Impact of Multinational Corporations on Developing Countries

Impact of Multinational Corporations on Developing Countries Introduction For too long, citizens have been content to follow where government and multinational corporations lead. The profit motive has become immune to attack. It is understood that as long as something is profitable for shareholders, nothing else matters enough Occupy Protester CTV Op-ED RT News. The word Multinational is a combined word of Multi and National, which when combined refers to numerous countries. A Multinational Corporation is a corporation that has its facilities and other valuable assets in at least one country, which is other than its parent country. It is a organization or company that both produces and sells services and goods in a multitude of countries. Some MNCs have a budget which is greater than some small sized countries GDPs. [1] Some of the major examples of MNCs today are Nokia, McDonalds, Microsoft, Exon Mobile and BP. One of the initial MNCs was the East India Company (1600 1874), which is an excellent examples of both the benefits and drawbacks of such ventures. On one hand there existed a dynamic profit making entity, on the other existed a company operating on foreign soil, under very little control of the British government, having, operating and running their own private armies, utilizing military power and ultimately taking over administrative functions of India. MNCs have come a long way since then and have seen a sharp increase in the past few decades. The numbers of active MNCs went from being roughly 7,000 in the 1970s to 78,000 in 2006, being responsible for over half the global industrial output. [2] Multinational corporations usually bring with them foreign direct investment, which is direct investment in a country by the company for expanding their existing business base or for buying of raw goods and inputs from them. Multinational corporations were the vital factor in globalization, where local and national governments competed against each other in order to incentives and attract more MNCs and ultimately, investment in their countries. An example of such incentive is the Free Trade Zones, where goods may be manufactured, handled, landed or even exported without any intervention of the local custom authorities. Most of these free trade zones exist in developing countries such as Pakistan, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Brazil and India, as they are eager to attract more foreign investors. [3] Definition of MNC: Economists are not in unanimous agreement as to how best define trans or multinational corporations. Most MNCs are multidimensional and can be viewed from a multitude of perspectives. These include: Ownership, strategy, management and structural. According to Franklin Root (1994), that though some argue that ownership is the key criterion amongst all of the above, a firm truly becomes multinational given its parent company or headquarter is run/owned by nationals of varying countries. Examples that fit this category are Unilever and Shell, which are owned and run by Dutch and British interests. However via this test, very few companies would fall under the banner of being a true Multinational company, rather most are uninational. According to Howard Perlmutter (1969) [4] multinational companies might pursue either world oriented, host country oriented or home country oriented policies. He uses these terms as geocentric, polycentric and ethnocentric, however the last is misleading since it focuses upon ethnicity and race, but most countries are themselves populated by a variety and mix of races, whereas Polycentric means the MNCs operations only take place in a couple of foreign countries. Franklin Root (1994) [5] states that MNC is a parent company which: Shows implementation of strategies of finance, marketing, staffing and production in its business. Has direct and binding control over its affiliates and their policies. Uses those affiliates to conduct foreign production in several countries. Advantages of MNCs Increased Investment: The primary argument in favor of MNCs is that they enable investment into less developed countries which is essential for their growth. According to this argument, there exists a huge gap between the optimal investment levels and the levels of savings in a country. This gap can be minimized via foreign direct investments, i.e. transfer of resources from a foreign source in the form of economic injections. Technological Transfers: Another important aspect is the issue of technological transfer. Any MNC operating in a certain country needs to have an agreement with the host country about its operating guidelines. This can be both beneficial or harmful, depending upon the negotiations. If done right, the MNC would agree to a transfer of technology which would turn out to be very beneficial for the host country, since technological advancements require huge research and development funds that the developing countries just do not have. So it makes sense for them to open up their markets in exchange for a technology that could make them self reliant and self sustaining. Transfer of skills: Like a transfer of technology, MNCs also bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. Their staff is amongst the best in the world and employees from the less developed countries learn plethora of skills from them, enabling them to train others and have a trickledown effect. Foreign firms pay for and provide world class training to its employees and stimulates intellectual as well as capital growth. Trickle down effects: MNCs, via their broad investments enable linkages backward, forward and horizontally. Not only does the MNC provide a FDI, but it also benefits companies that it collaborates with, such as industries that produce complementary goods. The service industry also benefits via the increase in investment. It creates additional demand and improves infrastructure abilities. Increase in Tax revenue: An increase in tax revenue is also an added benefit, since the host country gets to tax them and includes it in their public revenue. This can be used to finance projects that lead to development of infrastructure, causing economic development. Reduces gap between capital and labor: Less developed countries are also highly labor sensitive. As in the ratio of capital to labor is very low. MNCs employee vast numbers of the local population reducing this gap, creating jobs and employment and revenue means for the populace. There are two effects, direct and indirect. Job creation is direct, while the increased stimulus in demand and supply is the indirect employment effect. Encourages competition: This investment encourages entrepreneurship and breeds a culture of competition, increasing competitiveness amongst local companies, causing them to improve their own goods and services by increasing their efficiency and ultimately quality in order to better compete. Improves Balance of Payments: An added benefit of foreign direct investment is that it helps the Balance of Payments of both, the capital and current accounts, of the host country. Criticism of MNCs: Multinational corporations do control. They control the politicians. They control the media. They control the pattern of consumption, entertainment, thinking. Theyre destroying the planet and laying the foundation for violent outbursts and racial division. Jerry Brown There are two sides to every coin, and this is no different. Critics of MNCs state that the cons far outweigh the pros that MNC involvement brings to host countries. The primary concern for them is the high levels of unmonitored influence these companies have on host countries. Colonialism: MNCs are seen as a offshoot of western colonialism, albeit in a more subtle manner. Far from improving the balance of payments on both the current and capital accounts, critics argue that MNCs worsen it. This they argue happens when the profits are repatriated to their own countries. Though the local governments may come to an agreement that a certain portion of their inputs be bought in the local market, this however may come at a cost with negative impacts upon the less developed countries current accounts. Unmatchable influence: The power, influence and reach of these MNCs have enabled them to have considerable and highly influential affect on the political dynamics of numerous governments and their countries. The MNCs have been known to use this influence to pressurize governments into letting them become more competitive via the implementation of national policies that is conductive to their end goals, which is ultimately a hefty profit. One major drawback of such reforms is a vast decline in any socio-economic reforms. The regulation and responsibilities of states is growing in number as MNCs continue to expand economically and geographically. A set of new difficulties have taken rise as MNCs continue to take over most economic activities. Today, they outnumber states in terms of size and power. General Motors is an outstanding example to explain this phenomenon. The MNC is run at a scale larger than seven nations together. The power it has in terms of economics and politics, allows it to control a huge chunk of the world. Hence, it is worthwhile to note that since the 1990s when there were only 3 MNCs controlling the worlds economies, the number jumped up to 15 within the span of 10 years. Their large investment portfolios make MNCs a powerhouse when it comes to the negotiating table and most developing countries cannot match up to their level, enabling the MNCs to get the upper hand. This leads to them coercing the government into implementing policies that favor their needs at the expense of the local industry and market. Technological fraud: Technological transfer agreements are not always kept, and when kept they are usually skewed in favor of the MNC. Even though most do not agree to a full transparent technological transfer, even if that comes to pass, the technology passed onto the country is usually obsolete in nature or is patented so it would be of little use to the host country on a global scale. Little or No accountability: MNCs comprise of international bodies which function beyond the state authorities, in terms of decision making power and the power they hold over monetary assets. Though this legitimate challenge has been out there for thirty years now, yet only slight developments have been noted in terms of accountability. The old-fashioned regulatory body and the MNCs significant economic and political power have resulted in a clash which makes the regulation of states turn into a major problem. The MNC has surpassed the national legal structures and disregarded the delicate international bodies, increasing the already existing burden of fulfilling the basic norms of human rights. Undermine Social and Economic Rights: The MNCs dominant and significant position within the international forum increases its opposing competencies. MNCs can easily promote or undermine economic and social rights, which can in turn affect the international community, positively or negatively, depending on the local market of an economy. Though the State still holds much power over the laws and regulations on an international level, MNCs have a considerable impact over the decision making process of nation-states. As MNCs continue to grow economically and politically, the shift in power is gradually becoming visible. It is a must that the MNCs take into consideration the impact that they are leaving in developing countries. As MNCs continue to grow, their interference in the public domain also continues to increase. Their interference, leads to social and economic hazards for the public, i.e., the shareholders, employees, consumers and local populations. There is increasing support that calls for a more rigid and stricter regulation of the responsibilities of MNCs within their new assumed role. The world order is determined via deregulations of economics in nature and the lessening of government responsibilities when it comes to the public domain. This new reality has highlighted the growing need for regulation, as the influencing powers of various private organizations is increasing. This needs to be done in order to manage policies and reduce the gap. This extends to the customarily governmental realm of political and social policy, which are areas in which the Multinational Companies hold particular sway. Their contribution, be it positive or negative, will affect the economies, accordingly. Hence, a positive outlook on their part is a necessity if economic, cultural and social rights are to be promoted in this growing world of evils. Stifles Competition: The superiority of MNCs shines through their competitive nature as the stifle competition by getting subsidized inputs, lowering their costs and then competes with local manufacturers who cannot realistically match up to their prices. This results in a lot of them leaving the field, leaving the MNCs to monopolies the economy and then once in power, to jack up prices. Although FDI is supposed to foster growth, with the inclusion of MNCs it might lead to a loss of jobs as more businesses are put out of work. Although host countries require foreign investors to have a fix percent of local workers, this requirement is on the decline due to WTOs agreement on Trade Related measures on investment. Unmatched budgets: An offshoot of their influence on the government, the MNCs also have a huge advertising budget, which enables them to portray a much better image in the eyes of the local populace. With budgets that run in the millions, MNCs almost always succeed in gaining mass market shares of their products since the local companies cannot produce/hire production companies to do the same. This again alienates the local entrepreneurs and makes it harder for the majority of the population. Human Right abuses: The Multinational Corporation is an adaptable and established entity that profits from the principles of neo-liberal economics, as well as the predicament of the home and host state, the combination of which with restricted levels of liability and a decentralized decision-making hierarchy allows for abuses of human rights to take place internationally, by having doubt standards. Moreover, polices of MNCs such as the WTO, OECD, IMF and the World Bank, have enabled MNCs to gain a position of considerable influence on agendas of social and economic nature. In this never ending race to be the most economical, one major aspect that has not been given much due consideration is linked to the capacity that a state has to meet the terms and conditions of different forms of human rights obligations, i.e. economic, cultural and social rights. In order to meet this challenge, IMF and the World Bank have imposed economic reforms that allow production of goods and services to be worth exporting along with being deregulated and privatized. Foreign investment has become a must. Today, all states are inclined towards easing labor standards and modifying legal taxes to attract foreign investors. This inclination of states, in turn has led to a major destruction of human rights principles and the capability of states to self-sufficiently regulate their progress. Cooperation is required not only on an international level but also from non-state actors to safeguard rudimentary societal and financial privileges. As nations continue to fight over sovereig nty and the power shift continues to impact human rights negatively, the international legal structure is fast becoming inadequate to regulate and control the growth of influential non-state players, i.e. MNCs. Environmental impacts: Economic globalization has had quite a destructive impact on state regulation. People have been affected negatively and gradually the impact is increasing and becoming more obvious. The more competitive a nation, the lesser the regulations. Though this tactic is almost perfect in attracting multinational corporations, it is quite destructive in nature. In order to compete with such nations, other states are also forced to decrease their regulatory measures if they wish to get foreigners to invest in their country. No nation wishes to reduce its competitiveness or power. Foreign investors are now consuming the money that should have been legally invested in maintains the rights of the public socially, economically and culturally. Hence, MNCs are free from any legal obligations which may bind them and put a stop to the activities which are prone to destruct the communities that are subjected to the MNCs treatment. Moving Forward: With the growing economic power of corporations, an increasing number of domestic and international systems have started relinquishing control over their business over to their locally dominant MNCs. This leads to economic power having a say over political influence, which can be dangerous if left unchecked. The MNCs have complete power over national development, i.e. on matters such as trade, patent and monetary strategies. While regimes remain divided due to contradictory interests (effectiveness versus social modification), MNCs have a terse, vibrant and single-minded aim of creating as much profit as possible à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" profit which allows them to control all parties a national and international level. The abuse faced by developing countries at the hands of MNCs has now become almost unbearable. The international financial structure that accentuates the free market way of thinking, denationalization and a decrease in the involvement of the public sector is thwarting many developing and underdeveloped countries from sanctioning a fair and reasonable progress, on the basis of human rights. MNCs have uncountable funds, are only inclined to maximize profit, use the least amount of employees possible, jump from nation to nation without much consideration , import employees rather than using the local labor, and refuse to acknowledge the social requirements of the state they operate in. All these activities directly impact the socio-economic rights of the public. As a consequence of these elements and several other international monetary problems such as inadequate technology transmission, absence of external investment and the brain drain, various developing countries need guidelines in order to react efficiently to the circumstances. [6] There is a growing mistrust and anger developing in the developing countries where the economic and environmental impacts have started to show. Conclusion: I was initially recruited while I was in business school back in the late sixties by the National Security Agency, the nations largest and least understood spy organization; but ultimately I worked for private corporations. John Perkins In his book, Confessions of an Economic Hitman (2004) [7] , John Perkins states how he was hired by such organizations to coerce leaders of developing countries to take high levels of un payable loans in favor of a quick short time gain. He states that by doing so, the country would eventually default or ask for more time, upon which these multinationals would sweep in and monopolize the markets. This practice, he emphasized was being carried out globally and under the guise of various fronts. The public must be made aware of such fraudulent activities and they should demand an end to such exploitations. A few sweeping observations can be made. With trade and investment barriers on the verge of being dissolute globally, the penetration of MNCs across the globe, especially in developing markets is bound to increase. This would lead them into further clawing their way into the inner workings of weak governments and increase their socio-politico-cultural influences. With numerous MNCs merging, they are increasing their powers and would be harder to resist. Foreign direct investments has its pros and cons. However they should not be ignored for fear of their adverse effects. Instead policies should be made to better utilize them as the host country sees fit. Foreign capital is one of the primary catalyst of encouraging development, but it should never been treated as an alternate to domestic investments, but rather a helping supplement. Developing countries need to develop more indigenous industries that are capable of competing on a global scale, in a market full of MNCs. This cannot be done if local industries are considered infant industries and given subsidies so they could play safe, rather they should be forced to compete with the best of them, which would enable them to increase their efficiency. Less developed countries should focus internally and improve basic areas, so as to better compete against mega organizations and prevent them from dominating the market. This can only be done if they are made to come to economies of scale and plan on operating on a global scale, rather within the confines of a few local markets. [8] Multinational Companies are a reality and they are here to stay for the forseeable future. It is time for countries which have been exploited to start making changes and amend their ways for the better and the sooner the better.

The Allegory of the Cave by Plato Essay -- Plato Allegory Cave Philoso

The Allegory of the Cave by Plato   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "The Allegory of the Cave," by Plato, explains that people experience emotional and intellectual revelations throughout different stages in their lives. This excerpt, from his dialogue The Republic, is a conversation between a philosopher and his pupil. The argument made by this philosopher has been interpreted thousands of times across the world. My own interpretation of this allegory is simple enough as Plato expresses his thoughts as separate stages. The stages, very much like life, are represented by growing realizations and newfound "pains." Therefore, each stage in "The Allegory of the Cave" reveals the relation between the growth of the mind and age.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stage of the excerpt, which is characterized by chained and confined people, is a metaphor representing the infant and child ages of humans. Like the confined people, children are not allowed to wander freely outside of their home and must stay close to their parent's watchful eye. Those living in the underground den have their heads positioned in a way that they must not view a fire blazing behind them. The heads of the people only see the shadows cast by the fire and objects passing by behind them and they can only guess as to the actual physicality of the object. This also is very similar to children who are curious about objects around them. Although children do not understand complex objects, they do want to know the purpose and function of the object. The mentalities of the people in the cave and of children are 100% subjective and are trapped in their own ignorance: "To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the imag es."(5) Totally emerged in isolation and without experience, those in the den have no idea as to what the true nature of the shadow is. Their only truth is the shadow and they cannot learn the real meaning behind the shadow unless set free.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, when Plato writes to set free those in the den, he is moving on to the next stage of human growth: being a teenager. The prisoners in the cave are set free to wander and move about. This symbolizes the time in life where teenagers move away from their parents. After teens have been under their parent's supervision and confinement for years, they want to go out and learn new things on their own. "At first, when any of them is liberated and... ...eyes."(6-7) Even though the people in this stage have seen true beauty and enlightenment, they are viewed as old and ridiculous. Although, the one who has come down from the top may try to educate others on what he/she has seen. An example of this is when grandparents teach their children or grandchildren about life, then repeating the cycle by giving children the determination to see the light.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato was thousands of years ahead of his time when he wrote The Republic. His insight on the physical capabilities of the mind may be applied to many different situations, even being applied to Hollywood movies such as The Matrix. With Plato's belief in the human mind, we have moved away from ancient thought to the technologies and advances of today. As humans grow older with age and experience, they also grow the capacity to see new things. Babies may see just a picture or a color, but an adult may see a work of art or a spiritual enlightenment. The changing of the mind's eye through out time plays an important role in the way all people view life. Comprehending the mind's eye, what Plato did a long time ago, is what may help people move on to the next stages of their own lives.

Post WWI Poetry Essay :: English Literature

Post WWI Poetry Essay The poems that I will compare are Rupert Brooke – The Soldier, Seigfried Sassoon – ‘They’, and How Sleep the Brave – William Collins. Rupert Brooke - The Soldier The first few words that Brooke uses are ‘If I should die,’ He uses if as a possibility of death. He uses this because he thinks death is a possibility not a definite answer to war. The forth word he uses connects the Sestet and Octave together because ‘think’ is used in both stanza. At the end of the first line he says ‘me’. This means that he is a ‘patriotic soldier who has done his duty for his country’. ‘That there’s some corner of a foreign field’. This means where every he falls during the war, no matter if it is in a shell hole or on the edge of a river he will be able to die in a piece of England. This shows even more patriotism towards the war and his fellow soldiers. The line ‘in that rich earth a richer dust concealed’, means that the soldier’s ashes are held in the earth. They have been called ‘richer dust’ because the ashes of the people are the ashes of people who have dies for their country and their fellow countrymen. This also means that his body fertilizes the patriotism and honour of England’s people. ‘A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware’, means that the man who died was raised by England and educated. This personifies England as a mother nurturing a small child. The soldier’s body is said to be owned by England in the line, ‘A body of England’s’. In the poem the word ‘blest’ is used some this may have some religious significance. The lines 5 – 8 are describing the soldiers ‘Englishness’. It is patriotism at its most extreme. In the second stanza, the word ‘think’ arises again, joining the sestet and octave. ‘All evil shed away’, means that the person who has sacrificed their body for their country cannot sin any more because they are dead. This may also mean that they may have been forgiven for killing the enemy to protect their country and its rights of freedom. ‘A pulse in the eternal mind’ has a spiritual or religious meaning. It could mean that all of the people, who knew him in the war and his family, still remember him and will do forever. ‘Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given’, continues the patriotism and emphasizes his sacrifice for England. The last three lines describe the ‘Good of England’. The last line ‘In hearts at peace, under an

A Critical Discussion of Blaise Pascals The Wager Essay -- Pascal Go

A Critical Discussion of Blaise Pascal's The Wager   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the gambling world bets are made based on odds, the probability or likelihood that something would happen. In the court of law, cases are decided upon by the weight of evidence presented by the respective parties. The common link between these general scenarios is that decisions are made based on some outside evidential factor. The more probable something is likely to happen, or the more evidence presented in favor or opposed to something, the greater the tendency that a decision will coincide with that probability or evidence. This kind of logic has also been used when arguing about the existence of God. It has been argued that God’s existence is necessary based on the logic that it is neither contingent not impossible and therefore must exist; it has also been argued that the presence of evil in the world is evidence enough that God, or at least God as we make Him out to be, does not exist. The decisions that people a make about their personal relationship with the being that has been dubbed â€Å"God† is usually based on this kind of criteria. But what if someone were to make a decision concerning God’s existence without having any evidence to sway us, how would that someone choose? This problem is addressed by Blaise Pascal in his essay entitled The Wager. Pascal argues that the only rational choice to make about the existence of God with no evidence would be to believe that He does. The following pages of this essay will be a critical analysis and also critique of Pascal’s argument, for it is the argument of the author of this paper that a sincere decision would be impossible under these circumstances and without evidence we would not be able to make a rational choice concerning the issue of God’s existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the discussion is started let me first clarify some terminology is order to make my argument more clear. In my thesis statement I offered the premise that when given to the criteria put forth by Pascal that a sincere decision about belief in God would be impossible. By sincere decision I mean a decision that you can evaluate and reevaluate against anything that claims the opposite and still be able to hold to it. If you have a belief based on a decision that stems from no evidence then you have nothing to evaluate it by, so that belief cannot be sincere, it is merely a blind ch... ... of someone else. If you choose to change your actions, you will only change in a way that still lets you hold to your belief, a belief that has shown to be beneficial based on evidence not on some yet to be seen reward.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To close this paper and stop the what could be a continuous rant against Pascal, it is pretty obvious that the issue of God, his existence, and whether or not we should believe will forever be a perennial issue. Pascal, Aquinas, James, or even myself can write essays until we run out of paper and printer ink, but the only thing that would accomplish is further add to the already ample confusion and conflict on this issue. Although Pascal offers a very simple reason of why we should believe in God, it is all to simple. And while I offer nothing but criticisms for his argument, I cannot myself offer a more sound argument that would less susceptible to the same kinds of criticisms I just wrote concerning The Wager. Works Cited 1. Pascal, Blaise. â€Å"The Wager: Philosophy of Religion Selected Readings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oxford University Press, 1996: New York, New York. 2. Holy Bible. Book of James Chapter 1, Verse 12; First Corinthians Chapter 10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Verse 13.

Chapter 10 summary of Guns, Germs, and Steel Essay

In the Fertile Crescent, plants and animals spread quickly into Europe and North Africa. Innovations such as written language and wheels spread similarity quickly as well. People used domesticated crops rather than those that grew naturally. This shows that people easily adapted the Fertile Crescent’s food production. Chapter 10: Eurasia has covered the largest East to West area of any continent. Diamond believes that this is yet another r advantage for Eurasia. Eurasia had â€Å"amber fields of grain and spacious skies†. With the New world not having these advantages, it slowed diffusion. In the Fertile Crescent, plants and animals spread quickly into Europe and North Africa. Innovations such as written language and wheels spread similarity quickly as well. People used domesticated crops rather than those that grew naturally. This shows that people easily adapted the Fertile Crescent’s food production. Chapter 10: Eurasia has covered the largest East to West area of any continent. Diamond believes that this is yet another r advantage for Eurasia. Eurasia had â€Å"amber fields of grain and spacious skies†. With the New world not having these advantages, it slowed diffusion. In the Fertile Crescent, plants and animals spread quickly into Europe and North Africa. Innovations such as written language and wheels spread similarity quickly as well. People used domesticated crops rather than those that grew naturally. This shows that people easily adapted the Fertile Crescent’s food production. Chapter 10: Eurasia has covered the largest East to West area of any continent. Diamond believes that this is yet another r advantage for Eurasia. Eurasia had â€Å"amber fields of grain and spacious skies†. With the New world not having these advantages, it slowed diffusion. In the Fertile Crescent, plants and animals spread quickly into Europe and North Africa. Innovations such as written language and wheels spread similarity quickly as well. People used domesticated crops rather than those that grew naturally. This shows that people easily adapted the Fertile Crescent’s food production.

Julius Caesar – Conflicting Perspectives

Every text is constructed for a purpose; the composer is trying to convey and embed their agenda into the reader by persuading them to accept their perspective on key events, personalities and/or situations. Through the manipulation of various textual forms, structures and language composers persuade their audience to adopt their perspective. Composers often decide to present conflicting perspectives to truly engage their audience.By demonstrating the concept of conflicting perspectives the composer is able to glorify their perspective in contrast to another to enforce their agenda, they position the audience through language to side with them. The tight narrative â€Å"Julius Caesar† by William Shakespeare’s utilises the final days of Caesar’s rule and assassination as the catalyst for exploring the nature of political power, conveying conflicting perspectives on imperial and republican rule.Shakespeare’s context shaped the meaning of this play as he expl oits people’s fears at the time to connect with the audience. In contrast, Miranda Devine’s political article â€Å"Felled by an Invidious Green Plot† 19/8/10 (SMH) tells the â€Å"chilling story† about how â€Å"green activists† used political maneuvers to build the support of the public to tear down the timber company ‘Gunns’ and devastate the life of Chief Executive John Gay and the Tasmanian economy.She uses various textual techniques and includes a provocative cartoon at the top, as well as quotes from those supporting her views to convince the reader of her perspective. Devine, known for her conservative view on political and social issues, is deliberately bias against the Greens as she has gained vas wealth through exploiting the countries natural resources such as deforestation. By demonstrating the concept of conflicting perspectives both composers are able to shape meaning to convey their purpose through the choice of textual forms, structures and language.The concept of conflicting perspectives presents the audience choice and involves them in the depiction of the message of the text and the composer’s agenda. In Shakespeare’s renowned play Julius Caesar the concept of political power in ancient Rome, and how political tactics are often used to manipulate the public is explored. The concept of conflicting perspectives is created in the play by the characterisation of Brutus and Marc Antony. Their perspective of Caesar and whether he should rule directly clash, one rguing the side of imperial rule and the other republican rule and hence provide the central conflict throughout the play. At the time the play was composed, this concept was a real threat as the Roman Empire sought new rule following the recent death of the Queen, allowing Shakespeare to toy with the emotions of his audience. With an engaged audience and the manipulation of structures, language and textual forms Shakespeare is able to shape the meaning of the play.The construction of their speeches after Caesar’s death, arguing both personal and public reasons for their views, demonstrates their individual perspective and their attempts to convince their audience of their view. Brutus, â€Å"having to show the reason of our Caesar's death†, argues from a political perspective, believing imperial rule is the best model. His opening lines â€Å"Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers, hear me for my cause† uses inclusive language to immediately build rapport.He agrees that Caesar was an honourable man â€Å"Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his†, yet his perspective and justification for assassinating him, is ultimately determined by his love for Rome, demonstrated through use of syntactical balance â€Å"Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more†, and is demonstrated through use of rhetorical questions â€Å"Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slave s, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? † which invites the audience to side with his opinion.Through Shakespeare’s use of patriotism in Brutus’ political speech, he is able to persuade not only the Plebeians but also the audience, demonstrating how language techniques are able to reinforce a particular perspective to shape meaning in a text. Putting Brutus’s speech first is a structural technique by Shakespeare to allow for rebuttal. Conflicting perspectives through the manipulation of language, textual forms and structure allows the composer to present two perspectives and give the audience choice in their depiction of the message of the play.The choice is ultimately determined by the context of the reader, which largely affects their interpretation of the text as they may have diverse experiences causing their depiction of the text to be altered. Marc Antony provides the conflict to Brutus’ speech, demonstrated through his passionate and melodramatic funeral oration, which provides a conflicting perspective on Caesar and the nature of his assassination. Antony walks on stage holdingCaesars dead body, a dramatic device used by Shakespeare to heighten the effect of the speech. He scolds Brutus and the other senators, mocking, through use of sarcasm and repetition of their â€Å"honour† â€Å"For Brutus is an honourable man†. Antony's key tools at the beginning of his speech are his conspicuous ambiguity regarding Caesar and Brutus â€Å"Yet Brutus says he was ambitious†, and use of rhetorical questions â€Å"Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? He challenges Brutus’ perspective that Caesar was too ambitious â€Å"I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse†, expressing his perspective that Caesar was unjustly assassinated, and through his emotive language â€Å"it was a grievous fault†, is able to convince the plebeians that Caesar was an honourable l eader â€Å"Methinks there is much reason in his sayings†. The deliberate structure of the play with, with Brutus’ speech being first, slightly glorifies imperial rule and gives the audience the impression that Shakespeare believes that imperialism is the best political model.The reaction of the crowd to both speeches indicates how political power can shift opinions of people through the power of language. Firstly Brutus has full support of the crowd â€Å"let him be Caesar†, but Antony’s speech convinces them of a different perspective â€Å"We’ll burn the house of Brutus†. Hence, through the use of juxtaposed dramatic speeches and language techniques, Shakespeare shapes the meaning of the play, engaging the audience, involving them in the process of deciding whether republicanism or imperialism is the ultimate model for the Roman Empire.The concept of conflicting perspectives can be a great tool to give the reader choice in the depiction o f the text, however, this concept can also be utilised as a way to glorify one perspective in contrast to another. In the news article â€Å"Felled by an Invidious Green Plot† , Devine is similarly making a statement about the nature of political power, however, through use of an emotive tone, she presents a far more confronting and persuasive argument.Devine effectively manipulates the medium of the article, enabling her to provide a conflicting perspective to the Greens principles as portrayed in the media, while simultaneously not allowing a conflicting perspective to oppose her view. Devine’s argument is very political and one sided, and this is demonstrated very clearly through emotive language â€Å"fought a relentless campaign to†¦ destroy Gay† and rhetorical questions â€Å"Who is actually going to believe that environmental management is going to be better in Indonesia or Malaysia? †.This, through the concept of conflicting perspectives, for ces the reader to undertake her opinion, making the purpose of the article to accept a perspective rather than giving the reader choice. She selects information and statistics to support her view, â€Å"He†¦transformed Gunns into a top 50 company with a market capitalisation of $900 million by 2003† and, similarly to Antony and Brutus speeches, uses emotive language to manipulate the readers to agree with her perspective â€Å"(John Gay) became a hero of the working class people of Tasmania†.As she is writing a newspaper article, it could be argued that she should provide a balanced perspective, however through portraying a positive image of John Gay, she offers the perspective that the Greens victimized him for their political gain, and Devine is able to shape her agenda in the text and through conflicting perspectives, purposely glorifying her perspective to embed her message of the article in the reader.Similar to Antony and Brutus, Miranda Devine has a clear p olitical perspective, which is made clear to the reader through her closing paragraph â€Å"those†¦people planning to vote for the Greens on Saturday had better understand exactly what they are voting for†¦moving backwards into the dark ages†.The use of hyperbole to finish an obvious political statement reflects how the article only portrays her perspective, rather than balancing conflicting perspectives, in to convince her readers to undertake her perspective, shaping meaning through deliberate glorification. Through the exploration of textual forms, structures and language both composers, using the concept of conflicting perspectives, shape the meaning of their text.

Food Adulteration Essay

A) Adulterated food: a serious public health problem in Bangladesh Adulteration of food with toxic chemicals harmful to health has reached an epidemic proportion in Bangladesh. The newspapers have dubbed it as the ‘silent killer’. It is very difficult to find a sector of food industry which is free of adulteration. From raw vegetable and fruits to milk and milk products to fish, meat and processed food–every food item is contaminated. Almost every day in the news papers, newer and newer methods of adulterating newer and newer types of foods are reported. Carbide, formalin, textile colors, artificial sweeteners, DDT, urea etc. are used rampantly for this purpose. Contamination of foods with toxic chemicals pose a serious threat to public health, especially in a country like Bangladesh where due to poor health literacy, level of awareness is very low. Immediate effect of ingestion of such foods may be severe forms of diarrhoea (food poisoning), threatening life. Ironically, people from all walks of life is aware of the hazards of taking foods adulterated with toxic chemicals, but this knowledge is not translated into practice. There is no paucity of laws and regulations to contain adulteration of food in Bangladesh such as Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI) Ordinance of 1985, and the Pure Food Ordinance of 2005. Under the purview of these rules come the following offences: fake licenses, poor quality of food, substandard infrastructure and lack of maintaining hygiene, food adulteration, food impurity, incorrect information on food packages, selling products whose date have expired etc.. B) GM Food in Bangladesh Bangladesh takes to GM food crops [DHAKA] Bangladesh has become the first South Asian country to approve commercial cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) food crop — brinjal (also known as eggplant or aubergine) spliced with a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis . On 28 October, Bangladesh’s National Committee on Biosafety (NBC) approved cultivation of four indigenous varieties of brinjal incorporating a gene from the B.thuringiensis (Bt) to make it resistant to attacks by the fruit and shoot borer (FSB), a common pest in South and Southeast Asia. â€Å"We will make seeds and distribute them among the farmers. Hopefully, the vegetables will be available in the market next year,† Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Mondal, director-general of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), tells SciDev. Net. According to BARI scientists, the Bt protein in GM brinjal disrupts the digestive systems of the FSB pests, causing them to die within three days of ingestion. The approval comes in the teeth of protests from a section of health, agriculture and environmental activists, accusing the government of ignoring the possibility of negative impacts on public health from consuming the GM version of a popular vegetable. http://www. scidev. net/south-asia/agriculture/news/bangladesh-takes-to-gm-food-crops. html ?Who should and can be held accountable for uncontrolled food adulteration in Bangladesh. ?What are the main ethical issues of massive food adulteration in Bangladesh? ?What are the corruption interfaces of uncontrolled food adulteration in Bangladesh What are the ethical issues related to unbridled rise of GM food in Bangladesh and how government can play role to face the challenge rising GM food in relation to of food security and food safety? ?How best ethical practices of the civil servants can play vital role to curb food adulteration and meet the challenge of GM food. Please write down a comprehensive essay of about 1250 words (Word ranges between 1125-1375) addressing the above questions in your own work. You c Instructions 1. Use your own thinking and ideas and learning from the course. 2. Should be hand written. 3. Use A4 size paper. With margin 1. 0 top and bottom margins; 1. 0 to 1. 25 left and right and about 100-150 words per page. Use both side of the paper. 4. Use Given assignment cover page format . 5. Do not any spiral binding and extra binding 6. Use at least 6 references from different scholarly books, articles, journals or other sources. 7. Standard apply to evaluation. 8. Follow standard referencing system. Individual Assignment: Structure and Content: 40% Language, Style, Logical Flow, Referencing: 20% Consistency and Relevance: 20% Analytical Capability: 20%.