Employee Welfare and Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is supremely important in an organization because it is what productivity depends on. If your employees are satisfied they would produce superior quality performance in optimal time and lead to growing profits. Satisfied employees are also more likely to be creative and innovative and come up with breakthroughs that allows a company to grow and change positively with time and changing market conditions Employee welfare defines as â€Å"efforts to make life worth living for workmen†. These efforts have their origin either in some statute formed by the state or in some local custom or in collective agreement or in the employer’s own initiative. Job satisfaction represents the constellations of person’s attitude towards or about the job. In general, job satisfaction is the attitude towards the job as a whole. Job satisfaction is a function of satisfaction with different aspects of job, i. e. supervision, pay, works itself, co-workers, promotion, etc. , and of the particular weighting or importance one attaches to these respective components. Modern management considers human being as resource and it is an importance for the success of any organization. It is the strength and aid. Therefore employees attitudes, interest, quality, job satisfaction, etc. , have a bearing productivity of a firm unless the management is able to recognize employees needs and wants they will lose motivation and morale and it will affect the best interest of the firm. Work is one of the most important activities in a person’s life. Who do have satisfying job rarely have fully satisfying lives. Dissatisfaction in work can lead in many circumstances to lower production and friction on the job. So that it must be considered by the management and steps should be taken to find out the factors which cause job dissatisfaction and to reduce such dissatisfaction. In general employee satisfaction is the attitude towards the work environment, salary, relationship with their colleagues, job security, grievance handling, performance appraisal, training and development, management style, quality policy, career counseling and so on.

The Color Purple: Consolation in Female Bonding

Copyright: Martina Diehl June 2012 The Color Purple: Consolation in Female Bonding Celie’s road to trusting and loving herself Abstract This essay is about the love affair in The Color Purple, a novel by Alice Walker in which, thoughts on racism, incest, rape, love and family affairs are provoked. The reader learns about these subjects through the letters that Celie, an uneducated black woman, writes to God and through the letters that her sister Nettie and Celie write to each other.I would like to discuss how Walker raises the issue of love between females, which involves trust and understanding, two aspects that the men in the novel don’t possess. The reader witnesses how the women are being oppressed and abused in this men’s world, Celie and Shug find comfort and security in each other and then become less afraid to stand up for themselves. I will touch on the comparisons of the awareness hierarchy in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison and The Color Purple.Furth ermore, Walker guides us through the rise of this sisterhood and female love affair, which helps them find the otherness in God, the colour purple. This novel tells us of sexual racism, incest, oppression and abuse which leads to what walker refers to as womanist, which is to feminism what the colour purple is to lavender (Abbandato 1113). The text implies that Celie and Shug find their love for each other through traumatic events where African-American females are lowest in rank, causing sexual racism, rape and abuse by the dominating male. The Beginning of Celie and Shug Nature said, you two folks, hook up, cause you a good example of how it sposed to go. †(105) Celie has been abused by men all her life and still she does what they tell her to out of fear until she meets Shug, who stands up for Celie and shows her many beautiful things life carries with her. ‘Pa’ has abused Celie and she has become pregnant, twice. Incest and abuse seems to be the life she knows and therefore she is afraid of all men including God because she fears getting beaten and doing something wrong. She is not afraid to write to God because she thinks that He, â€Å"as a white male istener, is ill-equipped to hear what she has to say† (Tucker 82), and because her stepfather has made her afraid to tell anybody else, as is shown in the first line of the novel: â€Å"You better not tell nobody but God. It’d kill your mammy. † (3) She has always feared men, and when she sees Shug Avery for the first time she is amazed to see that a female has power over Mr. ____. At first Shug treats Celie as a servant because Shug is supposed to be with Mr. ____ and not Celie. She finally accepts this is reality and finds out that the man she used to know as Albert is not the same anymore.Celie’s traumatic sexual events and incest may have caused Celie to dive into this female love affair with Shug. Shug hears Celie’s stories about the raping, and how Celie lets Albert take advantage of her because abuse is the life she has always lead, the life she is used to. Shug helps Celie see the beautiful things that God has given them. Walker uses the letters Celie writes as a political statement, reminding the reader that Celie can only write her feelings about herself and objective information in writing. She continues to do this in the novel even though she can tell her feelings to Shug.She still feels the need to write to God or Nettie (Christian 424). When talking to Shug, Celie finds â€Å"lesbian continuum† (Abbandato: 1108): the concept of love, friendship and sisterly solidarity, in a world where heterosexuality is compulsory and women are supposed to be no more than objects to men, they are â€Å"the second sex† (Chaber 213), women with no rights or power. A fight against society Walker shows the reader how black woman are trying to rise above the conditions of their society. Sofia and Shug are the two characters that fight against masculine domination.In Song of Solomon, Morrison focuses on the oppression of women and ridicules the men, showing the reader what men consider to be right while emphasizing the abuse of women. These two novels are set in the same time period and both take place in the South of the United States, both novels show the sexual and racial abuse of women as a second sex between 1910 and 1963. Women in white society were gaining power while black women still had none. During the twentieth century black women began to travel more and saw more of the world and therefore this change in dominance in society.They would no longer tolerate the power that men had over them. The oppression that Celie was part of. Celie does not write of her husband by name, he is part of the system joining God and her father in â€Å"an unholy trinity of power than displaces her identity. † (Abbandato 1111) Fear of standing up to the dominant sex Celie is afraid to stand up to her husban d. She does not want to get a beating and is traumatised by the events she went through before she left home to be with Mr. ____. Her mother passed away and she is left with a stepfather who raped her and whom she thought dumped her babies in the woods.Celie is continually silenced by her stepfather and Mr. ____ and has no choice in the marriage. She is only an object to the men and is required work around the house and care for them. She does not like to write down or talk about the names of the men who she knows, she prefers to call them Mr. ___ or ‘Pa’ and refers to them as ‘Him’, like God, these men have more power over her than she has over herself. (Tucker 84) She does not know the man who she calls ‘Pa’ is not her real father until much later when she hears the story from Nettie.Her children whom she thought were gone are with Nettie and Celie learns that white people hanged her father. Comparing Walker to Morrison Walker addresses the i ntersectionality of black women in a white society. As she guides the reader through the novel, the reader discovers the class differences in South America. Not only are white women less powerful than white men, beneath that are the African Americans, in which the African American female seems to be the lowest class. Toni Morrison presents the reader with a similar view where the ‘coloured’ people are in search of the self, trying to fight for a better future.Both novels show the oppression within society that bellows for the African Americans. Walker seems to concentrate on showing the reader all aspects of oppression by highlighting Celie’s sexual preference, and the sexism and racism which is present not only between a white and black society but also within the African American society. Walker lets the reader find the different levels of discrimination within classes of society. In The Color Purple as well as in Song of Solomon, these different levels of disc rimination arise. Macon Dead and the arrator in Song of Solomon show the reader these different levels of discrimination in the following excerpt: â€Å"â€Å"Why can’t you dress like a woman? † He was standing by the stove. What’s that sailor’s cap doing on your head? Don’t you have stockings? What are you trying to make me look like in this town? † He trembled with the thought of the white men in the bank – the men who helped him buy mortgage houses – discovering that this raggedy bootlegger was his sister. † (20) Macon Dead dreads what the white men might think of his family, as they are impressed with this ‘Negro’ who handles business so well.Besides that, Ruth dresses in a masculine manner, which could be argued is a way of proving that she is not lower in class than the men around her. Here in this excerpt, she might be compared to Shug Avery in some respect; she provokes the men around her to show her meaning in society. Throughout both texts a lot of similarities can be found in regard to womanism. The women in the texts tend to be either dependent on their husbands on independent women with principles and an ideal to grow, and be accepted as equals in society.Walker critiques the black community here by insinuating that women have the right to take responsibility for themselves (Christian 424). Celie’s trust and distrust Celie, as apposed to Shug, begins hardly any particular views of her own, and only does what she thinks is right: caring for her husband. She holds onto the morals she has learnt from her stepfather, although she realises that her life could be less abusive, she does not seem to feel that she has the power to change that. She thinks that her stepfather, who raped her, has killed her children and therefore she does not trust him.The incest that happens allows distrust towards her family, and so she turns to God is not allowed to tell anybody about the rap e and abuse. Celie struggles through life as an uneducated young woman who seems to have a great responsibility of looking after an entire household, she is at the bottom of the chain in her family. When Celie meets Shug Avery she seems fascinated by this black woman who is able to stand up to Mr. ____, she even calls him by his first name. Shug is surprised with the way in which Celie lets herself be treated, and the way Albert has changed.Shug finds herself interested in Celie’s life, and Celie finally finds somebody whom she will trust to tell her stories to. By putting her trust in Shug, does not Celie again depend on somebody, as she has done all along? She depends on her sister to write about what life is like, she depends on the ways she is treated and the consolation she finds in writing to God. She does not seem to be able to survive without a husband for who would care for her? Now Shug is willing to care for her, by letting Celie becoming dependent yet again.Nevert heless, due to the influence of Shug, Celie is able to trust herself again (Christian 424). A love affair: Celie and Shug The love between Celie and Shug is found through the traumatic events that especially Celie suffers from, and her previous inability to stand up for herself and to speak, as she would only write to God. African-American females in The Color Purple suffer from their dependence on a husband and being low in the hierarchical setting of the southern states. Celie finds trust and consolation in being able to speak to Shug, who does not abuse her, but merely touches her.This trust turns into a love affair, a lesbian continuum. They find a connection in being on this low hierarchical scale and both find love, which they had been missing. Celie learns to love herself, to trust her own thoughts gains trust in herself and in Shug, she learns to love herself because Shug loves her. Arguably, because she trusts herself she is able to speak up for herself and know when she do es not want something; Albert no longer abuses her because of Shug’s resentment towards Albert’s change.Celie earns a place in society by leaving her place as the uneducated woman who is part of ‘the second sex’ and becoming less dependent on the dominant male force within the African-American society. Walker shows that through trusting and loving the self, barriers can be broken and any type of love is possible. Primary Literature Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Great Britain: The Women’s Press, 1983. Print. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. USA: Plume Fiction. 1987. reprint. On racism in the African-American society.Secondary Literature Abbandonato, Linda. â€Å"A view from ‘Elsewhere’: Subversive Sexuality and the rewriting of the heroine’s story in The Color Purple†. PMLA vol. 106. (1991): P. 1106-1115 Christian, Barbara T. â€Å"We are the ones that we have been waiting for†: Political content in Alice’s Walker’s novels. Women’s studies International Forum vol. 9. (1986): P. 421-426 Idem Tucker, Lindsey. â€Å"Alice Walker’s The Color Purple†: Emergent Woman, Emergent Text. Black American literature forum. (1988): Vol. 22. P. 81-95

Just Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Just Questions - Essay Example Most psychoneuroses are dependent on the failure of the personality to a find an adequate solution of this conflict, and the compromise that the person reaches is not satisfactory to him. The basal or primary dispositions develop in the childhood, and they determine the future psychic development. Therefore, the personality and its forms are actually determined by the childhood development in terms of Sex and Ego, which may distinguish between different personalities. This, therefore may serve as a key to knowing these personalities. Adler's style of life theory contends that the determining factors that mould human behaviour and development and hence personality are to gain power and ascendency against the environment. This means, in human personality, the conduct is determined by a final purpose. A person's styles of life or temperamental factors determine his behaviour. According to his theory, the style of life is an affective and cognitive representation of the existential problems that any person desired to resolve. Thus this reflects the person's reactions to his perceptions about reality and the reactions that demonstrate in the ways of coping with it. This is a manifestation of cultural adaptation through the interaction between the person and the reality. Functionally, these may be equivalent to the cognitive and psychological traits of the personality which is reflected upon the genetic inheritance. Horney's construct of the "ty... Give an example of this tyranny has affected someone's lifestyle. Horney's construct of the "tyranny of should" are well depicted in the childhood development, which in future may lead to a neurotic personality. These develop early in the development through influences from temperament and environment. The child's personality and his degree of vitality and his nature and its quality may make a child rebellious or submissive under such pressures created by parental coercion. The tyranny is created by love and intimidation, tyranny, and glorification. These create the environment of the child, and their personality will be influenced by such relationships which may alter the environment from the normal of warmth, mutual respect and consideration. From the perspective the "tyranny of should" from the parents exerts pressure on the child even up to the extent that he may start feeling that his existence is dependent upon the parental wishes. The consequences are improper or incomplete development of self-respect. The personality may become insecure, ap prehensive, isolated, and resentful. Although initially, helpless, gradually he starts coping and become manipulative. The case of a child who has a stubborn negativism and who expresses himself with temper tantrums may be considered. His coping mechanism is shutting himself from others, living in his own world, where he can resent and reject every demand made upon him by the "tyranny of should" and he makes inroads to isolation and privacy which might be the beginning of a neurosis. Q4. Consider the frames of orientation presented by Fromm. Give a specific example of behavior which constitutes a healthy frame of orientation. Give specific example of behavior which constitutes an unhealthy frame of orientation.

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Economic - Essay Example According to him, the nature will be destroyed in the process of industrialization. States welfare, also, will result to spread of moral hazards, the capitalists will dominate and rule the private economy after dominating social power. In addition, he said that, completion will also be essential as the complacence and old-fashioned capitalists will be doomed in the progress of sociological evolution. I can agree that he was right for most of the problems have been as a result of evolution, which has even caused global warming (LÃ ¶we, 28). Keynesian economic schools of thought differ from other schools of thoughts. The basics of the Keynesian theory is that the aggregate demand influences the individual’s decision-making and that the States monetary system policies can also influence the economy. In addition the theory, accepts the suggestion that the total economic spending includes those of individuals, organizations, and government, where it states that government spending can help in economy development, unlike in the classical theory (LÃ ¶we, 35). Lastly Keynesian theory majorly focuses on short-term solutions to economic problems but Classical theory sides with long-term solutions. In addition, Anglo-Saxon capitalism focuses mainly on shareholders and no other stakeholders or employees. Anglo-Saxon differs from Asian and European capitalism for the focuses on long term relations with bank and a regulated state market by government but on the other hand Anglo-Saxon concentrate on short term relation/ profit in expense of long-term plan. I can say that US is a good example of Anglo-Saxon for it does not control its market. First I can classify United States, Germany, Sweden, Japan and South Korea into two broad categories of corporate capitalism and Anglo-Saxon. US is an example of Anglo-Saxon, and other listed countries are corporates. Equally in the US, there is a free

Philedelphia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philedelphia - Essay Example Popularly known as the Global Exhibition of Arts, the culture associates with the manufacture of mine and soil products. The exhibition is the first most important universal Fair held in the United States, which took place on 10th May 1876 occupying a two hundred and eighty five acre tract of the Fairmount Park thus overlooking the river Schuylkill (Exhibition, 2012). The twenty seven year old German immigrant by the name of Hermann J. Schwarzmann had an opportunity to design the fairgrounds that he did exclusively. The ground hosted thirty seven nations and many industrial exhibitions which occupied over two hundred and fifty pavilions belonging to individuals (Exhibition, 2012). The exhibition attracted almost nine million visitors while the population of the United States was forty six million. The exhibition had a lasting accomplishment as there was the introduction of industrial Universal power in America. The industrial power concealed the potency and production of many industrialized nations. Philadelphia became the central city the industrial and cultural practices in America (Exhibition, 2012). The visitors attending the exhibition loomed the fairgrounds mostly from east by means of either horse-drawn trolley or the railway across the today Gerald Avenue Bridge (Exhibition, 2012). There was a glass and steel dome of the Memorial Hall on the Schuylkill river near the exhibition grounds whose flag- studded the towers of the major building grew as the wooded slope of Fairmount Park. The complete site and size of the structures are breathtaking in their natural setting (Exhibition, 2012). As advised, the visitors arrived from the Railway of Pennsylvania Depot recognized as the Parkside Avenue today. They were to arrive promptly for the opening at 9:00 AM, and they had to pay fifty cents for entrance

Marine Cargo Claims Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marine Cargo Claims - Assignment Example In an attempt to keep pace with fast moving goods, sea waybills have avoided cargo congestion at destination terminals caused by delayed bill of lading arrivals from the consignor or one of the banks involved in the credit transaction2. The late arrival of waybills does not affect delivery because, contrary to a bill of lading, the nature of a sea waybill is different from that of a bill of lading in that the former is a non-negotiable document, and to receive the goods, the consignee does not need to present the original sea waybill3. The sea waybill, however, cannot replace the bill of lading in many important areas of marine. This paper examines the bill of lading as a document of title by endorsement. Although the sea waybill is important, it cannot replace the bill of lading in many important areas of marine transport where a document of title is required4. Bills of lading are still widely used in any trade that requires the sale of goods during the voyage, such as commodity tra des5. In the case of oil tanker trade, or bulk cargoes of grain, ore, and coal, for instance, the cargo is often the subject of repeated negotiations while in transit. Furthermore, only bills of lading, due to their negotiability, can serve as security for loans since banks may collect waybills without any documented approval. A bill of lading, as a foundation of overseas trade, serves three distinct purposes6. First, they are a receipt for goods. Second, they are the best evidence of the contract of carriage, and third, they are a negotiable document of title. By serving the last function, the bill of lading replaces those goods indicated on its face, enabling the endorser to transfer the property in the goods7. The last function is the one dealt in depth in this paper. By endorsing a bill of lading, the carrier states that it has received the specified goods and it promises to transport and deliver them to designated and legitimate endorsee or consignee. In international trade, bi lls of trade once passed legitimately for value out of the hands of the shipper; facilitate the documentary credit process as documents of title, where payment is made against a document upon which reliance can be placed to represent the goods shipped8. Ownership of the bill of lading is tantamount to ownership of the goods. Banks, through a system of documentary credit, finance a considerable proportion of international trade9. Under the normal CIF contract, the seller is supposed to take to take to the bank the bill of lading alongside other documents upon shipment of the goods10. When these documents are presented in the right form to the bank, the seller can now pay the contract price. Possessing of the bill of lading is equal to possessing the goods according to three different purposes11. First, the holder of the bill of lading is entitled to delivery of the goods at the port of discharge12. Second, the holder can claim the possession of the bill of lading when they are being carried only be endorsing it13. Third, the bill of lading can be used as a security for a debt14. By commercial usage, the bill of lading has become the key document in the contract of sale. Accordingly, the seller is obliged to tender to the buyer a shipped onboard bill of lading under common shipment contracts concluded on C&F and CIF terms15. Where the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Bills of Lading, otherwise known as

Fate or free will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fate or free will - Essay Example As he told me, he was only forced by his circumstances. I myself believe in determinism – that all events are ultimately determined by causes that are external to human will. These events, or the things that happen, even include human action. That man was hungry that is why he stole. It is therefore preposterous to think that he wanted to steal out of free will. There was an explanatory cause, or a cause that ultimately explains his action of stealing. That explanatory cause was hunger. Had he not been hungry, he would not have stolen the money. I am sure you understand and agree with me, Socrates. Socrates: You are right, and no man can ever separate himself from the appetitive and spirited parts as long as he is alive. Moreover, one should know that â€Å"For when [the soul] tries to consider anything in company with the body, it is evidently deceived by it† (Plato, Phaedo, 64c). Therefore, the soul is not free as long as it is with the body, as long as one is alive. This is the part of the soul that conforms to determinism. Socrates: Indeed, it was. However, it was not purely free will on his part, because the fact that he has within him and working at the same time – the appetitive, spirited and rational desires – may have in fact deceived him. What is human choice then? Me: Human choice is the action that results from being governed by external determinism and possessing internal free will – both existing at the same time. So, in short, what are you trying to tell me about that man, Socrates? Socrates: That he did make a choice that he could otherwise have refused or that he had the power to cancel, but that he did make this choice only after his appetitive desires have deceived him, human as he was. However, we cannot conclude anything whether he was a good man or an evil man. We can only say he was not wise

Technology stratege Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Technology stratege - Term Paper Example It is in this context that technology can benefit business performance. The role of technology strategy in the development of business performance is analyzed in this study. The literature published on this subject is presented and critically discussed. Reference is made to the practical needs and implications of technology strategy as identified in Tesco and Waitrose, two major retailers in the British market. It is concluded that technology strategy can be used for supporting the growth of modern firms but only under the terms that it is carefully planned and monitored. The management of technology in modern businesses has many different aspects. In order to identify the most appropriate technology management polices for firms in different industries it is necessary to understand the role of technology within organizations. Technology has been characterized as a ‘business asset’ (Watkins 10); despite common business assets, technology is difficult to be evaluated (Watkins 10). This difficulty results by the fact that a specific technological tool, for instance, machinery, can be evaluated by referring to its ‘acquisition cost, book value or replacement value’ (Watkins 11). One of the most important characteristics of technology is its ‘re-useability’ (Watkins 11), i.e. its potential to be used in several operational activities. The above issues need to be taken into consideration by managers of organizations that have to introduce a technology strategy that will respond to all organizational needs. Particular measures should be also taken for the ‘flow control’ (Watkins 11) of the technology used across the organization. The term ‘flow control’ refers to all the tasks in which a specific business (technological) asset can be involved, either directly or indirectly. The ability of business managers to introduce appropriate

Week 2 Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 2 Assignment - Essay Example At the time of entering into the contract, I gave him $100, which was to serve as the consideration. There was a legal objective to the contract since my friend legally owned the furniture. In the end, we set the terms for both of us and signed the contract in writing, making two copies that. I retained one copy while my friend went with the other. The furniture needed to be delivered to my house two weeks after the signing of the contract and this cost was to be borne by the seller. After delivery, I was to pay the full amount in cash. However, two weeks after, my friend had still not delivered the furniture. I called him to inquire why he had not obeyed the terms we had agreed on. He replied that he could not deliver the furniture because he had not found a place to buy new furniture to replace what he was selling. This was not among the conditions we had put in our contract. In the meantime, I had already sold my old furniture for $400 and I had withdrawn $600 from my bank account in readiness for payment. The contract I had entered into was not successfully fulfilled, which shows there was a breach in the terms of the contract. Therefore, I took the necessary steps to sue my friend for damages in a court of law for breach. There were a number of remedies available for breach of contract. They included awarding of damages, rescission of the contract and specific performance of the contract. I was entitled to damages being the innocent party as far as the breach was concerned. Damages in this case were supposed to be nominal since I incurred no loss from the breach of contract. If I had suffered any loss in terms of monetary value, I would have qualified for substantial damages that would have been determined based on the remoteness of the loss. As opposed to the equitable remedies of injunction and specific damages are available as a right (Miller, 2012). Punitive damages would also have served to punish the party in breach

Life in the Country Verse Life in the City Essay Example for Free

Life in the Country Verse Life in the City Essay Even though amenities are more accessible when you live in a big city, it is healthier to live in the country because of the differences in culture and the surroundings. It is healthier and safer to live in the country rather than in the city for a number of reasons, one being that there is less congestion out in the country. With congestion and over population of a city brings gangs and violence. With gangs come drugs, killings, and murders. People become very territorial when a space is over crowed or congested. It was reported that last year in the first week of summer in Battle Creek, Michigan, there was a total of 13 shootings all related to either gangs or drugs. When you live out in the country there are less people living right on top of each other. There isn’t a large amount of crime and acts of violence, because people have their space and they respect others space as well. They don’t feel as though they have to fight to keep what they have because there is plenty to go around. With that being said it is my personal opinion that with more space there is less drama that would build up the kinds of animosity that would make someone want to commit murder. Which is why growing up in the country I can’t remember a time when we had to make certain that our doors and windows were locked, that goes for both our home and our vehicles. Not only is there an increase in crime there is also an increase in pest, rodents, and critters. There are more cases of cockroach infestations in a larger city then there is out in the country that is all because of the congestion. Having to live with cockroaches creates a major health hazard because of the risks posed by cockroach antigens for people who suffer from asthma, also because they carry disease-causing germs. Some of the methods people traditionally use to eliminate them cause additional health hazards. Pesticides are never healthy to breathe in to even ingest. If you put down bate to kill them you risk them tracking it all over your home. If you have pets you have to worry about them consuming it before the cockroaches. Another way people commonly try to treat a cockroach infestation is to bomb their house. There is a reason you can’t be home for this kind of treatment, and why you need to open all the windows in your home at least an hour before you can return. It is very harmful to breathe in. Cockroach antigens are made up of proteins that can be found in the insect’s saliva, feces, eggs, and shredded cuticles. These antigens can cause allergic reactions and asthmatic episodes when they are inhaled because they are airborne. According to health house, â€Å"A large study supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has demonstrated conclusively that the combination of cockroach allergy and exposure to the insects is an important cause of asthma-related illness and hospitalizations among children in U. S. inner-city areas. † There is a major difference in the surroundings that can affect a person’s health from living in a larger city versus living in the country. The food that we consume in a larger city is so full of preservatives and additives. There are more fast food restaurants available for a quick meals. Some of the side effects of eating out and ordering in all of the time include high cholesterol, and clogged arteries. The majority of foods found out in the country are organic, because they are home grown. Living in the country as a child we always had a garden with fresh vegetables. Another difference is the air that we breathe when living in a larger city, because there are so many fast food chains and factories, there is higher pollution in the air. For extremely larger cities like Chongqing, Beijing, and Shanghai they have smog alerts where you have to wear a protective mask to prevent you from breathing in harmful pollutants. When you live in the country you’re not at risk of this because there aren’t as many factories creating these pollutants, so the air is crisp and fresh. The worst thing you have to worry about in the country is when farmers lay down the fertilizer for their crops that is an unpleasant smell. One good thing about living in a larger city as opposed to living out in the country would be that there are hospitals. When you live out in the country there aren’t as many hospitals available to you. Just like with everything else there is so much more open space and less people, which create less reasons and finances to have a hospital, because there are fewer reasons for health risks and that you are less likely to have to rush off to an emergency room, doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be one close by you never know what might happen. A farmer might get his hand caught in a machine while trying to perform routine maintenance. A child could ingest some sort of chemicals such as pesticides. This would have to be the only down fall I can see about life in the country versus living in a large city. However for an extreme emergency there is always an option of having an air lift. You can also still call 911 and have an ambulance out to your place maybe even sometimes faster than if you were living in the city just because there is less traffic. There are always going to be things that challenge our health, wellness, and survival; however, the risks are higher living in the city as opposed to living in the country for two main reasons. First when living in the city there is so much more congestion, overcrowding, and diversity that can bring out the worst in people; in this case, the worst of these brought out are drugs and violence. When you live out in the country you don’t have to worry about these kinds of things as much. The second thing that challenges our health and wellness is what we consume. The air that we breathe to the nourishment we give to our bodies. We are not perfect but the little things that we can change to improve our situation the closer we can come to optimal health and wellness. References americanlungassociation. com battlecreekenquire. com healthhouse. com

Social Issues of E-Commerce

Social Issues of E-Commerce Social Issues of E-Commerce Nowadays, the internet has created a new function called e-commerce. E-commerce is commonly known as electronic commerce and now already become a virtual main street of the world. It is essentially cover all the activities on internet and induce the customer to purchase the product over the internet. Thus, it is another way to running their own business over the internet and it used to selling and buying the product over the internet with other business man and customer on other state. E-Commerce is a good way to do their business because it can enlarge their business to whole world so that they can do their business bigger and makes more money in future. Besides that, it also can let more people know more about their product by seeing the picture of product that they upload and the details of the product that they list out on internet. Other than selling and buying product over the internet on e-commerce, it also have another function on e-commerce called supply chain management, e lectronic data interchange (EDI), electronic funds transfer, inventory management, online transaction processing, and data collection systems to make it more easy for business man for selling their product. I choose this subject to discuss their issues because e-commerce is the most popular on the internet and it has been become a virtual main street of the world. Besides that, it also has many issues for us to discuss so I decide to choose this subject to discuss. First, I will discuss the issues for e-commerce is security privacy. It is the most important issues for e-commerce because without security privacy, the customer will scared get cheated by the seller. For example, the customer will scared the seller products whether is good or bad because they just saw the picture of the product over the internet so the customer dont know whether the product are good or bad so they scared the seller will post up a bad thing to sell at internet. Another example is scared after the customer transfer the money to the seller then they wont send the product to the customer. Other than this 2 example, there still have another example is the customer dont know the actual price at marketing and t he seller just simply set up the price and did not follow the marketing price to gain their profit more than market price such as double or triple from the market price. These 3 examples will be the impacts of society because if the seller fraud the buyer then the society will become lower standard. Moreover, the impacts of IT industry is the buyer will not visit the web-sites again to purchase their products so that it will affect IT department said that e-commerce is not good in use on internet to do business because the buyer get cheat by the seller and they wont online to purchase the products again and they would rather buy the products on marketing by finding the products themselves. Besides that, there still have other issues of e-commerce. The second issues that I will discuss are shipping issues. Shipping issues means that when the buyer buys a product from the seller and the seller is from other state then they should use shipping to send the products to the buyer so that it can arrive to the place of buyer stay. In shipping, there need to have a good data management means that the seller need to manage the data securely such as addresses of buyer, names of buyer, credit card information of the buyer, and contact information of the buyer. They need to have a good management on this because if the seller never manage the data of the buyer securely and just simply write it down only then when they need to send the products to buyer after confirm all the transaction then only feel that some information already lost due to the paper that list out the buyer details cant find it out then it will become a shipping issues because without the information of the buyer then they cannot send the product to the buyer so when the buyer did not receive any products that they promise before with the date that the product will arrive to the buyer then the buyer will feel that they get cheat by the seller. Its very important because if the buyer feels they get cheat by seller then they wont go to that websites again to purchase the products. Besides that, for shipping fee, it is calculate with the weight of the products so after calculate the price out for shipping fee then it still need to add up the cost of the products so it will become a very high cost for the products compare with marketing price so it will cost highly if want to purchase the product over the internet and the seller are not stay in your country. These issues will affect the society become low standard if the buyer fell they get cheat by the seller and the buyer will think that mostly of the seller that stay at that country also same with him/her so their country will become low sta ndard. Besides that, these issues also will affect IT industry because the buyer will fell that although using internet to purchase a product is more easy but need to pay double or triple of the marketing price and they will they better buy themselves and not purchase though the internet so that it can saves more money compare with purchase online then the buyer will not use the internet again to purchase product so IT will become less people used for purchase products. Other than 2 issues above, there still have another issues called complexity of process. It means when the buyer want to purchase that such products then they need to follow their step to purchase a products from them such as register as a member of that website, fill up the agreement form, key in all your personal details, key in your credit card number and so forth. There have many step to follow if want to purchase a products over the internet. Although many step to do before purchase the products is for the best security privacy but the buyer will feel that the process of buying the products over the internet are complexity compare with buy a products outside. These issues also will be the same impacts to society and IT industry such as the society will become low standard and cannot progress to become better, and IT industry also will become not many people to use IT to purchase the products over the internet. Conclusion, after we discuss these all the issues for e-commerce, we already know that what is the impact of that all issues to society and IT industry so we need to learn from the issues so that we can make it better and improve the efficiency for e-commerce. First, we need to increase the security privacy such as build up a good impression for your website which is do not fraud people and so forth so that the buyer can trust your website when they want to purchase products. When the buyer trust your website then our society will become more high standard because nowadays they are using ecommerce to purchase products. Secondly, we need to decrease to shipping issue such as have a good data management so that the data wont get lost. Moreover, we also need to find out the economical ways to ensure that your products will arrive to the buyer with the time that you promise before and the shipment fee will not cost highly so that the buyer will always keep purchase products over the in ternet. When the buyer feel that shipment fee and product fee is a good cost and not cost highly then the buyer will keep purchase the products from your website so it can improve our society and also IT industry. Lastly, we need to reduce the step before purchase products such as we just ask the buyer to fill up his/her details that can contact his/her then uses email to verify again their details and then only send out the products to the buyer so that the buyer wont feel the process of purchase a product complexity and they also will always use internet to purchase the product so our society can become high standard and IT industry also will have a good feedback from user. After discuss how to reduce the issues of e-commerce, I believe that e-commerce will become more users friendly and will become a virtual main street of the world so they can purchase any products that they need over the internet. Reference wikinvest(2006), http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/E-Commercewebz, http://www.webz.com.my/ec.html goecart(2000), http://www.goecart.com/support/ecommerce-issues.aspx AllBusiness(1999), http://www.allbusiness.com/sales/internet-e-commerce/842-1.html EzineArticles(2009), http://ezinearticles.com/?General-eCommerce-Issuesid=182160

Taking the First Step :: essays papers

Taking the First Step On January 27, 1998, in his State of the Union Address, President Clinton proposed an idea that would immediately spawn a national debate. The goal that President Clinton sought was to reduce class size in grades 1-3, nationwide, to an average of 18 students per class. The president’s plan was to provide enough funds to school districts so that an additional 100,000 teachers could be hired. Throughout the rest of his proposal President Clinton covered every other questionable aspect of this plan. Realizing that new schools and classrooms would have to be built, President Clinton called for a school construction tax cut (Clinton 1998). President Clinton was very adamant about his proposition. However, there were, and still are, those that cannot and will not look past the money issue. Building new buildings and hiring new teachers, among many other changes to be made, will be extremely costly. Many critics have asked why the President’s proposed money cannot be spent on programs to better the school systems, rather than on completely rebuilding them. Case Studies Many studies have been conducted in school districts throughout the country, all of which have experimented with different class size reduction (CSR) techniques to determine whether or not President Clinton’s goal can be achieved. According to the April Press Release of the 2001 Legislative Session for the state of Maryland, the General Assembly, along with Governors Parris N. Glendening and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, have instituted a record amount of investment projects dealing with education. Among those passed by the General Assembly is an Early Childhood Education initiative in which $19 million will be used to lower class sizes, create all-day Kindergartens, and buy new library and other support materials. This will help to raise standardized test scores later on. In addition, an extra $11 million will be spent on various new Pre-K programs. In 2000, the state of California created a Federal Class Size Reduction Program. The chart/road map that was produced investigated the steps that had to be followed in order to ensure that funds were being used properly, and that all classes, in grades K-3, were reduced. Long before President Clinton’s proposal, states were exploring ways to decrease class sizes. In fact, between the years 1985 and 1989, Tennessee conducted their famous PROJECT STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio). The study split the K-3 classes into three different class types: small classes, (containing only 13-17 children per teacher), regular classes (containing 22-25 students per teacher), and regular classes with a teacher’s aide who was in the classroom full time.

Dances With Wolves Essay -- essays research papers

The film, Dances with Wolves, staring Kevin Costner gives a historically accurate presentation of the Sioux Indians and their way of life. In this production, Lieutenant John Dunbar, played by Costner, is rewarded for his heroic actions in the Civil War by being offered an opportunity to see the American frontier before it is gone. Dunbar is assigned to an abandoned fort where his only friends are a lone wolf and his beloved horse, Cisco. After several weeks of waiting for more American troops, a Sioux Indian makes contact with Dunbar and reports this finding to his chief. This incident sets off a train of events that would forever change John Dunbar and the Sioux tribe he encounters. When Dunbar realizes that the Indians know where he lives, he becomes extremely paranoid and spends his days preparing the fort for another confrontation. He buries all the extra materials in fear that they might fall into enemy hands. On one of his daily rides around the frontier, Dunbar comes across an Indian woman crying under a tree. He sees the imminent danger from the woman’s self-inflicted wounds and determines it is his duty to return the woman to the Sioux camp. Dunbar dresses in his best uniform and shines his boots to prepare for the meeting. When the Sioux spot Dunbar they are immediately alarmed and confront him ready to kill. Kicking Bird, a Sioux holy man and the first Sioux to know of Dunbar’s existence, discourages the fight claiming that the white man is not there to fight. Wind In His Hair, a fierce warrior, tears the Sioux women from Dunbar’s grasp and the lieutenant is allowed to go freely. That following evening the Sioux council discussed w hat they would do with their new neighbor and decided that Kicking Bird and Wind In His Hair would revisit Dunbar’s fort to find out why he was there. Dunbar welcomed the Sioux to the fort but was worried of what they planned to do with him. The language barrier was met head on, as neither could understand each other. Using gestures and objects, limited communication was accomplished on the first visit. The Sioux continued to visit Dunbar and each day progress was made. Dunbar taught the Indians some of the white culture and Kicking Bird was anxious to discover why he was in their territory and how many more white men would come. Both sides were forced to overcome the language barrier and their mutual fear and distrus... ...w village, he took the trip back to the fort, promising to catch up with them later. Upon his arrival at the fort, a new fleet of soldiers had settled in. They quickly spotted Dances With Wolves and attacked him. The soldiers killed his horse and arrested him. Dances With Wolves would not cooperate with the American soldiers but would only speak to them in Sioux. Due to his lack of assistance, the soldiers were forced to transport their prisoner back to Fort Mays to be hung. Before the Americans could make it to Mays, the Sioux attacked them and saved Dances With Wolves. Dances had proven his loyalty to the Sioux and abandoned all his white ways. The transformation became complete. Lieutenant John Dunbar went through several drastic changes to become Dances With Wolves. In his short time with the Indians, he turned enemies into friends and foreign customs into his own. His view of the Sioux changes more severe than he does. No longer does he view them as savages without order, but now he sees them as a civilized group with more heart than anyone he has met before. His experiences with the Sioux help to open his eyes and change him into a man he never was and never thought he’d be.

Essay --

Over the years, substantial studies have been carried out to study the relationships between various personal characteristics and organizational commitment. In the meta analysis of the antecedents of OC, Mathieu and Zajac (1990) and Meyer et al. (2002) suggested that demographic variables play a relatively low relationship with organizational commitment. Meyer and Allen (1997) denoted that the personal characteristics, which can be measured by the demographic variables and the dispositional variables has little influence with affective commitment. Personal characteristics such as age, gender, and education levels will be reviewed in this section. Age correlates positively but weakly with all three components of organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1984; Mathieu & Zajac, 1990; Mohammed & Eleswed, 2013). Age is significantly more related to attitudinal (affective commitment) (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990). Meyer and Allen (1984) explained that there are several reasons why older workers are more attitudinally committed to an organization, such as greater job satisfaction and having recei...

Mother and Daughter, a Heavenly Relationship Failed Essay

Daughter and mother relationship is an endless topic for many writers. They are meant to share the bond of love and care for each other. In the real world, however, their relationship is not as successful as it ought to be. The stories â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother† and â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† are the examples of this conflict. Lorrie Moore is distinguished for the clever wordplay, irony and sardonic humor of her fiction. â€Å"How to Talk to Your mother† is a short story in her collection Self-Help. It is about a failed relationship of a daughter and her mother over time. Similarly, Tillie Olsen’s â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† portrays powerfully the economic and domestic burdens a poor woman faced, as well as the responsibility and powerlessness she feels over her child’s life. Both stories have the same theme, but each has different technique, and the conflicts from the characters are opposite. Poor communication over time is the theme both stories share. In â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother,† Ginny, the author, faded the relationship with her mother as time goes and things changed from 1939 to 1982. In 1952, Ginny started to break away by slamming the door and say â€Å"Don’t I know it† (Moore 105) when her mother asks about her crush in junior high. Then, she becomes a young adult with a new life and would not come home for holidays. However, it is not until her mother called her by her sister’s name that makes she feels uncomfortable. â€Å"Learn that you have a way of knowing each other which somehow slips out and beyond the ways you have of not knowing each other at all† (Moore 103). The simply â€Å"How to† title belies the complexities of broken communication between mother and daughter. Ginny attempts to communicate with her mother throughout decades, but it never works. In â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing,† the mother faced the same problem with poor communication. Readers feel deeply sorry for the mother as she is economically alone, lonely, overworked and tired. The mother is always busy and preoccupied with other children. â€Å"I was working, there were four smaller ones now, there was not time for her† (Olsen 191). She has little or no time to talk to Emily, the daughter. The only time they met each other is at night, when Emily is struggle over books and the mother be ironing, or do other house chores. In both stories, the mothers and daughters have really  poor communication. Each character has her own life and stared to ignore their love ones. Ginny lives her wild life with romance. On the other hand, the mother in â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† is so busy with her low-class life. As a result, their relationship failed as time rolls. Although both stories share similarity, each story was written with different styles, point-of-views, and languages. Lorrie Moore presents â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother† in reverse chronological order, from latest to earliest. This technique supports her main idea by illustrating the broken communication pattern existing since the narrator’s childhood. With this style, readers find it amusing as they can read forward or backward. Moreover, this kind of writing is very rare in literature. Tillie Olsen’s â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† was written in a traditional flashback. It started with the mother blaming herself for Emily’s outturn. Then, she remembered all the life events that result in bad decisions she made for Emily. Both stories also have different point-of-view. â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother† is told in second-person, using â€Å"you,† instead of â€Å"I.† The second-person narration distances the narrator from the pa in inflicted by her mother, father, and lovers. This is Moore’s clever choice. Readers can relate and sympathize with Ginny. On the other hand, â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† is told in first-person. The mother is telling readers about her faults and her attempts to help Emily through difficult years. Readers can see the hardship the mother faced and understand her situation. Nevertheless, Moore writes the story like one would write in her diary, very informal. The full title is â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother (Notes),† and the language is not very aesthetic. On the contrast, Olsen writes her story in formal, literature language. In response to her story, Helen Pike Bauer writes: â€Å"Olsen’s story is a dialogue between circumstances and desire, constraint and love, absence and presence, silence and speech, power and helplessness.† The conflicts of each character are opposite. The primary conflict in â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother† is between Ginny and herself. She feels like she has her own life and her mother becomes annoying. In 1971, she wrote: â€Å"Go for long walks to get away from her. Walk through wooded area; there is a life you have forgotten† (Moore 103). Throughout the story, readers can see the  broken relationship is resulted from the external events of her life. She has three abortions and involving many relationships with men that she don’t even like. â€Å"Sometimes you confuse her with the first man you ever love, who ever loved you †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Moore 102). Ginny almost blamed herself for their relationship. Her mom is always there, in her house since 1967. A year before death, her mother tells her: â€Å"Is that any way to talk to your mother (Moore 101)?† While Ginny experienced the external conflict of her life, the mother in â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† faced an internal conflict involving Emily. She makes a very meaningful statement at the end of story: help Emily to know that â€Å"she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless before the iron† (Olsen 193). The mother constantly referred to the bad decisions she had made for Emily during her childhood. She sent Emily to live with her relatives as a toddler and came back with â€Å"all baby loveliness gone† (Olsen 188). Then, she sent her off again to a convalescent home. These decisions caused the mother to constantly nag at her internal self. Emily turned to a comedic teen is the result of the mother’s ignorant and poor relationship, which makes the mother blaming herself. She feels like the conflict is caused by her and Emily deserved a better life. Thackeray says, â€Å"God cannot be everywhere and therefore he made mother.† Parents are the caretaker of their children. From their experiences, they know what is best and they would never mean ill for them. â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother† and â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† are short stories that remind readers to cherish their relationships with parents. Both stories have the same theme of communication, but each has different technique, and the conflicts from the characters are opposite. Their situations are very difficult: poverty, low-class, and early motherhood. Lorrie Moore writes â€Å"How to Talk to Your Mother† to mock the popular â€Å"How-to† style. She marks off each stage of the plot by repeated works and ideas of heart, babies, containers, and unsuccessful talks between mother and daughter. Tillie Olsen writes â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† with many symbolisms. For example, the iron is the torment, outside pressures. The dress is her problem, or Emily. The mother is ironing out the problem from inside her heart. Both stories carry the same message of mother and daughter relationship that most people faced the same path. In the society right now, there are many children experienced  child abuses. As for many parents, they could not get their kids to listen to them. The heavenly relationship failed as lives go on.

Pakistan: Recent Economic Developments and Future Prospects

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

Digital Fortress Chapter 43

A jaunty forty-five, Chad Brinkerhoff was well-pressed, well-groomed, and well-informed. His summer-weight suit, like his tan skin, showed not a wrinkle or hint of wear. His hair was thick, sandy blond, and most importantly-all his own. His eyes were a brilliant blue-subtly enhanced by the miracle of tinted contact lenses. He surveyed the wood-paneled office around him and knew he had risen as far as he would rise in the NSA. He was on the ninth floor-Mahogany Row. Office 9A197. The Directorial Suite. It was a Saturday night, and Mahogany Row was all but deserted, its executives long gone-off enjoying whatever pastimes influential men enjoyed in their leisure. Although Brinkerhoff had always dreamed of a â€Å"real† post with the agency, he had somehow ended up as a â€Å"personal aide†-the official cul de sac of the political rat race. The fact that he worked side by side with the single most powerful man in American intelligence was little consolation. Brinkerhoff had graduated with honors from Andover and Williams, and yet here he was, middle-aged, with no real power-no real stake. He spent his days arranging someone else's calendar. There were definite benefits to being the director's personal aide-Brinkerhoff had a plush office in the directorial suite, full access to all the NSA departments, and a certain level of distinction that came from the company he kept. He ran errands for the highest echelons of power. Deep down Brinkerhoff knew he was born to be a PA-smart enough to take notes, handsome enough to give press conferences, and lazy enough to be content with it. The sticky-sweet chime of his mantel clock accented the end of another day of his pathetic existence. Shit, he thought. Five o'clock on a Saturday. What the hell am I doing here? â€Å"Chad?† A woman appeared in his doorway. Brinkerhoff looked up. It was Midge Milken, Fontaine's internal security analyst. She was sixty, slightly heavy, and, much to the puzzlement of Brinkerhoff, quite appealing. A consummate flirt and an ex-wife three times over, Midge prowled the six-room directorial suite with a saucy authority. She was sharp, intuitive, worked ungodly hours, and was rumored to know more about the NSA's inner workings than God himself. Damn, Brinkerhoff thought, eyeing her in her gray cashmere-dress. Either I'm getting older, or she's looking younger. â€Å"Weekly reports.† She smiled, waving a fanfold of paper. â€Å"You need to check the figures.† Brinkerhoff eyed her body. â€Å"Figures look good from here.† â€Å"Really Chad,† she laughed. â€Å"I'm old enough to be your mother.† Don't remind me, he thought. Midge strode in and sidled up to his desk. â€Å"I'm on my way out, but the director wants these compiled by the time he gets back from South America. That's Monday, bright and early.† She dropped the printouts in front of him. â€Å"What am I, an accountant?† â€Å"No, hon, you're a cruise director. Thought you knew that.† â€Å"So what am I doing crunching numbers?† She ruffled his hair. â€Å"You wanted more responsibility. Here it is.† He looked up at her sadly. â€Å"Midge†¦ I have no life.† She tapped her finger on the paper. â€Å"This is your life, Chad Brinkerhoff.† She looked down at him and softened. â€Å"Anything I can get you before I go?† He eyed her pleadingly and rolled his aching neck. â€Å"My shoulders are tight.† Midge didn't bite. â€Å"Take an aspirin.† He pouted. â€Å"No back rub?† She shook her head. â€Å"Cosmopolitan says two-thirds of backrubs end in sex.† Brinkerhoff looked indignant. â€Å"Ours never do!† â€Å"Precisely.† She winked. â€Å"That's the problem.† â€Å"Midge-â€Å" â€Å"Night, Chad.† She headed for the door. â€Å"You're leaving?† â€Å"You know I'd stay,† Midge said, pausing in the doorway, â€Å"but I do have some pride. I just can't see playing second fiddle-particularly to a teenager.† â€Å"My wife's not a teenager,† Brinkerhoff defended. â€Å"She just acts like one.† Midge gave him a surprised look. â€Å"I wasn't talking about your wife.† She battered her eyes innocently. â€Å"I was talking about Carmen.† She spoke the name with a thick Puerto Rican accent. Brinkerhoff's voice cracked slightly. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Carmen? In food services?† Brinkerhoff felt himself flush. Carmen Huerta was a twenty-seven-year-old pastry chef who worked in the NSA commissary. Brinkerhoff had enjoyed a number of presumably secret after-hours flings with her in the stockroom. She gave him a wicked wink. â€Å"Remember, Chad†¦ Big Brother knows all.† Big Brother? Brinkerhoff gulped in disbelief. Big Brother watches the STOCKROOMS too? Big Brother, or â€Å"Brother† as Midge often called it, was a Centrex 333 that sat in a small closetlike space off the suite's central room. Brother was Midge's whole world. It received data from 148 closed circuit video cameras, 399 electronic doors, 377 phones taps, and 212 free-standing bugs in the NSA complex. The directors of the NSA had learned the hard way that 26,000 employees were not only a great asset but a great liability. Every major security breach in the NSA's history had come from within. It was Midge's job as internal security analyst, to watch everything that went on within the walls of the NSA†¦ including, apparently, the commissary stockroom. Brinkerhoff stood to defend himself, but Midge was already on her way out. â€Å"Hands above the desk,† she called over her shoulder. â€Å"No funny stuff after I go. The walls have eyes.† Brinkerhoff sat and listened to the sound of her heels fading down the corridor. At least he knew Midge would never tell. She was not without her weaknesses. Midge had indulged in a few indiscretions of her own-mostly wandering back rubs with Brinkerhoff. His thoughts turned back to Carmen. He pictured her lissome body, those dark thighs, that AM radio she played full blast-hot San Juan salsa. He smiled. Maybe I'll drop by for a snack when I'm done. He opened the first printout. CRYPTO-PRODUCTION/EXPENDITURE His mood immediately lightened. Midge had given him a freebie; the Crypto report was always a piece of cake. Technically he was supposed to compile the whole thing, but the only figure the director ever asked for was the MCD-the mean cost per decryption. The MCD represented the estimated amount it cost TRANSLTR to break a single code. As long as the figure was below $1,000 per code, Fontaine didn't flinch. A grand a pop. Brinkerhoff chuckled. Our tax dollars at work. As he began plowing through the document and checking the daily MCDs, images of Carmen Huerta smearing herself with honey and confectioner's sugar began playing in his head. Thirty seconds later he was almost done. The Crypto data was perfect-as always. But just before moving on to the next report, something caught his eye. At the bottom of the sheet, the last MCD was off. The figure was so large that it had carried over into the next column and made a mess of the page. Brinkerhoff stared at the figure in shock. 999,999,999? He gasped. A billion dollars? The images of Carmen vanished. A billion-dollar code? Brinkerhoff sat there a minute, paralyzed. Then in a burst of panic, he raced out into the hallway. â€Å"Midge! Comeback!†