Pakistan: Recent Economic Developments and Future Prospects

Most of the news emanating about Pakistan in the Western media relate to terrorism, bomb blasts, Islamic fundamentalism, nuclear non proliferation, military rule etc. Seldom does one see a positive story appearing about Pakistan’s remarkable economic turnaround. But the fact of the matter is that despite such negative image Pakistan is one of the favored destinations for foreign direct investment. Foreign direct investment flows have surged by 95 percent during July – February 2007 and are expected to touch $ 5 billion or 3. percent of GDP – several times higher than FDI flows to our large neighbor in relative terms.Pakistan’s international bond issues and equity floatations through GDRs have been consistently oversubscribed and are priced at fine margins. Standard Chartered Bank has made acquisition of a domestic private bank for around half a billion dollars. China Mobile – the largest mobile company in terms of subscriber base – has bought out majority shareholding in one of the local cellular phone companies for over $ 400 millions.Philip and Morris has entered into an agreement to purchase 50. 2 percent shares of the second largest Cigarettes Manufacturing Company of Pakistan for US 339 million. A number of other similar mergers and acquisitions are in the pipeline. 2. What is that inspite of such adverse publicity, perceived security risk and travel advisories the global investors, fund managers and international financial institutions from the United States, Europe, East Asia and Middle East all look upon Pakistan favorably and show such tremendous amount of confidence in the economy.Sophisticated investors from all over the world are willing to purchase billion of dollars of sovereign paper issued by Pakistan for 30 year duration. There must be something right the country ought to be doing which fails to reach the radar screen of the popular and highly influential western media. 3. As an international developmen t economist I can venture a number of reasons for this apparently highly paradoxical situation. First of all, Pakistan is a country of 160 million people which is growing at an average growth rate of 6-7 percent for the last five years.Thirty million Pakistanis earning $ 10,000 – $ 15,000 (PPP terms) constitute a large and solid market for purchase of goods and services of all kinds. There are very few markets except China, India and Indonesia that are underpinned by the size and scale that the fast growing Pakistani middle class offers. Projections show that if the current growth A paper presented at the IPRI-RUSI Conference on â€Å"Pakistan: Strategic Challenges & Prospects† At Royal United Service Institute London on April, 17 2007 ates are attained for the next ten years, Pakistan’s per capita income will double in real terms by 2020. At that time the size of the middle class will rise to 50 million enjoying purchasing power incomes of average $ 30,000 â₠¬â€œ equivalent to those of some of the European countries today. Goldman Sachs has placed Pakistan in the next eleven category of largest economies among developing countries for its long term projection. The requirements of energy, infrastructure, goods and services of these 50 million will have to be met at world class standards.Multinational firms and holders of capital with excess liquidity, eyeing these prospects in emerging countries and feeling saturation in advanced economies, are rethinking their strategies and repositioning themselves. Pakistan along with other Asian countries is one of the beneficiaries of this strategy. The changing demographics of a youthful population and labor force in Pakistan staring against the stark reality of ageing population in Europe, Japan, and US and after a while China reinforce these promising prospects for the future.Of course, none of this will be either automatic or easy and good policies, good governance and good luck will be needed t o realize this scenario. 4. Second, the economic performance in terms of macroeconomic stability, growth, poverty reduction and employment generation has been stellar. Economic growth rates have risen from 1. 8 percent in 2000/01 gradually to average 6 -7 percent a year in the last four years making Pakistan one of the fastest growing economy in the Asia region. For Pakistan these rates are not spectacular but a reversion to mean.The average growth rate of GDP ver 50 year period of Pakistan has been 5. 2 percent per annum. Manufacturing sector output growth was over 15 percent, exports have doubled in US dollar terms in these five years, and an open trade regime has allowed imports from all over the world to triple. Tax revenues have risen by 14 percent a year reducing fiscal deficit which used to average 7 percent a year in the 1990s to average 4 percent. Current account turned around from chronic deficit to a surplus for three successive years mainly due to renewed export growth a nd resurgence of workers’ remittances.Although it has become negative since 2005/06 due to phenomenonal growth in imports of machinery and equipment and increase in world oil prices it is being fully financed by foreign capital flows. Inflation rate during the first four years of the current government remained below 4 percent but oil price pass through and food shortages have led to 8 percent on average since 2004-05. External debt burden has been halved from 52% to 26% of GDP and is projected to be on a declining path.The country’s capacity to service its debt has considerably improved as debt servicing ratio which used to preempt almost 60 percent of public revenues is now down to 28 percent. Poverty incidence has fallen from 34 percent to 24 percent and unemployment rate is down to 6. 5 percent from 8. 4 percent. These movements are in the right direction but they are not acceptable as one in every fourth Pakistani is still living below the poverty line. Table-I su mmarizes the changes in the key economic indicators between October 1999 and June 2006. 5.Third, the basic premise of policy reform agenda was that macroeconomic stability will remain short lived if it was not accompanied by structural reforms to remove microeconomic distortions and by bringing about improvement in economic governance. Pakistan has successfully implemented the first generation of structural reforms that have made the economy more efficient and resilient to face unanticipated exogenous shocks. The main thrust of these reforms was to allow greater freedom to the private sector to own, produce, distribute and trade goods and services while gradually withdrawing the public sector from this arena.The promotion of public private partnership in large infrastructure projects as a policy initiative is likely to overcome some of the problems that are inherent in private infrastructure projects at the same time easing the financing constraints faced by the public sector. The r ole of the state in Pakistan has been redefined as a facilitator, enabler, protecter and regulator rather than directly managing and presiding over the commanding heights of the economy. Government intervention is justified for social protection of the poor, provision of public goods or when there is a clear case of market failure i. externalities, imperfect market structure etc.6. Fourth, Pakistan occupies a key strategic location that links India with Iran, Afghanistan and the Central Asian States, provides access to sea for land locked countries of Central Asia, Afghanistan and Western China, acts as the energy and transit corridor and opens up to the oil rich Gulf States next door. This strategic location alongwith the completed and new investments in ports, highways, pipelines, etc. will throw up vast new opportunities that can be highly attractive.Risk-return relationship in these projects is highly favorable and a number of foreign firms are keen to take the first mover advan tage by locating their investment particularly in Gawadar port area. 7. Leaving aside the current situation that I have described I would like to address two important questions this afternoon that agitate the minds of all potential investors and businessmen – domestic or foreign in respect to Pakistan. First whether the stability and growth that have so far been achieved will prove to be transitory in nature or will be sustained over time.Second, a question that has attracted a lot of attention is whether the September 11,2001 events have much to do with the economic turn around of Pakistan or whether the changes are more fundamental. To examine these two questions we have to look at the strength of economic policies, depth of structural reforms and the quality of economic governance. Before addressing these two questions let me make two broader points to set the context for our subsequent discussion. SUSTAINABILITY OF GROWTH .It should be reiterated that widespread economic reforms in Pakistan were initiated in 1991 by the Nawaz Sharif Government, continued under the Benazir Bhutto Government and further intensified and implemented under the Musharraf Government. Thus there should be no doubt in any body’s mind that the major direction of economic policies being pursued in Pakistan presently enjoys wide political consensus and support among all the leading political parties of Pakistan.The underlying philosophy that the Government should not be in the business of running businesses but regulating the markets and laying down the enabling policy framework has been demonstrably practised by all the successive governments in the past. Deregulation, liberalization, privatization and private sector – led development have been consistently followed for the last 16 years, and there is very little doubt in my mind, that these will remain the pillars of future economic policy in Pakistan irrespective of which political party assumes power.Of cours e, there will be differences in approaches, tactics and nuances, episodes of point scoring, distancing from the specific transactions of the previous governments, coming up with new modalities but the substance and thrust of economic policies will remain the same and transcend partisan politics. 9. The second important point that should be kept in mind is that Pakistan has a long, uninterrupted history of an open, non-discriminatory and liberal foreign investment regime. The Government of Mr. Z. A.Bhutto in early 1970s nationalized domestic manufacturing industry, banks and insurance companies but did not touch foreign investment. Not only that the risks of expropriation and transfer are almost zero the level playing field that is afforded to foreign investors is unparalleled in developing world. This is a deliberate policy measure as Pakistan is squeezed between two economic giants – China and India – and we cannot afford to keep the same bar on the entry of foreign i nvestors as our great neighbors have placed.We have to be much more accommodating and keep the door wide open to allow foreign investors to help our economy by bringing in capital, managerial skills, transfer of technology and integration into global markets. This policy of liberal foreign investment regime is solidly grounded in the political ethos and economic imperatives of Pakistan. 10. Now let me take up as to how a combination of strong economic policies, structural reforms economic governance and good luck has changed the economic landscape of Pakistan in many fundamental ways. Strength of economic policies 11.The bane of Pakistan’s economic problems stemmed from fiscal indiscipline over a decade that plunged Pakistan into a debt trap. This root cause had therefore to be surgically removed so that the likelihood of its further recurrence in the future is minimized A Fiscal Responsibility Law has been approved by the Parliament, which keeps a lid on the future governmen ts’ propensity to borrow their way out. Debt / GDP ratio has to be reduced by 2. 5 percentage points each year and the Debt/ GDP ratio cannot exceed 60 percent. Any deviation has to be explained to the Parliament and need its approval.This law will hopefully act as a major restraint on fiscal recklessness in the future. 12. Monetary policy is now operated by an independent central bank keeping the objective of price stability, financial stability and growth in mind. Although it involves a fine balancing act and inflationary pressures have surfaced during the last two years the Central Bank is committed to pursue a monetary policy that keeps inflation under control. Indirect market- based policy instruments have replaced credit ceilings, caps on deposit and lending rates, preferential treatment to government and directed credit to priority sectors.Interest rates and exchange rates are market determined and credit allocation decisions are made by the individual banks based on o bjective criteria but guided by prudential regulations. 13. External debt management policy was focused on (a) reprofiling of the stock of official bilateral debt, (b) substituting concessional loans for non-concessional from international financial institutions, (c) pre-paying expensive loans and (d) liquidating short term liabilities.Debt ratio has thus been reduced from 100 percent of GDP to 56 percent in five years time. This restructuring of debt has put Pakistan on a firm footing as the debt and debt servicing ratios are on a declining path. This has provided scope and enlarged the capacity of the country to meet all its future foreign exchange liabilities and obligations without much difficulty. Credit worthiness indicators have all improved and Pakistan is no longer that vulnerable to external shocks as it was in 1998 at the time of the nuclear tests. 14.Trade policy in Pakistan has been categorized by the World Bank as one of the least restrictive in South Asia along with S ri Lanka and this policy has gradually provided incentives to exporters to increase their market share in the global markets. Exchange rate policy is pursued to maintain stability in the foreign exchange markets while at the same time keeping the competitiveness of Pakistani exports intact. Large accumulation of foreign reserves played an important role in stabilizing the exchange rate and cushioning the economy from the adverse and abrupt exogenous disturbances.One of the tests that the country successfully met in the last two years was to absorb the oil price hike from $ 25/ barrel to $ 75/ barrel without any serious dislocation of economic activity or any loss of foreign reserves. Five years ago if this escalation had happened the exchange rate would have tumbled and inflation rate would have hit double digits. 15. Pakistan has also made significant efforts in unilaterally liberalizing its trade regime since the 1990s. The maximum tariff rate has declined from 225 percent in 1990 -1 to 25 percent; the average tariff rate stands at just 9 percent compared to 65 percent a decade ago.The number of duty slabs has also been reduced to four. Quantitative import restrictions have been eliminated except those relating to security, health, public morals, religious and cultural concerns. The statutory orders that exempted certain industries from import duties or provided selective concessions to privileged individual firms have been phased out and import duties on 4,000 items were reduced. Protection to domestic industry is no longer a policy objective and a uniform, across – the board, transparent regulatory regime with level playing field has been put in place.These measures have brought down effective rate of protection, eliminated the anti-export bias and promoted competitive and efficient industries. A number of laws have also been promulgated to bring the trade regime in conformity with World Trade Organization regulations. These include anti-dumping and countervailing measures and protection of intellectual property rights. This unilateral opening up to global trade has benefited the domestic firms in improving their efficiency and making themselves competitive.STRUCTURAL REFORMS 16. It was realized by the policy makers that stability will remain elusive and short lived if it was not accompanied by structural reforms to remove micro economic distortions and by bringing about improvement in economic governance. Concurrently with the debt restructuring, the country embarked on the fiscal policy reforms and consolidation by raising tax revenues, reducing expenditures, cutting down subsidies of all kinds and containing the losses of public enterprises.Tax reforms were undertaken to widen tax base, remove direct contact between tax payers and tax collectors, introduce value-added tax as the major source of revenue, simplify tax administration and strengthen the capacity of the Central Board of Revenue. Although these reforms are still u nderway, the adoption of universal self assessment followed by random audit of selected tax returns, automation and reorganization of the tax machinery have begun to help improve tax collection.Tax-GDP ratio in Pakistan is lower in comparison to other developing countries and has to be raised in the next five years to reach the average level of comparator countries. 17. As one of the sources of fiscal problems was the losses and inefficiencies of public enterprises the Musharraf Government actively pursued an aggressive privatization plan whose thrust was sale of assets in the oil and gas industry as well as in the banking, telecommunications and energy sectors, to strategic investors, with foreign investors encouraged to participate in the privatization process.Pakistan’s record on privatization since 1991 has been impressive but the transactions completed in the last few years have yielded $ 3 billion stopping the hemorrhaging of public finances that were used to underwrite the losses of these enterprises. These privatized banks are now contributing substantial sums to the national exchequer as they have all become profitable. 18. As Pakistan would continue to rely on foreign capital flows for augmenting its domestic savings it had to demonstrate its seriousness in encouraging foreign investment.There has been a major and perceptible liberalization of the foreign exchange regime. Foreign investors can set up their business in Pakistan in any sector of the economy – agriculture, manufacturing real estate, retail trade, services, banking etc. , bring in and take back their capital, remit profits, dividends, royalties and fees etc. , without any prior approvals. Foreign companies are allowed to raise funds from domestic banks and capital markets.They are treated equally with national firms in all respects and can bring in expatriate staff to run their businesses. 19. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) can also enter and exit the market freely witho ut any restrictions or prior approvals. In the Karachi Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of US$50 billion and over 650 listed companies corporate earnings were on average in 20-25 percent range much higher than those in most emerging countries. This makes Pakistan an attractive place to invest for foreign portfolio investors too.As part of this liberalization, non-residents and residents are allowed to maintain and operate foreign currency deposit accounts, and a market-based exchange rate in the inter-bank market is at work. 20. Financial sector reforms in Pakistan were also initiated early in the 1990s when new banking licenses were granted to private domestic banks to set up their shops along with the nationalized commercial banks and foreign banks. Although these reforms were implemented with fits and start, they were accelerated since 1997.The Central Bank was granted autonomy and the control of the Ministry of Finance over banking institutions was diluted. More deep rooted reforms were undertaken since 1999 when net non-performing loans of the banking system were brought down to less than 3 percent of total advances and loans, minimum capital requirements were raised to $100 million, the quality of new loans was improved, mergers and consolidation of financial institutions eliminated a number of weaker players and the range of products and services offered by the banks was widened.But the most crucial policy action taken by the Government, in my view, was the privatization of Habib Bank, United Bank, and Allied Bank – three large nationalized commercial banks of the country. As a result of these reforms, the share of the private sector ownership of the banking assets has risen to 80 percent and the banking sector is facing a healthy but strong competitive environment. The banks are highly profitable and the average lending rates have declined considerably as automation, on-line banking and multiple channels of delivery have improved the efficiency of services in response to market competition.1. Agriculture credit, SME financing, consumer loans and microcredit have become mainstream products of the banking industry and the borrower base of the banking system has multiplied from 1 million to 4 million households. The middle and lower middle class which had been completely shut off from access to banking services are now enjoying car loans, mortgages, credit cards, consumer durables. Small farmers are using bank credit for buying chemical fertilizers, certified seeds, insecticides, small implements and hiring tractor services.Small and medium entrepreneurs are expanding their fabrication and manufacturing capacities and upgrading technology. Landless labor and poor women in the rural areas are receiving loans for poultry, small livestock, sewing machines, etc. The main beneficiaries of these reforms are the customers of financial services although it must be recognized that market determined deposit rates have also d eclined significantly. But as the lending rates are surging upwards, deposit rates are also going to depict an upward movement with time lag.The outreach of banking sector is still very sparse outside the urban areas and has to be extended to cover at least 50 percent of rural households if any meaningful results are to be achieved in poverty reduction and urban – rural income inequalities. 22. Deregulation of oil and gas, telecommunication and civil aviation sectors have also brought about significant positive results. Oil and gas exploration activity has stepped up in recent years and constant discovery and production from new gas fields operated by private sector companies have added new capacity to meet the growing energy needs of the country.Independent power producers – both domestic and foreign private companies – have played a critical role in filling in electricity generation requirements of Pakistan since 1996. Telecommunication has witnessed a boom si nce the private sector companies were allowed licenses to operate cellular phones. One million new cellular phone connections are being added every month and the number of phones has already reached about 50 million or a penetration rate of almost 33 percent.Long distance international and local loop monopoly of Pakistan Telecommunications Corporation has been broken and new licenses including for wireless local loop have been issued. The customers are reaping rich dividends as the prices of phone calls – local, long distance, international – are currently only a fraction of the previous rates. One of the advantages of privatization of the state monopoly, i. e. , the PTCL would be felt in form of higher bandwidth penetration that has lagged behind other Asian countries. Economic Governance 23.The most significant shift introduced by the military government is in promoting good economic governance although we have still a long way to go. The reforms in some of the most important federal institutions – the Central Board of Revenue (CBR), Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Pakistan Railways – initiated some years ago – are already beginning to take some hold and making a difference as far as governance is concerned. Discretionary powers have been significantly curtailed but corruption at lower echelons of the Government is still widely rampant.Freedom of press and access to information has had a salutary effect on the behaviour of decision makers but this has not trickled down to the lower bureaucracy yet where implementation of the policies takes place. The post 2003 period has witnessed some decline in the Transparency International ratings of Pakistan compared to the 1999-2002 period. 24. The cornerstone of the governance agenda is the devolution plan which transfers powers and responsibilities, including those related to social services from the federal and provincial governments to local levels.This plan was put into effect in 2001. The main premise of the devolution plan is the belief that development effort at the local level should be driven by priorities set by elected local representatives, as opposed to bureaucrats sitting in provincial and federal capitals. Devolution of power will thus strengthen governance by increasing decentralization, de-concentration, accountability and people's participation in their local affairs. However, in the meanwhile the transition has created its own set of dislocations and disruptions in the delivery of services that need to be addressed. 25.Other essential ingredients for improving economic governance are the separation of policy and regulatory functions which were earlier combined within the ministry. Regulatory agencies have been set up for economic activities such as banking, finance, aviation, telecommunications, power, oil, gas etc. The regulatory structures are now independent of the ministry and enjoy quasijud icial powers. The Chairman and Board members enjoy security of tenure and cannot be arbitrarily removed. They are not answerable to any executive authority and hold public hearings and consultations with stakeholders. 6. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been functioning quite effectively for the last five years as the main anti-corruption agency. A large number of high government officials, politicians and businessmen were sentenced to prison, subjected to heavy fines and disqualified from holding public office for twenty-one years on charges of corruption after conviction in the courts of law. Major loan and tax defaulters were also investigated, prosecuted and forced to repay their overdue loans and taxes. 27.Civil service reforms aimed at improving recruitment, training, performance management, career progression, right sizing of ministries and attached departments, and improving compensation for government employees are part of the second generation reforms of the go vernment for building strong institutions in the country. Proposals have been developed to depoliticize recruitment, promotions and career development, enhance the independence and responsibilities of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and systematically introduce merit based recruitment and promotions.The Civil Service Act has to be amended to reflect performance based career progression enabling the government to reward efficient and competent civil servants. The public sector educational training infrastructure is also being restructured to strengthen skill based training of civil servants at all levels. These are highly demanding reforms and a consensus has to be built among the stakeholders before they can be accepted and implemented. 28. Reforms in access to justice, under implementation since 2001 will deal with delays in the provision of justice, case management, automation, and court formation systems.In addition, human resources, management information systems an d the infrastructure supporting judicial system are being revamped and upgraded. Small Causes Courts have been established to provide relief to the poor who have small claims. Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanisms have proved to be successful in bringing expeditious disposal of commercial and tax disputes and are being replicated for wider application. IMPACT OF SEPTEMBER 11 EVENTS. 29.A large number of observers and casual empiricists both within and outside Pakistan have been making bold but untested assertion that it is the massive aid flows and debt relief resulting from Pakistan’s participation in the war against terror after September 11, 2001 that has been responsible for the large reserve accumulation and economic turnaround. It is true that September 11 did help in diverting workers’ remittances from open market to inter bank, in providing some debt relief and new loans and grants, in removing official sanctions, but there were also huge costs incurred by Pa kistan.Export orders of more than $1 billion were cancelled. Visits by foreign buyers were suspended and are still avoided due to travel advisory, higher war risk premium was charged on freight and insurance premiums were raised. 30. The data presented in Table-II shows that even if we assume the extreme case that all official transfers, debt relief and all foreign loans/ credits represent the â€Å"gift† of September 11 to Pakistan, this combined amount represents only 8. 5% of total Foreign Exchange Earnings of the Country in FY-06.At its peak in FY-02, this amount was 21. 6%. But this entire amount is not a direct fall out of September 11 because Pakistan has been receiving foreign loans and grants every year since the 1950s. For example, in FY-00 and FY-01, the two years prior to September 11, we received 16 per cent and 19. 9% of Foreign Exchange Earnings in form of foreign loans and grants. The country had a positive overall balance and positive current and capital acco unt balances in FY 2000-01 much before September 11, 2001 occurred.Even in FY 1999-00 the deficit on overall balance was quite small less than 1% of GDP. Pakistan’s reserves had started accumulating in FY 2000-01 and SBP’s own reserves had almost doubled after paying off foreign currency deposits of almost $1. 7 billion to the non-resident and institutional holders and $. 2. 8 billion in debt servicing to external creditors. Thus, this perception that every thing good that has happened to the country is a direct consequence of September 11 is not only incorrect but highly exaggerated for the reasons described below. 1. It should be recognized that any external financial relief such as provided in the aftermath of Sept 11 would dissipate quickly and thus remain temporary and transitory in nature until it is accompanied by fundamental structural reforms that clean up the economic landscape, unshackle the entrepreneurial energies of private economic actors, lay the founda tions for competitive markets under the vigilant eyes of regulators and expand the productive and foreign exchange earning capacity of the country.As pointed out earlier unless the reforms of financial sector, liberalization of trade and tariff regime, improvement in tax policy and administration, deregulation of oil and gas and telecom sectors and privatization of state owned enterprises were put in place it would not have been possible to take advantage of the situation offered by Sept. 11 for its contribution to the dynamism of the economy and sustained growth during the last four years. 32.The data presented in Table-II clearly demonstrates that Pakistan’s foreign exchange earning capacity has expanded from $ 15 billion annually to $ 40 billion during the last six years or 33% GDP from 20% of GDP. Contrary to popular perception, it is the Pakistani businesses and nationals working abroad who provide the bulk of the foreign exchange earnings of the country. It is totally f allacious to argue that if the foreigners particularly Americans withdraw their financial assistance then the country will be in dire trouble.Less than $ 3. 5 billion are received through all types of foreign assistance while about $ 30 billion are generated by Pakistani businesses and nationals and the remaining amount accrues from foreign direct investment, privatization and international markets. If this pattern of foreign exchange earnings persist in the future the relative share of foreign assistance in form of grants or loans from United States, other friendly bilaterals and multilaterals will continue to decline and will become insignificant in the next 5-10 years. 3. In order to further evaluate the veracity of the assertions of the theory of dependence of our economy on the US, four key indicators are selected (a) US assistance as percent of Pakistan’s total budgetary expenditure (b) US assistance as percent of Pakistan’s total foreign exchange receipts (c) US assistance as percent of total current account receipts of Pakistan and (d) US assistance as percent of total value of imports of Pakistan.These indicators have been carefully chosen to see as to how much damage will accrue to our balance of payments and fiscal accounts if the US for one reason or the other abruptly decides to withdraw its assistance of all types. 34. The results of this analysis shown in Table III indicate that even under the worst case scenario of zero aid flows and no reimbursements for logistics services rendered to the US troops the diminution in foreign exchange receipts or budgetary resources would be insignificant – varying between 4. 5% of total foreign exchange receipts to 7. % of total budgetary expenditures. The other two indicators i. e. the proportions of total value of imports and current account receipts financed by U. S. assistance account for 6. 4 % and 5. 8% respectively – not worrisome amounts. 35. There is no doubt that the Govern ment of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan do very much appreciate the financial and moral support demonstrated by the U. S Government at the critical moment of Pakistan’s economy. Several other collateral benefits accrued to the economy as a result of the U.S bilateral debt forgiveness, strict scruntiny of remittances through informal channels, the US EXIM Bank and OPIC’s highly positive initiatives towards Pakistan and the withdrawl of all different types of economic sanctions. U. S Administration played a helpful role in ensuring larger volume of concessional assistance to Pakistan through the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The prompt and generous response to the Earthquake of October 2005 by the U. S Government, private sector and on-governmental organizations left a very favorable impressions in the minds of Pakistanis. 36. US is an important trading and investment partner of Pakistan and we should continue to remain friends with this superpower. The purpose of this analysis is not to show that we care little for our friendly relations or do not cherish friendship with the Government or the people of the United States. As a matter of fact we should expand our relations with the United States in the areas of higher education, science and technology transfer, trade, investment and labor flows.We should also seek duty free market access for the products exported from the Reconstruction opportunity Zones (ROZs) in the Tribal areas as part of our joint strategy to provide economic benefits to the 3 million population living on the porous border with Afghanistan. But the main argument of this analysis is that the pundits in the US who believe that they can use the leverage of US official aid to paralyze Pakistan’s economy are sadly mistaken as they have an exaggerated sense of the importance of these official flows.Any attempt to impose conditions that impinge upon the sovereignty of Pakistan or conflict with our own national interests can be resisted without creating a serious dislocation to our macro economic stability or growth prospects. 37. Despite these reforms, Pakistan is facing many difficult challenges and will continue to face new unforeseen challenges. There is no room for complacency. One fourth of the population still lives below the poverty line.Human Development Indicators remain low as almost half of the population is illiterate, infant and maternal mortality rates are high, access to quality education and health care particularly by the poor is limited, income and regional inequalities are widespread, infrastructure shortages and deficiencies persist, skill shortages are taking a toll in the economy's productivity while at the same time, there is high unemployment and underemployment. Most worrying to me is that Pakistan's image abroad is quite negative.Foreigners are reluctant to visit Pakistan as they perceive the country to be a dangerous place. The worldwide preoccupation with the l arge economies of China and India and the ever-increasing quest to enter these markets is also working to the disadvantage of countries such as Pakistan. But the lesson we have learned is that there is no point in complaining and whining about this but to get on with the job, to work even harder, to overcome these deficiencies and constraints and to hope for the best.

I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God Essay

Polonius’ statement, found in Act Two, Scene Two, reflects the symmetry and order of the society he lives in. He inhabits a world of certainty and medieval convention. The play can be seen to challenge the statement, both in the action and in the characters, particularly in the character of Hamlet himself. It is Hamlet, the ‘renaissance’ man of the play, whose controversial attitude is constantly seen to challenge the medieval certainties that could still be seen in Jacobean society. Value was placed on duty to the monarch and to God; the institution of marriage was sacred and scientific reasoning was absolute and definite. All these things are challenged in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The social and cultural climate of Jacobean society was such that certainties and conventions were held in high esteem- Shakespeare’s Hamlet is written in the context of, for example, the social hierarchy of the time, the medieval court, and religion. All of these are challenged in the play by both the characters and the plot. Even the very form of the statement challenges these certainties, for the couplet is a chiasmus- the symmetrical structure reflects the very nature of the society in which Polonius lives. In Shakespeare’s time society was beginning to ask some of the questions which Shakespeare addresses through the character of Hamlet. Most people embraced a rational, scientific line of thinking – Elizabethans were not always heavily superstitious. For example, in Act one, Scene one, Horatio expresses doubt at the existence of the ghost: ‘Before my God, I might not this believe Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes. ‘ They also began to question the old hierarchy and the natural order of things- such as God and ‘gracious king’ upon the dawn of the Renaissance. The idea of society as a fixed structure and everything being ordained in the world was indeed a strong certainty. Hamlet has a clear vision of things as they are – he is a realist, a Renaissance man, unlike characters such as Claudius and Polonius who Shakespeare portrays to be lacking in vision. Shakespeare shows the court to be full of people who think that all these things are absolute simply because they have always been a certain way. Hamlet is also the main vehicle through which Shakespeare conveys his views. Hamlet has indeed been brought up with medieval and religious certainties too. ‘Or that the everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst self- slaughter. ‘ A modern audience may very well see Hamlet as being rather tame- a twenty-first century rebel would not acknowledge proprieties such as the divine ban on suicide- but Hamlet seeks more than revenge. He is a melancholy individual, who searches for the answers to some of these questions; through the title statement, Shakespeare challenges his contemporary audience and the modern audience to question these certainties too. Hamlet’s clear vision is in direct contrast to the other characters, in the sense that he is the only character who is prepared to question these certainties and to try and define, in a sense, what the true meaning of life is, what it is all about. Shakespeare challenges the statement of duty to God and king by implying, through the character of Hamlet that life is underpinned by something other than the monarch and the church. Hamlet is totally aware of the beauty of the world yet at the same time has a pessimistic outlook on the gifts of man as we are all destined to die anyway: ‘What piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: ‘and yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? ‘ The character of Polonius is underpinned by values such as duty to God and king- this is illustrated not only in Act Two Scene Two but also in Act One Scene Three: ‘This above all : to thine own self be true, As it must follow the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man. ‘ This quotation illustrates a simplistic outlook on life. The main way in which Shakespeare challenges this outlook is, ironically, in Polonius’ death. In Act Three, scene four, Polonius is casually and ignominiously killed by Hamlet : ‘O, I am slain. ‘ Polonius expresses surprise as much as anything, while Hamlet ‘s words reinforce the irony of Polonius’ self- importance: ‘I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune: Thou find’st to be too busy in some danger. ‘ Polonius is clearly at home in this ordered society and shows a passive acceptance of the status quo. He has a simple medieval outlook on life and clearly values his duty to his God and king; however, he dies by ridiculous accident. Although throughout his life he has clearly endeavoured to serve these two entities to the best of his ability, he still dies an unnatural, brutal death. Shakespeare is therefore illustrating the irrelevance that these values have to life, both in Shakespeare’s era and now. The statement which Polonius makes in Act Two Scene Two about duty to God and King allows the reader to infer a lot about the character of Polonius and the world in which he lives- he does not seek new experience. These medieval certainties are also challenged in the character of Claudius. He is obviously not on the side of God- indeed, he seems to contradict the very reasoning of the church by the brutal manner in which he murders the king. It is ironic therefore that he seems to declare himself king by divine right as he actually dies with a guilty conscience: ‘There’s such divinity doth hedge a king That treason can but peep to what it would, Acts little of his will. ‘ Here it appears that Claudius has conveniently forgotten exactly how he became king. Shakespeare is challenging the idea of kingship. He is showing the court to be full of people who think things are the way they are because they have always been done that way, such as Polonius, Gertrude, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The character of Claudius highlights the corruption of the medieval court. The intrigue and machiavellian machinations of the court are self justifying to all these people; for example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deceive Hamlet and go behind his back simply because they are serving their king. In Shakespeare’s time deception and violence were commonplace if they would benefit the king. Although Claudius seems to take the moral high-ground throughout the play he has no good intentions toward Hamlet at all. Shakespeare’s Hamlet also challenges the institution of marriage- it is shown in the conduct of Gertrude and Claudius not be a sacred union but a justification for excessive promiscuity. Hamlet is distraught by his mother’s rapid re- marriage to his uncle after his father’s death: ‘To post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets’. Shakespeare invites us then to question the notion of a stable royal marriage, and the values that society had then and the values we have now. Hamlet is disgusted by their sexual excesses and, moreover feels he has been tainted by them: ‘O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew. ‘ Shakespeare is challenging the morality of the royal marriage- the fact that Gertrude marries the king’s own brother shortly after his death seems to suggest the absence of love. In Hamlet, the degree of emotion and true respect in marriage is shown to be weak- it is easily overruled by lust, as the ghost of the previous king states: ‘Let not the royal bed of Denmark be. A couch for luxury and damned incest’. Hamlet is an unconventional revenge tragedy- Shakespeare subverts the genre. Hamlet is reluctant to take revenge whereas Laertes is hot- headed, impulsive and ready to avenge the murder of Polonius: ‘It warms the very sickness in my heart That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, ‘Thus diest thou’. Shakespeare undermines the concept further by showing that Hamlet is not in fact a coward- his ideas are slightly more subtle. He is indeed hesitant about avenging his father’s murder- he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius in Act Three, scene four, as he does not want to kill him in an act of redemption. This goes against the traditional idea of medieval and Jacobean revenge: ‘A villain kills my father, and for that To heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. ‘ This is a challenge to the genre because Hamlet is prepared to bide his time in order to achieve the perfect murder- he wont be spontaneous and impulsive. This is shown by the fact that he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius. Shakespeare’s Hamlet has a good degree of relevance to life in the twenty- first century. Although some of the major themes, such as the court and incest, are no longer applicable to modern life, we can relate to some of the underlying themes such as love, sorrow and resentment; we can relate to the emotional distress. Reasoning in Medieval Denmark where the play is set nor indeed in Jacobean society is not so different to our reasoning today- the majority of people today may not believe in ghosts but characters in the play, such as Horatio, and some people in Jacobean society do not believe in ghosts either. In Act one, scene five, Hamlet makes this very thought- provoking comment to Horatio: ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy’. We have our certainties today- in the form of scientific reasoning; but our certainties are equally open and capable of being challenged. One of the main themes in Hamlet is death- we are still uncertain about what happens after we die. The character of Hamlet himself has a romantic, post modernist way of thinking; everything is relative and there are no certainties- only thoughts: ‘Nothing is good or bad. Thinking makes it so. ‘ In a sense here Hamlet can be compared to the Romantics. Keats wrote in the context of Shakespeare: †Twixt damnation and impassion’d clay’. (‘On Sitting Down To Read King Lear’) This in a sense is what underpins Shakespeare’s Hamlet- the idea that whatever certainties are held in any given era will always be questionable, and open to discussion. Our certainties will always be challenged because nothing is definite, or absolute. This romantic concept is based on the idea that this is what life is about- challenging certainties in order to try and discover the ineffable truth about this world and the next.

A Critique of the Flint Michigan Water Crisis

A Critique of the Flint Michigan Water Crisis Several years ago, there began a crisis in Flint Michigan with their water supply. It had been heavily polluted and became very undrinkable. The residents in these areas had water of every color in the spectrum, such as brown, yellow, and black. Such issues occurred because mistreated water eating away at the lead pipes. This lead to toxic levels in the supply, which inevitably made it change color as well as be deemed unsafe for consumption. Many individuals in such areas are still facing these issues, and resolution is not only complex but seems nearly impossible at this point. Even those who are not directly suffering these issues should be sympathetic as well as helpful for those experiencing such issues. I personally have a friend who attends a university in this town. His name is Saud and he is still having many problems with his water supply. Although, he claimed that the color is becoming much better, he still does not trust it to drink. He says that there are many in the same boat as him and that it is taking way too long to resolve such issues. Purchasing filtered water for consumption as well as showering has become a huge expense to him. This problem is so bad that he is actually considering switching universities because he is tired of waiting and dealing with such issues. I not only feel bad for my friend, but for all the others undergoing similar situations. It is highly unfair that anyone is not granted clean water. We all need this to survive and without it we would surely parish. I remember watching something on television with the CEO of Nestle water. The interviewer asked this man if everyone is deserving of clean and clear water and he said only if they are paying for it. This really struck me, and I still think of that from time to time. Here is a guy who has millions if not trillions of bottles of water, and he would not even give some to these poor individuals for free. What a perfect example of corporate greed, while many people suffer, those who can vastly make a difference turn their cheeks to the issues. Although such situations are very sad, they have given me a newfound appreciation for what I do have. Clean water may not seem like a great thing until you do not have it. Clean water is not only an issue in Flint but throughout the world as well. Many third world countries are left without clean water, while many travel miles for dirty brown water. While we simply get free clean and clear water anywhere, even free at restaurants. Often times we take for granted simple luxuries such as water. No one appreciates such things until they are taken from them. I, however, will always be grateful for the clean water supply I have had my entire life. I will pray for these individuals in Flint, and the others throughout the world who do not have good water supplies.

Hospice and Palliative Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Hospice and Palliative Care - Essay Example According to the discussion the data was collected, taking into consideration what would be applicable for the client ´s care in a delicate manner. It was collected at the Hospice of Central Ohio and at the Palliative Care of Central Ohio. The information was gathered from the centers. The objectives of these organizations are to work closely with the death processes and all of those involved with it. The target audience is everyone that is involved with the dying processes.From this paper it is clear that the services rendered by these organizations are covered by Medicaid and Medicare benefits and most of them provide insurance. These two organizations are non-profit organizations. These services are related to the course because they provides help and they want to improve the society by informing it of death issues, services and ways in which they are able to assist their dying loved one and ways in which they are able to overcome the death loss. The strengths of these organizat ions are that they provide support to the client and their families, such as, how to cope with illnesses. They also ensure that the clients and their famillies are receiving the best possible care. The possible weaknesses are that they may not be available during their entire grieving process. They may, however, be referred to other specialists that may help them for a longer period of time.  On an overall basis, the assessment of these services are positive. There are 200 trained volunteers.  

Critical review report of Coastal Zone Management Essay

Critical review report of Coastal Zone Management - Essay Example â€Å"The national CZM Program is based on the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, which is implemented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. The Coastal Services Center is a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration devoted to serving the nations state and local coastal resource management programs by linking people, information, and technology.† (Coastal Zone Management) Coastal zone management is very essential because there have been a lot of changes in the global environment in the recent decades. There must also be development of these resources for better utilization and bringing awareness to people. There must be wise use of these resources which build the wealth of the nations. Hence the coastal zone management is very important for every nation. In today’s world, with the changing climatic conditions globally and with the green house effect it is very important to maintain the coastal waters. The earth is made up of 75 percent of water. The coastal region is less than fifteen percent in the world but it holds more than fifty percent of the world population in it. It is also one of the major natural resources which add to the wealth of the nations. Management measures must be taken for control against erosion, sedimentation, to retain the nutrients etc. It is also important to understand the behavior of the coasts and prevent them from being destroyed either by natural sources or physical sources. Flooding and erosion are the major problems faced by the coast due to natural reasons. Polluting the coast would be physical reasons of destroying the efficiency of the coast. All this will cause decrease in the number of tourists visiting the coastal areas. And also affect the fifty percent of the world population who live with in 200 kilometers of

Why Students Plagiarize and Consequences of Plagiarism Assignment - 1

Why Students Plagiarize and Consequences of Plagiarism - Assignment Example This paper seeks to try and identify exactly what is meant by plagiarism, the reason as to why it is so extensive and the probable effects of plagiarism on students and institutions. According to Anderson (1998), plagiarism can essentially be defined as the act of using another person’s words without undertaking to give the person any of the credit that is due to that person. Plagiarism is seen to have its root set in the traditional Western civilization concept of property ownership. During the historical period of the Greco-Roman era, it was common to find orators and authors frequently borrowing from one another, however, the discovery of such theft was usually met with a lot of public ridicule and sarcasm. Intellectual property protection can be deemed to be primarily concerned about money and the freedom for an individual to develop various ideas into a number of products and works that will be found to be of immense benefit to society. To encourage discovery and creative development among its citizens, the law is designed so as to give an originator a certain amount of time within which he will be allowed to control both the content and disbursement of any of the products which might happen to result from his idea. In the event that someone happens to seat al use this original material, they are liable to be charged with infringement of property. There are a number of reasons as to why plagiarism is found to be so extensive among students within higher education. In a study conducted on a sample size of 5000 students, the results of the study suggested that an estimated three-quarter of the sample group admitted to having engaged in some form of academic cheating. A large number of students in the sample group recorded as having previously plagiarized supports the notion that while it is possible to reduce plagiarism in the various institutions of higher learning, it is nevertheless impossible to completely eliminate it.  16 percent of the students in the study cited the reason as to why they plagiarized was a result of the belief that they would not be caught, students were aware of the rather immense pressure that the university staff were under as a result of teaching and marking the results of a large number of students and believed that they could be able to safely take the chance with submitting plagiarized work.

The Use of Plastic Waste Products for Building Materials to Reduce the Essay

The Use of Plastic Waste Products for Building Materials to Reduce the Housing Shortage for the People of the Dalit Caste in India - Essay Example The Dalit communities are groups who belong to one of the castes of the untouchables. These groups have suffered under oppression for centuries, the traditions of the social structure keeping them in poverty and despair, struggling for scraps of food and limiting their ability to earn a living to working in the ‘unclean’ professions. One of those professions is in the waste disposal of the cities, meaning that the communities of the Dalits are in direct contact with plastic waste products. Systems of creating plastic waste products into building materials through various means of technological innovations have presented a use for the waste materials that the Dalits have access to in order to solve one of their biggest problems – housing shortages. This thesis intends to explore the nature of the production of building materials through recycling of plastics in order to address the issue of housing shortages, which will also present the communities for opportunitie s of an entrepreneurial nature which can help to curb the poverty in those regions. Through an examination of the nature of plastic from production through its disposal, the environmental impact will be explored so that the benefit of repurposing the product for building materials can be more thoroughly understood. The focus of this research will be on the nature of plastic, with information about the social structure of the Dalit communities explored in order to address the potential for introducing recycling systems for creating building materials.

The title to be used when submitting this assignment is Materiality in Essay

The title to be used when submitting this assignment is Materiality in Auditing - Essay Example Therefore, an auditor has to set a materiality level for important and vital aspects of the audit in order to concentrate and focus on the areas that are important and necessary. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) defines materiality as â€Å"the magnitude of an omission or misstatement of an accounting information that, in the light of the surrounding circumstances, makes it probable that the judgement of a reasonable person relying on the information will have been changed or influenced by the omission or misstatement† (Johnstone, et al., 2013 p268) This implies that materiality is about the important issues and matters which when overlooked, will cause the financial statement to be overly misleading. Therefore, in the auditing context, materiality involves a situation whereby the auditor examines and reviews important things in his analysis of the financial statements in order to ensure that the opinion they pass on the financial statement are valid and reliable. Materiality affects sample sizes and determines whether the financial statement needs adjustments or not, and it represents the difference between a qualified and an unqualified report (Bagshaw & Selwood, 2013). This shows how the auditor can estimate the levels of issues that matter and then define the way and manner in which work can be distributed and conducted throughout the entire audit. This therefore means that materiality informs an auditor of which aspects of the financial statement amounts are to be given certain levels of attention. This gives the auditor guidelines on how to evaluate and analyse things and the extent to which focus should be given to certain components of the financial statement. Materiality is to be defined on a case-by-case basis. It involves the integration of professional judgement. It is done by examining the entire financial statement as a whole and this will help the

Organizational culture and IT infrastructure in concurrence with Essay

Organizational culture and IT infrastructure in concurrence with knowledge management - Essay Example A culture does not typically change quickly, but in order to keep up with technology, an adaptable culture must be designed. In conducting the research for this paper, the focus has been placed on the following objectives: To identify and define organizational culture, IT infrastructure, and knowledge management. To create a framework of understanding on how these three aspects of an organization are effectively integrated. To conduct an analysis of these three concepts and formulate a working concept on how best to design and implement them within an organizational structure. Introduction The creation of IT infrastructure is designed to facilitate the management of knowledge in regard to how IT is implemented and in what ways the hardware and software will need to be attended. The choices that are made at this time will affect how responsibility is distributed and where responsibility will be held in regard to keeping systems up and running. Responsibility is in direct correlation t o knowledge and the level to which knowledge is managed and disseminated and can only be held when appropriate knowledge has been disseminated. Organizational culture is in direct alignment with how knowledge is managed and in how the IT infrastructure is designed in reference to its effective use. Literature Review Organizational culture is defined by Martin (2001) as a way to â€Å"explain ‘how things are done around here,’ the ways in which offices are arranged and personal items are or are not displayed, jokes people tell, the working atmosphere (hushed and luxurious or dirty and noisy), the relationships among people†¦aspects of working life† (p. 3). One of the primary factors in how a organizational culture is created is through the affect that leadership has upon the nature of the traditions, habits, and belief systems within a system. According to Schein (2004), â€Å"Culture is both a dynamic phenomenon that surrounds us at all time, being constant ly enacted and created by our interactions with others and shaped by leadership behavior, and a set of structures, routines, rules and norms that guide and constrain behavior† (p, 1). IT infrastructure is the â€Å"equipment, systems software, and services used in common across an organization regardless of mission, or project†¦the foundation on which mission, program, or project specific systems and capabilities are built† (Leonard, 2009, p. 139). Part of that structure is defined by the way in which the culture of an organization is developed and how that has influenced the management of information. In creating an IT infrastructure, an organization must also construct a way in which to manage the knowledge of its use at the various levels that this specific knowledge must be shared and integrated into formal use. According to Khosrowpour (2004), â€Å"Communication between IT and business should be pervasive throughout the organization, informal, regularly occu rring, and use rich methods such as e-mail, video-conferencing, and face-to-face†(p. 442). The report goes on to relay the idea that an important awareness has been reached about the connection between the organizational culture and the IT infrastruc

Those Most Nearly Touched Essay Example for Free

Those Most Nearly Touched Essay One of the most influential critics of the social problems in American history was Civil Rights spokesperson W. E. B. DuBois, who believed that Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touchedcriticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those ledthis is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society. One of the leading vehicles of such criticism since the beginning of the United States of America was literature. Like Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin, American literature molded its history by changing social perspectives with authors voices. Stowes character changed popular American societys views on the morality of permanent servitude, and other writers have introduced new views into mainstream thought by providing social criticism of their generations through characters perspectives. Three such writers were Stephen Crane, Flannery OConnor, and Hunter S. Thompson. Cranes criticism of the nature of war, OConnors criticism of gender, racism and religion, and Thompsons criticism of the deterioration of American values were all voices of American generations and essential elements of the evolution of modern American society. Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage was a novel that exploited an underlying irony of the nature of the American Civil War and war itself, as it was the first non-romantic novel of the Civil War to attain widespread popularity. Rather than depicting soldiers fighting for some noble and important cause, like literature of the American Revolution, Crane painted what seemed to be loosely cohering incidents that demystified and reshaped his generations views on warfare. War was not dignified; it was hard stuff. Men ran away howling. Bodies were strewn and torn. War, went the cliche, was hell. Crane created characters and scenes that highlighted the problems of his Americas popular opinion of war for those whose interests are most nearly touched. In Cranes novel, those people were the innocent young soldiers who were thrown into hell and bestowed with responsibilities and expectations of highly immoral standards. He showed his generation and generations of Americans to come the horrors and the true nature of war. By exposing the fears and inner thoughts of Henry Fleming in his new environments, Crane introduced America to the harsh reality that the blue and the gray honestly dont ever seem too entirely certain why theyre fighting each other. These were merely young men killing each other without really understanding the reason. Crane allowed America to understand the point of view of an innocent thrown into chaos. By doing so, he changed the previously romantic, chivalrous perception of war, and altered it into modern societys idea of war and appreciation of peace. The short stories of Flannery OConnor were also vehicles for social criticism of some problems of her generation, such as gender roles, sin, and racial relations. OConnors stories, written in the late 1940s and 1950s, were hard-hitting writings with a sense of deep despair as to the condition of the society that they described. She grotesquely illustrated the pre-Civil Rights racism problems present in her story Everything that Rises Must Converge. The story, which described a conflict of interest between Julian and his racist mother on a newly de-segregated bus, allowed its reader to realize in the end that both characters were wrong. The mother was ignorant for being racist and living in her own perfect world of sacrifice, while Julian was ignorant for blaming his mother for his place in life and for seeming to only take the side of the black people in the story just to prove her ignorance. In this sense, the ignorance in the story was met with a dose of poetic justice. Julians mother died, while he will be guilty for the remainder of his unhappy life. Another element of her society that OConnor criticized with her literature was its lack of true religious virtue and moral substance. She used multiple Christian elements to ironically sustain internally conflicting characters like Julian, Ruby in Revelation, and Parker in Parkers Back. Religious symbolism pervaded OConnors stories, like the hot breath of the burning tree that Parker met after his tractor accident, which was like the bush that Moses found. The tattoos that adorn Parkers body were absolutely symbolical of OConnors idea of her Americas moral fiber, like the tattoo of Jesus Christ on his back, where he would never see it. The tattoo of a serpent evoked thoughts of the devil in the Garden of Eden. OConnor frequently made use of the religious epiphany, or revelation, in her stories. In Revelation, Ruby experienced an epiphany at the end in the pig parlor as a result of the events that occurred in the doctors office with Mary Grace. Ruby witnessed A visionary light in her eyes; she saw the streak as a vast swinging bridge extending upward from the earth through a field of living fire. Upon it a vaste horde of souls were running towards heaven. In Parkers Back, Parkers conversion was one element of revelation in the story, but the real revelation occurred outside the bar in the alley when Parker contemplated his life. In The Lame Shall Enter First, Nortons father experiences a horrific revelation when he entered the attic at the conclusion of the story. He realized that he had stuffed his own emptiness with good works like a glutton, and had completely ignored the emotional needs of his own son. This fickleness and moral ignorance indicated a strong lack of true religious piety present in her society. Perhaps OConnors greatest legacy to the world of literature and social commentary was her contribution to the widespread perception of gender roles in her American society. Stories like The Life You Save May Be Your Own gave a generation of readers a new perspective on life as a woman in rural America. The grotesque nature of it and OConnors other stories made the message that she conveyed to society particularly sharp-edged. Her criticisms of her societys problems with gender and race relations, and the value of religion, were pungent and effective vehicles of change that molded American mindset in more ways than one. The late Hunter S. Thompson was a third American author that affected a generation with his ? no holds barred journalistic approach to fiction and social criticism. Thompsons underlying criticism was much like Cranes a century earlier. Thompson wondered the point in fighting -on our side or theirs, a sentiment common of to his generation that would not have manifested if Cranes ideas had not. Thompson also criticized the counter-culture created by the Peace and Understanding attained by the chaotic ? baby-boomer rebellion that began in the 1950s and crested in the 1960s. He was not opposed to the increasingly common use of mind-altering drugs as much as he was disappointed in his societys failure to sustain the peace and understanding. Thompson notes, Their loss and failure is ours, too. What (Timothy) Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped to create a generation of permanent cripples, [and] failed seekers. By criticizing the drug culture as a user, Thompson embodied the hypocrisy of the generation that he portrayed. Perhaps he represented drug use as getting rid of the pain of being a man just as well as Richard Nixon represented ? that dark venal, and incurably violent side of the American character. One thing was for certain, that Thompson embodied the changing moral aptitude of America. His society liberalized taboo or immoral topics into mainstream culture like the widespread use of drugs and sex. The proponents of these changes were names such as Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, Cheech and Chong, and Tim Leary. To many, these values, or loss thereof, represented a loss that Thompson termed more decisively as the death of the American Dream. Neither peace nor morality was prevalent in Thompsons era or modern Americas. In this sense, Thompson merely chronicles the changes as he claimed, as a ? gonzo journalist. However, his descriptions were certainly eloquent and meaningful enough to open the eyes of generations following to the realities and perspectives that occurred in the midst of the chaos of his generation. Stephen Crane, Flannery OConnor, and Hunter S. Thompson were three American authors who significantly altered the course of American history with the social criticism present in the perspectives of characters in their literature. Whether the heart of their intended critique on society was gender, religion, race, or war, these writers molded their respective generations and subsequent generation with their voices. They each contributed to the American society that they criticized with their criticism, the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society. Works Cited Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. New York: The Modern Library, 1951. OConnor, Flannery. The Complete Stories. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1971. Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. New York: Random House, 1971. Schwartz, Stephen. The End Of The Counter-Culture. The Weekly Standard, 22 February 2005. Davidson, Andy. University of Mississippi English 224 Angel Online class notes.

The Irony In The Truman Show English Literature Essay

The Irony In The Truman Show English Literature Essay Truman from The Truman Show and Meursault from The Stranger both have things that foreshadow their ultimate choices in life, which include symbolism, existential themes, and irony. In The Truman Show , there is irony present throughout the whole movie. During most of the film, Truman wanted to leave Seahaven and go explore the world. He had a desire to do more than just live a quaint, common life. He is unique, and it is his motivation that makes him stand out. His enduring determination helped him find the answer. For example, he almost drowned during a storm while sailing, but he persisted on. Truman got an answer, but it may not have been the answer he was searching for. Once Truman learned that his life was a television show, he realized he would not be as unique if he left. He would not be the center of attention, and now wants to be just an ordinary person outside of Seahaven. There also irony present throughout The Stranger, as Meursault also has somewhat of an epiphany towards the end of the novel. Throughout the story, Meursault is indifferent to many things and does not show strong moral values. For example, he kills a man without strong reasoning. After getting sentenced to death, he truly realizes why he is getting punished for his actions. He understands what will happen to him and accepts it. Ironically, instead of having moral thoughts or feelings of remorse, he believes that hatred of him would make him feel less alone. However, he realizes he becomes happier when he better understands human existence and purpose. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself-so like a brother, really-I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to fe el less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate, (Part 2, Chapter 5, P.123). He feels lonely, and it is the hate from the crowd of spectators that help him feel less alone. Meursault faced a lot of things like an existentialist. For example, he was ready to accept his consequence after he shot the Arab. He also was ready for death, knowing it is inevitable. Some existential themes include freewill, controlling your own fate, accepting your fate, and taking responsibility for your own actions. These themes are all present in The Stranger. It was the freewill that led him to shooting the Arab, because he was in total control. He chose his fate, accepted the consequences, and took responsibility for what he did. For example, he realized he was going to die, and accepted it. There are also existentialist themes in The Truman Show. Although the shows creator, Christof, tried to keep Truman in Seahaven, he ultimately could not. Trumans freewill and control of his own fate led him to discovering the truth about Seahaven, and thus controlling the outcome of his life. He accepted the reality of his life being centered around a television show, but moved on by leaving Seahaven. Although Trumans artificial world came to an end, he entered reality as he left Seahaven. Symbolically, Trumans fake world coming to an end was foreshadowed by a previous event. The light fixture that fell as Truman left his home symbolized things starting to fall apart. Shortly after this even, there were more examples that caused him to be suspicious and doubtful of the world around him. Another great example of symbolism in the film was the unfinished bridge that Truman and Marlon had conversations on. Truman was always uncertain of something when he spoke to Marlon on the bridge, and it could represent Trumans unfulfilled life and uncertainty. Although Trumans life was unfulfilled in his eyes, there is something that foreshadows him traveling in the future and discovering something. The name of his sailboat was the Santa Maria, which was a famous boat that Columbus sailed to America on. This foreshadowed Truman leaving the town of Seahaven to explore a completely new world. There is much symbolism present in The Stranger as well. For example, Mersault does not like being uncomfortable, especially from the weather. Many perceive the sun as a source of warmth, sometimes beauty, but Meursault dislikes the heat. The sun normally brings joy, emotional warmth or comfort to an individual, but Meursault seems to dislike feeling emotional in any way. He also dislikes heat from the sun. The sun was a barrier of Mersaults emotions. It also led him to murder. While walking on the beach, Meursault encountered the Arab again. The Arab reflected light off of his knife from the sun. Meursault thought to himself, All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead and, instinctively, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes, (Part 1, Ch.6, P.59). Right after this, he shot and killed the Arab. It seems like the little emotions that Meursault had took over his actions. Before walks up to the Arab and shoots him, Meursault thinks to himself, It occurred to me that all I had to do was turn around and that would be the end of it. But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back. I took a few steps toward the spring, (Part 1, Ch.6, P.58).However, towards the end of the novel he did gain some morals and understood much more about life. When he did, he looked into the window, with the sun shining behind it, and gazed at his reflection: I moved closer to the window, and in the last light of day I gazed at my reflection one more time, (Part 2, Ch.2, P.81). As you can see, existential themes, symbols and irony not only foreshadow, but affect Meursaults and Trumans ultimate choices in life.

Charlotte Temple Essay :: essays research papers

The Tabloid of the Century (1800’s -1900’s) The general reason I think Charlotte Temple stayed on the best seller list for so many years is because the subjects that were discussed in the book were taboo in that day and time. Montraville was a soldier in the army who was about twenty three years old, and Charlotte was only fifteen. He was much older than Charlotte. Montraville influenced her in evil ways; he impressed her with his knowledge of love and the world by writing her a letter and giving it to her personally . Montraville knew this was forbidden but gave it to her anyway. " Tis a romantic attempt," said he,"and should I even succeed in seeing and conversing with her, it can be productive of no good: I must of necessity leave England in a few days and probably may never return; why then should I endeavor to engage the affections of this lovely girl, to leave her prey to a thousand inquietudes, of which at present she has no idea? I will return to Portsmouth and think no more about her"( Rowson 11 ). Montraville went against his judgment. He knew that her parents would be angry if they knew that their daughter was having a relationship with a man! He was supposed to be a responsible soldier: an honorable man that would not do this kind of thing! But he would continue to see her. He even paid her guardian so she would keep bringing her to see him. " He soon pund means to ingratiate himself with her companion, who was a French teacher at the school, and, at parting, slipped a letter he had written into Charlotte’s hand, and five guineas into that of Mademoiselle, who promised she would endeavor to bring her young charge into the field again the next evening" (Rowson 11). Montraville was influenced himself by Belcore who was evil. When Montraville and Charlotte would meet, he would bring Belcore along to entertain Charlotte’s guardian, La Rue. "...he had wisely brought Belcore with him to entertain Mademoiselle while he could have an uninterrupted conversation with Charlotte. ... Belcore... possessed a genteel fortune and had a liberal education; Dissipated, thoughtless, and capricious, he paid little regard to the moral duties, and less to religious ones: eager in the pursuit of pleasure, he minded not the miseries he inflicted on others, provided his own wishes, however extravagant, were gratified.

Discrimination toward the Black People in Ernest J Gaines :: social issues

Discrimination toward the Black People in Ernest J Gaines CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Charles Johnson states that actually there had been no â€Å"Black problem† until the Civil War. It is because before the Blacks had only been chattels. The War happened because the Blacks want their freedom in education, employment, the vote, regularized marriage and even the acquisition of a surname (Butcher: 243). The Congress in 1875 adopted a statue which allowed the equality of facilities and accommodation for every race and color, but the famous Plessy-Ferguson Decision in 1896 gave legal discrimination and segregation by virtue of its â€Å"separate but equal† doctrine. This doctrine arouse the discrimination and segregation toward the Black people (Gordon: 108) The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman which is written by Ernest J Gaines consists the life of Blacks in America who are discriminated by the White Americans. This issue inside Gaines’ novel attracts me to analyze the topic of discrimination toward the Blacks in America. The analysis applies interdisciplinary approach to find the aspect of social, history and morality inside the novel discussed. The method of research of this paper uses the library research. The primary source of this paper is Ernest J Gaines’ The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and the second sources are the information which is taken from the library books and the Internet. CHAPTER II THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE BLACK PEOPLE This chapter discusses about the discrimination toward the Black people in America which is reflected by Gaines in his novel. Gaines tells about the discrimination which is experienced by Jane Pittman and her race. Jane Pitman has been lived for one hundred and ten years. Therefore, through his novel, Gaines explains about Pittman’s live from her childhood until her old age which happens during the civil war up to the civil right movement < E:Teen Voices Volume 3 Book Review The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.htm> The civil war that happened in America did not end both the slavery and the discrimination toward the Black Americans. The discrimination toward them is still continued in which it causes the Civil Right Movement. The first prove about the discrimination toward the Blacks is the slave names which are given to the Blacks. It means that the slaves are given the names which are different from the White’s names. They are for example Ticey, Buck and Big Laura The names are given by their masters (Gaines:17). Any slaves who are dares to owe the names like the White’s names will be punished by their masters.

Life :: essays research papers

A boy comes of age in an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. His father gives him a piece of advice: "Nothing is more tragic than a wasted talent." A street-corner gangster gives him another piece of advice: "Nobody really cares." These pieces of advice seem contradictory, but the boy finds that they make a nice fit. The kid, whose name is Calogero but who is called C, idolizes Sonny. He likes the way Sonny exercises a quiet authority, and talks with his hands, and dresses well. When C is 17, he goes to work for Sonny, against his father's wishes. And in the year when most of the film is set, he learns lessons that he will use all of his life. "A Bronx Tale" was written for the stage by Palminteri, who plays Sonny with a calm grace in the film, but was Calogero in real life. There have been a lot of movies about neighborhood Mafiosos (Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" was the best), but this movie isn't like the others. It doesn't tell some dumb story about how the bus driver and the mobster have to shoot each other, or about how C is the hostage in a tug of war. It's about two men with some experience of life, who love this kid and want to help him out. Lorenzo, the bus driver, gives sound advice: "You want to see a real hero? Look at a guy who gets up in the morning and goes off to work and supports his family. That's heroism." But Sonny gives sound advice, too. One of the things he tells C is that you cannot live your life on the basis of what other people think you should do, because when the chips are down, nobody really cares. You're giving them a power they don't really have. That sounds like deep thinking for a guy who hangs on the corner and runs a numbers racket, but Son ny, as played by Palminteri, is a complex, lonely character, who might have been a priest or a philosopher had not life called him to the vocation of neighborhood boss. Nine year-old Calogero (Francis Capra) is the streetwise son of Lorenzo Anello (Robert De Niro), a bus driver who takes pride in his work ethic and expects to instill the same values in his son. Calagero, however, is in awe of the local mob boss, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), and when Calogero keeps his mouth shut after witnessing Sonny do a hit, the boy is taken under Sonny's wing and shown the ways of the wiseguys.

Media Bias in Politics Essay

Media bias is alive and well in politics. It is a â€Å"term used to describe prejudice in news and media reports, in which it is perceived as an imbalance or unfair presentation of facts or selective reporting of which events or facts are reported. † Media bias is present in every aspect of American politics, and plays a significant role in influencing voters’ opinions and beliefs. The media frames the information that voters utilize within their decision making process. As a result, many have voiced their concern that the media may be conventionally distorting political opinion. Media bias has the ability to make voters bias, and hence, bias policy decisions. It is a vicious cycle that can either make or break a candidate’s campaign, as well as their chances of obtaining an office seat. It can make a villain out of a candidate or make him/her a hero. The media affects the publics’ interest in politics by presenting the people with what they want to see and hear. Within a campaign, the media will focus their attention on the issues that they consider to be the most important. The other issues will be ignored, or placed on the back burner. This goes for candidate coverage as well. The media will focus on the candidates they consider most important, and the others will be ignored. One of the most prominent examples of media bias in politics dates back to the first televised Presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. It showed just how biased the media was toward public figures that oozed charisma and harbored a strong emotional presence. It tarnished the campaigns of those whose auras were less engaging. On television, Kennedy appeared to the general public as young, vibrant; full of charisma, and needless to say, â€Å"television friendly†. Nixon on the other hand, appeared to the general public as old and uninteresting, not suitable for television. A poll conducted after the televised debate suggested that radio listeners thought Nixon had won, while television viewers thought Kennedy had won, by a landslide. Needless to say, Kennedy emerged as the first President â€Å"made for television†. Many political candidates use the power of â€Å"image,† projected by the media, to influence viewers. When running for President, Bill Clinton used the media to his advantage, appearing on talk shows where he played his saxophone. To the public, this made him appear more of a â€Å"people person†, more accessible, and more charismatic. Barack Obama did the same thing, appearing on the View, SNL, and several other talk shows. The media loved this fun-loving side of Obama, and from this projected image, so did the American people. Other political candidates have had terrible luck with media bias. Ron Paul is a prime example. The media portrayed Ron Paul as the joke of the 2008 Presidential election. He received very little coverage. He was â€Å"that boring, old guy with the uncommon Libertarian views. † He did not appeal to the American people, and as a result, was considered â€Å"unelectable. † Media bias is also known to greatly affect women candidates. A recent study showed that men received substantially more press coverage than women. Men had about twice as many stories written about them than women. Furthermore, research showed that stories about female candidates were big on emphasizing their physical appearance and personal lives. There were approximately three times as many physical descriptions (referencing their clothing style, hair, age, etc. ) as their male competitors in the race. Furthermore, women candidates were portrayed in a stereotypical light, as being more emotional and oftentimes, their professional titles were excluded from stories. In the 2008 presidential election, Obama was far more prominent in the press than his female competitor, Hillary Clinton. Both candidates announced their run for presidency in January of 2007. Despite the fact that Clinton had higher poll ratings than Obama, the six most influential newspapers in the United States ran twice as many stories mentioning Obama in the headline than Clinton that month. Sarah Palin is another woman candidate/ â€Å"victim† of negative media bias. A great deal of the media coverage that Palin has garnered has been negative. The media focused a great deal on her physical appearance and her family life. During her campaign, her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, became pregnant, and the media coldheartedly used that to bash Palin’s parenting skills, bringing personal life into politics. The media questioned â€Å"how can Palin be a good president if she can’t be a good mother? † Furthermore, the media criticized Palin for not staying home to care for her sick child who had been born with Downs Syndrome. Perhaps it is this brutal media bias towards women that scares them away from the political arena. The media is influential in politics, past, present, and future. For those who do not take the time to educate themselves on matters of politics, they depend on the media to exhibit the news in a readily accessible form. It becomes easy to grasp how crucial the media is, and what the effects of the news on society will be. Media bias can make or break a political candidate. Positive and frequent media coverage wins elections. Negative and/or minimal media coverage loses elections. Some candidates have learned how to use the media to their advantage, while others have little control, unable to recover from the scars left from negative media bias. Media bias will forever be a part of American politics, and to be in its favor welcomes success.

Merits and Demerits of the Internet Essay

What are the Merits and Demerits of internet Merits †¢ Shopping: Along with getting information on the Internet, you can also shop online. There are many online stores and sites that can be used to look for products as well as buy them using your credit card. You do not need to leave your house and can do all your shopping from the convenience of your home. †¢ Online Chat: There are many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be accessed to meet new people, make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends. more marites of internet are that we can search any thing easily . e get a lot of knowledge from internet. Demerits †¢ Pornography: This is a very serious issue concerning the Internet, especially when it comes to young children. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can be easily found and can be a detriment to letting children use the Internet. Spamming: This refers to sending unsolicited e-mails in bulk, which serve no purpose and unnecessarily clog up the entire system. there are many more demerites of net What are the merits and demerits of electronic media? Television spreads information in an accessible format to viewers quite quickly. When an important event occurs, the audio and visual proceedings of that event can be broadcast in order to inform viewers of the event. This of course requires the proper technicians, reporters/journalists/broadcasters/etc. , equipment, timing, and infrastructure that work behind (and in front of) the scenes to bring a programme to the viewers. When information is presented, such as a political party’s platform, television can be quite useful to a viewer. Of course, a fundamental problem arises when a company needs to hire and maintain the infrastructure needed to perform the television service: they need money! Unfortunately for television, there are numerous other sources where one may obtain information (the internet, newspapers, radio, word-of-mouth) and therefore television must find methods of attaining and maintaining viewership. [Of course, viewership allows the company to provide an advertisement space that is very lucrative for other companies. ] These methods may include: †¢ Quick reporting – the fastest person wins, sort of thing. This tends to be inaccurate and speculative in nature, but does provide instant viewership. †¢ Sensationalism – attention-grabbing, controversial programming. Tends to focus on wild or shocking stories rather than â€Å"boring† (although possibly more important) issues. I could go on, but that’s a good place to start. When I say TV, I immediately think entertainment. Therefore it may have started purely as an entertainment method. We will never know 🙂 However, with the current events these days, network/TV bias is playing a large role in politics among other things. Something else you could look into.

Long-Term Investment Decisions Essay

Assume that the industry you wrote about in Assignment 3 wants to expand and has to make some long-term capital budgeting decisions. Now the industry is confronted with government regulations to oversee the merger. Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you: Explain why government regulation is or is not needed, citing the major reasons for government involvement in a market economy. Provide support for your explanation. Justify the rationale for the intervention of government in the market process in the U.S. Assume that the company’s is considering a merger. The possible merger currently faces some threats and that the industry decides on self-expansion as an alternative strategy, describe the additional complexities that would arise under this new scenario of expansion via capital projects. Analyze how the different forces will come together to create a convergence between the interests of stockholders and managers indicating the most likely impact to profitability. Provide support for your response. Use at least three (3) high-quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources. Look more:Â  difference between irr and mirr essay Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Assess how managerial economics is used in business decision making. Evaluate how government regulation is constraining and enabling for managerial decisions related to maximizing shareholder wealth. Use technology and information resources to research issues in managerial economics and globalization. Write clearly and concisely about managerial economics and globalization using proper writing mechanics.

Understanding The Principles Of Developing Postive Relationships With Children, Young People And Adults

Why effective communication is important We are more likely to communicate information to one another if we have positive relationships. Parents and other adults who come into the school are more likely to give beneficial support if communication is strong and effective – this, in turn, benefits pupils. It is also important for pupils that we model effective communication skills. This means checking what we are saying sometimes in moments of stress or excitement, so that they can understand what our expectations are in school.If we ask pupils to behave in a particular way when communicating and then forget to do so ourselves, they will find it harder to understand the boundaries of what is acceptable. Effective communication and positive relationships do not happen by chance. You should think about the way you relate to others and the messages that this sends out. In situations where communication breaks down, misunderstandings can lead to bad feeling.1. 1:2 The principles of relationship buildingThe principles of relationship building with children  and adults in any context are that if others are comfortable in our company, they will be more likely to communicate effectively. Where people do not get along or are suspicious of one another, they are likely to avoid one another wherever possible. Positive relationships are not something which should be left_ to chance and it is important to consider the ways in which we can develop them. We build relationships with others in school on a daily basis in a number of different ways.Although you may do some of these without necessarily thinking  about it, it is worth taking time to consider whether you do all of the following? Effective communication – this is the key area for developing relationships with others and also covers many different forms of communication (see below)? Showing respect – in order to develop positive relationships with others, it is very important to be courteous and respectful, and to listen to their points of view. Adults and pupils with whom you work may also be from different cultures and have different beliefs or values from your own.You  should ensure that you acknowledge and respect the views of others at all times and take time to remember names and preferred forms of address? Being considerate – take the time to consider the positions of others. You may be working with a child or adult who is under particular pressure at a given time and need to understand why they may have behaved or reacted in a certain way or out of character?Remembering issues which are personal to them – it will always help to build positive relationships if you enquire a_er particular aspects  of another person’s life – for example, if you know that a colleague is concerned about their child getting into a particular secondary school, or if you are aware that it is a child’s birthday? Taking time to listen to others – make sure that you take time to listen to other people, in particular if they are asking for advice or help, or if they need to confide in you. You should always show that you are interested in what they have to say and respond appropriately?Being clear on key points – when you have conversations with others in which you are giving  them information, you should always ensure that they are clear what you have said at the end of the discussion. This is because it can be easy to be distracted from the main point of the conversation. When talking to children, always ask them to repeat back to you what they need to do? Maintaining a sense of humour – although the nature of our work in school is important, we should also sometimes take time to see the funny side of different situations. Laughter can be a good icebreaker and is also a great way of relaxing and relieving stress.