Monday, September 30, 2019

When We Were Kings

â€Å"When We Were Kings† directed by Leon Gast is a documentary about the boxer Muhammad Ali and the culture of African-American people. The music is used as one of the ways to provide information for the audience about what is happening within the film. The music helps the audience establish what it was like back in the 1970’s. It also shows African-American singers and how they are proud of their heritage like BB King and James Brown. The music also functions as a symbol to get information across, for example â€Å"The Succubus. The documentary songs relate to the theme of racial relationships and African-American identity. Setting: The film is set in the 1970’s within Zaire, Africa when Mobutu Sese Seko was in charge. It shows that the village life is very poor and crowded as it was a 2nd world country because it was still developing. There were power struggles e. g. Belgian Congo and also Mobutu was ruthless as he killed 10% of the criminals in Zaire. Even though this was all happening within the country the people of Africa were proud to be African. They showed this through the 3 day musical festival, where they had there traditional singing and dancing. The film shows footages of the African children and women dancing to the beat of the drum in their traditional clothing. During the 1970’s it was an insult to call African-American people African, but when Muhammad Ali came to Africa he saw how African people were proud of their heritage and that Africans and Americans shared similar loves for things like music. Ali then realised he should be glad to be African and apart of this exciting new way of life. The documentary depicts Ali to be the â€Å"Hero† in Zaire as he is seen as someone standing up for the African people. Similarities between Africans and African-Americans: African-American people were seen unequal to white people. Their social status was seen as unworthy and below the standards of white people. The musical performances, from James Brown’s screaming, soul singing and dancing, to B. B. King’s sweat, smooth strumming on the Lucille, inspired both the African’s and American’s who travelled there. The music united and influenced the people within Zaire to watch the fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Muhammad Ali started to realise that black and white people aren’t much different, they care and love similar things such as education and music, specifically, the drums. The drums provided a sense of communication and rhythm betw een the two different cultures. The drum was the oldest instrument that the Africans used and now the African-American singers like James Brown uses it in his songs. it in his songs. Miriam Makeba – Mama Africa: Throught-out the film Miriam Makeba (Mama Africa) is singing the song â€Å"Am Am Pondo. † This is used to symbolise â€Å"Succubus. † Succubus is a women who has sexual intercourse with men in their sleep, until the tire out. This symbol was used since this is how Ali won agaist Foreman, as he let Foreman hit him until he became exhausted and then he striked with one punched and knocked him out. George Plimpton tells the story of the witch doctor who predicted that a â€Å"women with trembling hands† or a succubus in Zaire would take hold of George foreman and that he would not win the boxing match as the succubus will take all his strength and then bring Ali to victory. The filmmakers illustrate this by having Miriam Makeba perform the succubus. Everytime Foreman was shown on the documenty Miriam Makeba would be singing â€Å"Am Am Pondo† in the backgroud to indicate the Foreman does not belong in Africa and that he will get caught in Africa’s trap or being cursed by a female â€Å"Succubus. African children and women dancing to the beat of the drum in their traditional clothing. During the 1970’s it was an insult to call African-American people African, but when Muhammad Ali came to Africa he saw how African people were proud of their heritage and that Africans and Americans shared similar loves for things like music. Ali then realised he shoul d be glad to be African and apart of this exciting new way of life. The documentary depicts Ali to be the â€Å"Hero† in Zaire as he is seen as someone standing up for the African people. The film is he

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How to Support Bilingualism in Early Childhood Essay

Bilingualism is very important. Although most people speak English in this country, there is not really a national language in the United States of America. However, speaking more than one language will, without a doubt, get you father. Many children that enter early childhood centers have another primary language. Although it is very important that all the children learn English, it is just as important that they do not lose their first language. Besides being able to keep close to your roots and communicate with your family, being bilingual can open doors professionally. This in itself is a great reason to make sure schools support bilingualism. Accepting the child’s first language is a great step to show respect for the child and his culture and family. This acceptance is important in the early years, especially when the child first enters preschool / daycare. In showing tolerance and acknowledgement to the primary language, the child will feel comfortable in the classroom and this will make the transition to go much smoother. This article continues to explain ways in which educators and school staff can support bilingualism. Preschools and daycares play an important role in the lives of the children. The seeds we plant about bilingualism will grow forever in that child. As we accept and learn, so will the children. If we were to treat this in a negative manner, the children will perceive it that way as well. Getting to know the families in our centers is imperative. Knowing what language they speak and where they come from is a sure way to make them feel secure and comfortable. As stated in the article, the attitudes of the staff are essential to supporting bilingualism. Making sure that staff members speak both English and another language (majority at center) is the first step in having a bilingual school/program. It is never â€Å"ok† to simply disregard the native language of the child or the child’s family. Parents should continue to speak in their native language and no one should make that child feel embarrassed or ashamed to speak another language. This article is pro children and pro responsibility. As educators, it is our duty to have our children reach for the highest goal possible. It is our responsibility to take the children far in life. Guiding children and their families towards bilingualism is a great way to give value to immigrant families. Achieving the â€Å"American dream† does not mean leaving your roots behind. Having a strong self-esteem includes being proud of ourselves and where we come from. Teachers need to nurture this.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

How to write an introduction for a dissertation?

The introduction is the starting point of your dissertation. The reason why the introduction for a dissertation is the most difficult part of the paper is that its main goal is to make a reader interested in the subject you have been researching. What is more, you need to prove why your research matters and what you have managed to achieve in regards to the subject under consideration. Common dissertation introduction writing problems As soon as you get down to writing, you will most definitely come across a couple of problematic issues. The thing is that students typically tend to write dissertation introductions that are lengthier than they are supposed to be. The whole point is lost and it becomes harder for a reader to grasp the main idea. Writing a very detailed introduction is another common problem. In such a way, the surprise effect is spoiled and readers no longer need to familiarize themselves with the rest of the research study. In addition, some students come up with introductions that look like they are formula-written. Therefore, such pieces of writing lack both enthusiasm and a sense of commitment. Main parts of the introduction scope; current scientific situation; motivation; theoretical and practical relevance of the research; brief description of the research design; objective of the study; problem statement; dissertation outline. You need to begin with stating the motive for your research. If you have an interesting example to illustrate your point, do not hesitate to do so, as it will immediately draw the reader’s attention. Then, proceed to describe the topic of your dissertation. Define the subject you want to research. Try to choose something unusual or under-researched. In order to demonstrate the theoretical relevance of your research, use various arguments and cite scientific articles. Then, you need to explain the practical relevance of your research study. Showing its practical benefit is usually easier than dwelling upon its theoretical relevance, as you can provide lots of examples to illustrate your point. Do not forget to mention the practical outcome of your research for the whole field or industry. Keep in mind that there is a difference between the objective and the problem statement of your dissertation. Use research questions to dwell upon the problem statement. The objective, in its turn, is the explanation of the reasons why you have decided to study this particular issue. Thus, you will need to describe what you want to achieve with this research study as well as what outcome you expect. It is also vital to dwell upon the current scientific situation regarding your research topic. What you are required to do is present a few scientific articles that deal with similar issues or ones that are related to your subject of study. Briefly explain the gist and the main message of those articles. The reason why this aspect is so important is that it demonstrates that there is a lot of theoretical information on the issue, which means you will not get stuck while working on it. Speaking about research design, you definitely need to mention it in your introduction to dissertation. Provide a brief summary of it. The last part of your introduction should be the dissertation outline. What you are supposed to do is to briefly describe how your dissertation is constructed. Try to summarize the gist of each chapter in one sentence. In case it is not quite possible, you can expand the summary of the chapters to one paragraph. Keep in mind that the outline should not be repetitively ph rased. Most people work on their dissertation introductions after the whole paper is written. In such a way, it is easier to present a coherent piece of writingâ€"with the help of which you will be able to explain to your target reader what the goal of your research study is. Speaking about the length of the dissertation introduction, there are no specific requirements. This means is your introduction for dissertation should not look like an abstract. However, it does not also mean you are supposed to submit a huge document. Make sure you write to the point. Do not repeat yourself. Present useful information to the reader. Here is a checklist of points your dissertation introduction should consist of: the research topic is limited; the practical relevance is explained; the topic is stimulating; current scientific situation in the field is demonstrated; the objective is stated; the problem statement is formulated; the research design is presented; the dissertation outline is added. It is totally normal if you cannot write a proper dissertation introduction on your first try. It takes time, which is the reason why it is important not to stress out much about it. Take a break. The best advice is to get down to the task of writing an introduction for your dissertation when you are finished with dissertation writing. This way, you will be able to organize your thoughts and submit a piece of writing in which all vital points are showcased. Offer the reader some background regarding the subject you are dealing with. Clarify what the focus of your study is. Do not forget that you will also need to explain why your research study is significant as well and what its value for the field or industry is. Make sure the reader understands the aims of your research, as well as what you are trying to achieve in the long run. The more you dwell upon all these aspects in your introduction, the easier it will be for readers to grasp your main idea. Therefore, they will be able to understand what you are working on, what impact it is going to have, as well as what results can be achieved if you are successful in reaching all these goals you have set. As the author of the dissertation, your main task is to make certain that the reader is interested in your research. You need to show your target audience a clear picture of what they are about to receive once they familiarize themselves with the subject of your research study in detail. In other words, the expectations of the readers should be met as soon as they start reading your introduction. Taking into consideration the fact that your target readers are members of a dissertation committee, what you need to do is to get to the point right away. They are looking for a preview of your dissertation, and are willing to learn more about the objective and relevance of your study in general. Begin with outlining the main argument right away. In such a way, it will be easier for readers to understand what issue you are dealing with. Then, dwell upon the methodology you have used. Explain what tools you have chosen and mention why you have decided to use those particular ones. Do not forget to define the key terms of your dissertation. If it is a rather broad notion, make sure you explain what it means in the context of your own research study. It will give readers a better understanding of your goals and the methods you used in order to achieve the desired result (Cassuto). The introduction to the dissertation is one of the most significant parts of such a piece of writing, because this is the first impression the reader gets when they start reading your document. Therefore, it is a great way to impress your target audience and motivate them to keep reading to find out more about the subject you have chosen to research. When you work on the task of writing the introduction, keep in mind that you may not write everything at once. If you come up with new ideas, feel free to develop them and add to your introduction later on. Make sure that the finished version remains coherent. Taking everything into account, writing an introduction for a dissertation is a complex and time-consuming assignment. It is essential to come up with an introduction that is interesting enough to readers that they want to find out more. Follow the steps highlighted in this article and you will be able to write an impressive dissertation introduction that will consist of all the relevant aspects the members of a dissertation committee pay so much attention to. Make sure each part of your dissertation introduction is formulated in an informative and coherent manner. Do not forget that it should be understandable and easy to read. In case you are currently dealing with term paper writing and are desperately looking for term paper help, feel free to take a look at other materials we have regarding this subject. Some of them might come in handy.

Friday, September 27, 2019

How does film in the U.S today influence people perception of Chinese Annotated Bibliography

How does film in the U.S today influence people perception of Chinese culture - Annotated Bibliography Example The article appears in the Journal of World History, a reputable publishing industry in communication, world history, and media studies, making it a reliable source. In addition, the information gathered is extracted from publish sources whose credibility is not in doubt. Furthermore, the research utilized critical analysis in the presentation of the secondary data collected in the research. This article served as a source of secondary data in research about how the Chinese society is viewed from the mirror of the American films. The insightful argument presented indicates that the claims and demonstration that are made about the Chinese culture in the Hollywood is a mere stereotype that has no cultural or traditional background. The author found out that the presentations made in the American films are for entertainment purposes and not a demonstration of the Chinese culture. The primary aim of this thesis was to de demystify racial and myths about the Chinese males in the Hollywood films that was directed towards assisting the American filmmakers and community from the prolonged stereotype about the Chinese people. The research identified the American perception of the Chinese culture on the role and behavior of the male Chinese residents through films in the American film industry. The data collected in this primary research was aimed at identifying the stereotypes of the Chinese male in the film industry from 1910. Notably, this is helpful in creating awareness about the exaggerated stereotypes about Chinese men being described as robbers and hooligans in the American films This article demonstrates a primary source of data on the stereotypes of Chinese men in the American films. Yu Feng considers that the demonstration of Chinese men as criminals is a stereotype that has been held by the American films. The data provided by Yu Feng has been verified by the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. Specifically,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Political Corruption in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Corruption in America - Research Paper Example The American government has been observed as corruption free from the viewpoint of other countries. Many of these states have contended that such attribute is the reason why America has become a superpower. However, if one is to critically assess the history of the American government, it can be observed that U.S. before was in truth and in fact struggling to eradicate the prevalent problem of corruption in its local and national level of government. Considerably, there have been many political personalities who have been charged and arrested for violating the anti-corruption law. To cite, U.S. Congressman Duke Cunningham in 2005 was charged with having conspired to commit bribery, wire fraud and tax evasion (Rozen 15; Meyers 14). He then decided to resign and relinquish his post. Later on, he was convicted and sentenced to over eight years of imprisonment and ordered to pay a whopping amount of more than one million dollars in restitution (â€Å"Duke Draws† A01). Notably, thi s type of corruption has been referred to as political corruption which poses danger to democracy and good governance and undermines the legitimacy of the government and its democratic values (Gore). According to Heidenheimer and Johnston, â€Å"political corruption involves a public official who violates the public’s trust in a manner which harms the public interest by knowingly exploiting his or her office for clear personal and private gain in a way which runs contrary to the accepted rules and standards for the conduct of public office so as to benefit a third party† (42). In this sense, there are two ideas which can be derived from this definition, corruption and the culture of corruption. There is a culture of corruption if a public officer does a corrupt act because he or she expects to be given a reward.

Review Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Review - Term Paper Example Last year the sport super bowl in the US had over 108 million viewers and the recent controversial use of $4 million on a commercial by a firm was making headings and any advertising firm would promise that such a figure would improve the brands image (Evans & Gerard 39). The sport super bowl has have a great media coverage and the same translates to the air play its gets plus the viewers it has. Research has shown that more that 30% of the viewers are interested in the commercials between the airplay of the sport than the sport itself. Commercials have become like part of the game rather than the norms considered as an interruption. The idea about using expensive advertisements and marketing techniques is a gamble because one can not be assured if the information will arrived to the intended destination who is the target customer but the gamble has one heavy side than the other. Advertisment has emerged as an important activity in marketing in the modern age of large scale production and serve competition in the market. Expensive marketing can be a great tool to ken turkey fried chicken brand and It performs the following functions: - Sales promotion: It boosts the sale of goods and services through creating awareness on the existence of the goods in the market and persuading the people to buy them. A good advertising strategy helps in securing new consumers in both the national and world markets. For instance in the clothing industry, a firm can purely base its marketing technique on the use of the internet and it can use video advert that are brokered by various marketing companies. Introduction of new product: It helps in bringing of new products in the market. Ken turkey fried chicken can register the availability of its new products in the market to the public through advertisement. A new firm cant make a

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Organizing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizing Paper - Essay Example One of the organizations that have effectively accomplished the organization function is Dell Inc. The management has efficiently and effectively organized the physical assets, the human talent, knowledge, technology and financial resources in order to ensure competitive advantage in the market. The company is headquartered in Texas, United States but has operations across the globe. Dell Inc has utilized the industry’s most efficient organization model. Some core organization elements include just-in-time inventory management, employee training, delegated authority and efficient allocation of capital resources (Williams 7). Physical assets In 2000, Dell established computer assembly factories in Austin, Lebanon, Tennessee, Ireland, China and Malaysia. The company also acquired assembly factories in Brazil in order to extend the manufacturing of the computer products (Holzner 19). In 1998, Dell added about 1,600,000 square feet of office space to the Round Rock complex thus in creasing the demonstration center and visitor’s meeting rooms. Currently, Dell has full functional facilities in US and India that support all business functions such as manufacturing, research and development and customer service. Dell has enough assembly physical facilities in UK, China, India, Brazil, Poland, Malaysia, Philippines, Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire. From 2002, Dell launched kiosk locations in various shopping malls in order to reach out to more potential customers. In 2005, the company expanded the kiosks to Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore (Williams 5). Dell has ensured efficient utilization of all production facilities and production space in its operations. The company leases out excess space in order to ensure maximum utilization of the physical assets. The company is geared at replacing the outdated physical assets such as machinery (Holzner 60). Human resources Dell Inc has more than 109,40 0 employees spread in more than 30 countries in the globe. The employees are expected to serve customers in more than 170 countries. Dell has attained a leadership position as the preferred provider of computer and networking systems due to his talented workforce and excellent customer service. The Chief executive officer and chairman is Michael Dell who has been in the company since 1984. Dell board of directors consists of nine members and the Global Executive management committee is tasked with managing the daily operations and providing strategic direction to the company. Dell Inc has established efficient channels of communication within the organization. The company has effectively delegated authority and responsibility to teams and managing directors who are responsible for different market segments (Williams 6). Dell Company conducts a job analysis that identifies various roles in the organization, the duties performed in the position and skills required. The company through its human resource planning has been able to forecast the skills demand in the organization. Due to its reputation of excellent human resources policies, the company attracts and retained qualified professionals in all functional departments. The company offers sufficient training to its employees in order to enhance the productivity and creativity of employees. Dell employee reward policies

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Fanning the Flame at Tiblana Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fanning the Flame at Tiblana - Case Study Example As a result, there is a looming threat of current or potential customers perceiving the company as insensitive to clients’ complaints, if it ignores the customer’s online complaints. I should immediately begin monitoring and be responding to the customer’s criticism appropriately. I must rush to my organization’s online sites and social media platforms to convince followers and clients that Tiblana will always remain a thought leader among its customers when it comes to quality candles. I will not forget embracing business and professional review websites like Yelp and Angie’s List to respond to reviews about Tiblana. According to Dennis, all responses in an online platform will always be professional and intended to both mitigate the reputational damage and appease the customer (19). As much as my invaluable asset as a social media manager is time, a company’s reputation is its most crucial asset (Dennis 15). Damage to its image among the customers may result in a massive loss of customers, revenue, investors, and employees. Thus, the risk of reputation is something that a company can no longer ignore. The proliferation of social media platforms has heightened these concerns. Tiblana’s reputation can be ruined in a matter of minutes. It is because more disgruntled customers and competitors join the complaining customer to broadcast defamatory information, often under anonymity. If I fail to spend time in counteracting the information, they will instantly be accepted to be true worldwide. In my addressing and researching the customer’s issue and social media impact, I should involve the personnel of the company. The entire sales and marketing department and staff need to know the matter to enable them to boost their marketing strategies against competitors and false accusations. I also need to notify the technical and production department personnel that manufactured the specific batch.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Compare and Contrast Composers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Compare and Contrast Composers - Essay Example He started to play the guitar and sing at a very early age when he started to sing with the church choir. The choir-master was J. M. Franck who began to teach the little boy and soon he chose Haydn to sing in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. As he entered his teenage years, his voice had started to crack and left the choir by force. After he was left to fend for himself he earned money as a composer, musician and teacher. His talent and teaching attracted many of the students who wanted to learn more about music, and soon he rented an attic where he started a formal musical program. In these years he composed divertimenti and string quartets which were the styles of music at that time (Grave 34). In 1761 Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy appointed Haydn as the Vice-Kappellmeister of his own private musical institution. With this opportunity Haydn did experiment many combinations of instruments and vocals with freedom. After the death of the prince, Haydn was appointed by Johann Peter Saloma n who was a violinist from London and soon he became the most successful composer ever seen. He composed hundreds of compositions and that gave a new and ever lasting effect to the classical music. His quartets initiated a new art that is still alive today. Bob Dylan’s background and involvement in music: Robert Zimmerman was the name given to Bob Dylan by his parents. He was born in Minnesota and spent his childhood years in listening to blues and the country stations on radio. He was thus attracted to rock and roll so he formed many bands while was in high school. He also performed many songs of Elvis Presley in Golden Chords. His interest in rock and roll music also gave a way to the American folk music. For him he said that rock and roll music was not enough as it did not reflect the realistic features of life. With folk music he got the chance to get into a more serious thing as the songs were filled with despair, sadness, and faith and deep feelings (Shelton 142). While he was in university he became involved in the Dinkytown folk music circuit. During those days he started calling himself Bob Dylan as influenced by Dylan Thomas’s poetry. Dylan’s early songs like ‘The Times That Are a-Changin’’ and ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ became the anthems of the Civil Rights and anti-war movements. His song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ created new parameters in popular music. He used electric instruments in his recordings. On the other hand Haydn was called the Father of the String Quarter and Father of the Symphony due to his contribution to these forms of music. He also played a part in developing the piano trio and the evolution of sonata form. Characteristics of music Haydn’s music: Both the composers had their own way to compose their music. They created a new era in the music industry through the use of their instruments, materials, talent and thought. Haydn’s music was a different ty pe of genre which was popular at that time. He gave a new look to the classical music by developing huge structures out of simple and short musical motifs. His work marked the development of the sonata form and he was fond of music that established similar dominant and opening themes. He also initiated the double variation form in classical style

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Current Climate Changes Essay Example for Free

Current Climate Changes Essay This paper entitled, â€Å"Current Climate Changes† intends to reintroduce the definition of Climate Change. Furthermore, it plans to state the human contributions to climate change. Moreover, it also aims to reiterate that cattle produce too much methane, which in turn plays a large role in the current climate changes that occur. In addition, it also intends to state the effects of climate changes. Last but not least, it provides the solutions that may possibly address this serious dilemma. Climate Change Defined â€Å"Climate change† is an alteration in our climate which, ninety to ninety five percent of it, are brought about by the unethical, ill-mannered acts of human beings (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). â€Å"The United Nation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is explicitly endorsed by the national science academies of the eight most industrialized nations, says that the scientific opinion on climate change is that the average global temperature has increased 0. 6  ± 0. 2? C since the late 19th century and that most of the warming that has been observed over the last fifty years is caused by human activities† (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). These human activities include the emission of greenhouse gases, for instance, carbon dioxide and methane (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Temperatures or heat may go up by â€Å"1. 4 to 5. 8? C between 1990 and 2100† according to the â€Å"Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change† (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Rises in sea level, changes in pattern, as well as, alteration in the amount of precipitation will go along with the aforementioned as well (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Then the aforementioned occurrences are expected to yield the following as well: a) extreme water events like floods and b) droughts, as well as, c) heat waves, and d) hurricanes (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). In addition to that, it may also contribute to â€Å"biological extinctions† and may affect â€Å"agricultural yields† (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Human Contributions to Climate Change Some experts accept as true that the earth experienced climate change from two hundred ten million years to one hundred forty million years ago or during the Jurassic Period with standard temperatures increasing by 9? F (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). It is said that this caused the rate of â€Å"rock weathering† to increase by 400% which actually, resulted in â€Å"carbon dioxide† level dropping back to normal for the succeeding 150,000 years (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Moreover, a greenhouse gas, technically referred to as, â€Å"methane clathrate† has been believed to have caused â€Å"climate change† back then (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). They thought it was related to the â€Å"Permian-Triassic extinction event† and the â€Å"Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum† (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Furthermore, â€Å"William Ruddiman†, a â€Å"paleoclimatologist† states that the influence of human on the â€Å"climate changes† may have began along with the development of agriculture eight hundred decades ago (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). This hampered/prevented â€Å"carbon dioxide and methane levels to drop† as quickly as they would have done otherwise (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). In addition, there is a decades-old difference of opinion about the consequences of humans on the climate change (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Most of â€Å"scientific opinion† on this issue is that â€Å"recent warming is caused largely by humans†, although this has not been settled (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). The discussion usually focuses on the effect of emissions of â€Å"carbon dioxide† which is linked to human activities like that of â€Å"burning fossil fuels and industrial activities† (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Also, climate change theory supporters assert that: 1) The recent rise in â€Å"carbon dioxide† and other â€Å"greenhouse gases† is human-caused (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). 2) The climate change of the last five decades is most likely caused by human activity as well (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). 3) Geophysical experiments by humankind may turn out bad and may bring about something humans cannot undo like climate change and its effects (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Methane Production by Cattle According to researchers, â€Å"cows are one of the top greenhouse gas producers† (Hunter 657). Explaining further, cows produce too much methane, which is one of the leading â€Å"causes of the climate change† (Hunter 657). It is believed that cows contribute about 29% of the total volume of methane emitted through internal fermentation in the digestive process or via defecation (Hunter 657). Aside from this, cattle are also associated with the burning of the forests, which is also a source of â€Å"greenhouse gas emission† (Hunter 657). However, other experts believe that the problem of â€Å"fossil fuels† is that the released â€Å"carbon dioxide† that has been trapped is â€Å"taken out of circulation and collected then burned all at once† (Hunter 657). This means that the issue on cow flatulence is that the â€Å"carbon dioxide† is recently absorbed by the plant matter that the cow ate and that the â€Å"carbon dioxide† it released will again be absorbed by new grass grown (Hunter 657). In addition, much of the â€Å"carbon† absorbed by the cow is condensed in to the meat and defecation thus, taking more â€Å"carbon dioxide† out of the environment (Hunter 657). Effects of Climate Changes The current controversy over whether â€Å"climate change† should be of concern must be addressed immediately (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Controversies like: 1) whether or not the climate is changing beyond â€Å"natural variations†; 2) â€Å"whether or not human/industrial activity is responsible for the change†; 3) how large future changes will be, etc.. should not be the focus of experts, as well as politicians, instead, they should look deeper into the consequences or effects of â€Å"climate change† and do something about it (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). There are various predicted effects of â€Å"climate change† and these include: 1) sea level rise; 2) temperature rise; 3) acidification; 4) shutdown of thermobaline circulation; 5) extreme weather; 6) destabilization of local climates; 7) reduced ozone layer; 8) methane release; 9) forest fires; 10) decline of agriculture; 11) flood; l2) migration; 13) water scarcity; 14) skin cancer and other related diseases etc (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Solutions The world’s principal international agreement on combating â€Å"climate change† is technically referred to as the â€Å"Kyoto protocol† (Oberthur et. al. 2). There are other strategies though, and some include the following: 1) Improving â€Å"energy efficiency† since more efficient cars, appliances, and industrial systems use less energy meaning less fuel is burned and less carbon dioxide is emitted (Springer 102). 2) Developing and using energy sources which emits little or no carbon dioxide, for instance, hydro power, solar power and windmills, as well as other â€Å"renewable energy sources† (Springer 102). 3) Improving forest and â€Å"agricultural management practices† like: planting more trees since trees remove â€Å"carbon dioxide† from the atmosphere, and reduction of cattle since â€Å"methane† is produced by such agricultural activity (Springer 102). 4) Reduction of the impacts of â€Å"climate change† for instance through the following: new varieties of crops can be developed to grow in changed climates; building of aqueducts since they can carry water to regions affected by drought; and building of dikes and sea walls to protect coastal settlements (Springer 102). 5) â€Å"Government regulation†, for instance forcing auto companies to design more efficient cars (Springer 102). 6) Encouraging people to save energy by promoting energy efficient devices (Springer 102). 7) â€Å"Informing educating people in improving efficiency /reducing emissions† (Springer 102). 8) â€Å"Government spending† for more, in terms of â€Å"research and development† for instance, in developing new technologies that use less energy or emit no â€Å"carbon dioxide† (Springer 102). 9) â€Å"Greenhouse mitigation† which may be carried out through: elimination of the utilization of fossil fuels so that emission of greenhouse gases may be avoided eventually; and making sure that â€Å"carbon dioxide† is absent in the atmosphere (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). 10) Injection of â€Å"carbon dioxide† into â€Å"depleted oil wells to force more oil out of the ground or seafloor† so that it may be possible to â€Å"store carbon dioxide released by a power plant, factory, or any large stationary source† (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Conclusion â€Å"Climate change† is an alteration in our climate which, ninety to ninety five percent of it, are brought about by the unethical, ill-mannered acts of human beings (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). Its effects include: 1) sea level rise; 2) temperature rise; 3) acidification; 4) shutdown of thermobaline circulation; 5) extreme weather; 6) destabilization of local climates; 7) reduced ozone layer; 8) methane release; 9) forest fires; 10) decline of agriculture; 11) flood; l2) migration; 13) water scarcity; 14) skin cancer and other related diseases etc (Encarta Encyclopedia n. p. ). On a final note, this problem may be addressed through the following: â€Å"1) injection of carbon dioxide; 2) greenhouse mitigation; 3) informing and educating people; 4) promoting energy-efficient devices; 5) Improving forest and â€Å"agricultural management practices; 6) building of aqueducts; 7) development of new varieties of crops; 8) government spending on research and development etc. † (Springer 102). References Encarta Encyclopedia. Climate Change. 2007. Microsoft. 03 October 2007 http://encarta. msn. com/encnet/refpages/search. aspx? q=climate+change Hunter, R. A. â€Å"Methane Production by Cattle†. British Journal of Nutrition. 98 (2007): 657. Oberthur, Sebastian Ott, Hermann E. The Kyoto Protocol: International Climate Policy for the 21st Century. NY: Springer, 1999.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Monetary Policy and Financial Institutions of Kenya

Monetary Policy and Financial Institutions of Kenya CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION The world is turning into a â€Å"demon† to its own people as many are living in deplorable situations that are hardly bearable. The price level have risen sharply in the recent past coupled with dwindling wage levels and declining growth rate, especially, in majority of African countries where poverty has embedded itself to an extent that people in these countries live below one dollar per day. However, majority of governments have embarked on instituting major reforms through introduction of avant-garde monetary policy schemes, which forge the way forward through which the monetary authority re-design its policy by focusing primarily on price stability as the primary objective. In the last twenty years, majority of both developed and emerging economies respectively have embarked on IT framework as their best choice in conducting monetary policy, with none of inflation countries targeters abandoning the framework, save for Finland and Spain, that have already joined the European Monetary System (EMS) in late 90s. IT-framework; an approach to management of monetary policy was pioneered by the New Zealand Government in 1990 after it abandoned its pegged exchange rate five years later. By the year 2009, over twenty-five countries comprised of developed, emerging, and developing countries around the world had so far espoused the IT-Framework and have reported greater achievement of low inflation rate. Majority of these countries mainly from Latin America, East Asia and United Kingdom had experienced high bout of inflation and financial crises exacerbated by their former monetary policy regimes. These not only resulted to sacrificing output and employment but als o resulted to severe increase in international capital flow leading to a switch to floating exchange rate. 1.1 Historical Background In relation to many other African countries, the monetary policy and financial institutions of Kenya has developed rapidly within the last two decades and probably more advanced than other countries at a similar stage of underdevelopment. Kenya opened its own Central Bank in September 1966 with the hope that, it would at least generate secondary expansion by facilitating the creation of bank credit and accelerate the process of monetization of the economys subsistence sector, in spite, of its openness and sensitivity to fluctuations of primary commodities. The next decade following the establishment of her Central Bank witnessed interesting changes in Kenyas monetary and banking policies as the oil shock of 1973 created inflexibility in the foreign exchange reserves as they declined considerably. Hence, the magnitude and speed of reduction in credit expansion were not adequate to show the decline in foreign exchange reserves. In fact, the fear that tight monetary policy induced from outside could hamper the rate of development at home led to feeble corrective measures such as restraining inflation impact due to price boom of exports, which coincided with expansionary monetary policy under a low profile of interest rates. In the early 1980s and 1990s Kenya experienced high inflation resulting from a prolonged spell of drought and political instability that resulted from introduction of a multiparty system in the Kenyan political history in late 1980 and also general elections followed later in 1992. Besides, in 2002, the growth per capita was negative due to high corruption of the highly ranked government official and political interferences of major decision-making organs of government including the Central Bank of Kenya, as it could not carry out its mandate freely. In the year 2008, Kenya faced another dark moment in terms of its political stability as the whole country went into turmoil due to the highly disputed general elections of 2007. The once giant of East African countries went down into â€Å"ashes† and major sectors of the economy especially the financial sector got hurt the most. Since then, it has been very difficult for the resurgence of economic stability, political stability a nd financial institution even after the power brokering that gave birth to a coalition government in that same year. However, in late 2010, the coalition government of Kenya gave hopes to recovery of major sectors of the economy when the New Constitution unanimously voted into existence in a referendum. This Constitution has brought about major reforms in the financial and political arenas more specifically in the Central Bank of Kenya as per se; hence, major changes are expected to be instituted by CBK for an effective and independent monetary policy conduct. 1.1.2 Road map of Kenya towards adoption of ITF 1.1.2a) Central Bank of Kenya main policy objective The amended Central Bank of Kenya Act of 1996, CAP 491(4) permitted the Banks operational autonomy in the conduct of monetary policy and mandated price stability as one of its primary objectives through formulation and implementation of such principal object of the bank, thus, promoting the long-term goal of economic growth. In fact, the Central Bank of Kenya does not announce an inflation target; instead, it uses money growth reserve as her main nominal anchor of which the repo rate forms its main operational target. It is in this perspective that the CBK monitor and control inflation rate through interest rate transmission channel as a way of conducting monetary policy. Apart from the main objective that is price stability, the Bank has a mandate to balance its inflation goals against other goals such as exchange rate stability and promotion of liquidity, solvency and steady-market back up while ensuring equilibrium in domestic and external payments. 1.1.2b) Central Bank of Kenya attributes that favor ITF adoption The Bank like any other bank of its caliber is mandated by the legislation to carry out its objectives in a more coherent and consistent manner without any external interference, thereby commanding greater central bank independence. The ‘Old Constitution of the Republic Kenya of (1963) and ‘Newly Promulgated Constitution of the Republic Kenya of (2010) have further strengthened the Banks Act, thereby, empowering the bank to carry its main objective without political interferences and curbing time-inconsistency trap. The appointment and removal of the CEO of the Bank (governor) and his/her deputy rest with the president discretion for a period of four years term in office unless stated otherwise. In connection to the governor term of office termination, the president has a directive to appoint a tribunal comprised consisting of a chairperson and two members who hold offices in High Court or Court of Appeal. This tribunal enquires on matters related to termination of such appointments and make recommendation to the president. Nevertheless, these might undermine the Banks credibility in upholding autonomy in case the termination of the governor might be unlawfully since the appointing authority might compromise the tribunal to favor his/her decision. In conformity with the Act CAP (491), the MPC is hereby required to forward a report at least every six month to the Minister detailing all dealings the bank is undertaking hence the Minister shall table the MPC report before the Parliament for further amendment and deliberations. The Bank is exempted from any taxation whatsoever in respect to losses or profits. The Banks books of records and financial statements subjected for auditing by the Controller and Auditor General only if the Minister of Finance deems it appropriate for such auditing. Both Governor and Deputy Governor are indebted to adhere to the bank in totality and prohibited from engaging in any other paid businesses, professional activities or employment while still in office. These is in agreement with majority of literature such as (Klomp and Haan 2008) who based their idea on Cukierman Index which states the following inherent features for a central bank to be termed as more independent: (i) if the governor appointing authority rest with BOG rather than the president, is not prone to relieve of his/her duty, and has a longer tenure in office. (ii), if the government has no tendency to interfere with banks conduct of business, for example, in policy formulation and implementation; if there is a greater independence be it of legal instruments or goal instruments; and also if the government has no capacity to borrow from the bank. (iii) last but not least, if the bank main objective is price stability. 1.1.2c) Economic Independence of CBK Kenya has also experienced tremendous financial innovations intensifying greater implications to monetary policy transmission mechanism. The Bank is empowered to act as a fiscal agent of the government or any public entity. Similarly, the advance made by bank to the government is supposed to be secured with securities issued by government, of which are supposed to mature before twelve months, bears interest at market rate, and are advanced for a short-term period to the government. In compliance with the statute, the CBK has an authority to grant loans and advances not exceeding three years in fixed period to government as a Deposit Protection Fund Board (DPFB), while the bank has mandate to lend or give credit to public entity, although, it is limited in extending such credits. The main interest is built on the various chief features associated with the introduction of inflation targeting framework by most of the Central Banks of both developed economies and transitional economies around the world; borrowing heavily from various aspects of literature that have analyzed greatly the development of this framework in order to determine the viability of the framework in low income countries such as Kenya. indeed, little has been done in A model specific to the needs of Kenya will be developed while building a general structure within the framework of an ITF so as to distinguish between group characteristics of the inflation-targeting and non-targeting central banks since its inception, and the relationship between various variables mentioned in the hypothesis. In addition, the paper depicts lessons learned by countries that have already adopted the strict ITF since 1990s. What become apparent evident in process of this review, however, is that several contributory problems must first be solved before forming an informed judgment on the likelihood of low-income countries embracing the framework. The first of these problems is whether there are impetus and aspect linked with decisions to move from a specific monetary practice to another. Second problem revolves around the feasibility of other policy designs of monetary policy such as exchange rate regime and central bank independence Third problem will address chief pitfalls that could prevent low-income countries from embracing this policy design. The study hypotheses investigates the relationship between conditions that lead to adoption of inflation targeting framework in developed economies and examine if these pre conditions have a replicate effect in low income countries. The other parts of the paper shall be structured as follows: In section II, assess modification of monetary policy conduct under ITF by various developing countries central banks, the cons and pros of shifting to such strategy. In section III evaluate the exchange rate transition and its role to inflation targeting framework more specifically the following interrelated issues will be taken into considerations: the role of nominal exchange rate it plays as a nominal anchor, the costs associated with the real exchange rate overvaluation; and the approach for exiting the pegged exchange rate. Section IV reviews the role of the central bank independence since it forms the core tenet of conjecture that is built around the inflation targeting framework.Likewise, other contributory factors to embracing the framework will be captured in this Section. The paper concludes with the policy recommendation and the way forward. 1.3 General Salient features, Implementation and Experience A better strategy for monetary policy is built on the following inherent characteristics as summarized by Svensson Lars 1997; Friedman, 1990; McCallum, 1990 that is, it is supposedly to be highly correlated with the goal and has a tendency to be controlled by central bank with much ease than the goal itself. Similarly, the public and the central bank should be able to comply to it with much ease than the goal. In addition, transparency is of greater importance in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness of the bank communicating to the public its objective and procedure of conducting its monetary stance. Literature from (Bernanke and Mishkin 1997), Bernanke et al. (1999) and (Svensson Lars 1997) has vehemently mentioned various elements that form this framework which includes. First, price stability is formally chosen as the main intent of monetary policy, which indicates the monetary stance and the central banks principle of appraising its performance. Second, the central bank issues a declaration, which categorically states the numerical target for inflation within a specific, horizon-thus the bank has the latent to lessen the possibilities of falling into time inconsistency trap in carrying out its primary goal. Third, either the government can opt to choose the target, independently or collectively with the central bank, which is associated with appropriate changes in the central banks law thus enhancing instrument independence of the institution in achieving its target. Fourth, the ITF promotes high transparency in the conduct of monetary policy thus enabling flow of information from the central bank to the public and government. Svensson Lars (1997) stated that, when the authority anticipate the policy target deviation, the strategy should be attuned in such a way it is neither contractionary nor is it expansionary in accordance with keeping the policy on target. On this background, the IT-framework work best in forecasting future inflation, that is, the relevant information for forecasting monetary policy is of greater importance in predicting future inflation. Indeed, this transparency of inflation targeting forms a better juncture in terms of motivating and focusing the activities insi de the central bank. More so, there is high tendency of central bank accountability, which is often outlined in case of breach of inflation target, meaning it helps in clarifying what the central bank is capable and incapable for it to be accountable. Although, inflation targeting has proved to be the best modern strategy it does not lack some criticism or problems that characterizes it in terms of implementation and monitoring. For instance Svensson Lars (1997) has described some of the inherent problems that makes this strategy ineffective, which includes: central banks inability to restrain inflation due to the fact that, previous decisions and contracts play a vital role in determining current inflation. In other words, the authority can only have power over the future inflation. In addition, monitoring and evaluation of monetary policy by public faces a greater set back due to the inadequate control of inflation. CHAPTER TWO 32.0 Literature Review A large body of literature has been developed to analyze the effectiveness of an explicit numerical anchor since such framework was adopted in early 1990s. There exists a large number of literatures on major development of Inflation Targeting Framework since its inception in developed countries and emerging economies. However, there is little development in low-income countries in regards to adoption and implementation of this framework varies greatly in most of these countries because of lack of a well-developed financial market, inadequate fiscal position, political interferences and also lack of market integration in majority of them thus posing a bigger challenge to welcoming this framework as a way of monetary policy conduct. Therefore, the section borrows heavily from past studies that have since been done in order to demarcate the gaps that have made the framework ineffective. 3.1 Transition to Inflation Targeting Framework: Central Bank of Kenya In the past decades, the monetary policy encountered by most of the emerging markets economies has been depressing, these resulted to extreme periods of monetary instability, vacillating from high inflation, to colossal capital flight, and thereby led to downfall of many financial systems. However, the forecast for successful monetary policy in the majority of countries in transition have so far been augmented. This has been typified by considerable decline of inflation rate in Latin America region as an example of an emerging region, which dramatically fell from an average of above 400% in 1989 to less than 10% (Mishkin Savastano, 2001) According to Morande and Schmidt-Hebbel (997), â€Å"this objective of inflation control has been interpreted by public as formal targets or â€Å"hard† targets.† Thus enables the central bank to be more accountable by explicitly announcing a multi-year target for inflation. Downs and Vaez-Zadeh (1990) declared that â€Å"during the transition it is not possible to forecast market behavior†¦..[s]ince the old money-model is bound to be obsolete and perhaps of little use† (318). Indeed, the ‘old fashioned regime of money-growth targeting framework has proved inefficient in the recent past, although the Central Bank of Kenya has been able to maintain inflation rate as low as possible. Above all, the de-regulation of economic activities in the early 1990s marked a major landmark in the conduct of monetary policy in Kenya in terms of objectives, instruments and institutional framework. Mwega 1990(a) developed a model that sought to explain the changes in the CPI Growth e.g. real income (T) changes, changes in money supply (M2), changes in import prices and changes in previous years inflation rates (Pt-1) were the expansionary variables. In these results, he found money supply to be a significant determinant of inflation. Similar study was done by Ndungu (1993) where he did a comprehensive study on the dynamics of the inflationary process in Kenya for the period 1970-1991. He used a monetarist model, named the error correction form of model and empirically showed monetary growth, interest rates changes, real income growth and excess money printing which were significant determinants of inflation in Kenya assuming a closed economy. When he included the external economy, he found the exchange rate had a significant effect on the domestic price level. The results of his study indicated inappropriate government policies (monetary and fiscal) resulted lack of control of inflation especially in 1980-1990 where inflation level escalated. Mishkin and Schmidt-Hebbel (2007) in there panel data analysis comprising of both inflation-targeting industrial countries and non-inflation targeting industrial countries, argued that ITF has helped these countries in achieving stable inflation rate in the long-run where they are attributable in oil-prices and exchange rate shocks, and that are associated with strengthening of monetary policy independence and enhanced policy efficiency. Taguchi and Kato (2010) assessed the performance of the IT in East Asian economies where they adopted a co-integration approach between money and inflation. The estimation results were that, the ITF in the sample of few selected economies, except for Philippines, proved to work well as an anchor for controlling inflation through speeding up price adjustments (stabilizing inflationary expectations) against money supply in the context of floating exchange rate. Similarly, they argued that, â€Å"well-functioning inflation targeting framework was consistent with enhanced monetary autonomy under the post-crisis floating exchange rate.† Aizenman and Hutchison (2008) used a simple empirical model where they estimated panel data for 17 emerging markets for both inflation-targeters and non-inflation targeters and concluded that there was a stable inflation response running from inflation to policy interest rates for inflation-targeters in emerging markets who have anchored their inflation than in non-inflation targeters whose central banks respond less in such markets. Similarly, they argued that â€Å"the response to real exchange rate was much stronger in non-IT countries, however, suggesting that policymakers are more constrained in the IT regime where they attempt to target both inflation and real exchange rate and these objectives are not always consistent.† 2.2 An overview of the exchange rate transition and its role in ITF The Central Bank of Kenya policy objectives have been to protract an exchange rate that will ensure international competiveness while maintaining domestic rate of inflation at low levels through conduct of strict monetary stance. Calvo and Reinhard (2002) argued that Majority of emerging markets are facing problem in performing inflation targeting due to various issues of how to manage the exchange rate under the condition that their external debt is primarily denominated in U.S. dollars. Therefore, the idea of this framework is believed to work best under floating exchange rate regime.Hence, inflation targeting framework as a monetary policy strategy becomes unrealizable in majority of this countries due to too much concern towards exchange rate volatility. In recent times, countries with fixed exchange rate have a tendency to fix their domestic currency value to countries whose main objective is to anchor their inflation in readiness to keep inflation rate in check. Most of the countries that have adopted a crawling target or peg their currency tend to devalue at a firm rate in order to keep their inflation rate low vis a vis their counterpart anchoring countries. These periods marked a milestone that foresaw an accelerated money supply growth and high inflation, but at the same time there was a move to speed up economic reforms and accelerate the pace of liberalization. â€Å"An exchange rate regime makes central bank quite accountable because it has clear-cut goals [b]ut can actually weaken accountability of the Central Banks in emerging- markets countries, by eliminating important signal that can help keep monetary policy from becoming too expansionary† (Blejer, Ã…  creb, 1999, p. 41).Also, for the same reasons described in (Mishkin, 1999a) â€Å"exchange rate targeting can promote financial fragility and lead to foreign exchange crises that can also lead to full-fledged financial crises with disastrous consequences for the economy†(Cited by Blejer Ã…  creb, p.50) .Hence, a continuous adherence of exchange rate regime is probable to have far-reaching impact of economic sluggishness and exacerbate redundancy in the economy, w hich is exactly what Kenya has experienced in the past. Therefore, the Central Bank should move more assertively by provision of an extra credibility, where policy easing is desired to prevent output reductions, without igniting fears of renewed inflation. Mishkin Savastano ( 2001) acknowledged that â€Å" [t]here are three broad monetary policy strategies that can produce an explicit nominor anchor that credibly constrains the discretion of the central bank over the medium : â€Å"hard† exchange-rate pegs, monetary targeting, and inflation targeting†. In spite of this, majority of industiralized economies, notably the United States, have used a more or less the same strategy of anchoring inflation. However, it does not explicitly anchor inflation but it implicitly anchor its inflation. a monetary policy with an implicit but not an explicit nominal anchor sought of monetary policy strategy to achieve macro-economic goals. Whereas, the three monetary policy strategies have enabled emerging economies to set up institutions and mechanisms that have effectively and efficiently constrained the discretion of their monetary authorities; their suitability to conditions in different markets differs according to each strategy that is adopted by each country. Reinhart and Rogoff (2004) declared that, â€Å"Developing countries central banks tend to pursue exchange rate targets that considerably are more deterministic than their official pronouncements†¦.[while] a managed floater might be operating a fixed exchange rate or a crawling peg for extended periods†. Likewise, Kenya has undergone myriad exchange rate regimes in the past mostly driven by various economic cycles, and chiefly the balance of payments deficit. For instance, up to 1974, the exchange rate was pegged to the dollar, but later the devaluation of the currency resulted to a change of the peg to the SDR.1 from 1974-1984 period. This regime lasted until 1990 when a dual exchange rate system was adopted that lasted till October 1993 when, after a series of devaluations, the official exchange rate was abolished. (Mwega and Ndungu, 2001) acknowledged that â€Å"Kenya adopted a unified and flexible exchange rate in the early 1990s, as part of a market-based reform program designed to improve the investment environment and spur economic growth†(Cited by Ndungu, 2008). In addition, the (Kenyan Economic Survey, 1995) revealed that the nominal exchange rate suddenly depreciated by about 32%, moving to Ksh38 to the U.S dollar from Ksh 44 to the dollar, and inflation declined from 46% in 1993 to 28.8% in 1994 (as cited in Ndungu, 2000) as a result of shilling appreciating against dollar in 1995†. 2.3 Central Bank Independence The literature on ITF in emerging market economies suggests that this monetary policy strategy should be adopted only if some institutional preconditions are met. One of them is Central Bank Independence. Many scholars have given much attention to the central bank autonomy and the role it plays in adopting ITF. Indeed, where central bank is autonomous from government interference it is likely to insulate itself from political pressures to finance government fiscal deficits, which can result to over-expansionary monetary policies that would lead to inflation above target. Cukierman, Webb and Neyapti (1992) constructed Central Bank Index that was designed in two folds that is, legal independence and turnover rate of governors, where both revolved around central bank charters and legislation and the relationship it has over the overall performance of the economy. This paper provides an overview of the mushrooming literature on authority autonomy and precision relating it to the mechanis ms through which central banks have in the past adopted greater openness, thereby, focusing more on the role they play in adoption and effective implementation of inflation targeting framework. (Klomp and De Haan, 2010) used a random coefficient model and they estimated a sample of more than 100 countries to re-examine the relationship between CBI (measured by both governors TOR and central bank legal indicator) and inflation. They found Central Bank Index to be negatively insignificant with the level of inflation rate of country specific. Most literatures in developing countries have focused on de facto independence as a proxy of CBI that is governors turnover rate. Studies of Cukierman, Webb and Neyapti (1992) stated that the average and variance of inflation has a negative correlation to governors turnover rate in most of the developing. This is due to the fact that, majority of studies has expressed doubts over the reliability of most of indicators used to construct Central Bank Independence indices. Indeed, there exist a greater divergence when it comes to categorization of indicators used to measure CBI incase of high income countries, emerging countries and low income countries. Cukierman,1994 and Eijffinger and De Haan (1996) have categorically contended that, the CBI indices in majority of high income countries are arises from central banks laws interpretation and are of great concern to legal independence indicator, whereas, in developing countries de facto independence indicators form the main measure of central bank independence. Axel Dreher, Jan-Egbert Sturm, Jakob de Haan (2010) used a data set comprising of eighty-eight countries term of office of central banks governors since 1975-2005. They used logit model to test the likelihood central bank governor term of tenure geting terminated before their legal term in office expires. According to their results, the probability of a TOR as a measure of CBI tend to soar under certain condtions which includes: unstable political system, undue elapse of governor term of service in office and during elections period in self-governing countries. Accordingly, they indicated in their hypothesis that there was a higher chance of the governors getting replaced if there was huge drop out of veto players from the government. Alex, Webb and Bilin (1992)) developed legal independence where they mentioned some of the intrinsic features such as the degree of independence that the authority should bestow to the Bank, and lone dependence on legal component of independence. Beside s, the legal independence is significant in ascertaining inflation rate in developed economies. Whereas, turnover rate of governors forms a better turning point of inflation determination in developing countries. Likewise they argued that, in cases where governor legal term of office is shorter than that of government CBI is likely to be compromised by the government, thereby, resulting to increased TOR. More over, the governor is likely to be susceptible from government influence thereby derailing long-term objective of policy formation and implementation under the pretext of political pressure especially during election periods. (Kuttner Kenneth, Posen Adam 2010), took the same direction and indicated that undue appointment of governor in office result to construed information to the bank in terms of carrying out its primary objective of price stability. For instance, unjustifiable appointment of governor under low inflation periods may reinforce the exchange rate, while the opposite is always true. Since governors appointment seem to contain valuable information regarding the exchange rate and inflation rate. Gutierrez (2003) indicated that CBI has positieve impact in reducing the chances of governments incurring budget deficits through quasi-fiscal activities. Since such activities can be understood on their inflationary impacts. Posen and Kuttner (2010) estimated the effect of legal appointment of governor to office exchange rates and bond yield and argued that the main test was to verify the scope to which markets observe that the next governor will bring a swing in policy, whereby he/she is expected to determine the bearing of such swing. This is in conformity with the fact that, the news conveyed may favour either one side due to markets reaction after such appointment. 2.4 Financial Institutions Another important prerequisite for successful ITF stressed by the literature is a healthy financial and banking system. Several reasons can be advanced to explain the great importance of well-functioning financial system under inflation targeting framework. First, a sound financial system is essential to guarantee an efficient transmission of monetary policy through the interest rate channel which forms the major channel through which the CBK carries out its main objective of price stability, and more specifically forms an enabling environment of smooth exchange and provision of credit. Second, according to Mishkin (2004), a weak banking sector is potentially problematic to achieve inflation target, because the central bank would be hesitant to raise short-term interest rates for fear that this will impact the profitability of banks and lead to a collapse of the financial system. Third, countries characterized by weak financial institutions are more vulnerable to a sudden stop of cap ital outflows, causing a sharp depreciation of the exchange rate which leads to upward pres

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Rebels of Dharma Bums, Takin it to the Streets and New American Po

Rebels of Dharma Bums, Takin' it to the Streets and New American Poetry      Ã‚  Ã‚   You don't need a destination to run away. All you have to know is what you are leaving behind. In the 1960's, young men and women in the United States, especially on the west coast, made a mad dash away from almost two centuries of American tradition. They ran to so many different places that it would be impossible to generalize about their aims and philosophies. What they had in common was the running itself.    America was drowning in materialism. In "A Coney Island of the Mind," Lawrence Ferlinghetti characterized the land of the free and the home of the brave as "a concrete continent spaced with bland billboards illustrating imbecile illusions of happiness" (New American Poetry, ed. Allen, p131).    John Sinclair criticized a country that needed "Eighty-seven different brands of toothpaste" and "Millions of junky automobiles" (Takin' it to the Streets, ed. Bloom, p303). After the novelty of cars and other products wore off, some Americans began to feel that the emphasis on production was changing the character of the country. Economic prosperity had gone to America's head, and in the scramble for profit idealism had been left behind. Kafka is quoted by Richard Brautigan in his novel Trout Fishing in America as having said that "I like the Americans because they are healthy and optimistic." (Takin' it to the Streets, p280) The new generation of Americans, however, was nowhere near optimistic about the future of their country. They saw the land of the free and the home of the brave degenerating into a production line of television sets and plastic gizmos.    The loss of individuality was what many feared. In ... ...ad all the enthusiasm and all the rebelliousness. They were the ones who, according to Ginsberg, "howled on their knees in the subway and were dragged off the roof waving genitals and manuscripts" (p185). However, all their manuscripts said different things. Mainstream America had two hundred years of tradition behind them, and in addition to that they had force of habit and a leader in the form of the United States government. The new generation had only their conviction that a change must take place. But their passion and their flamboyance made people listen up.    Works Cited Allen, Donald, ed. The New American Poetry. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999. Bloom, Alexander and Breines, Wini. Takin' it to the Streets. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995. Kerouac, Jack. The Dharma Bums. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1986.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Weather and Technology Essay -- essays papers

Weather and Technology Weather has been almost an unpredictable element that the world faces every day. Predicting weather has almost been impossible until technology came into the picture. There have been big technological breakthroughs with satellites and radars that help forecasters predict future weather conditions all around the world. Technologies has advanced throughout the years and are continuing to become more advanced today. Technology has helped scientist understand the most dangerous natural disasters in the world to help protect the public and allow society get to a safe location when the time is necessary. Radar, stands for Radio detection and ranging. Radar transmits microwaves in a focused beam. The microwave energy bounces off of its primary object and returns as data to be measured (Weather Questions 1). Radar then will send pulses of energy, rather than a continuous signal, which it will then measure how far away the object was when the microwaves reflected off of it. Combined with the radar's ability to scan up and down and in a circular motion which allows the radar to detect elements in all directions, modern radars can measure three dimensionally and up to one hundred miles from the radar(Weather Questions 2). The development and advancement in the radar has progressed the ability to learn more about weather and its developments. As radar continually develops and becomes more advanced, the more likely scientist will be able to understand and predict the future directions and outcomes a storm may have. Weather satellites have been our eyes in the sky for more than 40 years. Weather satellite images showing the advanced weather fronts are regular elements of the news station. Satellites give ... ...fely make it through a snowstorm. Technology has effectively improved the predictions and understanding of very serious natural disasters and storms. Radars and Satellites have greatly helped scientists predict the pathways of storms and weather fronts. Due to the advancement of technology scientists have started to learn and understand the devilments and anatomies of the most feared natural disasters such as Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Snowstorms. Scientist’s predictions and discoveries have helped the public get into a safer location. Weather technology advanced and is continuing to improve to help prevent casualties and economic loses. Weather Technology has came a long way from the pioneering days of storm predictions, If the technology continues to improve there is a great possibility that the public will become more prepared and damages will be at a minimum.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is NOT Sexually Biased Essay -- J.K. Rowli

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is NOT Sexually Biased J.K. Rowling’s blockbuster Harry Potter series contains mystery, suspense, compelling language and colorful imagery, magical feats, and real life concerns. These books have managed to get children of all ages reading in a society dominated by computers, television, and videos. However, there have been several critics that claim these books are sexually biased. From the beginning of the first Potter book, it is boys and men, wizards and sorcerers, who dominate the scenes and determine the action. This alone does not make these books sexually biased. Christine Schoefer, a freelance writer and concerned parent of three female Harry Potter fans, dissected the books in a brief piece for Salon on January 12, 2000. She claimed that the books are a â€Å"fictional realm of magic and wizardry that perfectly mirrors the conventional assumption that men do and should run the world† (Schoefer). J.K. Rowling did not attempt to portray the world as dominated by men. It is true that the Potter books contain more males. So what? Gi...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

An Inconvenient Turth Essay

My reason for picking this topic is, because I would like to know more about global warming. What are the real danger`s that we are facing due to global warming? What can we do to stop the exceeding rapid rates of global warming? I would like to imform other about the new knowledge that I obtain on the subect of globle warming. Al Gore tell how people use to Think about global warming that the world was big enough and we would never have a problem. He also describes global warming as when the sun`s radiation comes in, in the form of light waves passing through earth atmosphere to heat the earth,and then it is re-radiated back into space in the form of infrared radiation, and some of the out going infrared radiation is trapped by the earth atmosphere and warms it. This thin layer of atmosphere is being thicken by all of the global warming pollution that`s being put up there. He speaks of Mr. Roger Revelle as the first person to propose measuring carbon dioxide in the earth`s atmosphere. After the first years of data he intuited what it meant for what was to come. He and a team of other designed the experiment in 1957 with the help of Mr. Charles David Keeling. they started sending these weather balloons up every day. The results of his measurements after only a few years it was startling. He drew the connections between the larger changes in our civilization, and this pattern that was now visible in the atmosphere of the entire plant, and then he projected into then future where this was headed unless we make some adjustments. Mount Kilimanjaro had icecaps 30 years ago. and now it has all melted. Mr. Lonnie Thompson, studies glaciers, and predicts there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro within the next decade. Its also is happening in Glacier National Park, and all around the world the ice is now gone. He mentions about CO2 and temperature, when there is more carbon dioxide, the temperature gets warmer. He speak of this not so much as a political issue,but a moral issue. It is deeply unethical. He had a lots of faith in the democratic system that these finding would be compelling enough to cause a real change but they were n`t. He speak about when the oceans get warmer that cause stronger storms leading to a lots of big hurricanes and a all time record in the U.S. of tornado, and in Japan record set for typhoons. He contribute the changing of the season to global warming and changing nature plans. He also says that the burning of forests and brush fires causes more co2 to be pit into the air.what all of this means is our ability to a have a future to live in the earth. I really enjoy the movie The movie was very informing I got a better idea about what is happening around the world. I agree with Al Gore something must be done. It was amazing to me about how everything connect together like a domino effect. I picture in my mind how all these great mountains all around us is melting which is changing the temperature of the sea, which cause many of the world`s disaster by storms. Man is destroying himself. It makes me think can we go back where their was not a lots of invention that polluted our air. Can we truly find a solution to this mas, mass, mass, problem are have we went to far of no return. I think about the air we breathe and the water we drink. I remember only about 40 yrs.ago when I was ten years old, my grandmother showed me where I could drink out a spring it was so clean and beautiful and fresh tasting, I hate to think if I when back there to drink what kind of substance would be in that water now. Everything is being effected our food, the animal niches,and season is changing we can`t tell winter from fall or spring from summer and the insects can`t tell neither. If we have gone to far to stop all the problems, why not do, what we can do, to correct what we can, for the future of our life on the earth.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Paper Publishing Versus Electronic Publishing

Our world evolves in a very fast manner: from our household to outside jobs to recreation. All works concerned time efficiency and how works are to be done in the fastest way we can but not restraining the good quality of the product. All information, literary works and other works concerning anything under the sun relevant to mankind must be accounted for. Upon considering all information, literary works, and other works, it should be known to public by disseminating it. Publishing is the best way to communicate and disseminate information and works to the people. Traditionally, paper publishing do all the works when it comes to publication may it be news, literary works, musical works, and others. At present, the use of paper media in publishing is still enormous. However, considering the vastness of cost in using paper as a medium in publishing, then alternatives should be considered. Electronic publishing is the best alternative the web can give which has its appealing qualities and products. The evidence of its appealing features and products relies on the availability of the topic to be found. Electronic publishing make sure that their products and works are easy to access by its consumers thus providing them a lesser time in finding any information. Electronic publishing also has a wide range of links for a specific topic. Through the use of the web more information are readily access linking a particular topic to a more specific one. This makes the consumers or readers lessen the wasted time and have that excess time be useful in other activities. Due to the reasons discussed, it is evident that newspaper and book publishers convert their primary product into electronic publishing. Time, quality and reliability must coincide in choosing what to patronize when it regards to the news, literary works and other related works. The fastest the reliable information is to be disseminated the more consumers will trust and the better our world will be. References: Lawrence.http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/g.w.m.rauterberg/publications/CITESEER2001online-nature.pdf. retrieved July 25, 2007 Â   Â  

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Taking DécorFurniture.com to the Next Level of E-Commerce

DecorFurniture. com will utilize an off the shelf CRM application in lieu of an ERP system. Customer Relationship Management applications will enhance the marketing, sales, and customer service aspect of DecorFurniture. com by handling the data about the company’s old and future customers. The CRM application will manage the call center function to be added to the company. This will help in reaching the goal of improving the company’s relationship with its customers.Proper training will be given to the agents, briefing them on the CRM application’s goal of improving relationships in order to ensure that the cost of the program will not have to balloon out of proportion before showing results. Business Processes Business Process Improvement is an essential part of Decor Furniture. There are numerous of individuals surfing the internet in this world of fast-paced technology. There is a need for Decor Furniture to keep up with the demands of these individuals, poten tial customers and old patrons. There is a need, therefore, for flexibility in changing the status quo of the e-business.Web design, marketing strategies, web services used, and other applications integrated in the company’s trade must be constantly reviewed for effectiveness in the business’ growth. The online community is a fast-changing thing and Decor Furniture must constantly keep up through the upgrading of software and mechanisms. Business processes constantly monitor workflows or the way the business’ transactions flow from the start to the end. XML will be used for the company’s site. This will help in keeping the web site flexible to change given the simplicity and universality of the code.It will be used as the language to connect the workflow processes involved. The use of Wf-XML will reduce integration costs. It will also be easier to â€Å"operate† as it can be handled by anyone who is XML literate. Decor Furniture will also make use of a language translating web service in order to provide its services in different languages online. This will help in the goal of reaching more individuals with the products it offers. Business Intelligence Planning and Funding As a start-up e-business stemming from an offline company with a small target of customers, Decor Furniture will not yet employ the use of business intelligence.However, it will target the integration of a business intelligence application when the company grows and its customers and sales increase. Waiting and not implementing a business intelligence application immediately will also give ample time for planning the program. Once the business has taken off and funds have increased through the company’s profits and through outside investors attracted through the company’s highly competent marketing strategies, business intelligence will be integrated.Because business intelligence will only be applied once the company is bigger and funds are en ough to sustain the program, OLAP will be an option for Decor Furniture. This is because OLAP is multidimensional and will give a wider array of choices with regard to the tasks that need to be accomplished by the system. Data mining will not be used because some studies have shown that such procedures, such as the Market Basket Analysis, are not effective. Customers may buy a certain product for different reasons not simply because of certain aspects of their identity available in the data to be mined.Assessing Decor Furniture as a Small Business Before the advent of the internet, furniture was viewed in a company’s showroom, ordered, and only then delivered to the customer’s residence or office. This process can be cut short, however, by allowing DecorFurniture. com to go online. The strategy to be applied will involve the creation of a company website which will not only serve as a brochure for the different products but which will also integrate a purchasing featur e where customers can order their products and pay via PayPal or other such B2C systems.This allows the company to reach more individuals than it usually would. Even individuals not living near Decor Furniture’s main stores would be able to view and opt to buy their products. Marketing Included in the strategy planning for Decor Furniture is its aspect as an online market. As stated above, Decor Furniture will be placed on the online market because this broadens its pool of customers. Marketing will include the use of online ads, electronically mailing potential customers, and having different kinds of advertising multimedia, such as commercials on YouTube for the promotion of the products.The company’s site will be made sure to have an attractive and welcoming template. Navigation around the site will be made easier with a site map and promos will be placed on the home page to attract the potential customers to continue on to the viewing of the products. Marketing pro grams will be outsourced. This is to reduce costs, via cheaper labor in the outsourcing companies, and to ensure that the newly started online market of Decor Furniture will be marketed expertly even from the start. Outsourcing may be stopped in the future once the company has gained ground on the World Wide Web. Legal Matters – Privacy, IPR and TaxAlong with the uncharted land of the web, many companies starting an e-business are unsure of the boundaries of their legal rights. Many customers are also afraid of violation of their own rights in purchasing over the internet. Privacy and stealing identity information keep customers on their guard. This will be avoided by including privacy policies or agreement terms on the site as well as by clear explanation of why certain information is being asked of the client. Proper paper work will be filed in the local government to ensure that taxation of the transactions done on the DecorFurniture. com site will be assured.This will ens ure that the e-business’ dealings are legal and accounted for. This is probably the most essential legal aspect the company faces because its main purpose for going online is to be able to establish more customers through an online market. The domain name, company logo and tag lines will be copyrighted as well to protect the company from imitations and posers. Management Issues An important management trend that is good to keep in mind when dealing with online business is outsourcing. Running an e-business entails paying attention to numerous details that aren’t part of what your business is really about.Advertisements, creation of web designs, writing of the site’s content are all things that will be outsource in DecorFurniture. com. Going online has given Decor Furniture access to the entire world as a pool for potential customers. Through international shipping, global service will be offered. Shipping insurance as well as local tax in the customer’s c ountry will not be part of the services available to the international customers. This will extend the possibilities for DecorFurniture. com and will take full advantage of its choice to go online.Conclusion Decor Furniture can maximize its online presence through the use of the various resources it can find available on the internet. Developing a strong presence online is essential in order to attract new customers and to spread the company’s name. Creating an impressive web site and coupling this with effective marketing strategies will help Decor Furniture become a household name when it comes to online purchasing. However, in order for the company to best have its customers keep coming back, it has to establish a good relationship with the.This can be established through CRM applications that will be integrated into the company. Eventual use of business intelligence applications, which will be capable of analyzing sales data, will also assist the company in getting to kno w better the customers and target audience for sales. Decor Furniture has a bright future ahead on the World Wide Web. Unlike many dot com businesses, it has a very good chance at becoming a stable success online. Through careful planning of business strategies and implementation of the same, this e-business will be booming in no time.There are many features of e-business that put it above offline businesses. Numerous aids and options are available to the online company and it can more easily reach a larger audience of individuals. However, there must be proper planning, implementation of these plans, and use of e-business strategies in order for success to be attained. Reference Vindevogel, B. , Van den Poel, Dirk, and Wets, Geert. â€Å"Why promotion strategies based on market basket analysis don’t work. † Expert Systems with Applications, 28 (1991): 583-590.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

James Joyce †An encounter Essay

An encounter is a short story and also a part of the collection named Dubliners written by James Joyce in 1914. Dubliners is a great literary work of the 20th Century, a real masterpiece. Because of its structure and unity of themes, it can be read as a novel. The stories are based on the author’s personal experiences in Ireland. They are stories of desperate lives lived on the margins. Dublin was, to Joyce, ‘the centre of paralysis’. An encounter describes the Irish society, the prejudices and restrictions of the century, the monotony of life, and the unability of people to change their lives. In a letter to an editor, Joyce wrote: ,, I have tried to present it to the indifferent public under four of its aspects: childhood, adolescence, maturity, and public life. The stories are arranged in this order.’’ The main themes are: religion, the escape, freedom, journey, routine, isolation, paralysis and monotony. As a cultural background, people were looking for freedom, for new adventures tired of the routine of life. This aspect can be easily observed by the readers, in the story. The everyday life of Dubliners didn’t bring joy and excitement in their lives. One of the narrator’s confessions is: ,, But when the restraining influence of the school was at a distance I began to hunger again for wild sensations, for the escape which those chronicles of disorder alone seemed to offer me’’. So, the real adventures begin where the routine ends. Routine brings not only loneliness, but also despair, sadness and frustration. Joyce points out that routine is very dangerous, inevitable and it is seen as a trap from where you barely can get out. Joyce’s characters are looking for escape from the monotony of life, an escape that they are ashame of, but they fail and they always fall back in routine because of their inability to take actions: ,, But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad’’, says the narrator. The narration is made at the third person to describe people, places and at first person to express the psychologically complex and the thoughts of the author. The narrator and a boy called Mahony played games with cowboys and Indians, such as Wild West, which makes me believe that they see America as an icon for freedom and happiness: ,, The adventures related in the literature of the Wild West were remote from my nature but, at least, they opened doors of escape.’’ But, even the games they used to play aren’t a symbol of full freedom since they had to hide to play the games. They decided to skip a day of school and go in an adventure at the shore where they met an encounter. I think they made this choice because they were aware of the fact that they will never take part of real adventures at home. They started a disscusion about school, books, writers and ,,young sweethearts’’. I believe there is an unexpressed desire for adventures in the life of Dubliners that never turns into something concrete. This is a proof that the narrator is looking to escape from the cotidian life, but it doesn’t happen, as he and the boy return back home. They come to the conclusion that adventures don’t bring with them protection as the society does. However, even the protection offered by the Irish society was illusional. They arent’t able to escape the routine because they didn’t have time, they never made time, they were afraid of trying and experiencing something new and because freedom always brings more responsability and unknown in your life. Routine is a bad habit, a circle from where you can’t get out. Breaking the monotony of life is a challenge which if you aren’t able to take it until the end, it’s better not to take it at all. Also, An encounter reflects in a way the frustration of the Dubliners. The end of the story is ambiguous and interpretable. The encounter touches himself and talks about whipping. Some may think of the allusion of masturbation. I think Joyce wants to tell us through this character that even an adventurous life has its routine. The experience of the narrator with the old man is not the experience he would imagine to have. His expectations turned into disappointments. During the escape they find out that their image of freedom and their expectations weren’t what reality brought to them. Adventures aren’t only about happiness and freedom as the narrator believes, adventures also mean obstacles, fear and unknown paths. I find this story a little bit terrifying be cause of the character of the old man, his look and his actions. Even the discourse is  very unusual and ambiguous: ,, He began to speak on the subject of chastising boys. His mind, as if magnetized again by his speech, seemed to circle slowly round and round its new centre.†. He is percepted as a man with a sick and dirty mind. The encounter with the old man can also be seen as a meet between childhood and maturity where the purity and expectations of the young boys encounter a world less pure, safe and harmonius. It is a stage in which they face the true meanings of a matur world and begin to understand the maturity. The language is very dynamic. There are an abundance of details. Joyce uses in descriptions stylistic devices such as: epithets (,,innocent face’’, ,, wild sensations’’, ,, real adventures’’, ,, green leaves’’), comparations ( ,, he looked like some kind of an Indian’’, ,, boys like you’’, as wearisome to me as the routine’’), repetitions (,,This page or this page’’, ,,All right! All right!’’), alliterations (,,Hardly had the day dawned’’), exclamations (,,Till tomorrow, mates!’’), enumerations (,,blue and grey and even black’’). He is very ironic even through his characters that are aware of the fact they have to escape the world they live in, to seek freedom and happiness outside the society. They are aware that their world is a trap. So, their fault remains until the end their passivity. This moments of awareness ar e called by Joyce ,,epiphanies’’ and are used as structural devices in the stories. The story is like a mirror reflecting the Dublin society – a nation searching for its own identity, its darker side, its fears, but also hopes and unaccomplished desires. As Garry Leonard wrote: ,, a magic mirror converting a hard reality into a compensatory fantasy.’’ Through these short stories, the reader can notice the author’s desire to leave Dublin. He also reminds to people that they can escape the monotony of life by moving into the West and starting a new life where dreams may come true, where freedom can be manifested. Before reading Dubliners it is important to know the historical context. ,,Reading a text of Joyce’s can be compared to playing a piece of music – it can be done rapidly, skipping over  opaque or repetitious passages to gain a sense of the longer-range patterns and developments, or slowly, savouring the words, puzzling over the conundrums, following up the cross-references.’’ ( Derek Attridge) Bibliography: 1. Katherine Mullin, Cambridge Collections Online, James Joyce and the languages of modernism, Cambridge University Press, 2007 2. James Joyce, An encounter, David Campbell Publishers, 1991 3. Garry Leonard, Cambridge Collections Online, The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce,, Cambridge University Press, 2006 4. Derek Attridge, Cambridge Collections Online, Reading Joyce, Cambridge University Press, 2006 5. James R. Cope & Wendy Patrick Cope, A teacher’s guide to the Signet Classic Edition of James Joyce’s Dubliners, N.Y. : Penguin, 1994