Congressional Earmarks

In fiscal year 2008, there were 11,524 earmarks totaling $16,501,833,000 for appropriations accounts. A Congressional earmark is a provision that directs funds to be spent on specific projects. Congressional earmarks should be banned and the unused money should be returned to the citizens. The largest Disadvantage of congressional earmarks that I can see is the amount of money they use. An earmark on an Alaskan highway bill was for a bridge, that took money from hurricane reconstruction. This bridge would have cost $320 million. As federal taxpayers would you like to pay $320 million, by way of three separate earmarks? These three earmarks where added to the highway bill in 2005. These earmarks managed to take almost $223 million from a reconstruction project for a bridge in Louisiana. According to the 2010 copy of the Congressional Pig Book , it showed almost 9,200 earmarks totaling $16. 5 billion dollars. Even though that is a 10. % decline from 2009, the fact that we are trillions of dollars in debt and we are using the money to fund projects like the Monroe County Farmer’s Market in Kentucky and The second largest disadvantage that I can see from the use of earmarks is the humiliation and disgrace they can bring. The bridge above that is mentioned took money for hurricane reconstruction. This project is a humiliation to the people of Alaska and the U. S. Congress some people say. Some people view the bridge as an object of national ridicule and a symbol of the fiscal irresponsibility of many in Congress toward the money entrusted to them by the taxpayers. In response to this national humiliation, many in Alaska have vented their anger in the state's newspapers, and the papers' editors have also objected to the bridge on their editorial pages. According to http://www. heritage. org â€Å"David Raskin of Homer, Alaska, wrote, â€Å"Alaskans owe an apology to the people of New Orleans, to Alaska Native people and to the Nation for their selfish shortsightedness in sending these scoundrels to Washington and voting to keep them there. â€Å"†

Synthetic Marijuana: the Legal Way to the Grave

Synthetic Narcotics- Georgia’s Growing Epidemic As if teaching our youth about the dangers of drugs isn’t hard enough, now we have company’s manufacturing a synthetic form of Marijuana, commonly referred to as â€Å"Spice† or â€Å"K-2†. These company’s target our youth by packaging it colorful, shiny packets and giving â€Å"cool† names like â€Å"magic monkey† or â€Å"purple passion†. They label these packages â€Å"herbal incense† and â€Å"not for human consumption† in an attempt to hide its intended use and avoid FDA regulations, yet for one package containing 5 grams it costs on average $15. 9-$21. 99. That’s pretty expensive for an â€Å"air freshener†. In 2011, 14. 4 percent of 12 graders admitted to experimenting with synthetic marijuana. Just last March, 16 year old honor student, and star soccer player from Fayette County, Ga. Chase Burnett died shortly after experimenting with this drug. This had law makers act quick and enact â€Å"Chases Law† , Georgia House Bill 370, which made this drug a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance and a felony to purchase, possess and distribute any form of this substance. Once this bill was signed by Gov.Nathan Deal, it took about 24 hours for police agencies, mine being one, to conduct search warrants all over metro Atlanta to get this deadly drug off the shelves. Although now illegal, and rightfully so, there are many retail stores, smoke shops and gas stations that still sell the drug all over Georgia and around the Metro Atlanta area. As quick as officers take it off the shelves, it’s being replaced just as fast. Shop owners feel it’s a violation of their civil rights and use excuses like â€Å"we can’t control what customers do with what they buy† or they tell officers they didn’t know it was illegal, â€Å"it’s just incense†.If they didn’t know it was illegal and didn’t think they were doing anything wrong, why do they keep it hidden behind the counter, out of sight and locked up? Why are they charging so much money for something that normally would cost about $2, if really used as an air freshener? These, as well as many more questions have been raised by not only Law Enforcement, but parents as well. As consumers, the best way to stop these shops and gas stations from selling this to our youth is stop buying your gas or any other items at these locations. It’s now and always will be about the money.Once they see customers going across the street to get gas, they will get the hint. Another way businesses are being put on notice is letting them know that their business license will be revoked if caught selling these and any other illegal substances from their stores. With the new laws enacted and parents working together with Law Enforcement, we are starting to get a tighter grip on this fast growing epidemic that is plaguing a re children. References Whitehouse. gov/ondcp http://georgia. gov/blog/2012-08-20/banning-synthetic-marijuana

Byzantine Christians Essay

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, historians and geographers in the European world held that history has a Locus. For them, pre-modern history began in the Bible Lands and it started moving westward and northward from western Asia into and across Western Europe. By 1492 the world scope of history was Eurasia. Only after 1492 did the world expand to include areas outside of Eurasia. For these historians, Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and part of Southeast Asia had no history until Europeans brought it to them in the sixteenth century and afterwards. These regions did not exist until discovered by Europeans. REVIEWING THE PAST: Pre-contact history of the Americas does not have the same level of conceptual reality of post-contact history. Only very few world historians seem to know o about the native traditions that existed in pre-Columbian America. The post-Columbian world is filled with abstract frameworks such as the ‘Slave Trade’, ‘Colonialism’ ’poverty’ , beginning with Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, ancient China and Egypt, the Assyrians and Persians, and ending with the Greeks, Romans and Byzantine Christians. American Indian civilizations, primarily those of the Aztecs and Incas, only form a backdrop to the post-conquest European themes of contact, settlement, and expansion. COLONIALISM: Throughout the contemporary world native and aboriginal peoples face disputes regarding their human rights, political participation, and claims to their ancestral economic resources where historical globalization began in the fifteenth century. Since then, colonialism and neocolonialism emerged in the global system. Natives and aboriginals were subjected to the worst side of the globalization process. We still can witness the legacy of such a development in the form of shabby leftovers. ECONOMY AND SLAVERY: Precious metals, commodities, and slave labor from the New World and Africa spurred the development of mercantile capitalism, the rise of the bourgeoisie, and the maturation of European absolutist states. These, in conjunction with encounters with different peoples, gave birth to a synergy of political ideologies and philosophical tools that propelled Europe to world domination. The invention of America involved the simultaneous invention of Europe as the â€Å"West. † conclusion: â€Å"The third-class people of the world have risen up and there is nothing we can do about it. † By the third-class citizens of the world are people outside white Europe and the United States. In 57 years as well, global interconnectedness has made itself ever more minutely felt through the communications revolution, the globalization of trade and production, and massive new migrations. Modernization analysis in the late 1950s began to take on a distinctive shape of its own. An intellectual transformation , a political transformation and a social transformation that mobilized human resources in an efficient way and engaged them in the process of modernization and globalization.

Duc de Saint-Simon forum 14 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Duc de Saint-Simon forum 14 - Essay Example Saint-Simon describes the opulence of the royal life of the king while at Versailles. He begins by describing the large and infinite number of rooms at the place and the comfort the palace provided the king. He explains that the King’s life changed while in Versailles as he became increasingly sensitive. He developed interest on the operations of the palace and would always seek to note any cases of absenteeism. Additionally, whoever visited the palace needed reasons to see him. However, Louis XIV maintained his composure and demeanor magnificence and splendor. Versailles offered him the peace to maintain such a lifestyle. He therefore lived in Versailles to his death. The article is a reliable historical document. The author uses descriptive and simple sentences coupled with timeline record of events features that enhance the comprehension of the topical issue. Furthermore, the author uses appropriate intent citations that show the sources from where he borrows some of his major

Does the jury system fits the Qatari legal system Research Paper

Does the jury system fits the Qatari legal system - Research Paper Example Qatari Legal System The Qatar Legal System, which is a unique one, is marked by the two unique features. Firstly, being a conservative Muslim country, Qatar’s legal system is based upon the Islamic Law, which is known as Sharia. Next, subsequent to the country’s independence in 1971, the civil court (Adlia Court) was formed, to address issues resulting from the end of the British control. (1) The legal scene of Qatar is in start contrast to that of the four neighboring Islamic societies: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. In these four zones, special courts or committees regulate the matters of non-Muslim citizens. But it Qatar, it is the aforementioned Adlia Court that is empowered to pass all laws and regulations governing people belonging to religions other than Islam. (1) For the duration of the preceding few centuries, Qatar’s legal system evolved through three phases and reached its present position. The following are the three patterns of law that had governed the three phases: tribal law, sharia law and modern law. During the phase of the tribal law, some of the judgments handed out were barbaric, to say the least. In that stage, the tribal laws and customs were enforced with utmost severity. Subsequently, there was the advent of the stage where, the Sharia, which is the divine revelation of the regulations to be followed, was adhered to. After that, the British ruled Qatar for the period 1916-1971, and during this time, their (British) laws were the ones that governed the country. And after end of the British regime, the Sharia Law regained its position of supremacy, in the country’s realm of Law. (1) It was almost at the time of independence that the revenue that Qatar derived from oil started to display a rapid growth, and thus paving the way for modernization. And along with this modernization came many new problems warranting immediate attention. As mentioned earlier, the Adlia Court came into being primarily with the objective of addressing these problems. (1) Absence of Jury It has been seen that the modern-day legal system of Qatar is the one that is based on Sharia, which is the word of God. Owing to that, the aspect of referring to previous cases, for arriving at the judgment is conspicuous by its absence in the nation’s legal scenario. To put it in other words, as the Sharia is the law given by the Almighty, there is no scope for both ambiguity and also seeking other sources for guidance, in legal matters. In Qatar Courts, the judge arrives at his decision, fully relying upon their knowledge of the Holy Shraia, and hence this judgment cannot be challenged. As it is the divine word that is the source of the country’s (Qatar) law, both the plaintiffs and defendants cannot use the services of lawyers. They (plaintiffs and defendants) are necessitated to directly present their respective arguments, on their own. (2) At this juncture, it needs to be noted that ju ry was not followed by Qatar, in any of the three stages of the legal system. The reason behind that is very simple to understand. When it is divine revelation that is the foundation on which the law rests, there is no scope for too many arguments in the courts. The word of God cannot be questioned. At this point of this write-up, it won’t be out of place in having a brief look at the jury system that is being followed in the United States. This would be of

Employee Incentive Plan Evaluation at XYZ Industries Essay

Employee Incentive Plan Evaluation at XYZ Industries - Essay Example The Company will implement a new incentive plan, the details of which are given in the following sections. The plan will be reviewed after a period of twelve months. Objective: To become the leading provider of blood bags in North America. Types of incentives proposed: Incentive plans are broadly classified into three groups, namely those for individuals, groups, and the enterprise (Bohlander & Snell, 2010, 455). Individual incentives: a. Hourly pay of $5 per hour with a maximum of $10 a day (five working days). Every employee is eligible. b. Sales incentive – 25 cents per bag, for exceeding targets for sales and marketing staff. There is no limit on the amount that can be earned. c. Bonuses – Thirty percent of basic pay for all employees twice a year (employees are at liberty to choose the time, but needs to provide one month’s advance notice. d. ... cturing and packing (Note – the company has excess production capacity and aims to achieve a 30 percent increase in sales this year) Enterprise incentives: a. The Company is planning to go public and is planning to introduce 100,000 shares in February 2011. It is expected the value of each share will be approximately $7. Of these, thirty percent will be held by the owners, fifteen percent will be given as employee ownership, and the rest be made public. Employees are not allowed to sell the shares to the public for a minimum period of five years. It is hoped that full cooperation from all employees and departments will be there for the successful implementation of the incentive plan. Review of the bonus plan: A review of the effectiveness of the plan was made after a period of fifteen months in June, 2011. The gap of an additional three months (plan introduced in January 2010). This was to assess the impact of the stock ownership plan which was planned in February 2011, as men tioned in the incentive plan. The review was conducted by the human resources manager, Mr A. as he had a good rapport with all employees. This was the first time that a relatively comprehensive incentive plan was introduced. Previously, only the group bonus plan was in operation. Hence the employees were willing to cooperate until the period of review was over. Moreover they were happy that they could obtain additional compensation when compared to previous years. But the following drawbacks were noted after discussions, which need to be looked into by the management and implemented as far as possible. The company did achieve it target of thirty percent increase in sales. With regard to the sales and marketing personnel had the following complaints especially from the top performers who

Business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Business analysis - Essay Example Retail is all about selling goods from businesses or individuals to the end user. In this industry retailers are often considered to be a part of the integrated supply chain. Large quantities or products are purchased by retailers from respective manufacturers. These purchasing process are either done through a wholesaler or directly from the producer and are then passed on to the end users in considerable small quantities. There are various mechanisms through which retailing can be done either in the form of fixed stores or markets or by delivery or door to door selling. The retail industry in the present scenario is considered to be the most competitive industry. As the consumer market demand is increasing there are many new players emerging in this segment which is making the competition fierce. It can be stated that customers are at a profitable end in terms of the scenario of retail industry with multiple players operating to deliver best services and goods at competitive prices . In context of global retail industry there are firms performing their operations through online websites, home delivery and even increasing convenience of users by electronic payment. Retailing is usually associated with providing services to a wide base of customers and encompassing wide range of products. This may include clothing to grocery or even any other household items. However the type of products which are included in a retail store are food products such as those which require facilities of a cold storage, durable goods or hard goods such as appliances, automobiles, sporting goods, electronics, furniture, etc., consumables or soft goods such as clothing, footwear, medicines, other fabrics, cosmetics and stationary, and the last type of product is arts. The importance of selecting a particular industry in this study is that it would help to identify the probable challenges which are affecting the industry. On the

Communication Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communication - Personal Statement Example It is believed for the most part that the process of selective perception is a psychological process and therefore a process that is not done consciously. The best analogy of this process is when a person says "You only hearing what you want to hear". As absurd as this sounds, the example stated is in fact exactly what happens in selective perception. This is not to be interpreted as a bad thing, but rather a byproduct of a society that is multitasking consistently. Each person has their own list of priorities and simply because two people may have an issue in common does not mean that the issue takes the same place on that list of priorities that we keep subconsciously. Because we are consistently bombarded with too much stimuli every day to pay equal attention to everything, we pick and choose according to our own needs. In completing our assignments, I noticed that not only are most people guilty of selective perception but I am as well. Although my intentions were good, the fact was that I did not get the message that the other person attempted to convey and I found this issue to be a part of my life in my educational pursuits and my job. Selective Exposure is the tendency to avoid information inconsistent with one's beliefs & attitudes. This, to me is somewhat akin to the theory supplied by selective perception, yet on a more conscious level. For example, as I noted in my essay, I would deliberately avoid people that cursed incessantly because the whole notion of cursing is an unnecessary coping skill and is not a necessary one. I don't see why I could expose myself to those who I consider to be "serial cursers" and as a result, they are consciously excluded from my social circles. I learned from this experience that selective exposure will ultimately retard my growth in my personal relationships and for my professional relationships. In employing selective exposure, I learned that the message I am really conveying is "I don't care what you think or say" and "Whatever you have to say is not worth my time to listen to." It makes me appear to be extremely close minded and ultimately stops others from wanting to commun icate with me. It would be remiss of me to not convey the fact that the Johari Window presented a bit of a challenge to me. While I can certainly understand the theory behind the category, I do find it rather difficult to apply to my own business relationships. While I am aware of the fact that trust is an essential component of business team relationships, there is still a competitive piece to it and that cannot be ignored, especially in this economy. With pink slips being sent out on a daily basis I cannot imagine that it will be easy to accept members of a team as anything other than competition. Workers in every field are trying to demonstrate that they are better than their co-workers so I cannot imagine that team spirit is really existing at this juncture. Thus while the Johari window is one that would work in the perfect economy, I don't believe that it would work in today's dire economic times. I think that one of the more difficult tasks is honest reflection of self perception. People decide on their own attitudes and feelings from watching themselves behave in various situations. This is particularly

Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assignment 3 - Essay Example However, the mode of electronic commerce also brings and invites many kinds of problems both for the customers and vendors. Some of such problems faced by dot-com companies are listed under: Technical problems This is one of the significant problem faced on the part of both customers and vendors in making payment through online sites. The technical problems develop a kind of resistance among both customers and vendors in using e-commerce sites for purchasing goods and services. Some of the common technical problems faced by the customers and vendors relate to system failure, case of amount debited twice, late processing of payments, failure to provide notifications, etc. All these technical issues and problems have been faced by the companies in real sense. For instance, in the year 2012, around 12 million NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland have faced the freezing issue of their salaried accounts. The technical fault and problem has resulted the computer system to freeze the salaried accounts unnecessarily (Bidgoli 20-25). This case of freezing of salaried accounts prevented the large customer base from making online payment through their salary accounts. Likewise, system failure and late processing of payments also prevents the customers from getting up-to-date balance and payment status. In some instances, it has also been noticed that customers are fined for late payment due to the system failure or any other technical difficulty. The technical problem relates to failure of the system to show updated payment status also creates difficulty for vendors in forwarding the request of debiting or crediting accounts. It is due to reason that vendors can direct the banking channels to debit or credit the customer account on the basis of latest updated information of their accounts. But, system failure and technical problems creates difficulty for the vendors in assessing and tracking updated status and proceeding payment accordingly. Difficulty related to payment pr oviders The wide popularity and emergence of large number of e-commerce sites have also increased proportion of payment providers simultaneously. The availability of large number of payment providers created difficulty for the vendors and customers in selecting appropriate and authentic payment provider. There are various cases demonstrating fraudulent payment done by service suppliers. The instances of fraudulent cases pose a question on the trust and authenticity of payment providers. The world of e-commerce has also witnessed the difficulty faced by the vendors and customers in cancelling the transaction and processing payment remittance. The cancellation of transaction by the mutual agreement of customers and vendors also made the issue unsolved for many days. It happens due to long time taken by the payment providers in forwarding the payment back to the customers. This practice of payment providers of forwarding payment with excessive delay spoiled the trust and authenticity o f online payment mechanism. It has also been identified that vendors and customers need to install multi-currency support system

Role of U.S. Government Administrative Agencies Essay

Role of U.S. Government Administrative Agencies - Essay Example They play an appropriate role in checking the powers of business and other organs to prevent causing social, economic, and political and general form of harm to the national welfare. These agencies are formed for substantial national fields, such as security, transportation, labor, and immigration among others. This paper involves an analysis of ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission), as an agency created and empowered by the Congress to regulate interstate commerce in the United States. The case study has been used to answer how the government agencies function to improve the lives of the citizens when it overstretches its power to cause harm and its operations within a democratic government. The document also discusses the administrative law and how it merges with government agencies to improve citizens’ quality of life. Keywords: Government Agency, ICC, Business, Power, Congress, Citizens, Protection Law, Policies, Programs, Interstate, Intrastate, Regulations, Public Interes t The United States citizens have always been granted the freedom to express and practice legal businesses, as one way to improve their lives and contribute to the US economic development. However, the people, businesses, or organizations tend to make oppressive decisions or actions that could be based on self-interest first, before the rest of the society. As a result, the nation’s welfare and important issues could be injured at the expense of the minority groups; hence, the US government administrative agencies have to come in and to enforce law and order, through its bestowed authority to solve various controversies, by declaring implementation of specific public policies. In the Shreveport case, the interstate commerce commission (ICC), a Congress created and empowered regulatory government agency had intervened in the high rates of fare that were charged between Louisiana and Texas traffic, which could have damaged the commerce and interactive movement between the two s tates. After a deep investigation, the ICC found the interstate rates discriminative and unreasonable, it fixed the maximum rates of interstate traveling westwards to Texas market, and ordered the affected railroads to fix (raise) the intrastate rates of freight traveling eastwards to Texas markets (â€Å"National commerce† n.d., p. 72).  

Reflection assignment for The Pearl by John Steinbeck Essay - 1

Reflection assignment for The Pearl by John Steinbeck - Essay Example For instance in La Paz the Song of the Family is sung by Juana to keep away evil; at the start, amidst the Song of the Family, the appearance of a scorpion leads to the beginning of the Song of the Evil. This therefore means that an event that is bad or unpleasant may bring about the Song of Evil to one’s mind and afterwards the Song of the Family to fight such evil as happens in La Paz and interchangeably as happens at the beginning. At other times however, songs may interplay feeding one another as when Kino is busy diving for pearls. The five things Kino wishes to do with the money from the Pearl include; a proper marriage for him and his wife in church, a harpoon, a rifle, proper clothing for his family and sending his son Coyotito to school so that he can become schooled. They are important to Kino because by wedding properly in church, his respect will increase in the community and his wife will be happy. In addition to that, if his son gets schooled, then it means he will be able to read and also open books, Coyotito will also know and it is through him that they will also get informed. These wishes reveal the fact that humans are always searching and yearning for big and better things and are never satisfied by what they have. They are insatiable and want to better their lives no matter what stage of life, race or class they are in. The five things that Kino desires to do after selling the pearl include; marrying his wife in church which represents an opulent and fashionable way of marrying, mostly practiced by the rich. Kino also wishes to buy his son a cap for yachting together with a sailor suit from the US. This represents the good life that is enjoyed by the rich and Kino simply is dreaming of what the rich do with their money. Human beings envision that buying clothes and dressing expensively is one way of looking rich. Kino also desires for his son to go to

Free

Free Will Philosophy Essay I strongly believe that W.T. Stace is correct while arguing for the view of soft determinism, also known as compatibilism. Stace believes in compatibilism, which states that determinism is true, but free will still does exist. He puts both views together by studying the definition of free will. Stace asks, â€Å"How can anyone be punished or rewarded for his or her actions if they have no control over their actions?† That statement seemed extremely convincing to me because both d’Holbach and Chisholm supported one side of the argument. d’Holbach and Chisholm argued that we are either strictly determined by the laws of nature and physics or that we are not determined, rather being we have the power to do as we choose. Stace on the other hand, put both positions together and made them work together. He explained that the laws of nature and physics do have an impact on our choices, but we do have the ability to choose what we want to choose when making a decision. Outside forces may push on our decision, but we are the ones responsible for choosing what we want to choose. He persuasively defends his view of soft determinism by explaining the definition of free will. He states, â€Å"In order for one to define free will, one must look into how the phrase is commonly used.† The way a philosopher interprets free will is different than the way a common person will do so. Stace defines free acts as acts that are directly caused by a person’s internal thoughts or desires coming directly from the person. Not free acts are those that have outside forces pushing a person to do something a certain way such as a threat or harm. This was very different from what other philosophers have stated in the past. By providing examples of free will, Stace points out that free will clearly does exist. It wouldn’t make sense for free will not to exist since it is compatible with determinism.

Comparison of Buying Behaviour: Own Brand and Label Food

Comparison of Buying Behaviour: Own Brand and Label Food CHAPTER ONE 1. INTRODUCTION In the UK, for nearly two thirds of consumers, own-label is an important reason to shop in a particular store. Value for money, availability and the breadth of products on offer are the key factors attracting customers to own label products. (Mintel Report, 2007). Own-label brands give consumers the opportunity to find something new at a supermarket, while branded is the same whichever store a consumer buys from. Consumers are increasingly careful about their grocery shop, using forward planning and budgeting to control the amount they spend. Shopping habits have become more price-focused with rising numbers of consumers looking for the lowest prices and special offers. Retail brands do not yet command the same degree of brand loyalty that the big brand names do, even though many consumers do agree that taste and quality are often on a par. (Mintel Report, 2008). According to Mintel report (2006) when it comes to choosing brands over own-label products, familiarity and trust are important criteria. Europe is the most developed region of the world for own label groceries and in Europe, own label is growing faster than manufacturers brands. Own-label brands and ranges can span all categories, something manufacturers brands cannot do. This presence builds trust and strengthens own-label branding. Retailers are able to suppress prices below competitors. The scale and flexibility of own-label production can also lead to a quick response to changing consumer needs and occasions. Consumer buying behaviour has remarkably influenced by the current credit crunch/recession. (Mintel Report, 2006) The UK is also experiencing a large increase in immigration. In October 2005, National Statistics reported that a record 582,000 people came to live in the UK from elsewhere in the world. It also predicted that the population might increase by up to 7.2 million over the next 25 years, with more than half the rise being attributed to immigration. This will boost overall demand for all retail goods. Own label or private brand can be hard to establish and costly to stock and promote. However, they also yield higher profit margins for the reseller. And they give resellers exclusive products that cannot be bought from competitors, resulting in greater store traffic and loyalty. (Mintel Report, 2006) The study is an investigation in to the current issues concerned with consumer buying behaviour for branded and own-label food. Consumer buying attitude has been greatly influenced by the current credit crunch and nine out of ten consumers thinking their financial situation has got worse over the last 12 months. (Mintel Report, 2008) This study will investigate the factors that influence buying behaviour of consumers shopping at an ALDI store. Factors such as price, quality of products, family size, culture, particular food product, financial background, gender and different age groups of consumers will be considered. Two thirds of consumers are looking out for deals/promotions, over half only buy what they need and just under a third go to discounters or cook from scratch more often. (Mintel Report, 2008). According to Foley (2008) ALDI is a rapidly grown discount supermarket and growing rapidly, pulling in thousands of new customers trying to save a few pounds on their weekly shop. ALDIs big boast is that it carries a limited range i.e. just over 1000 products (and only 15 brand names) compared with the 25,000 product lines in a supermarket such as Tesco, but buys in huge numbers and gets top quality. ALDI rigorously controls costs and their stores are all basic. There is no fancy flooring or fixtures. The lighting is definitely not designed to enhance the products. You dont take the shop home, only the food†. It is the same product but it doesnt cost more because of its decoration. In order to save money; over four in ten consumers buy more own-label value lines, buy own-label products more often or have switched to cheaper brands. (Foley, 2008). Individuals aged between 15-34 shows the greatest growth in the tendency to look for the lowest prices. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of people over 65 is projected to increase by 10.1%, increasing their proportion of the population as a whole from 21.6% to 23.4%. This obviously means that the proportion of the population who are retired, on fixed incomes, and, therefore, managing on tighter budgets will increase, this should maintain interest in lower-cost, own-brand goods. Furthermore this research will also focus on quality of branded and own-label food products from a consumer perspective. Assumptions that an own label is a cheap version of the manufacturer brand; is not evident. The gap in quality that was evident over a decade ago has been reduced in recent years. This is supported by Chaney, 2004 who concluded that every sale places the retailers highly valued name at risk and this has meant that there is increasingly little difference in the quality level of own brands compared to manufacturers brands. (Chaney, 2004). 1.1 Aims and Objectives 1.1.1 Aims The study aims to investigate consumer buying behaviour with regards to branded and own-label food products using ALDI as a case study. 1.1.2 Objectives 1. To carry out a literature review on consumer behaviour with regards to purchasing food and the current issues concerned with branded and own-label products. 2. By use of a case-study and questionnaire determine consumer behaviour with regards to branded and own label food products. 3. To compare and contrast the quality of own label and branded foods from a consumer perspective. 4. To analyze the primary data collected in the light of the secondary data in order to identify the key issues that influence consumer behaviour and the purchasing of own-label and branded food products. CHAPTER TWO 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The aim of the literature review is to evaluate critically current data from research relevant to the aims and objectives of the project and evaluate the findings. 2.2 Evaluate critically the UK food retail market Seth and Randall (1999) stated that supermarkets across the developed world have been a key feature of the second half of the twentieth century, and the UK supermarket in its own right has, and in a world context, has been both important and distinctive. The UK is today often seen as the worlds most innovative retail market. Presentation and range, 06 goods including adventurous new chilled food and meal solutions are product fields that the rest of the world is still discovering; this has lead to researches such as, suggesting that it is difficult to fault UK sourcing energies or innovative drive. Next there is own-label. This plays an increasingly important and developmental role in this respect. They also mentioned that supermarkets activities have affected our lives and changed them as substantially as probably any other single influence. Supermarkets are universal, their customers drawn from all elements in society, from richest to poorest. It has been calculated that today the average British citizen will spend two years of their life or 3 percent of a normal waking life inside the doors of a supermarket. According to Embargo (1996), the average UK household spends over  £50 per week on food. Between us this amounts to 43 billion spent throughout the year. This is about 12 percent of total consumer expenditure, and a massive 85 per cent of this is spent in supermarkets. Embargo (1996) also stated that the British supermarkets are a 20th-century invention, offering the shopper unprecedented variety and convenience. From humble beginnings as a stall in Leeds or as West End Dairy, they have grown to dominate food retailing. Over 80 per cent of consumers regularly shop in supermarkets for food and basic household goods. According to Embargo (1996), one of the most significant trends in supermarket retailing is the growth in own-label sales relative to branded products. Own-label lines, sold under the supermarkets name, have become an effective way for the big stores to increase profits and build customer loyalty. Own-brand options are available for the majority of foods, offering consumers a wider choice of goods than ever before. (Embargo, 1996) According to Verdict Research (UK Food Grocery Retailers 2009 (April, 2009), in 2008 food and grocery specialists defied wider retail market gloom, increasing their combined sales by 5.0% to  £124.1bn. Grocers performed especially well with sales ahead by 5.6% their strongest growth since 2001. Food price inflation has driven market growth. Higher energy costs, a series of crop failures and growing food demand from China pushed UK food grocery inflation up to 6.4%. Even price-keen grocers experienced their highest rate of inflation in 17 years at 4.7%. (Verdict Research, April 2009) According to verdict Research, April 2009) the credit crunch and subsequent recession, plus inflation have had a profound impact on consumer behaviour and the wider dynamics of grocery retailing. Price, or more specifically value, now sits firmly at the top of the consumer agenda. Customers are searching for the best prices and increasingly switching to own label or alternative brands. (Verdict Research, April 2009) According to Verdict research i.e. UK Retail Futures 2013 (April 2009), though food grocery will significantly outperform the wider retail market, the recession is resulting in an unprecedented change in consumer behaviour. The discounters are enjoying impressive growth, while the major grocers focus on enhancing value credentials, leading to what we believe will be long-lasting changes to the grocery market. Verdict believes two key drivers will inhibit growth in food grocery over the next five years. Firstly, with consumers more cautious and trading down, value growth will slow. Secondly, grocers will find it tougher to open new stores especially superstores, with space and volume growth easing as a consequence. (Verdict Research Retail futures, April 2009) Grocers are focusing more effort on developing their own-brand offers, either through lower prices or through the introduction of new ranges to build scale, increase choice, promote value credentials and boost margins. (Verdict Research Retail futures, April 2009) 2.3 Evaluate critically Factors that affect UK food retail market According to Kathawala (1989), quality may mean different things to different people, for instance, Juran defines quality as â€Å"fitness for use† while Crosby defines it as â€Å"conformance to requirements†. Their definitions imply a quality standard equated to that of satisfying the customers demand. Deming defines quality as â€Å"surpassing customers needs and expectations throughout the life of the product†. Feigenbaum indicated the ever-changing and elusive nature of quality when he defined it as â€Å"a moving target†. Kathawala (1989) mentioned, a comprehensive definition of quality would include all four aspects, â€Å"Conformance to requirements, surpassing customers needs and expectations throughout the life of the product, quality is a moving target, quality is fitness for use†. (Kathawala, 1989). Armstrong and Kotler (2007) stated that, quality has a direct impact on product or service performance; it is closely linked to customer value and satisfaction. He claimed, in the narrowest sense, quality can be defined as â€Å"freedom from defects†. But most customer-centered companies go beyond this narrow definition. Instead, they define quality in terms of creating customer value and satisfaction. According to Armstrong and kotler, (2007) The American Society for Quality defines quality as the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied customer needs. Similarly, Siemens defines quality this way: â€Å"Quality is when our customer comes back and our products dont†. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). According to Solomon (1996), consumer satisfaction or dissatisfaction is determined by the overall feelings, or attitude, a person has about a product after it has been purchased. Solomon (1996) also mentioned that, product quality affects customer satisfaction, which in turn, results in increased profitability among firms who provide quality products. Consequently Quality is more than a marketing buzzword. Customers want quality and value. Especially because of foreign competition, claims of product quality have become strategically crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage. Consumers use a number of cues to infer quality, including brand name, price and even their own estimates of how much money has been put into a new products advertising campaign. Solomon (1996) mentioned that, one way to define quality is to establish uniform standards to which products from around the world must conform. This is the intent of the International Standards Organization. Seth and Randall (2000) stated that, the supermarkets know that they rely absolutely on their customers confidence in the safety of the food they buy. They work hard to deserve that confidence, and their record shows that they do. According to Smith (1997) â€Å"Quality is about listening to our customers and delivering more than they expect. Its about paying attention to the smallest details and getting it right first time, every time. Most important, quality is a continuous process that involves every employee. By making small improvements every day, we can make real progress and deliver increasingly higher levels of customer satisfaction. Quality allows us to measure and compare our performance against the best in class. It sets the standards for our support services and enables us to focus training and development on the most important areas†. According to Solomon (1996), â€Å"Perception is the process by which physical sensations, such as sights, sound, and smells, are selected, organized, and interpreted. The eventual interpretation of a stimulus allows it to be assigned meaning. A perceptual map is a widely used marketing tool that evaluates the relative standing of competing brands along relevant dimensions†. (Solomon, 1996) As a result consumers have a particular perception of a particular product, they expect and know what to expect from branded. Therefore the non-branded product must as far as possible meet these perceptions if it is to compete with the branded product. A cheaper product may compensate for some variation but the own brand product must be recognisable by the consumer. Almost every business has a trading name, from the smallest market trader to the largest multi-national corporation. Only a minority of those businesses however, have what could be classed as a ‘brand or a ‘brand name. Branding is a word commonly referred to by advertisers and marketing people. Armstrong and Kotler (2007) stated that, â€Å"a brand is a name or symbol that is commonly known to identify a company or its products and separate them from the competition†. They go on to say a well-known brand is generally regarded as one that people will recognise, often even if they do not know about the company or its products/services. These are usually the businesses name or the name of a product, although it can also include the name of a feature or style of a product. The overall ‘branding of a company or product can also stretch to a logo, symbol, or even design features (E.g.: Regularly used colours or layouts, such as red and white for Coca Cola.) that identify the company or its products/services. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). For example: The Nike brand name is known throughout the world, people can identify the name and logo even if they have never bought any of their products. However, not only is the company name a brand, but the logo (The ‘tick symbol) is also a strong piece of branding in its own right. The majority of people that are aware of the company can also identify it (or its products) from this symbol alone. The clothing and running shoe company Adidas is well known for using three stripes on its range of products. This design feature branding allows people to identify their products, even if the Adidas brand name and logo is not present. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). 2.4 Strengths and weaknesses of own-label food and drink. Table 1: Strengths and weaknesses of own-label food and drink, as stated by Mintel, (2006). According to Business Services (2009), the main benefit of branding is that customers are much more likely to remember a business. A strong brand name and logo/image helps to keep a company image in the mind of potential customers. If a business sells products that are often bought on impulse, a customer recognising a brand could mean the difference between no-sale and a sale. Even if the customer is not aware of selling of particular product, if they trust that brand, they are likely to trust unfamiliar products. If a customer is happy with your products or services, a brand helps to build customer loyalty across the business. For example Marks and Spencer is recognised by consumers as offering a specified standard of quality they therefore assume if they buy any food product from Marks and Spencer the product will be of the same quality standard. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand will project an image of a large and established business to potential customers. People usually associate branding with larger businesses that have the money to spend on advertising and promotion. The creation of effective branding can make business appear to be much bigger than it really is. An image of size and establishment can be especially important when a customer wants reassurance that particular brand will still be around in a few years time. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand projects an image of quality in the business; many people see the brand as a part of a product or service that helps to show its quality and value. According to Business Services (2009), if you show a person two identical products, only one of which is branded, they will almost always believe the branded item is higher quality. Over time the image of quality of an effective branding business will usually go up. Of course, branding cannot replace good quality, and bad publicity will damage a brand (and businesses image), especially if it continues over a long period of time. For example: The Sunny Delight drinks brand was one of the biggest in the UK just a year after its launch. However, constant bad publicity about the quality of the product has severely damaged the image of the brand, and sales have dropped for each of the past several years. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand creates an image of an established business that has been around for long enough to become well known. A branded business is more likely to be seen as experienced in their products or services, and will generally be seen as more reliable and trustworthy than an unbranded business. Most people will believe that a business would be hesitant to put their brand name on something that was of poor quality. (Business Services, 2009). If a business has a strong brand, it allows you to link together several different products or ranges. A brand name can be used on every product or service a company sell, meaning that customers for one product will be more likely to buy another product of same brand. For Example: Sony sells televisions, music equipment, consoles, camcorders, DVD players, video players, and etc all under the Sony brand name. Creation of separate brand names for product ranges allowing people to see brand name, and then use the range brand name to work out what they wish to buy. For Example: Cadburys makes a range of confectionary under many different sub-brand names such as Dairy Milk, Boost, Flake, and Time Out. All of these are sold under the product brand, but all feature the Cadburys brand name on the packaging. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand is memorable, but people still need to be exposed to it, this often requires a lot of advertising and PR over a long period of time, which can be very costly. There are also costs involved with the creating of a brand image or logo (Paying for a designer, printing new letterheads/business cards etc.), and although most of these are only one off costs, they are still relatively large for most small businesses. The exposure of a brand can be left to word of mouth, this will save money, but will also greatly slow down the exposure that the brand receives. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). One of the main problems with many branded businesses is that they lose their personal image. The ability to deal on a personal basis with customers is one of the biggest advantages small business have, and poorly designed branding could give customers the impression that a business is losing its personal touch. (Business Services, 2009). Every brand has a certain image to potential customers, and part of that image is about what products or services a company sell. If a company is known for selling just one product and want to sell another product, will that company be able to do so effectively? If a company sell computers, would that brand name be suitable for selling vacuum cleaners? If a brand is focused too strongly on one product, it can limit the ability to sell other products. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). The process of creating a brand will usually take a long period of time. As well as creating a brand and updating your signs and equipment (e.g. stationary, vehicles etc), it need to expose to potential customers. It is commonly shown that people need to see an advert at least three times before they absorb it, which means that a company will need to advertise and promote the brand for a considerable amount of time before it will become well known. (Business Services, 2009). The continuing development of own-label brands can be largely attributed to ownership concentration in the retailing industry by multiples such as Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda. The two leading supermarkets, Tesco and Sainsburys have exploited this branding strategy to the extent that 50 percent of their sales are their own-label products. The supermarkets are committing considerable finances to their own-labels to increase their penetration. (Chaney, 2004). In marketing own-label brands the retailers have several advantages over manufacturer brands. Own-label brands can access the prime shelves as this space is controlled by the retailer. Manufacturer brands generally have to pay for the privilege of displaying and merchandising their goods. Furthermore, retailers, unlike the manufacturers, have knowledge of competitors sales figures and promotions. (Chaney, 2004). 2.5 Evaluate literature that relating to consumer behaviour According to Colla (2003), discount food retailing has experienced considerable expansion over the last ten years and currently occupies an important position in the European retail industry. According to Shine et al (1997), Consumers have become increasingly interested in nutritional issues over recent years. This interest in nutrition is fuelled by a number of factors including lifestyle, ageing population, dietary and safety concerns. The consumer is influenced by various sources of information such as the family/household, social network, â€Å"popular media†, and government dietary guidelines Shine et al (1997) also stated that majority of consumers consider diet to be a very important component of their lifestyles and regard nutrition as a positive attribute of food products. Increasing consumer interest in nutrition has led to an increased interest in nutrition labelling. Nutrition labelling was found to have an impact on consumer purchase decisions. Of those consumers who read nutritional labels, 81 per cent use them in their evaluation of food products. According to Baltas (2001), Nutrition labelling of food products has received considerable attention in the marketing literature due to increasing consumer interest in health and diet issues. He also stated, nutrition labelling of food products is intended to enable informed consumer choices and stimulate the consumption and production of healthful products. The effectiveness of nutrition labelling depends also on the organisation and presentation of the information, implying the importance of regulatory issues. Baltas (2001) stated that in the UK, more than 80 percent of surveyed individuals claim that they look at labels and that label information affects their purchase decision. Most consumers also use information on nutrition labels the first time they purchase a product and this then becomes a source of new knowledge they can draw on in subsequent purchases. Baltas (2001) also stated nutritional attributes are, of course, only a subset of objective and perceived characteristics such as price, taste and brand name determining consumer preferences. Their relative importance for the determination of consumption patterns may vary not only over people, but also across product categories and purchase occasions. According to Mintel, (Food Packaging UK, 2008) the most important consideration for consumers is that the packaging to compost is not always realistic. Mintel also stated, Four in five shoppers agreed that the food inside was not accurately depicted on the packaging. Nearly as many confirmed that it was sometimes hard to tell how much food was inside the packaging. (Mintel, Food Packaging UK, 2008). Shoppers at discounters; Morrisons and the Co-op found it harder to tell the quantity of food from the packaging it looks as though these supermarkets could be more accurate in their own-label packaging. Consumers should be able to take a good look at the food item they are buying to get an idea what it looks like and how much it contains. (Mintel, Food Packaging UK, 2008). According to Mintel (2006), significant differences are evident between the attitudes of men and women towards food packaging. Almost two thirds of women, compared to just over half of men, say that labelling is important when deciding what to buy. Womens role as the key grocery purchaser in many households has removed the need for men to study labels more carefully when choosing what to buy. However, growth of one-person households is expected to bring mens attitudes towards packaging more in line with those of women, as an increasing number of men take responsibility for doing their grocery shopping. According to Mintel Report (Food Packaging, 2006), â€Å"Consumer attention on the environmental impact of packaging is set to continue, with further debate anticipated on the sustainability of different packaging systems and the environmental impact of reuse, recycling and incineration. Biodegradable plastics are already emerging and a gradual wider acceptance of the concept is expected, while the pressure to engineer improved performance whilst utilising less material resources will continue to exercise packaging manufacturers†. According to Montgomery (2008), a study by the Co-operative Bank revealed that more than a third of people surveyed are making cuts in their weekly shopping spend. â€Å"Were typically spending  £68.33 per adult on the weekly supermarket shop, compared with an average of  £89.88 in 2007†. Montgomery stated that, its no surprise that the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Asda are feeling the pinch. (Montgomery, 2008). She also explain that the two key items to have dropped off our shopping lists are flowers and magazines, while next on the hit list is bottled water, expensive handwash and CDs, followed by wine, teeth whitening products, fabric conditioner, unsliced bread and nail polish. (Montgomery, 2008). Emma Thomas, from the Co-operative Bank, commented: People are being more conservative in their spending and are finding that cutting back on luxury items can help make a difference. Developing a household budget is essential to keep spending in check and to identify ways costs can be trimmed. (Montgomery, 2008). â€Å"Thanks to the credit crunch, the budget supermarket chains, such as Cost-cutter, Aldi and Lidl, have been transformed from the haunt of cash-strapped students to the savvy housewifes favourite†. (Montgomery, 2008). Montgomery (2008) stated that, sales at Cost-cutter (budget supermarket) have grown by 6.2% so far this year. Lidl came out as the cheapest supermarket after a recent survey carried out by â€Å"Which?† magazine. Montgomery (2008) explains that in a price comparison of a typical shopping basket, the publication found that Aldi was 3% more expensive, while Tesco was 21% more expens

Sri Lankan Economy Essay

Sri Lankan Economy Essay Sri Lanka proved to be the best bet in Asia in early 50s with its economic stability and well structured infrastructure. To prove that, when Former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew visited in Sri Lanka in mid 50s, stated that Singapore would like to imitate Sri Lanka. Since gaining the independence in 1948, the progression of development in Sri Lanka has captured the thoughts of a mixture of economists and politicians. The ruling governments changed constantly and none of them could implement a national standpoint in the development of economy. 30 years on, the island country faced an unsullied problem in terrorism. The countrys economic development brought to a standstill since then. In addition to that, on 26th of December 2004, over one million citizens were exiled in a matter of hours as the Tsunami flowed across Sri Lankas shores. 34,000 died. 97,000 residences were either destroyed or damaged. Thousands of enterprises, including in the economically vital tourism sector , were destroyed. The desolation that swallowed up the country in those unpleasant days was difficult to describe. In this research, the aim of the author is to find methods to develop the economy of Sri Lanka which has been brought to a standstill by the terrorist activities in the island country. The liberation Tamil tigers of eelaam, commonly known as LTTE, were seeking a separate country and they had carried out several terror activities in the country since early 80s. The LTTE was mainly based in north and eastern parts of the island though they were active in the other areas and especially in the capital, Colombo. It made a huge impact on countrys economy in numerous ways such as downfall in tourism industry, agriculture industry, fisheries industry and foreign investments. Sri Lanka suffered huge set back in terms of economic development ever since. In this research, the author expect to locate that how terrorism had effected in Sri Lankan economy in the past 3 decades and which sectors had effected mainly and how Sri Lanka can recover and develop its economy with the end of the war. Colla pse in agriculture sector in north and eastern parts of the country, which is one third of the land directly affected the agricultural economy. Being a cultivated friendly soil and climate helped the northern and eastern part of the country to contribute to the economy but with the start of the war farmers were discouraged to involve in the industry as the conflict started to take lives of innocent civilians and land mines replaced the cultivations in the lands. Sri Lanka has sea area of which is 20 times the size of the country but LTTE had the control over one third of the coast line for the last 30 years. The LTTE used the sea route to smuggle arms and LTTE imposed a ban on fishing in their controlled areas. Even government had to impose some restrictions to the industry as they were concerned about the safety of the fishermen. Those restrictions composed low output in the industry which could have made a fortune by exporting raw and canned fish industry. As a result of the situa tion, thousands of local fishermen lived in LTTE control areas for last 30 years had a difficult existence. Foreign investments have taken away by the Insecurity of the country and investors were not encouraged with the unstable economy. An attack to the International Air Port of the city which cost billions to the government discourage the foreign investors to operate in Sri Lanka and several attempts to attack the main Ports of the country lead insurance companies to increase their charges which resulted in higher cost in productions directed investors to find other safe and low cost destinations especially in far east Asia. The attack to the International Air Port, attacks to some tourist destinations and bomb blasts in the capital, especially targeting the public, discouraged foreign visitors and some countries even impose ban on their citizen to visit Sri Lanka as they identified the country as an unsafe place to tour. Those situations resulted in lack of foreign currency flow in to the country as well as hotel industry collapsed with costing thousands of jobs for locals. Apart from t hose major sectors which could have contributed to the countrys economic development, LTTEs existence in the northern and eastern parts of the country prevented some local industries such as Salterns, Paper Industry, Ilmenite deposit sites and local cement industry. Had them not been terminated, the government could have save billions of rupees which had to pay for the exportation of above mentioned products and services and could have generate thousands of job opportunities to the locals which is a solution for the unemployment and uneasiness of the youths. This report mainly looks at various obstructions faced in the development procedure and the implementation of reforms, particularly with the end of 30 years long war. In the first part of the report, which is the literature review, the author examines the previous literature regarding Sri Lankan economy, effects of war to the economy, present and future development plans in books, journals and news paper articles and in the web. The second part examines the techniques to overcome the development difficulties to be the best commercial hub in Asia. Introduction Sri Lanka faces a historic prospect to progress from a lower-income country caught up in conflict, to a middle-income nation in permanent peace. Sri Lankas growth has reached a crucial stage. Thanks to fairly rapid economic growth that pushed per capita income over the US$ 1800 by 2010 and with traditionally high levels of human development, Sri Lanka is on the brink of becoming a matured middle-income nation. Until 2009, Sri Lankas growth had been controlled by three decades of conflict regardless of the countrys highly educated population. The conclusion of the conflict with the separatist LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) in 2009 offers an opportunity for the government to start on reforms and work with foreign sector together with private sector to establish a more dynamic and energetic economy. Sri Lanka had innate from the British colonial ruling a commercially well structured plantation sector when the time of independence in 1948. Tea, rubber and coconut contributed 90 per cent of the export revenue. About 40 years ago, Sri Lanka was measured as a paradise in Asia. It had the best communal indicators in the region. What a disappointment that this beautiful nation which was the utmost promises of the most demanding continent on the earth, Sri Lanka was incorporating into south Asian regular market and Colombo was rising as an important regional harbour as have turn out to be the greatest misfortune. Sri Lankas growth over the years took place under traumatic surroundings. It could not compete with the development successes of South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore which countries that had similar GDP levels to that of Sri Lanka in the late 50s. In early 80s Sri Lanka was ready for an economic resurgence. More than 40 foreign apparel firms had invested in board of Investments of Sri Lanka (BOI) controlled free-trade zone north of Colombo, and office towers been built on the city of Colombo in expectation of new economical revolution. Now the country that desired to be an economic centre of southern Asia has plunged behind such countries similar to Singapore and Malaysia. Since 1983, the danger of assaults by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) came into view as the separatist outfit fought for a self-governing Tamil state in the north and the east of Sri Lanka. As a result of this Sri Lankan governments could not take a contribution effectively from the affected area where almost 19,000 km2, which is 28% of the whole land of the country. Although the Sri Lankan armed forces defeated the LTTE in May 2009, the riot caused significant sufferings for the public, economy and environment of the country, with over 80,000 people formally listed as killed during its process. The cost of armed conflict had a great impact on the economy. It has two divisions in direct costs and indirect costs. Direct costs have a straight attribution to the conflict such as loss of capital assets and labour, other military expenses. Indirect costs are the loss of foreign capital; occur due to the security situation of the country, emigration of skilled work force and to urist outflows. Despite a fierce conflict that began in 1983, economic growth has maintained around 4.5%. In 2001, however, Gross Domestic Production (GDP) growth was negative (-) 1.4%, the only reduction since independence, as a result of poor administration of the military expenses of the SLFP lead government, which lead to huge government expenses and foreign borrowings. Growth then improved to 4.0% in 2002. Following the 2002 ceasefire agreement of the UNP government, which LTTE used to strengthen militarily and subsequent economic transformations, the economy developed more swiftly, recording growth rates of 6.0% and 5.4% in 2003 and2004 respectively it is recording a estimated growth of 5.40% in 2010. Sri Lankan government is forecasting a real GDP growth of an average 6.12% per annum between 2010 and 2014. During the period of 2010-2014, the government is planning to increase GDP per capita by 72% from $36.8 billion and a 7.8% annual growth during 2010-2014. With the end of conflict, huge part in the North and East of the country, abandoned for nearly 30 years, stand to accept a considerable encouraging motivation. Peace is broadly expected to introduce a new life into the tourism sector, which so far could not obtain its full potential. After over a quarter century of terrorists danger, Sri Lanka is finally observing a rising in tourism. The island with plentiful natural beauty is attracting visitors, mainly from India, not just with beautiful beaches, forests and wild animals, but also with new appeals like ayurveda (a historic herbal Medicare system) and adventure. With the victorious ending of the decades-long conflict in last May 2009 and the re-opening of the major north-south A9 highway, local and foreign tourists have driven or flown to Sri Lankas North and East to visit places of religious and natural attractions. Security circumstances in the country give a new hope for the residents; especially in north and east. With the flow of people to their regions, they have involved in micro businesses; start making an income for their lives rather than being in clutches of LTTE. People of the north and east are naturally experts in Agriculture and fishing. The Sri Lankan Government is planning to restore these lost livelihoods of the people of the North as an outcome of the conflict. Although the North cannot be built up in a hurry given the destruction it has suffered during the past 30 years, the Government is dedicated to restoring the shattered economy as well as cultural and social life as quickly as possible. A boost in foreign investment and tourism, along with enhanced employment and large-scale rebuilding projects in the North, are expected to maintain and accelerate Sri Lankas development in the near future. The country also rises to attract more Foreign Direct Investment through BOI especi ally in the rapidly increasing business process outsourcing sector (BPO) which embraces considerable guarantee. The future of Sri Lanka changed when former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa elected as the head of the state. The President defeated the barbaric LTTE outfit, 4 years in to his office and has started the promised economic development throughout the country. President Rajapaksas broad economic tactic was summarized in his election manifesto in 2009, which now directs government economic strategy. The policies focus on navigating investments in to disadvantaged areas; developing the small and medium enterprises (SME); poverty alleviation and promotion of agriculture, tourism and expanding the civil service. The government has structured a 10-year development framework to improve growth through a mixture of large infrastructure projects. The government discards the privatization of state owned enterprises, including airports, electrical utilities and strategically valued enterprises such as state-owned banks. Instead, it plans to keep ownership and administration of these enterprises a nd operating them as profitable institutes. According to Guerrero, I. (2010) Sri Lanka, emerging from three decade-long armed conflict, is at a critical juncture of transition to a middle income country in lasting peace. Kohona, P.T.B. (2010) States that Sri Lanka is at a critical juncture in its history and its development process must continue. Kohona, P.T.B (2010) further states that as normalcy returns, Sri Lankan companies established abroad, are beginning to discover the opportunities opening up especially in the areas of tourism, fisheries and agriculture. The North and the East present inspiring prospects in these areas. Special encouragements are provided by the administration for investing in the North and the East. This is in addition to the encouragements provided for all foreign investments. World Bank (2010) states that Sri Lankas economy expanded by 3.3% in the second half of 2009, the fastest rate recorded since 2002. Increases in foreign direct investment and tourism are expected to sustain and accelerate Sri Lankas growth throughout 2010. Indicators, such as increased registration in new motor-vehicle registration and electricity generation, confirmed a strong increase in economic activity for the region. In addition, the agriculture, transportation, and communication sectors showed strong performance in the last quarter of 2009. Colombo Page (2010) states that the Sri Lankan government targets to increase the countrys per capita income to USD 4,000 over the next five years under the presidents (Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa) elections economic manifesto. The manifesto maps out a development plan to increase the per capita income to USD 4,000 by 2015 from the current income of USD 2,000 and the plan is based on development in five sectors naval, aviation, knowledge, commerce, and energy while the government expect the commitment from the general public to develop the country and uplift the living standards of the population. Ports Ports and cargo handling have a huge promise in development of Sri Lankan economy. Being close to an international shipping route will give the advantage to the government to capitalize. There was a lack of international ships operations in Sri Lanka over the past two decades due to terrorist activities. That resulted in fewer foreign exchange gaining. The end of the conflict has given the government of Sri Lanka to invest in new ports projects to enhance the gross domestic production of the country. According to Daily News (2010) Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) declared that the Colombo Port records a highest ever monthly container throughput in March 2010. It has handled a record volume of 360,801 TEUs (Twenty foot Equivalent Units) with a growth rate of 27.4 percent, showing signs of an economic boom in the immediate future. Sri Lanka Colombo port gains many opportunities to enhance the economy with the proximity of the port to India and other major shipping routes between Asia an d Europe. Another 286 hectares will be added and expand the area in order to enhance the international marine industry services. Construction of the fourth terminal increases the Colombos cargo facility by 50 %. The SLPA has embarked on a number of mega development projects aiming at capacity expansion and other state-of-the-art technological requirements with a view to making SLPA on par with the top notch ports in the world. Colombo Page (2010) States that the Sri Lankan government is aiming to commence novel projects to gain international support and to widen the ports network in the country. Reuters (2010) states that Sri Lankan government is seeking sponsorships from external investors for the $1.5 billion Hambantota port project and the external investments will coincide with the November opening of the port on Sri Lankas southern coast, along an ancient Silk Road trading route and one of the worlds biggest East-West shipping lanes. The poor economy can be improved by this single large project by the services which are involving. War was a major point which let the economy down for more than quarter century and this is going to be an opportunity to renovate the economy status. External and internal companies are encouraged by Sri Lankan government to operate new $550 million tax free port zone plans to invite overseas and local companies to set up operations in a new $550 million tax free port zone in order to enhance the outcome. Ondaatjie, A. (2010) states that the Island is also 19 miles south east of India, the worlds second fastest growing major economy. The openi ng of the shipbuilding, ship repair and warehouse facilities will be provided by Companies from Australia, India, China, Russia and Dubai. It is beneficial to Sri Lanka being situated on the route between the Malacca straights and the Suez Canal. The canal is a connection between Asia and Europe. Usually 47 ships a day utilize Suez Canal which can be an advantage. Sri Lankas Hambantota port project is moderately prepared to carry out the functions by November 2010. Port World (2010) States that the first phase of the project consists of two general purpose berths, one bunkering berth and a small craft berth of 120 metres long. The $360 million first phase includes a $76.5 million bunker terminal with an initial capacity of 500,000 metric tonnes (mt).The terminal will have 14 tanks for marine fuel and six others for aviation fuel and LPG. The completion of the four stages of the port project will be within next 15 years from 2007. The project is a chance to advance many areas including employments, public services, airport, Highways, railways, refinery and ancillary facilities. Countrys economy will be benefitted from the project and Hambantota which was a neglected region will improve in to a commercial city not only in the country but in the South Asian region. Inhabitants had to endure due to the shortage of proper accommodation, water, elec tricity and employments. This can be a huge occasion for the residents of Hambantota with thousands of upcoming job opportunities. In completion of the two major harbours, Sri Lanka can expect a mammoth improvement in economy in coming 5 to 10 years. Aviation When operations at its peak, the LTTE even had Air military unit and they had six runways. After capturing them all, government now plans to improve them in to local air destinations for tourists and training bases. Colombo Page (2010) states that the government decide to put up a complex equipped with a training and research institute in Iranamadu in order to reconstruct the affected area. The LTTE during their reign had built six airstrips in the thick jungles of the North and the strip at Iranamadu near an irrigation reservoir was the main site for their tiny air wing. With the influx of tourist to the country with the end of the conflict, Sri Lanka is planning to expand its aviation industry. BBC (2010) claims that China is going to provide $200m (Â £133m) to Sri Lanka for the second international airport in the southern part of the country and work has already begun on the airport. In addition to the second International Airport, India also planned to build an Airport in northern part of the country. According to Business Standard (2010) Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to build an airport at Palali in northern Sri Lanka. The project will improve the relationship with southern India which had uneasiness during the war time. With the end of the conflict, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has started a domestic flight service and it has turned into a well-liked mode of transportation between the North and the South. Colombo Page (2010) States that the Helitours has flown 2,669 passengers and was the only fastest route to travel to Jaffna in the North before the main A9 Jaffna-Kandy highway was opened. Helitours offers scheduled flights to Palely in Jaffna Peninsula and China Bay in Trincomalee in the East. In addition to domestic aviation, there is a huge increase in international aviation as highest ticketing sales have reported in the march in this year. According to Perera, H. (2010) the sales for the month of March 2010 were over Rs. 2.6 billion to various destinations. Arrival of more tourists has shown a great improvement in aviation industry in Sri Lanka which is an indication of increase the tourism in the country. Agriculture According to Kohona, P.T.B (2010) the agricultural infrastructure demolished by the LTTE is in the process of restoring. According to World Bank (2010) improving the agricultural field will assist to increased agricultural production in the North. It will hold the food prices low and Inflation is anticipated to go relatively low in 2010. It is noticed that now there is a huge demand for the tea export. Positive weather patterns, appropriate use of fertilizer and economic improvement in the country are the other contributions. According to Colombo Page (2010) there is an increase by 27.8 percent in six months of 2009 than 2010 which was 166.9 million kilos. The increase of tea production from 24.9 to 29.5 is a proof that the tea production has increases in 2010 than in 2009.The demand for Sri Lanka tea declined in world market during the past period due to a number of reasons including restrictions from some Europe countries in terms of international trading facilities (GSP+) as a result of the conflict. According to Radio Netherlands Worldwide (2010) increase in the crop allowed gaining the record of 1.4 billion dollars from tea export in this year. They earned 1.3 billion dollars in export sales in 2009 from foreign market under the trade name of Ceylon Tea. Tea shipments from January to June rose to 143.3 million from 134.5 million kilograms in the same period of 2009. Sri Lanka expects to maximise the volume with new markets in the future as country is heading without a political and economic uneasiness. With the conclusion of the terrorist activities, Sri Lanka has begun to improve the economy which based on a home grown system. On the other hand, it protects the traditions of local farmers as well. The government plans to find out a method to save the money which they spent on foreign products. According to Colombo Page (2010) setting up a process to produce liquid milk is one of the results of it. As annually, 20 billion rupees are spent to import milk powder products from international markets. One of the proposals is to launch two Ultra-Heat Treated (UHT) milk processing plants in Milco in Colombo and in Polonnaruwa. By 2015 the government expect to increase the milk production from 22% to 50%. Encouraging the public to utilize of fresh milk is a step to save billions of rupees on imported powdered milk. Fisheries Apart from Hambanthota harbour government is building one of the largest fisheries port in recently captured are of Eastern province. According to Bandara, S.A. (2010) the construction of a harbour in the Eastern Province was decided in the Government as part of a broader infrastructural development drive undertaken to improve the quality of life and ensure economic growth. Construction of Oluvil harbour with a trade complex and a fisheries port in Eastern coast will be terminated sooner than the end of the year. It is proposed to open for the public by the beginning of 2011. The main purpose of the harbour is to progress all the activities in the Eastern region. The government is also planning to promote the newly captured areas as tourist destinations in addition to fisheries industry. Colombo Page (2010) States that under the Northern development plans, Mullative, former military base of LTTE, is proposed to open for tourists with some great facilities as well as fisheries-based e ngineering equipment industry. Tourism According to Colombo page (2010) after the war Sri Lankan tourism industry is recovering and showing a great path following the end of the war last year and has seen an increase in the number of foreign tourist arrivals to the country. Colombo Page (2010) further states that the tourism industry has increased comparing to last year with nearly 16 percent. Irish Sun (2010) states that after the historic defeat of terrorism, the tourism industry has been on the rise with increased interest from foreign tourists as well. Interactive Investor (2010) illustrates that first five months of 2009, tourist industry has gone down by 19.8% due to the war. When compared to last year it has boost from 21.7% with the ending of the war in May. Colombo Page (2010) states that more hotel room accommodations were required by the end of the conflict in may 2009 with the demand of the tourist industry. The tourist arrivals have been steadily increasing and tourist arrivals rose nearly 48% in June compare d to 2009. Most of the hotels are in a competition with each other to supply more accommodation and services to arrival of tourists to the country. The Tourism Board of Sri Lanka expects to attract 2.5 million tourists by 2016 and to earn 2 billion-dollar annual income. According to World Bank (2010) the hotel industry is growing approximately 32% due to an arrival of tourists raise the hotel industry by around 32% after the end of the conflict. It was increased from 34,000 to 52,352 at the end of June 2010. Colombo Page (2010) states that the Indians topped the list of tourists arriving in the country with 8,607 and tourists from United Kingdom (8,559) and Germany (5,305) are closely follow. According to The Island (2010) considering the industrys potential to grow in post-war Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) estimates that income from this sector could reach around US$ 600 million this year, from an estimated number of 600,000 total arrivals. Tourism industry is speedily rising and the year 2011 has been listed as the visit Sri Lanka. In January this year, visitors from Middle East rising from 1,176 to 2,674 and the growth rate were 127.4% where as Western Europe had around 445 visitors which was an increase of 87.8 %. The number of Eastern Europe tourists developed by 55.8 percent while entrance from South Asia increased by 28.2 %. SLTDA plans to develop another 13,000 new rooms to compete the demand from increasing arrivals. In addition to that The Island (2010) states that the tourism board had planned to increase the yield per visitor from the current US$80 to US$130 for 2009. Colombo page, (2010) states according to the government statistics, almost 4 million tourists of both foreign and locals have visited in Jaffna, the capital of Northern Province after the end of the war. A huge number of travellers turned up in the east to visit the beaches in the area. The government also plans to establish a tourist corridor along the coastal line connecting Arugum Bay, Pasikkudah Beach in Batticaloa and Nilaweli Beach in Trincomalee. Infrastructure of the Jaffna and East cities, hotels and other services should be improved to meet the increasing demand of tourism. Sri Lankan tourists board is showing more attention on bring the number of tourists close to 1.5 million by year 2011. At the moment Sri Lanka has nearly 14,500 hotel rooms in the country. The government needs to take it up to close to 50,000 by then. Irish Sun (2010) States that the developmental plans and marketing plans being worked out to attract as many foreign visitors as possible. Vigorous promoti ons in terms of trade and consumer fairs will take place in their key markets. Britain, Middle East, India, France, Germany and China are the leading countries of it. Usually the product offering has been limited to sun, sand and sea. Now novel product offerings are being developed to improve the observed component of tourism. They are consisting of ayurveda, eco-tourism, and wildlife adventure tourism. Even tourists are happy to be in the country that boasts of beautiful, clean beaches, tempting water sports, breathtaking mountains, abundant rivers and waterfalls and an abundance of wildlife. According to The Island (2010) the government is discussing a US$ 18 million loan with World Bank in order to develop the infrastructure to satisfy the short time rising demand in tourist industry. That would distribute US$ 4.8 million to arrange business plans, improve technical capacity and to carry out existing laws which is related to tourism. US$ 8.1 million is earmarked to develop tourism infrastructure in the East which was demolished by LTTE in last 3 decades. The project plans to employ local communities and include them in the operation. Another US$ 4.6 million is used to support in form a business model to continue tourism for a longer period. Industries, Investments and Infrastructure Development Central Bank of Sri Lanka (2010) States that the northern region devastated by the decades-long conflict is seeing an economic revival with the opening of A-9 highway, the main land route that connects the northern Jaffna peninsula with the southern main land. With the economic prospects in the northern part of the country are increasing day by day, its vital that the central bank also planning to set up a local offices for the benefit of the people and Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) is the first foreign bank to open a branch of over 90 banking facilities has been approved by the CBSL to operate in the northern region. In addition to that, Colombo Page (2010) states that Japan has hold discussions on a wide range of Japanese aid for post-war development in the country including Japanese investors to play an energetic role in the development of infrastructure in variety of fields including highways, power and energy, irrigation systems, and the health sector. Colombo Page (2010) further states that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had announced that it is providing US$150 million in emergency loan to the Government of Sri Lanka for projects which will support reconstruction of urgently-needed infrastructure, to restore essential services and revive livelihood opportunities for people in war-affected regions. ADBs aid will increase and strengthen the reconstruction of immediately needed necessary economic and social infrastructure and organizational services, and create sustainable employment prospects in the war-torn area. According to Kuroda, H (2010) one year after a decades-old civil conflict ended in Sri Lanka, top priority of development is to make sure that rapid reconstruction continues in the conflict-affected areas and the benefits of development reach everyone in the country. This attempt will promote investments in undersized areas including the areas affected by the conflict. Colombo Page (2010) reports that the Central bank o f Sri Lanka (CBSL) has established a special loan scheme to the benefit of the small and medium scale businesses in the war ravaged north and aims to uplift the livelihood of their people. It is really important to uplift the micro and medium scale business in the area parallel to the development of other infrastructures as this process help to rebuild the peoples livelihood but all the financial grants should be disburse through a well structured system. Among the promising enterprises in the area, food processing and especially canned fish industry hold a great stake. Shivaramakrishnan, P. (2010) states that the food processing industry in Jaffna will get a big boost as a result of the first International Trade Fair and it is organised to improve and uplift the economy of Jaffna resulting upon the situation being better now. Due to the conflict in the area, no equipment or any technological development has reache

Race Essays -- essays research papers

Although I was able to witness many different examples of inequalities in most of my daily encounters, a situation occurred that has had the ability to overshadow all of my other observations. While at work, I was able to have a conversation with a co-worker about her father’s recent loss of a job promotion. What makes this situation, such a powerful example of the force of stratification is more that just the conversation that took place but also in the context in which I had it and regrettably in my response to the conversation. I am still unclear as how our discussion began, but none the less, a co-worker, Sally and I engaged in a conversation that focused on why her father, a military Chaplain was â€Å"passed up† for a recent promotion. During my conversation with Sally, she brought up that her father had been recently â€Å"passed up† for a promotion in the Armed Forces because of racial discrimination. I was not overly shocked that Sally would say something of this nature to me, given our background of hearty debates. Intrigued, I asked Sally to explain what she meant by â€Å"passed up† because of racial discrimination. Sally proceeded to explain to me that her father had been â€Å"overlooked† at his last promotion to help fill racial quotas in the military. Sally continued her explanation, stating that her father and his loss of a promotion was a direct result of Affirmative Action. She furthered her explanation that as the population of the military becomes more diverse, in her word...

A Pair of Tickets Amy Tan Essay -- essays papers

A Pair of Tickets Amy Tan Amy Tan’s A Pair Of Tickets is a story concerning family and roots. June May, like the author herself, was a Chinese born in USA and grew up with an American background culture, whereas her mother grew up in China and then immigrated to America. Looking at the repeated words, we discussed that one there are many words such as mother, sister, father and Aiyi. Most of the characters in this story belong to one family, June May’s family. It suggests to us that the tale is about relations and where we stand in our family. Even Aiyi brings practically her whole family to see her brother and niece. This is also one of the stronger traits of the Chinese cultures where there are many family occasions. The Story also constantly talks of â€Å"blood.† In the western culture, blood, which is usually connected with red, symbolizes a sacrifice, death and also a bloodline. As we look at the previous repeated words, the â€Å"blood† means a lineage of family and relations. Blood also signifies your identity. In the story, May June, does not understand her Chinese blood identity at the beginning. She was embarrassed by her mother’s behavior. She did not realize what it meant when her mother said â€Å"Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese†¦It is in your blood, waiting to be let go.† She admits that even though she is 36 years old, â€Å"I’ve never known what it means to be Chinese.† It is not until she goes to China and finally meets her half sisters that she understands what it is to be Chinese. â€Å"And now I see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood. After a ll these years, it can finally be let go.† Red color in the Chinese tradition is different fro... ...er Chinese culture and identity to Jing-mei. The title â€Å"A Pair of Tickets,† is the story of a father and daughter on a journey from one place, America, to another, China. The action from moving from America to China, also symbolizes the movement of Jing-mei’s recognition of her identity as she shifts from her American culture to her new Chinese Culture that was already in her blood. Not only is this journey a physical action, but also a spiritual journey. Through this spiritual journey, Jing-mei, clarifies her identity, the struggles of trying to accept her Chinese roots, and the misunderstandings she had of her mother. She gains respect towards her mother as she learns the battle her mother has fought to get to America. In the course of this journey, Jing-mei has learned to understand and respect her family. â€Å"After all these years, it can finally be let go.†

An Inspector Calls Play Essay

‘An Inspector Calls’ has been called ‘a play of contrasts’. Write about how Priestley presents some of the contrasts in the play. In the play there are wide differences in not only the treatment of Sheila Birling and Eva Smith but also large contrasts in the girls themselves- with Eva being a poor uncared for girl and Sheila being a privileged upper-middle class girl. This not only separates them as they would be unable to fully empathise with each other as they experience widely contrasting lives. This is shown as Mr Birling says â€Å"but I see no point in mentioning the subject – especially -(indicating Sheila.)† The quote paired with the stage direction highlights Mr Birling’s attempts to prevent Sheila from being exposed to the situation. This is done as they feel that Sheila should be protected from merely hearing the awful situations that some girls have to endure. This concern is in contrast with how they view Eva Smith as both p arents have minimal concern for the fact that they are partly responsible for Eva having to live on the streets. ‘There’s nothing I can tell him. I told the girl to clear out, and she went.’ The use of ‘nothing’ indicates how Mr Birling views the situation of Eva, as if it was ‘nothing’ that he was at fault for Eva being on the streets and out of a job- a contrast to the sheltered life he creates for Sheila. At both ends of the play there is contrast in the language used by Inspector and Birling in their speeches. The early speech by Mr Birling is one with a much happier and self-supporting view of society compared to the later one by the Inspector which holds a tone of finality and encompasses the idea of being responsible for everyone around you. Both speeches talk of the responsibility we have however; where the Inspector talks of responsibility for all- ‘We don’t live alone.’ Mr Birling means to say that we are responsible for ourselves and no more- ‘. We employers at last are coming together to see that our interests’ These speeches indicate the attitudes held by the speaker clearly, with Mr Birling showing concern for ‘we employers’ highlights the socialist view held by Mr Birling as he views they employers as one while entity that need to protect and look after each other with minimal concern for the rest of society.

The Future of WiMAX and its Effect on Our Lives

On the bad side, which include health concerns that come with these radiation waves, which can affect people's health. In general, what does WiMAX technology mean? This is very important to know. To explain it well, everyone has to know that WiMAX is not the same as Wi-Fi. In the past, the internet was not spread like it is now so this technology was not well-known. Nowadays, it is bigger and effective in society, because this science has become more important than before. In fact, what changed is that now people become more interested in these technologies and look for more development in this field.With development in this field, companies start to invent new technology that can be better than and challenge Wi-Fi, such as WiMAX and LTE. An example of people who might be interested in WiMAX is college students who spend a lot of time working on their projects or research. So, if the education institutions themselves start to provide this technology to their students, they can make t he learning experience much better (Tandle, 2010). This spread of technology means more range of wireless internet on-campus, so the students have a better chance to access the internet while learning.The development of WiMAX can be helpful for any group of people. WiMAX is not the only technology in the wireless field; there is also a big challenge with LTE. WiMAX technology descended from Wi-Fi, so it is not part of cellular technology. Even though WiMAX has become a challenger to LTE, LTE is still under cellular technologies. WiMAX starts with home connections and delivers a broadband connection to houses, instead of running expensive cables across long distance hey promised much better compatibility with cellphones. In addition, the LTE standard was approved in America as the first LTE network (Segan, 2012).Effect of WiMAX on our Life According to the HowStuffWorks website, WiMAX provides worldwide access, and the idea of this technology is to make the broadband internet wider t han Wi-Fi. Another way to describe it is that can access the internet not only from the hotspot near you, but also in a wide range.