Imf And The Economic Growth In Cambodia Economics Essay

Imf And The Economic Growth In Cambodia Economics Essay IMF and the struggle increase economic growth in Cambodia. Since emerging from the very darkest period in its history (POL POT regime) almost for four years, Cambodia has traversed a long way. From below ground zero, the country bounced back to rebuild the devastated economy and institutions. After the signing of Paris peace accord in 1991, Cambodia eventually had a formal election in 1993 and Cambodia has took a very important step to change its economy from plan economy to the free market. It was time that Cambodia opened its door to the foreign investors, and enterprises and companies are private own. Regarding the investment law which enacted in 1994, Cambodia attracted many foreign investment companies that created many jobs for Cambodian people. From 1993 up until now, the main export of Cambodia is garments follow by agricultural products. Tourism is also said to be the second largest export industry. Even though Cambodia is a foreign aid dependency country with nearly one thi rd of its national budget coming from ODA (Official Development Assistance), growth in Cambodian economy has run at over 6% per annum, on average, since the early 1990s. According to the IMF, the income per capita in 2008 was $823. Recently, Cambodia has found the gas and oil reserve which estimated to be beneficial for Cambodian economy. Oil production is expected to begin in 2011.The start of oil production in 2011 will give Cambodia an additional source of export revenue to reduce its large current account deficit and provide the funding to boost spending on the inadequate infrastructure and health and education systems. In 1999, Cambodia has successfully affiliated to ASEAN. This accession helps Cambodia to corporate with the countries in the region in order to improve its economy by joining in AFTA, CLV development triangle, GMS, CLMVà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. As one of the CLMV countries, Cambodia can enjoy positive regional effect in East Asia through two transmission mechanisms. Fi rst, transfer of development experience from Japan and second is the flow of investment from Japan. In addition to the member of ASEAN, Cambodia finally joined WTO in 2004. WTO membership will enable Cambodia to receive non-discriminatory MFN status in international trade, and WTO concurrence is expected to bring substantial trade and FDI benefit to Cambodia. Even though there is a good sign on economic growth, Cambodia economy is still in struggle since Cambodia lack of human resources and as well as infrastructure to improve the economy. Despite the recent heady growth rate, poverty remains widespread and about one third of population are living under the poverty line. Corruption has become a grass root in Cambodian culture that contributes to the unfair contribution of growth between the rich and the poor. The gap between the rich and poor is still high. According to the IMF report, the growth rate has fallen back by 2.7% in 2009 in response to the economic downturn. Both the garment and tourist industries were undermined by the global recession. In the first 5 months of 2009 for instance, clothing exports to the US, which is Cambodias dominant export market, dropped 27% from the same period of 2008. According to the Labor Ministry, around 93 garment and shoe factories closed in the first 11 months of 2009, resulting in the loss of 38,190 jobs and a further 60 factories employing 35,337 people were forced to temporarily suspend operations, The construction sector meanwhile was weakened by the bursting of a property bubble that undermi ned the banking system by boosting non performing loans. The IMF has expressed concerns over the deterioration in the health of the banking sector and has urged the central bank to strengthen its supervision of the financial system. Regarding Foreign Direct investment, Data from the UNCTAD indicate that FDI in 2008 was $815 mn. This was below the $867 mn level in 2007 and represented 37.9% of gross fixed capital formation. The total stock of FDI (book value) at the end of 2008 was $4.637 bn, which was equal to 41.5% of GDP and was 193.5% above the level of 2000. In summary, owing to the latest IMF consultation, In a press release on December 8 that outlined the highlights of the just released Article IV Consultation Report, the IMF noted that after a decade of high economic growth, the economy was undermined by the global economic downturn, which led to a reduction in garment exports, foreign direct investment inflows and tourist receipts. The economy was also restrained by the coll apse of the property bubble, which slowed the construction sector and had negative implications for the banking sector. The economy contracted by an estimated 2.7% in 2009. The weak economy prompted a major fall in imports that narrowed the current account deficit, and stymied inflation. Growth was expected to resume in 2010 with an increase of 4.3% in response to a rebound in the global economy which will spur garment exports. IMF is one of the institutions in the Breton Wood system. As we have already known that the IMF doesnt make project loans and, in particular, it doesnt make loan to finance population on family planning programs. The IMF loans are intended to help the borrower countries stabilize their economic situation and cover chronic deficit in their balance of payment. Generally, a countrys central bank is the borrower and recipient of the IMF funds. In the case of Cambodia, Cambodia has been one of the main recipients of the IMF technical assistances (TA) over the past decades. TA in Cambodia was delivered under the umbrella of the Technical Cooperation Assistance Program (TCAP). The content of the Cambodian TCAP was designed jointly by the authorities, other donors, and the IMF provided a comprehensive program of TA, covering key areas of reform related to economic policy, including fiscal and banking sectors, statistic and legal reform. Over a decade after signing of the Paris Peace Accord i n 1991, Cambodia was still facing many major economic challenges. Tax revenues were very low, the banking system was fragile and a fundamental civil and administrative reform was necessary to improve good governance. In the fiscal area, TA aimed at (i) strengthening tax policy and administration including human resources and improving the design of the tax system;(ii) Strengthening customs administration in order to maximize the return from pre-shipment inspection, enhance enforcement capabilities, modernize and streamline procedures; and (iii) strengthening budget management to improve the quality of budget formulation and execution, along with the design and implementation of effective internal and external audits. These objectives were pursued mostly by three long term resident experts in budget management, customs administration, and tax administration and these three experts accounted for over half of total TA delivered under TCAP. In addition, the overall objective of TA in ba nking sector reform was to help create a robust and efficient banking system through bank relicensing, strengthening regulations, and improving bank supervision. TA in economic statistics was meant to strengthen the capacity to produce statistics for economic policy making and private investment planning by improving national accounts, price and foreign trade data, and balance of payments, government finance and money and banking statistic. The objective of TA in the legal area was to improve the financial sector legal framework. Three years after the start of the TCAP, the impact of TA in these different areas varies considerably. The banking sector reform has been largely deemed a success. The relicensing program implemented by the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) revamped the banking system by reducing the number of banks from 31 to 17, helping to restore the banking sector soundness. In response, public confidence in the banking system appears to be gradually improving, reflected in a 22 per cent increase in the deposit base during 2002 and further gains in 2003.6 Furthermore, loan spreads narrowed in 2003 as competition in the market appears to be increasing. Besides TCAP, every year the IMF always conduct the annual article IV discussion with Cambodia. The discussion mainly covers the area of Macroeconomic and financial policies. According to the recent press release, as in August 30 to September 10, 2010, an IMF mission from Washington, D.C visited Cambodia. The IMF mission has projected that real GDP growth will reach 4.5% to 5% in 2010, a significant turnaround from 2009. However, significant risks continue to cloud growth prospects. The fragility of the global recovery exposes Cambodias narrow export base with its reliance on the U.S and European markets. In the aftermath of global financial crisis, many challenges have been arising for the International Monetary Fund as well as Cambodian government to deal with. However, what the IMF have done for Cambodia are not anything new, for it has been working in Cambodia for quite a long time. Anyway, we can classify what the IMF has for and achieved in Cambodia into three main categories: surveillance, IMF-supported programs, and technical assistance/capacity building. In the surveillance area, the IMF has monitored the financial and economic policies of Cambodia and provided necessary recommendation on macroeconomic and financial policy to the Royal government of Cambodia. In doing so, the IMF has kept track of Cambodias economic development and regularly consulted with the government of Cambodia in finding the solution to the problem. For instance, recently, through the surveillance activities in Cambodia, it has observe that the Cambodian banking system is being in problem as the result of global economic downturn, and therefore, it has recommended the RGC to strengthen it banking system. This recommendation was done through a mechanism that has been used by the IMF called Article IV Consultation. In that report of that consultation, the IMFs executive director pointed out like this Immediate priorities should include strict enforcement of the new asset classification regime, prompt implementation of corrective action plans, development of a com prehensive bank restructuring framework, and increased supervision capacity. Regarding the technical assistance/capacity building program, the IMF assists Cambodia as well as other low-and middle income countries to manage their economies effectively by providing practical guidance and training on how to upgrade institutions, and design appropriate macroeconomic, financial, and structural policies. In connection to such TA and capacity buildings, the IMF has made great achievements in Cambodia. For example, the IMF has provided technical assistances to National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) in banking supervision, restructuring of banking system, balance of payment and monetary statistics, operation in foreign exchange and international reserve management, and information and computerization systems. Besides, the IMF has also helped the Ministry of Economy and Finance in fiscal policy management, and it has also assisted the Department of Custom and Excise in strengthening custom administration. Moreover, the IMF has also aided the Cambodians Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Commerce to prepare insolvency law. Furthermore, the Ministry of Planning and the National Institute of Statistic has also received technical assistance from the IMF in preparation of national account and governments finance statistics. Relating to IMF-supported programs or lending programs, the IMF offers credit to the members who have trouble meeting their international payments and cannot find sufficient financing on affordable term. The main objective of this program is to help a country restore macroeconomic stability by rebuilding their international reserves, stabilizing their currency and paying for import. Cambodia like many other low-income countries has received a lot of concessional loan from IMF to develop their economy and reduce poverty. For instance, just to recall the year 1996, in that year the IMF provided a 41 million USD to the Royal government of Cambodia under the enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF) mechanism. As mentioned in previous mini-compositions, the International Monetary Fund has played very important role in global financial system. Its primary role is to help member countries maintain exchange rate stability by providing short term loan to those countries that are in balance of payment difficulty due to trade deficits or other factors. It was created at the end of World War II with an aim to support the global economic structure and financial order. To accomplish this task, the IMF has actively assist Cambodia and many other member states, especially the developing ones, through surveillance, technical assistance/capacity building and supporting program. Despite many success has been made, there are still problem that can be considered as the obstacle for the IMF in Cambodia, but here I am going to raise only two main issues to discuss. The first problem that challenge IMF is the negative consequence of global economic downturn that puts Cambodia economy in a dangerous place. As we have already known Cambodia economy depends heavily on garment, construction, and tourism sector. These sectors are the most hit by the crisis as they largely rely on foreign market and capital. For instance, according to a study conducted by the United Nations in Cambodia in 2009, about 20-30 percent of workers in garment sectors, construction sites and tourism sector have lost jobs since late 2008. This make Cambodias economic growth rate to decline dramatically from double digits in the years prior to the crisis to only 0.1 percent in 2009. This reflect that the IMF, as well as other Multilateral Financial Institutions such as World Bank and Asian Development Bank, to work harder in order to help promote the Cambodian economy in the wake of the global economic downturn. This is not an easy task for the IMF to deal with because the countries, such are the United States, which are the major financial contributors to this organization, are also in financial difficulty due to the impacts of the crisis. The second problem is not related to any other factors, but it is because of the procedures of the IMF itself. Before providing loan to Cambodia or any other countries who are in demand for financial assistance, the IMF first demand Cambodia and those countries to make reform such as reducing public spending, devalue their national currency and privatization . These demands, to a large extend, are consider by the Cambodian government and other assistance recipient government as new burden on their economy rather than something that can help them out of the problem. Hence, those governments do not want to rely on the IMF, they seek to obtain financial assistance from other sources. For instance, instead of follow the demand by the IMF in the sector that the Royal government of Cambodia found not important but would actually harmful the Cambodias, the government would turn to seek the assistance from China instead. Having experienced almost three decades of ravaged civil wars, Cambodias economy was greatly devastated. The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), with the technical and financial assistances from international development partners has been working very hard in reconstructing the war-torn economy. Among those development partners, the International Monetary Fund has also played a very active one. As we have discussed in the previous mini-compositions, the IMF has made significant contribution to the development of Cambodia. Like other development partners, the IMF gets involve in the Cambodias development in three main mechanisms. First of all, the IMF has monitored the financial and economic policies of Cambodia and provided necessary recommendation on macroeconomic and financial policy to the government. Second, it assists Cambodia as well as other low income country to manage their economies effectively by providing practical guidance and training on how to upgrade institutions, and design appropriate macroeconomic, financial, and structural policies. Last but not least, the IMF offers credit to Cambodia and other members who have trouble meeting their international payments and cannot find sufficient financing on affordable term. The main objective of this program is to help a country restore macroeconomic stability by rebuilding their international reserves, stabilizing their currency and paying for import. Through these mechanisms, Cambodia and many other developing countries have benefited greatl y from the IMF. Though everyone agrees that the IMF provides a lot of benefit to recipient countries, many of them do not happy with the IMF. The problem is that the assistance that the IMF offers to Cambodia as well as other low income countries always comes along with conditions. In order to be able to receive IMFs assistance, the recipient countries must agree with the IMF to accept the policies suggested by the IMF. Indeed, the policy suggested by the IMF are the ones already implemented successfully in some recipient countries. With this reason the IMF may expect that those policies must be plausible for every recipient country. However, in reality the same policy does not guarantee the same result for different country. Some policies might work well in some countries, but they might failed if applied to Cambodia or other countries else. For instance, one would expect that increase interest rate for deposit would increase the amount of deposit in financial institutions. Of course, this is true for those countries in which the financial or banking system is popular among the people. However, in Cambodia this policy will never work, for the majority of Cambodian people do not deposit their money in banks, but they just keep their money at home instead. Based on this sense, some possible disagreements between the government and the IMF arise. This makes the Royal government of Cambodia and other recipient countries prefer the assistance from other development partner to the assistance from IMF. For instance, the Cambodian government values the assistance from China the most because when provides assistance to Cambodia, China does not link with any conditions. In short, in spites of considerably succeed in various aspects of development in Cambodia, IMF has been faced and continues to face many challenges. However, the presence of IMF as the global financial governance is still very important.

All Quiet On The Western Front :: essays research papers

The novel All Quiet On The Western Front contains many incidents where the readers can hold characters responsible for their actions, however his novel in particular relates to the clash of values. Though fictional this novel by Erich Maria Remarque, presents vast detail through the conflicts at the Western Front. Corporal Himmelstoss a character in the novel is portrayed as a stereotypical military man, whose actions, when all's said and done, speaks for itself as the reader really does not question his iniquitous behaviour. However, apart from just the reader holding such characters morally accountable for their actions the novel concerns the rejection of traditional values, Paul’s disillusionment, and life opposed to death. Through such clashing of values, Remarque creates a confronting novel where the plot is for the most part articulated around values in conflict. The stereotypical stance of Corporal Himmelstoss, a military officer, is presented as a physically undersized man who wears a waxed moustache, which ideally supports the many defiant occasions where he disheartens the young soldiers. Throughout the novel where he is sent into the trenches we accept his role of breaking the spirits of the young soldiers. However, we understand why Paul and Albert Kropp take revenge beating him up. It is through these instances where the reader can almost understand a character through his right and wrong actions. Remarque’s inclusion of such scenes in the novel acts out the bitter anger and disillusionment of the young soldiers. The constant close companion of death besides Paul and his friends provides such clashing of values. Throughout the novel Paul never really recalls their opponents, the allies, as enemies. We also hardly see the other side other than the time where they took on the French militia; infact it would be appropriate to conclude that their real enemy in the war was the enemy Death. Every soldier in the war wasn’t innocently fighting for his country in an attempt to win, soldiers were fighting in order to survive death – it is only the fact that chance and luck kept them going. Paul and his friends could not comprehend that World War One was simply fought due to some document signed by each side’s respective leaders. These events allow readers to follow through that novel above all was concerned with values of life against death, and peace against war. Perhaps Remarque’s intended theme at the

European Airlines 1993-1997 Essay

⇠¨ Back ground and PEST analysis For many years, European Airlines are considered to be feed by the government. Before 1990s, the introduction of deregulation, this market was highly controlled by the government. Automatically, the result is high price as well as poor management and service. Consumers, of course, complained about the bad perform of them. Like most of the state-owned businesses, although some of the airlines intended to lower their price by cost cutting, redundancies and reorganization because of the increasing competition pressure, most of them failed because of the government interfere and strong labor reaction. Back in 1978, Airline deregulation first introduced to Americans. The new act allowed new airlines to come, permitted them to choose lines individually and release the pricing power. Till 1993, the price had decreased about 20%. A highly profitable service, transcontinental long haul flying, had exceeded 35% of the total. There in another one thing needs to mention: U.S. applied aggressive strategy, which is considered illegal in Europe. Refer to the fifteen years innovations in U.S, European politics finally made up their minds to repeal their restrictions in 1993. It is predicted that the European airlines environment might be completely open up in 1997 hopefully. In other words, there is five years for domestic airlines to adjust their strategies. Poter’s 5-force model âž ¢ The extent of competitive rivalry/industry competitors. Considering European market as a whole, the threat comes from airlines of other continents. This refers to those except cross-Europe and domestic routes. If we choose one airline specifically, for example Lufthansa airlines, its competitors most are inside the Europe. (E.g. British Airways, Deutsche BA, Air France, Alitalia etc. Further more, it was also threaten by some new entrants âž ¢ The threat of potential new entrants This involves airlines that ready to enter during this period. Generally speaking, these new entrants are relatively small size but more flexible. It does not have much burden of either the government or labor responds. As a result, they usually have low-cost so that the price might be even half less than the original ones. As a small size of the firm, their service is usually short haul and has constant demand of customers. âž ¢ The bargaining power of buyers This refers to organization/individual who buys the service. They are price/service sensitive. âž ¢ The bargaining power of suppliers Before deregulation the suppliers are disjointed with the airlines. Being centrally controlled by the government, either suppliers or airlines cannot fit efficiently and effectively. However, both sides might be automatically matched after they are release from the control. This will be mentioned later. âž ¢ The threat of substitutes Here means some other transport tools that cause airlines loss their consumers. ⇠¨ Analysis of Strategy Look back to the U.S. strategies. The whole model was set up based on a mass computing network, complex operating technique and pricing system, large investment and continuously attention to cost cutting. However, although this serious of activities are effective and improve the productivity and investment ability, it does not exceed the increasing marketing pressure. Potentially, these tactics might fit for specific European airlines, but not all of them. Except the political factors as I have mentioned before, another problem is that most of the companies operate separately form check-in to maintaining the motor. What they really need is set up a new competitive strategy in order to reorganize the business structure with their core ability.

Business Owners What You Can Do About Workplace Harassment

Business Owners What You Can Do About Workplace Harassment With the recent rash of harassment revelations in the media, companies are taking their anti-harassment policies more seriously than ever. And it’s not just the Weinstein Company and Fox that are looking at their exposure to lawsuits. If you are the owner of a business – any business with employees – you need to learn everything there is to know about workplace harassment, and how to 1) prevent it and 2) handle it if it does occur. Let’s first get clear on the definition of workplace harassment: Harassment under federal law is â€Å"unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or parental status.† Two common types of harassment are Quid Pro Quo (â€Å"This for That†). In quid pro quo harassment, enduring the offensive conduct becomes condition of continued employment. Examples: Denying employment or a promotion for failure to perform sexual acts or participate in religious activities. Giving preferential treatment in exchange for sexual cooperation or joining a religion. Hostile Work Environment. Here, the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. Some more considerations: A â€Å"hostile environment† may be created by the unwelcome conduct of supervisors, co-workers, customers, contractors, or anyone else with whom the victim interacts on the job. Harassment occurs when this conduct renders the workplace atmosphere intimidating, hostile, or offensive. Factors to consider include but are not limited to the frequency and severity of alleged harassment, whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, and whether it unreasonably interferes with work. Behaviors contributing to an unlawful hostile environment may include but are not limited to discussing sexual activities, unnecessary touching, displaying sexually suggestive or racially insensitive pictures, using demeaning or inappropriate terms or epithets, using indecent gestures or crude language, or sabotaging a victim’s work. Why you want to avoid harassment claims. Harassment claims are easy to file and hard to get dismissed. They consume time (an average of 318 days), they cost huge amount of money regardless of their validity (average of $40 $125K in settlements which can cover back pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees costs), and they can damage a company’s reputation/brand irreparably. According to the New York Daily News, New York State has settled at least 85 lawsuits involving claims of sexual harassment or sex discrimination at agencies, hospitals, prisons and schools it oversees, costing the state a combined $11.87 million. Clearly you want to avoid such lawsuits if you possibly can. Even before a lawsuit, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment have an impact on your organization. The acts themselves are disruptive in the workplace, decrease employee morale, increase absenteeism and turnover, reduce productivity, and damage the reputation of the company. It’s a no-brainer that every company must address harassment before, during, and after it happens. Harassment Lawsuits Harassment lawsuits gain teeth not because the harassment happened, but because they did not respond properly. Take these two examples: Chopourian v. Catholic Healthcare West is one of the best-known cases in the harassment category. In this case, a physician assistant made 18 complaints regarding working conditions and bullying at Mercy General Hospital, all of which were ignored, before she was fired. The reason for her termination? Allegedly failing to report for work – but it was found that she was explicitly told not to come in for coverage that day. When she obtained alternative employment, she lost it because Mercy General would not provide her with required â€Å"privileging.† She was awarded $168 million in a settlement, just three days into a jury trial. In contrast, in Chaloult v. Interstate Brands, an employer won the case because it was proven that the claimant did not complain to management and a witness confirmed the alleged harassing behavior could not reasonably be defined as harassment. Importantly, the employer correctly trained employees and had a protective anti-harassment policy that covered where to report harassment and provided multiple channels for reporting. The company even continued the investigation after the employee resigned. You must take your responsibility seriously as an employer. As an employer, if you knew or should have known and failed to take prompt and corrective action, you can be liable – regardless of whether an employee or some other party perpetrated the action. In contrast, if you reasonably tried to prevent and promptly correct the harassing behavior through training, a policy known to your employees, and prompt investigation/corrective action, you have strong footing to defend any lawsuits. See this article from the American Bar Association on how to avoid putting your company at risk. If you have a small company, you can bring an outside organization in to advise you on your policy and handle any complaints. In Madison, WI, where I live, a local employment agency, QTI, provides this service (and gave a presentation on the topic that I attended last week – thank you QTI for providing information and inspiration for this blog). There are many questions that can arise as to what policies to put into place. For instance, should your company have a â€Å"no-dating† policy? A â€Å"required snitching† policy? Hugging protocol (as NBC just put into place)? Can you go too far with attempting to stop workplace harassment? Regardless of the size of your business, it’s essential to protect yourself and your company from time-consuming, expensive, and reputation-damaging harassment claims. If your organization is not in compliance with the best practices in this area, I recommend taking action now. Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinFebruary 26, 2018 5 Comments Prasanta says: February 27, 2018 at 10:07 am I feel this particular article is predominantly biased to female employees as they are facing harassment most of the time. But harassment is also rendered to male employees too. Moreover, this safeguard s available only in USA. For e.g. I was a Dutch MNC employee but suddenly lost job without identifying any reason even though I had a severe road accident while on duty and but my employer did not give any monetary compensation even though iI have developed physical limitations due to this accident. I lost my job as I raised my voice. There are legal safeguards in India but takes years to get justice and one can die before the justice is delivered. This is not USA. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: February 27, 2018 at 10:21 am Thank you for this input and international perspective, Prasanta. Its true that we have a lot of protections in the U.S. that are not available in other countries. And you are absolutely right that harassment can be perpetrated against any protected class. What youre talking about I believe is retaliation for whistleblowing. Heres what I found on Wikepedia: Whistleblowers are often protected under law from employer retaliation, but in many cases punishment has occurred, such as termination, suspension, demotion, wage garnishment, and/or harsh mistreatment by other employees. A 2009 study found that up to 38% of whistleblowers experienced professional retaliation in some form, including wrongful termination.[citation needed] For example, in the United States, most whistleblower protection laws provide for limited make whole remedies or damages for employment losses if whistleblower retaliation is proven. However, many whistleblowers report there exists a widespread shoot the messenger mentality by corporations or government agencies accused of misconduct and in some cases whistleblowers have been subjected to criminal prosecution in reprisal for reporting wrongdoing. As a reaction to this many private organizations have formed whistleblower legal defense funds or support groups to assist whistleblowers; three such examples are the National Whistleblowers Center[28] in the United States, and Whistleblowers UK[29] and Public Concern at Work (PCaW)[30] in the United Kingdom. Depending on the circumstances, it is not uncommon for whistleblowers to be ostracized by their co-workers, discriminated against by future potential employers, or even fired from their organization. This campaign directed at whistleblowers with the goal of eliminating them from the organization is referred to as mobbing. It is an extreme form of workplace bullying wherein the group is set against the targeted individual.[31] 28 whistleblowers.org. whistleblowers.org. Retrieved 2012-07-08. 29 wbuk.org. wbuk.org. Retrieved 2017-01-30. 30 pcaw.co.uk. pcaw.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-08. 31 Matthiesen SB, Bjorkelo B, Burke RJ Workplace Bullying as the Dark Side of Whistleblowing in Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice (2012) Log in to Reply Beth Garner says: February 27, 2018 at 11:07 am re: can you go too far with attempting to stop workplace harassment seeming a bit ridiculous and overly detailed. I used to think some of the guidelines I read or heard in company policies were verging, or even falling squarely, into the realm of the absurd. Then I listened to the comments questions of many men, and realized that many of them, even the most well-intentioned, really do not know the boundary between acceptable collegial behavior and harassing behavior. For far too long in so many areas of life men have been subtly taught that so many obnoxious kinds of behavior are the norm that now they cant see where the line is, and actually need detailed instruction. I know it often seems silly and excessive, but it is unfortunately often necessary in order to re-educate many on what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: February 27, 2018 at 11:19 am Its true, Beth. Specific rules are much easier to follow than use your judgment. And, blanket rules have their downsides too. If Ive been friends with someone for years and have an established relationship, or if someone is going through a hard time and needs a shoulder to lean on, a 1-second hug policy doesnt seem to apply. I guess the lawyers at NBC decided having the rule would cover their butts (no harassment intended) so its a better policy as a base. Log in to Reply B G says: February 27, 2018 at 6:53 pm Brenda, your reply illuminates a good reason why companies need very specific guidelines. You are speaking as a woman with certainty about the comfort level of the person you hug, and their openness willingness to be hugged by you. Being hugged in the workplace by a man: a mans assumption that the established relationship is such that a hug is appropriate may be wildly off the mark. The woman being grabbed and hugged may not want to be hugged at all! The man may think the hug is offering comfort, but he may be sensorily blind to the fact that the woman is holding herself rigid, slightly pushing him away, and averting her face with a grimace. She may be reluctant to tell him his hug is unwelcome; she may realize his intention is good and not want to offend him. In addition, that hug may have been intended innocently, albeit executed awkwardly. What about the quick close hug by a man with an erection who presses his groin against yours, rubs his chest against your breasts and qu ickly lets go? It may be only a second or two, and no one else may realize what the is doing, but that is certainly not ok! So, hugs, innocent as they may seem, do need to be curtailed. Log in to Reply

4 Books That Show You How to Write

4 Books That Show You How to Write 4 Books That Show You How to Write 4 Books That Show You How to Write By Mark Nichol No, that headline doesn’t read â€Å"Four Books That Tell You How to Write.† The verb is show, and that’s exactly what I mean. This post does not list writing guides, but if you want to learn how to create a memorable reading experience, follow the excellent examples below. Note that this is not a definitive list of the most exemplary books; it’s just four I’ve read recently that have fascinated me and made me think, â€Å"Gee, I wish I had written that† (and I can think of no better testimonial than that). 1. How to Distract People from the Fact That Your Book Is Educational by Making Them Laugh Book: In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson) Bryson, in this book and many others, sets out to entertain people and does so with great flair (and success). But he also loves to share his knowledge (and his passion for knowledge) with readers, and enhances nutritious information with tasty toppings of humor and whimsy. This book about his travels through and insights about Australia (a nation that, given its environment, is even more improbably successful than the United States) delights as it informs. Bryson has also written or edited books about science (A Brief History of Nearly Everything and others), language (The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way and others), and more, and even when his work doesn’t live up to expectations (At Home: A Short History of Private Life), it’s still fun and fascinating. 2. How to Top Off an Engrossing Story About Exploration with an Ironic Twist Book: The Lost City of Z (David Grann) Few tropes stir the romantic adventurer in us as much as a jungle-exploration saga, and this book, based on the archetypal expedition into Green Hell from which popular culture has derived many of its notions about the subject, does the larger-than-life topic proud. The author retraces the steps of legendary Great White Explorer Percy Fawcett (allegedly an inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Professor Challenger), who, accompanied only by his son and the younger Fawcett’s best friend, set out to find evidence of a great civilization in the Amazonian jungle. The members of the expedition never returned nor, apparently, did many other adventurers who sought glory by attempting to discover both Fawcett’s fate and the object of his quest. Grann concludes this mesmerizing tale with a wry realization about the expedition’s goal that’s just too good for any but the most adept Hollywood treatment. 3. How to Debunk a Myth with an Even More Compelling Story Book: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (Nathaniel Philbrick) Philbrick peels away the facile fiction about Thanksgiving by booking readers passage on a sorely overcrowded one-hundred-foot-long sailing ship with a hundred passengers and more than two dozen crew members and integrating these additional travelers, through commanding scholarship and vivid writing, into the historic settlement the colonists formed against all odds. The story of their harrowing, heartbreaking first winter and their fumbling attempts to get along with their native neighbors, and an accurate account of their day(s) of thanks, stripped of schoolbook holiday hoo-haw, is refreshing. This account is framed by details about what led a band of religious dissidents and assorted â€Å"Strangers† (split about evenly in numbers) to unite in this venture, and by chapters chronicling the tragic misunderstandings and missteps that led to war between their descendants and their erstwhile indigenous allies. Tied together seamlessly, these episodes describe in a nutshell the story of the United States. 4. How to Make Being a Dork Seem (Momentarily) Cool Book: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Joshua Foer) Foer, the brother of the editor of the New Republic and of novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, holds his own against the literary accomplishments of his older siblings with this absorbing account of how he immersed himself in the highly esoteric world of memory masters and well, I won’t spoil it for you. Chancing on information about people who demonstrate prodigious memorization skills in competitions they train for with the intensity of Olympic athletes, Foer decides to try it out for himself, and takes us along for the ride. Along the way, we meet the man who inspired Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man, as well as purported savant Daniel Tammet, whose memorization wizardry Tammet himself (perhaps disingenuously) attributes to autism, in addition to various mental athletes who seem to be exactly the type of poorly groomed, socially inept geeks you’d expect to find devoting much time and effort to a seemingly useless skill. But Foer also shares fascinating facts and history about memorization, and though he soon retires from his short career as a memory-competition participant, advocates the techniques he learned as tools any amateur will find beneficial in life. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? 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Biological weapons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biological weapons - Research Paper Example Because of the level of destruction that these weapons are capable of causing, the use of these can be a motivation for many adversaries. Also, these weapons are indiscriminately used to kill people. So they might not just affect the military, but may also cause numerous deaths in the civilian populations. Further, a wound due to other weapons can be treated. A biological weapon might be hard to detect and once detected, might not have a cure. Biological weapons also tend to have long term effects on the human and living populations as compared to nuclear missiles and arms. (Satpathy 10) History Although biological weapons have now come into notice, they have been used for centuries. The use of these weapons dates back to 1500 BC when the people suffering from a plague were often driven into the territories of the enemy. The plague would not just kill or sicken the enemy civil populations but would also render the military unsuitable for war. Apart from that, the spears and arrows we re often poisoned so that the enemy could not just be wounded, but would also have poison spread in his body. In the famous First Sacred War, the Athenians poisoned the water supply of the city of Kirrha in order to kill the military combatants. In other wars, clay pots containing snakes were often thrown on the enemy. (Chauhan 158) Slowly over the centuries, biological weapons took new forms. Before the 17th century, the most common way of inflicting disease on the enemy was to throw the infected corpses into the water supply of the cities. Since water is a basic necessity, this ensured that all the people were infected. Later, however, new ways of introducing the diseases were established. For instance in the 18th century, in Native America, two blankets and a handkerchief exposed to small pox were given to the Natives by the British in order to disease them. Diseases like influenza spread often due to the exchange of goods at ports from ships that came from different regions. Bio logical warfare went to a new extreme when in the Second Sino Japanese war, the Japanese tested all kinds of biological weapons on the prisoners held in custody so that the weapons could then be used to combat the enemy in the future. In the First World War, the most famous and extensive Biowarfare program was started by the empire of Germany. This program included the supply of teams of saboteurs to areas like Finland where they placed anthrax (a disease causing agent) in the stables of Russia in the year 1916. (Chauhan 159) German intelligence officers also created glanders that could be used to affect livestock and crops, particularly at ports. The Imperial Japanese army also was responsible for many pathogen outbreaks in the same period. From the year 1937 to 1945, the Japanese army contaminated the Horustein river in Soviet Russia with typhoid. The army also used made use of bombs having fleas that could carry the bubonic plague. Air dropping of plagued fleas was also a common thing against the Chinese. After the use of the biological weapons in the first and second world wars, nations like the US, Soviet Union and Britain started the experimentation of agents that could be used as biological weapons. The US started its US Biological Weapon testing program through which it started research on the topic. Operation whitecoat was one of the leading operations of the US that aimed to study the effects of

The Battle of Bunker Hill and Breed Hill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Battle of Bunker Hill and Breed Hill - Essay Example The British were aware how important Boston was to the colonists. The city was on a peninsula in Boston Harbor which was a vital trade link. Across the Charles River, just across from Boston, on another peninsula were two hills, Breed Hill and Bunker Hill. Although most of the fighting took place on Breed Hill, the battle took the name of Bunker Hill which had a higher eminence. Due to the threat the surrounding hills might pose on their hold on Boston, the British decided to taken possession of them. The American Rebels led by General Prescott, Putnam and Warren attempted to fence in and stall the British in Boston by taking command of the hills. To this end they sent forces to fortify both hills with trenches and bales of cotton and hay. Warren assumed that the construction of works on Bunker Hill would lure the British into battle (Ketchum 1999). When the British observed the Americans taking possession of the hills, they began to bombard American positions from their ships stationed outside the harbor, while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Eventually with around 3000 troops the British stormed up Breed Hill. The daring of the British was apparent, as they could have marched to Charlestown and blocked supplies and reinforcements from reaching Prescott. Instead they soldiered up the hill.