Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire

Religion in the Different Phases of Roman History More than 1500 years had passed after the decline of the Roman Empire. But the whole world is still in awe of what the Romans had done. They changed the course of human history. There are commentators who will undoubtedly point to Rome’s military might in order to explain their success. However, it can be argued that religion played a major role in shaping ancient Rome, Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire and in the process help transformed their respective political landscape, culture and traditions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Background Anthropologists and archaeologists were able to trace Rome’s early development in obscurity (Morris, p. 4). What they lacked in numbers they made up in resourcefulness, tenacity and the willingness t o adopt the culture and practices of neighbouring tribes, taking the best that they could find and incorporated it into their belief system. Even their early religious system was not complicated. According to noted historians religion played an important part in ancient Rome (McKay et al., p.133). Nevertheless, the simplicity of their religious belief system made the early Romans practical in all their dealings whether in politics or in warfare. In a particular commentary one can read the following: â€Å"The gods of the Romans were not loving and personal †¦ they were stern, powerful, and aloof† and â€Å"The Romans honoured the cults of their gods, hoping for divine favour† (McKay et al., p.133). In these two statements alone one can easily surmise the kind of impact religion had had on ancient Rome. It can be argued that the early Romans feared and honoured the gods for the simple reason that they wanted to receive favour and nothing more. This view was strengt hened by a commentary made by a famous Roman poet named Ovid who wrote: Not greedy are the gods who haunt the Styx below. A roof tile covered with a sacrificial crown,Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Scattered kernels, a few grains of salt, Bread dipped in wine, and loose violets – These are enough (McKay et al., p.14). It can be said that their religious views made ancient Rome a very practical society. This enabled them to pursue nation building at an accelerated pace and viewed their religion with a utilitarian purpose (Adkins Adkins, p.274). Their gods are there to help them secure the needed victory and the necessary resources as well as favourable weather to increase the nation’s strength. The personality of their gods as being stern, aloof, and powerful reflects how Romans see themselves and it gave them the correct platform needed to build an empire. In additi on, the Romans believed that they descended from a war god named Mars (Morris, p.4). The worship of this war god was an important contributor in shaping their identity. This is an added impetus for them to consider themselves as warriors destined for greatness. It is very clear that ancient Rome is affected by a religious system that influences the behaviour of the people. But more importantly their religion, in conjunction with their myths, played an instrumental role in developing a fierce warrior-culture that empowered a small association of people to build an empire.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Byzantine Empire Christianity was a persecuted sect during the early years of the Empire and Rome was a difficult place for Christians until the 4th Century (Adkins Adkins, p.276). In the same period, Chr istianity became the official religion of the empire. Constantine established Constantinople and this new seat of government paved the way for the creation of the Byzantine Empire. During this period, religion is not a mere after thought to more pressing matters of politics and warfare. In the Byzantine Empire, religion is the foundation of everything that they do. Religious principles, religious doctrines and dogmas guided religious leaders, politicians, and the rest of the people. In ancient Rome religion served a utilitarian purpose as seen in the following statement, â€Å"Official Roman religion was never a matter of belief or ethics but of publicly celebrated rituals linked to the good of the state† (McKay et al., p.170). But the same thing cannot be said in the Byzantine Empire. In the East Roman Empire Christianity is the reason for existence. Christianity played a central role in policy making and the Emperor of Byzantine acted on the basis of his religion. In fact, the reason why an Eastern Roman Empire was established was a reaction to the way Christianity was practised in Rome. The decision to create a second Rome is the most compelling evidence that in the Byzantine Empire religion comes first. The most important impact of religion on the Byzantine Empire is the belief that the emperors are Christ’s representative on earth. This is a radical idea as far as Christianity is concerned because spiritual and temporal power rests in one man. This is also a problematic issue when it comes to absolute control and checks and balances. In the greater scheme of things the question remains, to whom will the emperor answer to? This is of course a non-issue for the most part of ancient history and even mediaeval Europe, but now the emperor does not only have control over land, taxes and armies but now he has even the power over people’s souls. It is a terrifying prospect especially if someone is under the authority of an evil emperor. The i mpact of this doctrine was immediately felt in the Byzantine Empire especially for the members of the clergy, the priests, and the bishops who knew what it felt like to be in Rome wherein the Church had a great degree of independence from secular powers. In the Byzantine Empire they knew fully well that the emperor is absolute ruler.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More John Chrysostom, a popular figure in Christian history, spoke against the excesses of the empire but his criticisms was not heard and instead he was banished twice (McKay et al., p.201). If this type of treatment was levelled against a man of God, there is no need to imagine what could have been done to those who dared speak against the emperor. Religion therefore has given the emperor the justification to assume dictatorial powers. It is not what was said in official language but the mere fact that he is a representative of a heavenly being is enough to demonstrate his claim on absolute control over his domain. This is a bad sign for those who have dissenting ideas; however, it was a good set-up in terms of creating an empire that is united under one God and under one emperor. This is perhaps the reason why the Byzantine Empire withstood repeated attacks while Rome fell so easily. In contrast to ancient Rome, religion’s role in the Byzantine Empire is more pronounced. This i s made more evident when one looks at the court of the emperor. An eyewitness will be surprised to find out that the court also looks like a shrine because religious icons are present. It is not hard to imagine that the emperor does not look like Julius Caesar with his battle dress, in Byzantium the emperor’s outward appearance denotes that he is also a representative of the heavenly realms. Holy Roman Empire When it comes to the Holy Roman Empire, religion also plays a central role in people’s lives. Religion is also a major influence when it comes to politics. Religion in the Holy Roman Empire was a far contrast to the religion in ancient Rome. Religious beliefs are part of the political and social arena. Religion becomes the driving force that allows for the establishment of a society that obeys God. Religion is not utilized to appease the anger of the gods. Religion is seen as a way of life. Aside from the fact that religion is the justification to attack and defen d the empire, religion is seen as a tool to unite people. In fact, religion is seen as mechanism to rule over a large domain. In contrast to religion’s role in the Byzantine Empire – wherein the emperor dominates the ecclesiastical and civil realms – the Holy Roman emperor stands in equal footing with the pope. This is of course the source of conflict between the Pope of Rome and the Holy Roman emperor. But as far as Christianity is concerned the issue of checks and balances had been resolved. There are cases wherein the pope led in the creation of strategies and schemes to stymie an emperor and force him to consider his ways. Religion is the law of the land. The emperor can be seen as an executive officer but the real source of authority comes from religion. This is made clear in the very beginning when an emperor is not recognised as a legitimate ruler without the approval of the pope. Religion during the time of the Holy Roman Empire is no longer part of the superstitious beliefs and the simple by-product of mythology. In this era, religion is seen not just a mere belief system but a source of authority as well as knowledge on how to govern nations. It is indeed important to see the evolution of religion from the days when it was just affecting the spiritual aspect of the community to the time when it has become the most powerful and significant force in the land. Religion in the time of Holy Roman Emperors is part of the political and social spheres. There is nothing that is not affected by religion. Religion occupies a central role. Everything finds meaning in the idea that the religion is indeed the reason why everything is in existence and allowed to perpetuate. God is in all things and that it is the duty of the Holy Roman Emperors – to expand the kingdom and domain of God. Conclusion The reason for the success of the Roman Empire can be attributed to how religion was viewed and utilised by the people as well as the politica l leaders. In the early phase, religion was seen as the means to sustain a good life, bountiful harvests and the protection from natural disasters. But when Christianity became the official religion of Rome, religion broke through the line that separates mythology and politics. In the Byzantine Empire religion is the lifeblood of the whole society. Rules and regulations were derived from religion. Everything existed because of religion and in fact the emperor is believed to have been the representative of Christ on earth. In the time of the Holy Roman Empire, religion was seen as a bridge to connect the glory days of Rome and what has remained in the Holy Roman Empire. Religion gave meaning and colour to everything. If one will take out religion then the empire will collapse because it finds no motivation and no meaning to continue. Works Cited Adkins, Lesley and Roy Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Facts on File, 2004. McKay, John et al. A History of Western Soci ety. 10th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Morris, Ting. Ancient Rome. MN: Smart Apple Media, 2007. This essay on Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire was written and submitted by user Darw1n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Child Care

Abstract An important question for child care researchers today is how characteristics of the home and the child care setting together affect children’s development. There is mixed opinion on how differences and similarities between professionals’ beliefs, values and practices for raising children impact their development. There is strong theoretical support for the idea that continuity in children’s experiences from home and child care settings promote optimal development, and that major differences pose developmental challenges, especially for children in very early childhood. However, research that is available suggests that children from families with lower educational and economic resources can benefit from different environments if the care setting is more advantageous than that provided by the family. This paper examines early child care settings and the effects, whether they are good or bad, on the developing child. Also, different factors and variables will be presented in relation to the quality and promotion of congruence across care settings. This paper details different studies done on early child care from accredited literature and institutions, as well as magazines that focus on the topic of children and their development. Early Child Care and Effects on the Developing Child Recently there have been different viewpoints concerning the child care question, with assertions that non-parental care of young children is detrimental to their development. However, despite these assertions, research suggests that, given high quality care, the experience of child care is not harmful and can be beneficial to children. The simple question, â€Å"Is child care good or bad?† can be thrown out the window. In order to ensure that all children receive good quality care one must ask questions that revolve around what makes up good quality care, and how it meets the requirements of the children involv... Free Essays on Child Care Free Essays on Child Care Abstract An important question for child care researchers today is how characteristics of the home and the child care setting together affect children’s development. There is mixed opinion on how differences and similarities between professionals’ beliefs, values and practices for raising children impact their development. There is strong theoretical support for the idea that continuity in children’s experiences from home and child care settings promote optimal development, and that major differences pose developmental challenges, especially for children in very early childhood. However, research that is available suggests that children from families with lower educational and economic resources can benefit from different environments if the care setting is more advantageous than that provided by the family. This paper examines early child care settings and the effects, whether they are good or bad, on the developing child. Also, different factors and variables will be presented in relation to the quality and promotion of congruence across care settings. This paper details different studies done on early child care from accredited literature and institutions, as well as magazines that focus on the topic of children and their development. Early Child Care and Effects on the Developing Child Recently there have been different viewpoints concerning the child care question, with assertions that non-parental care of young children is detrimental to their development. However, despite these assertions, research suggests that, given high quality care, the experience of child care is not harmful and can be beneficial to children. The simple question, â€Å"Is child care good or bad?† can be thrown out the window. In order to ensure that all children receive good quality care one must ask questions that revolve around what makes up good quality care, and how it meets the requirements of the children involv...

Human Resource Management Is Radically Different From Personnel Essay

Human Resource Management Is Radically Different From Personnel Management - Essay Example Human resource management is a two way reaction, firstly people work to achieve their goals by helping organizations grow and secondly the organizations achieve their goals by helping people grow, in short one can say that "the purpose of human resource management is to improve the productive contribution of people to the organization in ways that are strategically, ethically, and socially responsible" (Werther, Keith, 8). Where as when we talk about personnel management than we are also talking about the staff other than managers, which does not even come under HR department such as labor force, which is in contact with the manager who is responsible for the labor dealings, however that manager has a direct relation with human resource department. Further more the human resource management is not just simply limited to the employee relations in a particular way but it is a complete process that makes it so much complicated and interesting, it has a vast scope and objectives which are also related to the organization in which people are working, unlike personnel management which is related to people working for the organization only. The human resource has certain objectives with out which there would be no need of it, there are four types of objectives, Organizational Objective, the organizational effectiveness is the key issue here, its main job is to identify the fact that is there any management exiting or not Then comes Functional Objective, here HR job is to identify and maintain the level of contribution in relation to the organization's needs, then comes Societal Objective, here the job of HR is to fulfill the needs of the society in terms of being ethically and socially responsible in meeting the challenges faced by t he society, then the last one is Personal Objective, it is assumed to be the core purpose of HR and that is to assist employees in reaching their own goals and helping and assuring their contribution in the success of the organization it self. Further more HRM is having various complicated processes such as selection and recruitment process, which is definitely related to the employees but more importantly the company is finding people for its own benefit, here the company is not managing the people but just checking their standards whether they can work or not, so the focus is on the organization's betterment, another process is employee training and development, here the company has some intention in managing the personnel but the main concerns are for the organization's excellence, other processes are employee compensation and incentives which shows a relation between human resource and personnel management, these all are pointing toward the fact that it is a very vast and compli cated field where as personnel management has a limited part to play in the entire human resource management. There are even greater facts to discuss about human resource management which are entirely different than the personnel management and yet having direct impact on the country in which the HRM practices are done, the biggest problem that the countries are facing is the role of human resource department in

Folio paper-cloud computing foe E-learning Assignment

Folio paper-cloud computing foe E-learning - Assignment Example In the recent day context, the concept of cloud computing has gained significant amount of interest due to the advantages that the companies are able to acquire by the utilisation of cloud computing. Certain recent survey reports state that in the global market, about 74 percent of the companies are utilising cloud computing services (Sharma, 2012). These companies include several hotel groups which utilise the cloud computing techniques to enhance their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems (Babcock, 2011). Apart from hotels, there are several other companies which utilise the cloud computing techniques for their business operations. A few of the major companies among them have been mentioned below: It is worth mentioning that Amazon has introduced the latest version of cloud computing application known as the EC2 cloud compute. The EC2 is a quite efficient in providing web services that enable the user to utilise the available resources effectively (PRLOG, 2011). Microsoft, which is one of the giant IT companies, has been providing certain cloud computing services to the business enterprises as well. These services, provided by Microsoft to the business enterprises give security to stored data of the enterprises (PRLOG, 2011). Another significant company that provides cloud computing services is Apple. The icloud services rendered by Apple to its customers provide facilities to the user to store files and documents which can be accessed quite easily (PRLOG, 2011). Several research groups have been formed by different companies for carrying out the research works on cloud computing. It is worth mentioning that Microsoft is one of the major companies which has formed a research group for cloud computing. The research group of Microsoft includes Sameh Elnikety, Allen Galler, Christian Geuer-Pollmann, Yuxiong He, Navendu Jain, Jim Larus, and Ravi Pandya. Apart from Microsoft, another significant research group has been developed by IEEE Computer

The Business of Beer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Business of Beer - Essay Example It must be stated then, that beer has a prominent place both in history and the present culture. Given its popularity and significance in society, it was only a matter of time before the profit-driven human being made a business out of this widespread drink. According to Wikipedia, the first breweries in history were actually the brewers' homes, specifically their kitchens.1 When brewing became industrialized, breweries were built as a different construction from the house. The brewery, Weihenstephan (in Germany) is believed to be the longest-standing brewery. While in Manhattan, Adrian Block and Hans Christiansen were the ones who established the first brewery in the New World. The year was 1612. Today, there is a long list of the current top breweries of beer. The Webtender index cites the following in its top 5: Aldaris, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. (brewer of Budweiser, Michelob and Busch beers), UK's Aston Manor brewery, BO's Brewery and Bistro and Brewerania. The success of beer companies in the U.S. shows how the country is a favorable market for the beer industry. Paul Gatza, director of Brewers Association, states: "The craft beer segment has grown steadily over the past ten years, but in 2004 it showed its biggest increase since 1996. The strong growth in craft beer sales shows American consumers' continuing interest in flavorful American beers." Below is the table2 of the Top 10 craft brewers in the United States: We can see the Boston Beer Co leading the pack of the top breweries. Headed by Jim Coch, the Boston Beer Company is the award-winning brewer of the popular Samuel Adams Lager among its many styles of beer. The Success of Samuel Adams The company's interactive annual report in 2003 gave us a preview of the tactics used by a powerful beer brewery to further solidify its place in the industry. First, it is important to establish what kind of beer does the company specialize in. In the case of the Boston Beer Co, the answer is Better Beer. Simply put, the Better Beer category is defined as the opposite of the regular, mass-produced beer. We can identify Better Beer by its contrast from the rest of the market-usually it is imported, highly advertised and more expensive. The Boston Beer Co aims to lock the top position in this product category. Innovation, commitment and meticulous evaluation have paved the way to success of the company. The company put fervent focus on its products and its marketability. Its flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Sam Adams Light are the company's standards, already guaranteed to appeal to the consumers because of its reputation and having passed the test of time. Then like a special treat, the company also came up with its "Limited Edition Beers", this includes Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, Samuel Adams Triple Bock and Samuel Adams Utopias. These products were sold at a higher price due to its "in short supply" appeal. These strategies, along with venturing to other innovations (i.e. Twisted Tea), have helped the Boston Beer Co guarantee its place in the Better Beer competition. Having established its standard products (Samuel Adams Bosto

What Location Influences Foreign Direct Investment?

What Location Influences Foreign Direct Investment? Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter offers an introduction to the research, with paragraph 1.2 detailing the problem it focuses on, leading to the research question in paragraph 1.3. Paragraph 1.4 discusses the relevance of the research. The chapter ends with an outline of the thesis. The next paragraphs contain the various purposes and the general research design, and finish with the disposition of the study. 1.1 Background Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an important source of capital and economic growth in recent business. It provides a package of new technologies, management techniques, finance and market access for the production of goods and services. However, attracting FDI is a major challenge for most host countries as they face the challenge of identifying the major factors that motivate and affect the FDI location decision. Nowadays, regions try to attract Foreign Direct Investments to stimulate their economic development (OECD, 2002a). Certain regions consider the ecological issues as well and promote sustainable FDI. Recently, while working at AgentschapNL, an agency of the Dutch secretary of Economic Affairs, the awareness for sustainable investment rose. AgentschapNL promotes sustainable development and innovation, both in the Netherlands and abroad. One region that is engaged in an initiative to attract FDI is the Swedish province Jà ¤mtland. This initiative is called Midscand and it involves stimulating business investments and cooperation (joint ventures, business development, acquisitions, strategic alliances, outsourcing and new start-ups). One of their target countries is the Netherlands. The activities that are discussed are the sectors: cleantech, tourism, mechanical industry, forestry and call centres. The scope of this research is limited to the cleantech sector. This sector deals with sustainable innovations and investments in Jà ¤mtland, with special focus on wind and bio energy. The main goal of this project is to attract new investments from the Netherlands to Swedish regions. 1.2 Problem Indication The literature dealing with FDI can be classified in two main streams, as pointed out by Agiomirgianakis, Asteriou and Papathoma (2003): the first explains the effect of FDI on the process of economic growth, while the second one goes in depth into the study of the determinants of FDI. This thesis focuses on the second part of literature. Among all the factors influencing the location decisions of FDI, the location-specific determinants need particular exploration, since they can help the host governments to attract and increase FDI inflows using several instruments (Chakrabarti, 2001). Location-specific factors will always influence the decision to enter or exit a location for investment purposes (Audretsch and Fritsch, 2002). FDI is a key element of the international economic relations as it is an engine of employment, technology transfer and improvement of productivity, which ultimately leads to economic growth. The need to attract FDI forces governments to provide a favourable climate for business activities (Nordstrom, 1991). The foreign firms can be influenced by the political and economic institutional framework of the host country, which could affect the choice of where to invest their capital (Makino and Chan, 2004). The challenge of this research is to explore which location determinants make a region attractive for FDI. The definition of the problem is: What should Swedish regions do to positively influence FDI? By presenting a thorough overview of FDI and the determinants that could influence the location choice for a company, this research aims to provide a framework, tested in interviews for the applicability of investments. 1.3 Research questions To solve the problem the following research questions are answered: What is FDI? Based on a literature review that provides theoretical information on this phenomenon. What are the location factors? Galan and Gonzales (2007) are used as basis for the location factors. Several other papers on location factors are evaluated and criticized. What does Sweden have to offer? This final question deals with the application of the theoretical framework to Swedish region as case study and the relationship between the factors they possess and the factors they need to stimulate to influence FDI. 1.4 Purpose and Objective The purpose of this thesis is to examine which regional factors influence foreign direct investments. Theories regarding FDI and location-specific characteristics will be reviewed and analysed in the theoretical framework. A thorough overview of the location factors will be part of the framework that can be used by regions, willing to attract sustainable investments. But first of all, the objective as described in the definition of the problem is to give recommendations to Swedish regions regarding the factors they should highlight to attract or influence direct foreign investment. 1.5 Research Design The literature framework is based on relevant papers. According to Ghauri (2005), theoretical data will be used to understand and interpret the research question, and it will help to â€Å"broaden the base from which scientific conclusion can be drawn†. The relevance of the papers will be based on quality. To reach the goal of collection qualitative data for the research question, a phased selection is made. The emphasis of the courses Corporate Level Strategy and Research Methods of Strategy within the master Strategic Management is on testing all data on quality. By examining the relevance, publication form and impact factor of the information, the quality of the paper will be showed. The research is divided into two parts: (1) the literature research and (2) a case study. The first part of the research is explorative, because it is intended to gain more information on the situation and to get familiar with the research area. Qualitative studies -observations and interviews- are used to gain more knowledge of the research topic (Sekaran, 2003). The research mainly relies on secondary data; books and articles by various authors are considered. Literature is compared and new insights are gained. Interviews are conducted for the verification of the interests, which are characterized as primary data. In this research, qualitative data is the main source. The time dimension of this research is cross-sectional, which implies that the research is conducted at one particular moment in time. For useful literature, the data will be collected on acknowledged databases (e.g. ABI/Inform, JCR, Web of Science). The keywords that will be used during the search period are â€Å"FDI†, â€Å"entry modes†, â€Å"choice of country†, â€Å"region†, and â€Å"location determinants†. All literature sources can be found in the list of references. The theory will be examined by a qualitative case study. Case studies are used to understand a specific case under particular circumstances (Patton, 2002). 1.6 Disposition In chapter 2 the contemporary theory that has been evaluated and reviewed is presented. An introduction will be followed by a presentation of FDI and the factors that influence the location choice, followed by the location factors that are important for wind and bio-energy. In chapter 3 the methodology is elaborated and provides a description of the way this thesis was written and the choices that are made. In the second paragraph the data and sample size are explained. Theoretical and empirical frameworks are discussed, as well as the reliability and validity of this study. In chapter 4 the participating respondents are interviewed, which leads to an analysis and concludes the empirical results. Chapter 5 includes the results of the findings and the discussion that compares the theoretical statements that were researched and found necessary for this research presented in chapter 2. The mode of procedure is explained and the model of the empirical results is presented in this part. Chapter 6 includes the answers of this research by modifying the analysis model. The conclusion is based on the discussion in chapter 5. The answers serve as a proposal for further research in a broader context and give an opportunity of generalization. Chapter 2 Theoretical framework The literature review provides the foundation for this research, through discussions of previous studies on FDI and international business. Section 2.2 offers a review of studies regarding FDI. Next, it is essential to identify the location factors that influence that move, as it contains the answer to the second research question: What are location factors? The third paragraph contains a detailed overview of the location factors. An overview of the selected factors can be found in table 1. The list contains determinants to measure the impact on the location factors and their impact on FDI. The last paragraph contains a summary of the findings and a conclusion. 2.1 What is FDI? Modern day literature increasingly concentrates on subjects covering the globalization of markets and the internationalization of companies. Governments contribute to this situation by opening their regulations with the intention to profit from a more open economy (Dunning and Nurala, 2002). The growing number of liberal policies is a driving force for companies to go abroad and make FDI (Galà ¡n and Gonzà ¡lez-Benito, 2001). There are several definitions of a foreign direct investment presented by a number of researchers. A central theme of the definitions available on FDI, with the one illustrated by Moosa (2002) as a typical example, is that the companies undertaking such a venture aspire to gain a controlling stake in the asset or entity purchased. An FDI is not to be confused with an international or portfolio investment, where the aim merely is to diversify the holdings of the firm and make a financially sound investment (Buckley, 1998). FDI is defined as a firm based in one country (the home country) owning ten per cent (10%) or more of the stock of a company located in a foreign country (the host country). This amount of stock is generally enough to give the home country firm significant control over the host country firm. Most FDI is in wholly owned or nearly wholly owned subsidiaries. Other non-equity forms of FDI include: subcontracting, management contracts, franchising, and licensing and product sharing .In view of the above, FDI can be either inward or outward. FDI is measured either as a flow (amount of investment made in one year) or a stock (the total investment accumulation at the end of the year). Outward FDI can take various forms, home country residents can: purchase existing assets in a foreign country; make new investment in property, plant equipment in a foreign country; participate in a joint venture with a local partner in a foreign country (Dunning, 1976). 2.2 Location factors 2.2.1 Introduction There is considerable literature on the determinants of location factors for multinational Corporations (MNCs) when they choose their foreign market location, but very little on the relative importance of the location factors for FDI in a specific country and industry. It is widely believed that the trend towards globalized production and marketing has major implications for the attraction of developing countries to FDI inflows. The relative importance of FDI location determinants have changed. Even though traditional determinants and the types of FDI associated with them have not disappeared as a result of globalization, their importance is said to be on the decline. More specifically, one of the most important traditional FDI determinants, the size of national markets, has decreased in importance. At the same time, cost differences between locations, the quality of infrastructure, the ease of doing business and the availability of skills have become more important (UNCTAD 1996). Li kewise, Dunning (1999) argues that the motives for and the determinants of FDI have changed. Buckley and Ghauri (2004) point to the limited attention researchers have given to the FDI location factors in the literature. They suggest that international business strategy is distinct from main stream or single country business strategy only because of differences of location. Hence, location specifics are essential to the possibility of international strategy having a distinctive content. They, too, suggest that a focus on location, and possibly the question of why locations differ, could be a response to the issue of what forms the next big question in international business research. Dunning (2008) suggests that the more recent lack of attention to location by IB scholars could have arisen from an assumption that the location decision principles are the same for both international and domestic locations. Thus, scholars were either satisfied with existing explanations or as Dunning (1998) points out maybe theywere just not interested. In attempting to determine the relevant set of location factors, Michael Porters (1990) work cited in Hodgetts (1993) offers a valuable starting point. Porter notes that success for a given industry in international competition depends on the relative strength of that industry with regards to a set of business-related features or drivers of competitiveness, namely factor conditions; demand conditions; related and supporting industries; and firm strategy, structure, and rivalry. Government and chance are seen to influence competitiveness through their impact on the above four basic drivers. This framework the drivers of competitiveness has been used in a number of studies of industries and individual economies. Porters competitiveness framework has been the subject of major criticisms. Paul Krugman (1994) specifically criticized the idea that nations, or locations, compete in the same way as firms do, and his wide-ranging critique attacks this concept. Also, the empirical evidence for national competitiveness and the policies that follow are what Krugman (1994) describes as a dangerous obsession. Another criticism is that Porter places government involvement in international business outside of the core determinants. Many authors have claimed that Porters framework pays insufficient attention to relevant specific location factors such as globalization (Dunning, 1993), multinational companies (Dunning, 1993; RugmanVerbeke, 1993), technology (Narula, 1993. Several authors have questioned the validity of the model, and the conclusions drawn from the model, for countries such as Austria (Bellak Weiss, 1993), Canada (Rugman dCruz, 1993), Hong Kong (Redding, 1994) and Mexico (Hodgetts, 1993). A lot of research interested in providing the determining factors for FDI loca tion decisions is seen to be done by managers. Some of the major studies are the following (Dunning, 2000): theories of risk diversification (Rugman, 1979); agglomeration theories (Krugman, 1993; Porter, 1994, 1996); theories related to government-induced incentives (Loree and Guisinger, 1995); and theories of location (Dunning, 1997). All these new theories are certainly insightful, but they are all context-specific, and interested solely in stressing the relevance of certain factors to the detriment of others that may be equally significant. None of them has yet provided a satisfactory explanation of the relative importance of specific factors that lead managers to locate their investments via FDI in a specific country and industry (Dunning, 2008). Dunning (2008) believes that â€Å"it is not possible to formulate a single operationally testable theory that can explain all forms of foreign-owned production any more than it is possible to construct a generalized theory to explain all forms of trade or the behaviour of all kinds of firms.† Cohen (2007) believes that location factors for a specific location and industry that affect the location decision are based on the perceptions of a small group of senior managers, not a scientific formula. Furthermore, Buckly et al(2007) argue that studying a single firm or group of firms in the same industry is the best way to identify the most important factors, because firms in the same industry usually follow a systematic process for location choices, and seek to prioritize certain location factors as they become more internationally mature. Cohen (2007) argues, â€Å"No standard set of attributes, each with an assigned relative weight of importance, exists in the many lists of what matters in location published by business groups, international organizations, and scholars. Determining where to invest is a case-by-case decision†. Cohen (2007) also suggests that no single formula exists because specific strengths and weaknesses of a country or region might receive high priority by one team of corporate evaluators and can be ignored by another, depending on what kind of investment is contemplated, which in turn will determine a subsidiarys objectives and operational needs. Furthermore, individual corporate cultures will assign a different relative importance to what attributes they require in a country, what they would like to see, what negatives they can work around, and what is unequivocally unacceptable. Calculating trade-offs between positive and negative location characteristics is an art, not a science. Galan et al (2007) conducted an empirical research into location factors that has been researched by several theorists. This list provides a detailed overview of the main location factors and sub factors considered by several empirical studies that have examined their positive or negative influence on the location decisions of MNE managers in both DCs and LDCs. All these factors are usually included in the analyses made via the eclectic paradigm (Galan et al, 2007). They recognise that MNE managers motivation to eventually choose either or both groups of host countries will depend on the specific location factors available in them. These location factors are classified in the following categories: Cost factors Market factors Infrastructure and technological factors Political and legal factors Social Cultural factors The order of this list is random. According to Noorbakhshs, Paloni and Youssef (2001), foreign investors are attracted to regions that offer a combination of the location factors. The location factors are discussed separately in the next paragraph. 2.2.1 Cost factors This paragraph contains theoretical information about the cost factor as one of the location factors. The determinants that are criticized are labour costs and cost of materials. 2.2.1.1 Labour Cost The costs linked with the profitability of investment are one of the major determinants of investment (Asidu, 2002) . The rate of return on investment in a host economy influences the FDI decision. Asiedu (2002) noted that the lower the GDP per capita, the higher the rate of return and, therefore, the FDI inflow. Charkrabarti (2001) claims that wage as an indicator of labour cost has been the most arguable of all the potential determinants of FDI. There is no unanimity even among the comparatively small number of studies that have explored the role of wage in affecting FDI: results range from higher host country wages discouraging inbound FDI, to having no significant effect or even a positive association ( Dunning, 1989). Goldsbrough (1979) and Shamsuddin (1994) demonstrate that higher wages discourage FDI. Tsai (1994) obtains strong support for the cheap-labour hypothesis over the period 1983 to 1986, but weak support from 1975 to 1978. Charkrabarti (2001) stated that empirical res earch has found relative labour costs to be statistically significant, particularly for foreign investment in labour-intensive industries and for export-oriented subsidiaries. However, when the cost of labour is relatively irrelevant (when wage rates vary little from country to country), the skills of the labour force are expected to have an impact on decisions concerning FDI location. This is not the case for the investments in this case study, which is more knowledge based than labour intensive. Cheap labour is another important determinant of FDI flow to developing countries. A high wage-adjusted productivity of labour attracts efficiency-seeking FDI both aiming to produce for the host economy and for export from host countries. Studies by Wheeler and Mody (1992), Schneider and Frey (1985), and Loree and Guisinger (1995) show a positive impact of labour cost on FDI inflow. Countries with a large supply of skilled human capital attract more FDI, particularly in sectors that are relatively intensive in the use of skilled labour. 2.2.1.2 Cost of Materials The analysis above leads to two variables that can be measured to determine the importance of the cost factor that is labour cost (wages). The availability of raw material and cheap labour can be of crucial importance in the choice of location. The return on investments is not important for this study, because this is not region-constrained, so it is not an important factor for a location choice. FDI uses low labour costs and available raw materials for export promotion, leading to overall output growth. 2.2.2 Market Factors This paragraph contains theoretical information about the market factor as one of the location factors. The determinants that are criticized are market size, openness of the market, labour market and economic growth. 2.3.2.1 Market size The size of the host country market is a relevant determinant to the extent that the FDI is destined to serve the host market and not merely to set up an export platform. Larger markets should attract FDI because firms face economies of scale as FDI entails sunk costs (for example, in terms of adapting management to local conditions or getting familiar with host country legislation). Market growth should work in the same direction. Nunnenkamp (2002), Chakrabarti (2001) Campos and Kinoshita (2003), Braga Nonnenberg and Cardoso de Mendonca (2004), Addison and Heshmati (2003), Kolstad and Villanger, (2004) all find market size and/or growth to be relevant determinants of FDI. An economy with a large market size (along with other factors) should, therefore, attract more FDI. Market size is important for FDI as it provides potential for local sales, greater profitability of local sales to export sales and relatively diverse resources, which make local sourcing more feasible (Pfefferman and Madarassy 1992). A large market size provides more opportunities for sales and profit to foreign firms, and in doing so attracts FDI (Wang and Swain, 1995: Moore, 1993; Schneider and Frey, 1985; Frey, 1984). FDI inflow in any period is a function of market size (Wang and Swain, 1995). However, studies by Edwards (1990) and Asidu (2002) show that there is no significant impact of growth or market size on FDI inflows. Further, Loree and Guisinger (1995) and Wei (2000) find that market size and growth impact differ under different conditions. Artige and Nicolini (2005) state that market size, as measured by GDP or GDP per capita, seems to be the most robust FDI determinant in econometric studies. This is the main determinant for horizontal FDI. Jordaan (2004) mentions that FDI will move to countries with larger and expanding markets and greater purchasing power, where firms can potentially receive a higher return on their capital and by implication receive higher profit on their investments. Charkrabarti (2001) states that the market-size hypothesis supports an idea that a large market is required for efficient utilization of resources and exploitation of economies of scale: as the market-size grows to some critical value, FDI will start to increase with its further expansion. This is a questionable conclusion, because there are firms who are looking for niche markets for their products and a large expanding market is a disadvantage to them. Concluding the size of the market and the GDP of a region are not important determinants for the location choice. 2.2.2.2 Openness of the Market There is mixed evidence concerning the significance of openness, which is measured mostly by the ratio of exports plus imports to GDP, in determining FDI as well (Charkrabarti 2001). Jordaan (2004) claims that the impact of openness on FDI depends on the type of investment. If the investments are market-seeking oriented, trade restrictions (and therefore less openness) could have an impact on FDI. The reason stems from the â€Å"tariff jumping† hypothesis, which argues that foreign firms that seek to serve local markets may decide to set up subsidiaries in the host country if it is difficult to import their products into the country. In distinction, multinational firms involved in export-oriented investments may choose to invest in a more liberal economy since increased imperfections that accompany trade protection generally imply higher transaction costs associated with exporting. Wheeler and Mody (1992) observe a strong positive support for this theory in the manufacturing s ector, but a weak negative link in the electronic sector. Kravis and Lipsey (1982), Culem (1988), Edwards (1990) find a strong positive effect of openness on FDI and Schmitz and Bieri (1972) obtain a weak positive link. Trade openness generally has a positive influence on the export-oriented FDI inflow into an economy (Edwards (1990), Gastanaga et al. (1998), Housmann and Fernandez-arias (2000), Asidu (2001)). In general, the empirical literature reveals that one of the important factors for attracting FDI is trade policy reform in the host country. Theoretical literature has explored the trade openness or the restrictiveness of trade policies (Bhagwati, 1973; 1994; Brecher and Diaz-Alejandro, 1977; Brecher and Findley; 1983). Investors in general prefer big markets to invest in and they like countries that have regional trade integration, as well as countries with greater investment provisions in their trade agreements. Theory does not give any clear-cut answer to the question how trade barriers affect the level of FDI flows. â€Å"Horizontal† FDI tends to replace exports if the costs of market access through exports are higher than the net costs of setting up a local plant and doing business in a foreign environment. Traditionally, governments have used trade barriers to induce â€Å"tariff-jumping FDI†, i.e. horizontal FDI that takes place to circumvent trade barriers. On the other hand, â€Å"vertical† FDI relies on a constant flow of intermediate products in and out of the host country and therefore benefits from a liberal trade environment. In that case, trade barriers should encourage â€Å"horizontal FDI† and discourage â€Å"vertical FDI† and its effect on the aggregate level of FDI depends on which type of FDI dominates. Empirical studies, however, support a positive effect of openness on FDI. Chakrabarti (2001) finds the sum of imports and exports as a share of GDP to be the variable most likely to be positively co rrelated with FDI besides market size in an extreme bounds analysis. Braga Nonnenberg and Cardoso de Mendonca (2004) and Addison and Heshemati (2003) also find this variable to be positively correlated with FDI. The problem with using trade as a share of GDP as a measure of trade policies is that it reveals a trade policy outcome, rather than trade guidelines. The openness of a market is clearly linked with the policy regulations of the potential market. Pà ¤rletun (2008) finds that trade openness is positive but statistically significant from zero. Moosa (2002) states that while access to specific markets is important, domestic market factors are predictably much less relevant in export-oriented foreign firms. A range of surveys suggests a widespread perception that â€Å"open† economies encourage more foreign investment (Moosa, 2002).Therefore, the openness of a market is relevant to the appeal of a region. Restrictions will decrease the appeal of the region. 2.2.2.3 Labour market Labour is also a determinant for market factors according to Majocchi and Presutti (2009), they investigated whether entrepreneurial culture plays a role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Multinationals are a network of distributed assets that contain entrepreneurial potential and are highly innovative to increase competitiveness (Rugman and Verbeke, 2001). Firms and entrepreneurs are valuable in gaining access to local knowledge. However, entrepreneurial culture may also rely on resources in the local environment, which is not mentioned in particular by Majocchi et al. (2009). In this respect, natural resources are taken for granted. The availability of a cheap workforce (particularly an educated one), personnel policy, female participation and ageing influences investment decisions and in doing so are a determinant that influences the FDI inflow. A negative effect of these determinants will lead to an increase in wages and a decline in the return of investments in the future. Due to the static framework of this thesis, these determinants are not investigated. 2.2.2.4 Economic Growth If the host countrys market has a high-growth rate, it attracts more investors on a long-term basis (Chen, 2007). Economic environment growth in a country serves underlying factors when company decide which country to enter (Erramilli 1991).The role of growth in attracting FDI has also been the subject of controversy. Charkrabarti (2001) states that the growth hypothesis developed by Lim (1983) maintains that a rapidly growing economy provides relatively better opportunities for making profits than the ones growing slowly or not growing at all. Lunn (1980), Schneider and Frey (1985) and Culem (1988) find a significantly positive effect of growth on FDI, while Tsai (1994) obtains a strong support for the hypothesis over the period 1983 to 1986, but only a weak link from 1975 to 1978. On the other hand, Nigh (1985) reports a weak positive correlation for the less developed economies and a weak negative correlation for the developed countries. Gastanagaet et al. (1998) and Schneider and Frey (1985) found positive significant effects of growth on FDI FDI has the ability stimulate economic growth only in the short run while the economy is shifting from one short-lived equilibrium to another. The only source of long-term economic growth is technological progress, which is considered to be independent of investment activities. This factor is discussed in the next paragraph. However, in endogenous growth theory, the diminishing returns on investment can be avoided if there are positive externalities associated with investments (Oxelheim, 1996). If investment brings enough new knowledge and technologies, it can lead to long-term economic growth. As, typically, FDI brings new technologies and knowledge, in accordance with endogenous growth theory it can be viewed as a catalyst of long-term economic growth in a host economy. Economic growth will improve the ability to compete with other regions and this will increase the quality and ability of other location factors. The relevance of economic growth for FDI is not very clear: it depends on the distribution of the new capital. The analysis above leads to four validated variables that determine the relevance of market factors: (a) market size, (b) openness of the market, labour market and (c) economic growth. Market size is the only variable that is less important. The openness of a market and the economic growth are very important, these variables are positively linked with political, infrastructural and technological factors. An open market as well as a positive economic growth will lead to more FDI in a region. 2.2.3 Infrastructure Technologic

The Lord of the Flies as Social Commentary Essay -- Lord Flies Essays

The Lord of the Flies as Social Commentary    The Lord of the Flies is an ultimately pessimistic novel.   In the midst of the cold war and communism scares, this disquieting aura acts as a backdrop to the island.   The Lord of the Flies addresses questions like how do dictators come to power, do democracies always work, and what is the natural state and fate of humanity and society, getting at the heart of human nature in a very male-dominated, conflict-driven way.   The war, the plane shot down, and the boys' concern that the "Reds" will find them before the British, shows Golding's intention of treating the boys' isolated existence as a microcosm of the adult military world. I am plunged into Golding's imagined island world from the first sentence.   He uses lush description to build a setting that will contrast and reflect the boys' primitive descent.   The word "scar" describes the natural feature of the land, conjuring images of redness and blood from the first paragraph. The beautiful, yet often odd, descriptions help serve as a contrast between humans and nature.   The use of words like "scar" and "blood" foreshadows the future interaction between the boys and nature - the pigs, the hunt, the storm.   At the same time, the beauty and the order of the natural surroundings contrast with the decline of society developed throughout the book.   Integral to this setting is the fair-haired boy climbing the rocks, Ralph.   When Ralph meets Piggy, we notice the obvious differences between the two - the attractive and the fat, the daydreamer and the thinker. There is a moment when Piggy looks up at Ralph and sees the shadows on his face reversed.à ‚   This reverse of shadows seems to signify the missed initial connection between Piggy an... ...but ultimately signals a Navy cruiser. The fire, once signifying rescue and later used for destruction, becomes both. The novel ends in the adult perspective.   The officer is uncomfortable thinking about the savagery of the boys, and looks off to his cruiser in the distance while Ralph weeps for "the end of innocence, and the darkness of man's heart."   Golding is making a point about the hypocrisy of the civilization.   In reality, the world is just a larger version of the island.   The officer's comment on "the Coral Island" is also ironically significant in elevating The Lord of the Flies from a book about a group of lost boys on an island to a beautifully symbolic work of social commentary.   The view presented is dark and pessimistic, making its readers look deep inside their own human nature and at the structure of society in a frighteningly different light.