his wife were shot by the Taliban while trying to protect Babas house, as a result, orphaning their son. Rahim tells Amir it is his job to find Sohrab in Karteh-Seh, Afghanistan, and take him to an orphanage in Peshawar, Pakistan. What is Amirs reaction? Do you think Rahims dying wish is unfair? Why or why not? Amir’s reaction is of shock and anger. He doesn’t understand why no one told him this before. Rahim’s wish is not unfair – this is how Amir will remove the guilt and pay back Hassan for what Amir never did in the alleyway years ago. 9. How does the cliche, like father, like son mentioned on page 238, relate to Baba and Amir? Baba and Amir were more alike than he’d ever known. â€Å"We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us. And with that came this realization: that Rahim Khan has summoned me here to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too. † (209) 10. What clues hint at the secret that is revealed in Chapter 17-18? Baba had always been so close to Hassan and it makes sense now why he loves Hassan so much. (forgiveness of â€Å"theft†, cleft lip, threatened Amir over the â€Å"new servants† comment, bought the same gifts for Hassan and Amir (kite) – treated them equally, wishes Hassan was here (in America), etc.) 11. In Chapter 19, Farid is engaged to drive Amir from Peshawar to Afghanistan. Describe his first impression of Amir. When Farid said, Youve always been a tourist here, you just didnt know it, (page 245), what did he mean? What is Farids impression of emigrant Afghans who return to visit Afghanistan? Many are shocked at the changes in Afghanistan. They are like tourists in the country, considering the many horrible changes that have taken place. Farid believes that Amir has always been a tourist. Amir has only known a better Afghanistan. Afghanis only come back to sell their land and leave again. 12. What realization does Amir come to in Chapter 19? Amir realizes his life has been a lie all along. Baba favored Hassan in the past – Amir realizes this as a sign that Hassan is his half-brother. He also realizes he must leave to help Sohrab right away before he talks himself out of going. This was his last chance at redemption. (195) 13. In Chapter 20, Amir sees Kabul for the first time since leaving. Describe what he sees. Amir is shocked by the state of Afghanistan. On arriving in Kabul he discovers it has been severely damaged by twenty years of war. The Taliban patrol the streets looking for people to punish. Amir is advised to avoid even looking at them. Amir feels pain and sadness at what he sees. 14. In Chapter 20, the director of the orphanage, Zaman, tells Amir that Sohrab was taken by a Taliban official who takes children, usually girls, about once a month for his sexual pleasure. The official gave Zaman a great deal of cash. How does Zaman defend his actions? He has so many other children he must take care of. If he were not there, they would starve and die. If Zaman refuses, it could destroy the orphanage and save others from being taken and/or killed. The money also provides for their needs (i. e. food. ).

Demand And Supply Of Agricultural Products

Demand And Supply Of Agricultural Products The agriculture in UAE is reserved to dates, vegetables, fish, eggs and dairy products (Ministry of Foreign trade, 2011). Tunnel farming is the way forward to agriculture in UAE, more and more people are learning the techniques involved in tunnel farming. For a country like UAE which is a desert the land available for farming is limited, and the water resources are also limited, therefore using the latest technologies in farming plays a vital role in controlling the supply and demand of agricultural products in UAE. Water plays an important role in increasing or decreasing the supply of local agricultural products in UAE. One of the studies revealed that the consumption of water in UAE on individual basis is one of the highest in the world (Gornall Tordorova, 2009). For a country with already a very low export of agricultural products and local production, high water consumption makes it even more complex to cater for shortages of agricultural products in UAE. The Government in UAE is involved in discovering new ways to increase the land available for cultivation by using desert reclamation initiatives (Salama, 2008). The government has a history of investing in tree planting schemes and irrigation systems to increase the total agricultural production of UAE. The planting schemes involve planting trees which help crops to survive wind and also stop soil erosion, the schemes also involve initiatives to plant shrubs and date palms. According to figures released by Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, UAE is producing 600,000 tonnes of crops approximately which include, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, aubergines, cabbages and feed for live stock. The Government of UAE is rapidly increasing the land available for cultivation by converting desert into cultivated land one of the example is the 40,500 hectares of land available for cultivation along the Liwa Oasis, which has been converted from dessert into cultivatable land, in UAE there are mor e than 6,000 greenhouses and 22,700 farms. UAE is also committed to invest in agriculture overseas on islands and other parts of the world, because 85 per cent of the agricultural products in UAE are imported which include wheat, rice and corn. This is a major threat faced by a country set to become the business hub of the world with an increasing population, therefore the supply and demand forces play a major role in agriculture in UAE. Another strategy followed by UAE to tackle food shortages is to create food storage facilities where large quantities of agricultural products could be stored for longer time periods. Agricultural Imports and Exports of UAE UAE is the largest importer of agricultural products in the region and the imports of agricultural product in UAE will increase this year following the drought in the major exporters of agricultural products in the world which are Russia and Ukraine. Consequently rapidly changing the demand and supply of agricultural products in UAE and presents a major challenge for the Government to deal with supply and demand forces in Agricultural products. The global food crisis has reached alarming situation posing a major threat to economies with increasing population and consumption of agricultural products. Also the major suppliers of world agricultural products will experience a reduction in their yield of agricultural products this year due to draughts in different parts of the world. The world crop production has increased due to the use of latest techniques for farming as shown by the following figure-1 (GRIDA, n.d.). figure07.jpg Figure Trends in crop production of the world The increase in world crop production here is because of the increased cropland and rangeland area, increased of yield and greater cropping intensity. Therefore to cater the current demand of agricultural products it is necessary to use the latest technologies to increase the yield. As the graph clearly shows the most production increase is seen in Soybeans showing more than 4 per cent increase in the production. Cotton wheat and rice take a lot of water hence are impossible to be planted in a desert with limited water resources, therefore wheat and rice also adds up to the demand in agricultural products in UAE. Abu Dhabi is spending in agricultural research and development to come up with new ways of farming using minimal water resources. One of the most important techniques to save water in agriculture is to use piping systems, this system enables the farmer to save water in agriculture up to 40 per cent then the classical techniques of farming. Following the credit crunch the world has moved into era of scarcity of resources and an increase in the population, more and more people are moving into urban areas in search of a better future and business opportunities. The phenomenon of the move to urban areas is creating humungous pressure on the demand created by urban areas for agricultural products. Most of the agricultural products are used as part of food therefore an increase in population is directly related to the demand created for agricultural products. Another factor affecting the supply of the agricultural products is the limited life of the product due to which suppliers have to pay heavy cost in storing the products eventually affecting the supply of agricultural products. Therefore supplying agricultural products from all over the world becomes a challenge for even the developed economies of the world with limited local production of agricultural products. In the global village the consumer in UAE is ready to pay higher prices for quality agricultural products following which the suppliers in agricultural based countries are targeting UAE to earn better profits. Attracting suppliers from India, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine, US, Australia and other parts of the world have started shipping their agricultural products to the consumers in UAE. Due to complexities and investments involved in shipping agricultural products overseas and selling it to buyers overseas, the farmers in agriculture enriched countries restrain from getting involved in international trade. Inviting speculators in the market who buy the products from farmers and then sell it in international markets, these speculators hold the power of affecting the price of agricultural products becau se of the ability to store and hold large quantities of a particular product. Enabling speculators to store the product until they find the right price to reap higher profits, this creates a shortage in supply and increasing the demand for the product which eventually increases the price of the product to the level at which the speculators are ready to sell their products to the consumers in UAE. Imports UAE is the largest importer of agricultural products in the Gulf, the consumers of UAE have the highest consumption when it comes to consuming water and other agricultural products. Due to limited resources for agricultural activities the country has to heavily rely on agricultural imports from all over the world. UAE is also used as a re-export hub of the world many suppliers buy their products from underdeveloped or developing countries of the world with trade restrictions and then bring the products to UAE enabling them to ship the products anywhere in world, the geographic location of UAE makes it attractive for suppliers from all over the world for re-exports. The agricultural products imported in UAE are: Wheat Rice Corn Tobacco Consumer Ready Goods Meat Fruit Vegetable Products Live Animals and their products Animal and vegetable fats, oils and waxes Wheat, rice and cotton are completed exported from other parts of the world due to high water consumption involved in the production of these products. Tobacco, Meat, Fruit, and vegetable products are also being planted in UAE using the latest tunnel techniques enabling year round production and helping UAE to cope with the extraordinary demand created for agricultural by a multiplying society. This year the imports are believed to surge again following the international food crisis, but the worldà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s production of agricultural products has also increased. Farmers all over the world are involved in using latest techniques of farming increasing the total production per area and reducing the water consumption by 40 per cent, enabling farmers to produce at lower cost. UAE imported AED 3.71 billion worth of agricultural products from US alone in 2011, which was up from AED 440 million in 2010 (Duncan, 2012). This shows the rapid increase in the consumption consequently increasing the demand for agricultural products in UAE. This rapid increase in the consumption of UAE in just one year is directly related to the increase in the population of UAE and also the country is set to become the business hub of the world attracting more tourist and business men from all over the world increasing the consumption of agricultural products. UAE also imports agricultural products from other parts of the world. Some of the top agricultural imports of UAE are shown with the help of following figure-2 (Gulfood 2010 Briefing, 2010). Figure UAE Top agricultural Imports The graph clearly shows the major imports which are hides skins, fats oils, wood products, Meat Animals, prepared Foods and vegetable products. The major chunk of the UAE agricultural demand is the vegetable products as shown by the graph above, the vegetable products have limited life hence require storage capabilities to extend the life of the product, due to which the supply of vegetables becomes a complex procedure starting from the farmer in the developing countries and making it available in the local store of UAE. Abu Dhabi has taken many initiatives to grow vegetables using tunnel farming enabling the farmers to produce round the year and also doubling the yield at the same time reducing the water consumption of the crop as well. The government in UAE is involved in initiatives to promote urban farming by offering agricultural studies in colleges and schools and also providing awareness on how to start urban farming, in effort to fight the huge imports of agricultural products in UAE. One of the ideas recently introduce is to use rooftops of buildings in urban areas for farming purposes, tunnels could be used to create the atmosphere required for the production of any crop year round. At the moment UAE is importing agricultural products from all over the world to tackle its sharply rising imports of agricultural products. Another step taken by the government is to invest in agriculture overseas to tackle the world food crisis. UAE has become the major importer of Agricultural products in the region, the major countries which import to UAE are 18 percent imports are from India, 13 percent from Brazil, 12 percent China, 10 percent United States, 8 percent Australia and the rest 39 percent of the agricultural products are imported from other parts of the world as shown by the pie chart in figure-3. Figure 2007 Data for Dubai and Sharjah Percent Market Share India being the largest supplier of agricultural products to UAE in 2007, the pie chart clearly shows the importance of UAE in the agriculture of the world. Therefore the supply of agricultural products to UAE is a matter affecting the whole world and the food prices in the world, in this time of recession it is vital for an economy like UAE to reach equilibrium in the supply and demand of agricultural products to provide sufficient food for the country. In the trade of agricultural products Imports play a major role in case of UAE as shown by the figures above. Therefore in reaching equilibrium in supply and demand forces or agricultural products in UAE managing imports is very important. The government of UAE is actively involved in investing overseas to meet the increasing demand of agricultural products in UAE, following the world food crisis it is predicted that the UAE food consumption will increase exerting more pressure on the consumption driving the demand even more higher than the current levels and eventually increasing imports of agricultural products to the country. Exports The exports of agricultural products from UAE have been limited to dates and other few vegetable products, agriculture in desert requires desert reclamation. UAE government is involved in initiatives for desert reclamation to increase the local production of agricultural products. The exports of agricultural products in UAE include: Dates Animal or Vegetable Fats, oils and waxes Live animals and their products Vegetable Products Dates have been historically imported from UAE which is a competitive edge of the country in the industry to be able to produce high quality dates, alongside which the government is also starting initiatives to commercialize camel milk in surge to reduce the import of milk and start exporting milk from UAE. Tunnel farming has enabled farmers in UAE to produce year round and supply vegetables globally in offseason. The government has started different initiatives to increase local production of agricultural goods by introducing following concepts. Island Farming Tunnel Farming Desert Reclamation Investing overseas in agriculture UAE is involved in farming on islands in the Gulf by using latest techniques of production using tunnel farming the government is trying to help reduce the imports of agricultural products by being self-sufficient. In todayà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s world of credit crunch self sufficiency play a vital role in the success of an economy, the global village has enabled countries with limited resources to be self sufficient by investing overseas. Therefore investing overseas to increase re-exports of UAE plays an important role in the current strategy of being self sufficient in agricultural products. Imports and exports of agricultural products play an important role in the supply and demand of agricultural products to the country. The imports and exports of agricultural products in UAE is shown by following figure-4, which clearly shows how rapidly the demand for agricultural products is increasing over the passage of time. Figure Imports and Exports of Agricultural products in UAE The graph above clearly shows the increasing trend in the agricultural products of UAE and shows almost no change in the behaviour of exports and they are stagnant at USD 1 billion approximately from 2005 to 2006, whereas imports have increased from approximately USD 6 billion in 2005 to above USD 9 billion in 2007. Further the statistics reveal that total Imports of Animal or vegetable fats, oils and waxes for first six months of 2012 were AED 1.268 billion and exports were AED 485 million approximately (National Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Live Animals and their products were also imported and the total imports were AED 5.806 billion and exports were AED 646 million, also AED 11.483 billion worth of vegetable products were imported and AED 304 million were exported. The figures show a substantial increase in imports of vegetable products for country with shortages of water and land available for cultivation. UAE government is taking concrete steps to invest in agricultural products overseas, which include, Egypt, Pakistan, Japan and other fertile parts of the world (Farm Land Grab, 2010). The statistics reveal that the investment in agricultural products by UAE in other countries will increase with the passage of time, as the rising demand of agricultural products invites more and more investors into the industry. Supply and Demand of Agricultural Products in UAE In the era of global food crisis one of the major challenges faced by UAE is to make sure the uninterrupted supply of agricultural products whether through imports or local production (Malek, 2013). The fresh statistics of 2013 reveal that 90 per cent of the Agricultural products are imported globally, which shows UAEà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s reliance on the international food market. In 2013 the food crisis is expected to become a major problem for UAE. After a detailed analysis conducted above the following figure-5 shows the supply and demand curves for agricultural products of UAE. Figure Supply and Demand Curves for UAE Agricultural products As we can see in figure-5 as the demand increases the supply remains stagnant which clearly shows, UAE needs to invest to increase the local production of agricultural products and also the country must explore investing overseas for food shortages alongside using latest techniques for farming in UAE. The gap between the curves clearly shows the shortage of food faced by UAE and adding the world food crisis the situation will worsen in 2013. To tackle the food shortages in UAE the farmers have turned to tunnel farming, tunnels allows farmers to control the temperature and the sunlight required for the growth of the plant (UAE Interact, 2012). It also acts as an incubator enabling the farmer to adjust the atmosphere as required by the plants, also pipe irrigation system is used which helps in saving water. Sustainable farming is the concept launched by the UAE government from Abu Dhabi to fight the food shortage. In our case the demand for agricultural products in UAE is increasing as shown by the figure-4, creating a shortage, also the local production of UAE is limited due to water shortages and limited land available for cultivation. Therefore the government is focusing on tunnel farming and other techniques of water efficient farming in UAE. Demand refers to the relationship between how much of anything people are willing to purchase available at different prices (Grant Vidler, 2000, p. 10). Therefore the increasing exports show that there is a shortage of agricultural products in the market, eventually increasing the demand for agricultural products. Demand and Supply Curve Economic theory reveals that a shortage in supply eventually increases prices, and surplus in supply reduces demand and decreases the prices eventually (Mceacher, 2012, p. 86). Such a state in economics is known as the state of disequilibrium, when there is a shortage or a surplus. In UAE the demand for agricultural products is increasing on a fast rate, eventually requiring more supply of goods and creating a shortage of agricultural products in the market. The world is already going through a worldwide food crisis followed by the draughts in major exporters of agricultural products like Ukraine and Russia. Managing the demand for agricultural products in UAE is a challenge faced by the government. The shortage in the supply of agricultural products will eventually lead to a food inflation in UAE by the year 2013, to control inflation in agricultural products the government has come up with strategies to increase agriculture by using latest techniques to produce more by using less water. According to law of demand if the price of the good increases the quantity demanded falls, provided other things stay equal (Mankiw, 2012, p. 73). Therefore the demand and price of a agricultural products have an inverse relationship. The above figure clearly shows the demand and supply curves for the agricultural products in UAE, both the demand and supply curve show that there is an increasing shortage in the supply of agricultural products in UAE. Attracting more and more investors from all over the world to invest in agricultural products in UAE, the most attractive region for investors in UAE have become overseas investment in agricultural products. As the world becomes a global village to deal with the increasing volatility and fluctuations in the supply and demand of agricultural products in UAE the government must come up with initiatives to maintain storage for agricultural products, as well as promoting urban farming, tunnel farming and other farming technologies. Factors affecting Demand Supply Some of the most important factors on which the demand of agricultural products in UAE depends are price of the product, prices of the related products, consumer income, expectation of future price changes, tastes and number of consumers (Carbaugh, 2010, p. 30). Demand for agricultural products plays the main part in the trade of agricultural products in UAE, consequently increasing the imports of agricultural products in UAE to record levels, making UAE the hub of agricultural products imports and exports. The explanation of these factors with respect to agricultural products of UAE is as follows. Price of the product Price of a product plays a very important role in the demand of that product. If the demand goes up it exerts upward pressure on the price of the product, when the product supplied are equal to the product demand the equilibrium price is reached (Hill, 2006, p. 32). Therefore the price of a product has a direct relationship with the demand of the product, in the case of UAE the agricultural products are experiencing an increase in demand. The prices for agricultural products in UAE are vulnerable because of low local production, desert land and water shortages (Kawach, 2010). According to the figures released by the government of Abu Dhabi, in 2009 the food imports increased by 31.5 per cent which was the record high surge in the imports of agricultural products. The main reason is the rapid increase in the population of UAE and also the food prices paid by the consumers in UAE attracts suppliers from all over the world. Prices of the related products Prices of other related products with agricultural products also matter some of them are pesticides and other sprays required for farming, the materials required for desert reclamation and animal feed etc. Overall all affecting the prices and eventually increasing or decreasing the demand for agricultural products. Consumer Income The income elasticity of demand represents the change in demand of a product with respect to the change of consumer income (Whittington Delaney, 2008, p. 126). The economic theory suggests that if the consumer income increases it also increases the demand for agricultural products or other normal goods. A study revealed that the monthly household income in UAE has reached up to AED 18,248 while the average household expenditure is AED 11,241 in 2009 (Bundhun, 2009). This increase in the consumer income in UAE will definitely affect the demand for agricultural products in UAE and eventually increasing the imports of agricultural products in UAE. Therefore we can say that consumer income is directly proportional to demand of agricultural products in UAE. Expectations of future price changes The agricultural market has become very volatile due to the world food crisis, and following the draughts in the major economies of the world which certainly affects the future prices of the agricultural products to increase at a fast rate. Tastes The consumer preferences and tastes play a vital role in creating a demand for any product, the health conscious consumer of UAE has definitely increased the demand for vegetables and other healthy food products. The taste preferences of the consumer in UAE have dramatically increased the demand for agricultural products in UAE. Number of Consumers UAE is experiencing a rapid increase in population as shown by the following figure (World Bank, 2013). population.png Figure Population of UAE The above figure-6 clearly shows how rapidly the population of UAE has increased from 1995 to 2011, which increases the demand for agricultural products by the consumers of UAE. Conclusions The government of UAE must boost up the initiatives started for development of agriculture in the country. The following must be paid full attention to survive the credit crunch prevailing in the global world. Investment in Agriculture abroad The government of UAE has started investing in agricultural based countries like the following: Pakistan Kazakhstan Egypt Investing overseas is the answer to the problem of shortages in supply of the agricultural products in UAE, these investments will also increase the re-exports of UAE and will help to attain equilibrium by filling the supply shortage in the agricultural market of UAE. Tunnel Farming Tunnel farming is also another way forward to provide for the huge demand of agricultural products in UAE. The government has taken steps in Abu Dubai for desert reclamation and tunnel farming. These tunnels enable farmers to produce year round and at a faster pace which helps to increase the yield of the crop as well as reduces the water usage by 40 per cent. Agriculture on Islands Keeping up with the high demand another way forward is the farming on islands in the Gulf, UAE must pursue its permanent mission in the UN to reclaim the Iranian occupied islands, as the country is face huge demand for agricultural product which must be taken care of before the food crisis gears up in the international food markets.

Economic Reform in Russia Essay -- Economics History USSR Essays

Economic Reform in Russia Formerly the preeminent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Russia has been an independent nation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Because of its great size, its natural resources, and its political domination, the Russian Federation played a leading role in the economy of the Soviet Union. In the years preceding the disintegration of the union in 1991, the economy of Russia and the union as a whole was in decline. In 1992, immediately after the separation, the Russian government implemented a series of radical reforms. Price controls were abolished as the beginning of a transition from a centrally controlled economy to a market economy. An immediate series of sharp price increases caused extreme hardships for the Russian people. Inventor of the fictional five-year plan, the fake harvest, Russia introduced another novel economic concept in 1996. It was a society modeled after the capitalist society. High expectations of economic growth even with â€Å"shock therapy†--unemployment, social discontent and opportunities for corruption; influence of western politicians and the U.S. policy; and failing to completely reform the communistic system were some factors to why some became rich but led many to misery and an early death. Despite the huge infusions of Western money, millions of ordinary Russians struggled to survive in an economy neither capitalist nor communist, but something brand new and strange, which ultimately led to the failure of economic reform in Russia. In the fall of 1996, Boris Yeltsin won the presidential election in Russia. He was viewed as the personification of reform in Russia.... who had vanquished the Communist dragon during the hard-line coup attempt of August 1991 -- and the leader best placed to introduce democratic, market-oriented reforms. In the same year Yeltsin became the President of Russia, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, Thomas R. Pickering, predicted by the fall of 1999, Russia would be one of America’s top trading partners. But in fact, three years after Pickering addressed his farewell speech to the American Chamber of commerce in Moscow, Russia ranked thirtieth in the list of American trading partners. In 1998, Russia’s gross national product plummeted by nearly fifty percent over the last decade. More than sixty million Russians, which is nearly half... ...d the International Monetary Fund assistance but the attempt at capitalist society was not successful. To the beleaguered people of Russia, certainties of old-style communism seemed attractive. A joke on the streets of Moscow, according to World Bank staffer John Nellis, was: "Everything the Communists told us about communism was a complete and utter lie. Unfortunately, everything the Communists told us about capitalism turned out to be true." The establishment of a free-market may require decades to accomplish since this quick attempt was not successful. The economy of Russia did not improve as speculated. Due to years of practicing communism, the Russian people experienced â€Å"shock therapy† when a free-market was in action. Another explanation was: because of constant U.S. influence, Russia was never at a state where they decided on the major decisions until the end. And finally, capitalism never worked in Russia because they did not fully let go of communism. After experiencing many hardships, the Russian people are confused as to what will work in their country full of resources yet lack of economic stability. Maybe the answer is a return to state controlled industries.

Essay --

Prior to my enrollment in this class, I did not have exposure or any type of familiarity with the Zen tradition. The uniquely Japanese branch of Buddhism has indeed flourished, and focuses on eliminating the sources of human suffering, or in other words, dukkha. On its simplest level, the effect on the development of this Japanese-Buddhist culture continues to resonate among its followers, as it did approximately 2500 years ago. However, there is a question that remains to an even larger extent. How actually did Zen come to influence not only the worlds of art, literature, and architecture, but also popular culture and Western life? The connection involving Zen and art is incredibly mystifying, because upon examination Zen art itself appears to be very modern. Shunryu Suzuki explains that â€Å"Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature† (32). He also mentions â€Å"when you practice Zen, you become one with Zen† (49). Fully exposing ourselves to foreign n otions may be strange, but at which point is it that Zen transcends into art? As said by an unknown essayist, Zen is the â€Å"spiritual journey towards enlightenment, known as satori, an awakening that is achieved through the realization that one is already an enlightened being† (1). In keeping with my previous question, traditional arts do have roots in the Zen tradition. In order to reach enlightenment, one has to find meaning within the scope of their everyday experiences. It is not particularly useful to create something new or search for significance in other objects. As day to day life is a component of Zen teaching, and there may be artistry well in the midst of routinal activities. Perhaps art is a guiding tool for those individuals who seek enlightenment. Therefore, the ... ...by its boundaries† (Hoover 9). We hesitate to take a step back, look at the whole picture, and regain full composure. After all we are the products of lifetime conditioning, as it relates to our emotional and thought patterns. All living beings try to avoid misfortune, except that negative emotions come from the mind and are nonexistent. Zen reminds me of the complete need for restraint and patience. You have to begin at one point and embrace life’s unique experiences as they come. When an individual is captivated and enthralled with the Zen practice, art is clearly an expression of their enlightenment. Zen artists, similar to Ranzan Shoryu, are not consumed by the lavish appearances of their art forms. The religion and religious art are interdependent, and may as well define each other. To find nirvana, is there not a need for disruption in interdependence though?

Wikileaks – Is America being imprisoned by free speech?

Julian Assange, founder of whistle-blowing global organisation Wikileaks, is accused of ‘threatening America with the cyber equivalent of thermonuclear war’ by publishing government documents online with louring intent. These leaks contain eight of the biggest leaks in history. Some of which include lists of members from racist political parties, and Afghan war logs. Exposing the transgressions of the powerful is a lasting and honourable tradition, often the primary purpose of free press. However, many of the ‘life endangering’ leaks that are being sited as due cause for prosecution are insignificant and of the ‘Did you know the Pope is a Catholic? ’ variety and have yet to prove that they pose any manner of threat to civilians of military operations and national security. As many citizens of the US desire transparency, elected officials of public servants and services have no defence for continuing to guard its information from public scrutiny. Transparency promotes accountability and reduces government corruption and in extreme cases military dictatorship as it often allows citizens of a democracy to have degree of control over their own government. With little transparency there are fewer opportunities for political influence between elections. Citizens can only elect accordingly and for governments to withhold any relevant information would manipulate the voting system. Therefore Assange opened America’s government on behalf of its citizens revealing government deceptions and political domination to promote a participative democracy and improve the overall quality of decision making for the country. However, for a democracy to exist it requires constant vigilance of the people and their representatives. These leaks were published in violation of the US law and without authorization. This unprocessed information was released without context leaving it exposed to misrepresentation. Assange has aided terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda largely by given them the â€Å"gift† of diplomatic cables in thousands. The threat of this is that they are exposing the weaknesses within countries governments and security making them subject to ‘easy’ terrorism. Such negligence at the scale of the World Wide Web could significantly endanger the lives of US citizens. Assange’s defence for this not being his intention is contradicted however. Whilst leaking information from America, Australia, and the UK; he is not leaking information from countries such as North Korea, Iran, Russian or even China. This alludes to Assange targeting particular governments and whilst he cannot be tried for treason, should he be tried for terrorism? Despite this, American’s have no constructional right to privacy therefore free speech tends to trump privacy. As both are fundamental rights, they cannot be protected when in conflict. Naturally the governments are in favour of privacy to prevent the misdeeds of their past being exposed. For example, there is a leak that states George Bush, in building a case for war against Iraq falsely claimed than Iraq where attempting to purchase Yellowcake (a chemical used in fuel for nuclear reactors) from Africa. Frankly this is not true. Another leak exposes that America has killed five times the number of civilians killed on 9/11. This ultimately contributed to the increased number of Jihadists. To outlaw Wikileaks would be ironic in a democracy as it would restrict freedom of speech and people’s right to communicate their opinions and ideas. It is argued that the leaks provide no threatening data to the public, rather their governments. With thanks to Assange, citizens of America are now aware of polices their government are perusing, polices that place the people at immense risk. Wikileaks is an act journalism and Assange is a journalist therefore Assange and his organization should have the right to freedom of press without exploiting the media. Thus the real threat does not lie with the citizens, but rather the fundamental right to free speech and press and whether as a result of Wikileaks, it will be limited. Though, is it possible that Assange’s right to freedom of press when leaking could negatively affect America in war? Could it have caused more people in the Middle East to enlist with local armed forces? Information in leaks has the potential to destroy their relationships with other countries even if they are not allies. Other countries may now be reluctant to share information with America in fear of it being leaked. This on top of America’s desire from transparency could ultimately strip the government of even more power exposing them to even more threats. George Bush once said â€Å"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear† As of yet no deaths have been directly attributed to the leaks initiating in 2006. Bradley Manning – a soldier of the American army, has accepted 10/22 charges against him. When in court Manning stated that he will plead guilty to sending documents to Wikileaks in violation of the US military regulations, but denies â€Å"aiding the enemy† and may still be prosecuted. It is expected that manning will receive a 20 year sentence and dishonourable discharge. Why is Manning being tried so hard? Is it to make an example, to remind us of the consequences when exposing those is control? To conclude, I have outlined that as few leaks have the potential to risk lives; many more have little significance in this respect. Both privacy and freedom of speech cannot be protected when in conflict. However, in a case of democracy freedom of speech should outweigh privacy greatly. Citizens have a right to be aware of their governments and without this awareness democracy cannot exist. But, in doing this do they have the right to disregard the privacy of others?