Animal Farm- George Orwell Orwell uses key characters in Animal Farm Essay

Animal Farm- George Orwell Orwell uses key characters in Animal Farm to satirise certain characteristics in human nature. How - Essay Example Significantly, Animal Farm has been recognized as a fairy story told by a great lover of liberty as well as animals, but it reflects the realities of Soviet Russia during the Stalin era. The fundamental themes of the novel, that have generated relentless controversies during the wartime, include the abuse of power, the erosion of civil liberties, democracy versus dictatorship, and, most importantly, the relationship between leaders and followers. Most essentially, â€Å"Animal Farm is not merely about Lenin and Stalin†¦ it has much to say to us today about the relationship between government leaders and followers.† (Rodden, 182) One of the basic concerns of the novelist in Animal Farm is to establish how true leaders inspire the followers while the false leaders deceive them, and the nature of this relationship has played a crucial role in the acquirement or loss of freedom and equality in the society. ... Significantly, the novelist presents the relationship between leaders and followers through the main characters of the novel who satirize various characteristics in human nature. Thus, Orwell presents pigs as taking over the command of the farm at the death of the Major, because they were â€Å"the cleverest of the animals.† (Orwell, 15) Thus, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, become the leaders of the ‘Animal Farm’ and they allegorically represent Joseph Stalin and Trotsky. In a reflective exploration of the major themes and characters in the novel Animal Farm, it becomes lucid that the novelist exhibits the failure of leadership to offer freedom and equality to the followers. â€Å"In short, it can be regarded as the failure of leadership or how an intelligent, devoted leader of the revolution to better the miserable lives of animals on Manor Farm, Snowball, is driven out by a Napoleon that animals think is ‘always right’.† (Moeller and Moeller, 133) In a reflective exploration of the leaders in the work, it becomes evident that the two major leaders are presented in contrast to each other. In the novel, Snowball is presented as a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character.† (Orwell, 15) On the other hand, Napoleon is presented as â€Å"a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar †¦ [who is] not much of a talker, but with reputation for getting his own way.† (Orwell, 15) These leaders were not able to bring about freedom and equality to their followers, although their followers of ‘Animal Farm’ were expecting nothing else. Both Snowball and Napoleon were rivaling each other for power and they

Unconventional Monetary Policies of the Economic and Monetary Union Essay

Unconventional Monetary Policies of the Economic and Monetary Union - Essay Example The main body presiding over the decisions of the Union is the Eurosystem which consists of the governors of the European Central Bank (ECB) and National Central Banks (NCBs) of the seventeen member countries (European Central Bank, 2004). While the ECB has only a major share in deciding the policies of the EMU, it bears the whole of the responsibility of implementation of the EMU’s policies. The Governing Council of the EMU comprises the people voting over the prospective policies of the EMU. Each person has one vote of the common weight. Members of the council include the President, Vice-President and the four directors of the ECB, and the governors of the NCBs of each of the seventeen member countries thereby rendering the total number of Governing Council members twenty-three. Primary Objective The main objective of the EMU as described in article 105 of the Maastricht Treaty (Jenkins & Economist Intelligence Unit, 1992, p. 466) is the maintenance of price stability. The a rticle goes on to state that â€Å"Without prejudice to the objective of price stability, the ECB shall support the general economic policies in the Community with a view to contributing to the achievement of the Community†. The reasoning for the selection of this objective can be traced to the incentive for the formation of the ECB, which was the fear of rising in inflation due to the dominance of the Germans over the European economic landscape. Hence the EMU has a stated primary objective of keeping the average growth, over the Union countries, of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices below two percent (Buti & Sapir, 2002). Monetary Policy In order to pursue this objective the EMU has to choose between the two main macroeconomic approaches. It can either concentrate on an Inflation Targeting approach where a clearly defined objective of numerical indicators of levels of inflation is to be pursued or it can adopt a monetary targeting framework where it expands its resourc es on influencing the monetary aggregate. So far the strategies adopted by the EMU have been described by economists as inclusive of certain aspects of both types of approach; a two-pillar approach. The first pillar in this approach is the money stock manipulation while the second pillar comprises the inflation control strategies. It has been evident for at least a decade that the monetary aggregate indicators do not correspond to the inflation rates which the monetary control purportedly affects (Bofinger, Reischle, & Scha?chter, 2001). The basis for this approach is the economic relation of the money stock to price stability represented by the Quantity Theory Equation (Mayer, 1990, p. 132): ?m = ?p + ?y – ?v Where ?: Change from one year to the next m: Money stock p : Price level y : Real GDP v : Velocity of stock However the equation and the corresponding monetary theory assume that the monetary base represents the M3 aggregate. This assumption has turned out to be incorre ct from the experience of the Euro area economies in the past decade.  

A Study On Television News Channels In Tamilnadu

A Study On Television News Channels In Tamilnadu The Television media which is always the most powerful means of mass communication in the world can serve as the medium of information, education and entertainment and thus television has become an essential part of our life. Television is a combination of technology and cultural forms (Williams, 1975) and as this industry also finds itself at the heart of all kinds of commercial and industry strategies. Television is a medium which is used to express the social concern and the political views creatively. In India it is one of the huge industry which have thousands of programmes in different languages and 50 percent population of every house own a television. Television in the recent days have grown tremendous because of new markets, cultural introduction, and in situations becoming a challenge to even the government as they bring out the unfamiliar images to the audience. As television is basically the broadcasting of moving picture and the sound to the audience effectively, most of the time television stays as a remarkable evidence about an issue .As an example, an incident quoted from the book, Screening culture, viewing politics by Purnima Mankekar, November 1984 : A hectic and rewarding year is drawing to close for S.S Gill ,Indias secretary for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. On a special mission authorized by Prime minister Indira Gandhi, he has spent the year setting up hundreds of television transmitters that will draw the remotest corners of the nation into the ambit of Indian televisions newly launched National Programme. Suddenly Mrs.Gandhi is assassinated. Ironically , the first TV images viewers nationwide see are of her body lying in state, and close-ups of her grieving son Rajiv Gandhi. Within a few months , Rajiv Gandhi is elected prime minister .The queen is dead; long live the king. (Mankekar, 1999)The magic of Televisi on has made itself felt. And thus such a power Television owns. The Indian media business is still growing with confidence even in this changing position on the world stage. The Government owned Doordarshan was the only channel in the Indian airwaves until 1990s, but now it has been filled extraordinarily by private channels. With 360 channels currently on air,160 channels waiting for governments permission. Indian television viewers has more choices than anywhere else in the world. More than a hundred million households in India now own at least one television set. Seventy million of them are connected to cable or satellite TV. At their finger tips lie choices galore: movie channels ,music channels ,television soap operas and news broadcasts; CNN and BBC, the Rupert Murdoch-owned Star TV bouquet of channels ,International sports channels and the home grown Zee television all vie for their attention. (Batabyal, 2012) Media landscape was added with glitz and glamour ,the black and white days are replaced with gloss ,gossip and money. As Hartley argues News is the sense making practice of modernity; It is an important medium through which we understand ourselves and the world around us, who we are, what we are, our collective likes and dislikes (Batabyal, 2012). Television birth and growth in India Televisions birth in India was started by The All India Radio in September 1959 which was an experimental broadcasting and they had only 2 hours programme per week. The All India radio managed these initial stages of TV broadcasting which was majorly based on educational programmes for farmers and children. The Television services further expanded to other cities of India and thus reached 7 cities of India and at that stage in 1976 Doordarshan which became the sole producer of Television in India separated from the All India Radio and formed a new department purely for Television Broadcasting. In the year 1982 Doordarshan made national coverage possible for the first time using the satellite INSAT 1A and in the same year colour television also came into market apparently at that stage Doordarshan was the only national channel and it was owned by the government which was further enhanced by the series of Mahabharata and Ramayana and this attracted people and they started buying Television sets. As there was only a single channel and the expectation of the audience was still increasing so as to meet the saturation of television programmes Doordarshan opened up new other channels in many languages like DD National, DD News, DD Sports, DD Gyandarshan, DD Bharati, Loksabha Channel and DD Urdu. In such a way Doordarshan evolved over the years. As Indias television system grew, not as a medium in its own right but as a response to events and decisions around it. Thus television industry grew, satellite private channels came into existence the 1990s can be said as the year of private channels because it was from when private channels emerged and audience who was stuck with Doordarshan was ready to shift their interest to the new private channels as always new technologies and new forms emerged attracted the audiences. As a medium television and the news genre underwent the most spectacular change and growth and thus from only one news channel in 1998, today India has close to 60 24 hours news channels all over the country. In that most of them are national but even they reach international audiences. Many channels like Star tv, Zee tv in hindi, sun tv in tamil, Asianet in Malayalam ,Eenadu in kannada all started in India.All the major languages in India has a Television in their own language. Thus televisions created India in its own images the media industry was rich, booming and it was ready to compete on the world stage . In such a way the television industry in India developed and as a other category of channel came up the news channels which was only concentrating on news 24/7 so that people was able to choose the categories of interest on their own. TELEVISION NEWS The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were (Brinkley, 1994). Television news is like a lightning flash. It makes a loud noise, lights up everything around it, leaves everything else in darkness and then is suddenly gone (Carter, 1994 ). After all this statements even when the credibility of the television news is still doubted, Television news media, the broadcast journalism in the past decade has come of ages. At present we have television news channels in all major regional languages that are solely dedicated to news alone so that the audience need not wait to see the half an hour news in between the daily soaps in commercial channels. As these news channels give 24/7 news updates fresh , up to date news about what all is happening around the world to us .But this renovation did not happen overnight, the credit of bringing up news channels goes to Rupert Murdoch from Star television network and Dr.Prannoy Roy from NDTV limited. It was them who collaborated and hence was the first ever independent satellite news channel came to small screen and it was known as Star news. And thus started the Television news industry in India and after the birth of news channel like other industry even in this competitions started ,day by day the number of news channels are increasing in all languages and even the audience are looking forward for a better one everyday. The development in the news media created a different scenario and it is when the News anchors became the new celebrities in India. With Citizen journalism, live outdoor broadcast vans fitted with the latest technology, talk shows and discussions , analyses and reports, there seems to be no end to the goodies for a nation of viewers who until very recently were served only state propaganda as news . (Batabyal, 2012) And after all this development to reach the first position in the news channel category ,the news channels are following all sorts of tactics like sensationalizing all issues, making any news a breaking news, not worth sting operations etc which is not giving the people the true sense of news. News is manufactured by the journalists (Berkowitz, 1997). Making of news is being followed most of the time which the audience actually dont expect from the Television news channels. Our job is to present fact and truth with clarity, dispassion and neutrality, however inconvenient or dismaying much of that information may be (Keeble, 2001) The production of news which strives for neutral, factual information is possibly the most important arena in which television carries out its responsibility to inform as well as to entertain its various audiences. They are required to deliver their news with accuracy and impartiality. They must be reliable and also balancing in covering political issues. With over 40 news channels, almost 100 million television homes and over 200 million viewers weekly, 24 hour news channel are on the upswing. A TAM media research says that television viewership doubling in the past three years , news has emerged as the most sought of genre. While the share of the Hindi news channels has increased by 78%, the English news channels have grown at least four times even as the share of regional news has quadrupled. Tamil News Channels The state of Tamil Nadu has the most unbalanced media in the whole of our country India. To achieve a balance in news an individual should watch minimum 2 news channels say to know about DMK party ,how bad it is and its members one should watch Jaya plus and to know how bad is AIADMAK one should watch the Sun news. As few years back a channel didnt depend on any political patronage or entertainment because for few years politics, entertainment and news all these comfortably was sharing the same bed in the state. Only in the years 40s and 50s During the War of independence period the DMK built its group and they started reading and interpreting the news for the public but later when the cinema became popular the art was mixed with the political propaganda and so Anna and Karunanidhi through their screenplays for cinemas and MGR and Jayalalitha through the screen presence in the cinemas started promoting their propagandas using the cinema as a medium and thus this tradition was followed by them even in the era of television . Sun tv functioned as tool and campus for the DMK party to promote and influence people about their ideologies and now that place is being occupied by Kalaignar Tv and same way Jaya Tv is functioning as a tool to influence the public about the AIADMK party and their ideologies. As this monotony was going on in Tamilnadu ,new channels like Puthiya thalaimurai came to existence and they started breaking the political affiliation of a channel with the political party and concentrated on real issues. And according to the TAM report Puthiya thalaimurai is in first position and the reason for that ironically, has to do with politics. When Jayalalithaa took over the government a year ago, one of the first things she did was to revive a government-owned cable distribution company called Arasu to break the monopoly of Sumangali Cable Vision owned by the Marans. The move had an impact on Sun TVs revenues. A Citi report earlier this year attributed the decline of cable revenues (it was down 45% year on year) to the revival of Arasu. But it also made the entry for a competitor like Puthiya Thalaimurai channel easier. (N.S.Ramnath, 2012) Gnani a popular writer in Tamil says However, its a bit early to say if Puthiya Thalaimurai is having an impact on the way other channels cover news. A single channel cannot change that. You need more competition for that to happen, and that will take time, Various comments and controversies still exist about all the Tamil news channel in Tamilnadu. The details about the existing news channels in Tamilnadu which are popular ssare as follows. Sun news Sun group is one of the largest conglomerate in India and started in the year 1992. It is owned by Kalanidhi Maran who is the Chairman and the Managing Director of the Sun network group which is the most profitable television network in the world. It has 32 power packed television channels in different regional languages of India. And Sun network has a reach of about 95 million households in India. The Sun network channels can be viewed by people all over the world including USA, Canada, Europe, Middle east, Singapore, Malaysia , Sri lanka ,South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Sun tv also owns a Sun direct DTH ( Direct to home satellite TV service ) which is a largest service provider in India of more than 7.5 million subscribers. Thus Sun network holding 32 top rated channels in India, including the Sun news channel which is solely dedicated only for news telecast, Sun network has got a tremendous reach, frequency and patronage that other groups failed and cant even compete. Sun Group believes in giving you wholesome fare. Be it news or entertainment, we are there first. . With Thirty Two Television Channels in four Indian languages and Forty Five FM Radio Stations, we are able to connect to the Southern Diaspora erasing geographical distances. Millions of people all over the world watch Sun Group channels. (Copyright 2011 Sun Group). Thus Sun tv news channel is also under the Sun network it is also able to connect with people so much as the other channels of Sun network and Sun news channel reaches the audience worldwide and takes the current news and what is happening around to large amount of people. Kalaignar Seithigal Kalaignar tv was started on September 15,2007. Kalaignar tv since when it was started it gave a tough competition to other competitors. In setting benchmarks, Kalaignar tv is in a league of its own. As a trend-setter, Kalaignar tv has started giving the top channels a run for their money. Its tie-up with the creamy layer of the entertainment industry has opened new vistas to the channel not wary of experimenting to strike gold. (Kalaignar Tv website). Kalaignar Tv is owned by Kalaignar Karunanidhi the DMK party leader as he launched the channel after the dispute between Kalanithi Maran and M.K.Azhagiri . They having entertainment , news and currents affairs as their USP, telecasted a bouquet of multi coloured programmes and it was focussing on every individual and their entertainment needs. Kalaignar Seithigal which is a 24/7 news channel in tamil also belong to the Kalaignar tv network .All over the country it has a tie up with top content providers and the news gathering facilitators so that they focus on not doing different things but doing things differently. They have all top news content providers like Reuters, P.T.I and Asian News International and thus resourceful and giving news to the public in a effective. Jaya Plus Jaya tv was founded by J .Jayalalitha the ADMK party leader. Jaya tv is one of the major Tamil language satellite television channels in Chennai. It was started in the month of August 1999.Jaya plus is a 24/7 Tamil news channel solely dedicated to news alone is also a part of Jaya Tv network. Jaya Tv broadcasting is in India , Middle east , Asia, Australia and New Zealand through Dish network channel. Jaya tv. Jaya TV is one of the early Tamil channels to entertain the Tamil audiences spread across Globe. In todays world information is the catch word and the Jaya Television Network has capitalised on the increasing demand for news that is unbiased, timely and accurate. (Copyright 2012 Jaya Network).Thus Jaya Plus is a news channel in Tamilnadu which is also one of the major source of news in Tamilnadu. Puthiya Thalaimurai Puthiya thalaimurai news channel is a recently launched Tamil news channel in Tamilnadu. It is a regional Indian cable Television started in August 2011.It is new Tv channel in Tamilnadu eroding the influence of Sun News, Kalaignar News and Jaya Plus by being unbiased and focussing on real issues .It is a channel which claims to be independent from political party, and with the punch line Unmai Udanuk udan which means truth as it happens. Puthiya thalaimurai has marked history of becoming number one news channel in Tamilnadu within a short period of 60 days from the day it has launched because of its Back to Back to live news telecast. The TAM ratings released by AC Neilson also mentioned that Pyuthiya Thalaimurai is in its number one position and has scored a Gross Rating Point or GRP of 35.94 on Week 44 across Tamil Nadu. Gnani Sankaran, a political commentator, says PT has kept its promise so far. Viewers see it as a credible channel, and they have been turning to it. One of its shows Ayudham Seivom (lets make tools) a phrase from a popular song by Bharathiar is about rural innovations and has turned out to be a huge success. Similarly, Kazham Irangivargal (those who stepped into the battlefield), a programme on entrepreneurs, found a lot of resonance with the audience. Another show, Konjam Soru, Konjam Varalaru (a little bit of food, a little bit of history) is a food programme that also delves deep into history . It has become a hit. (N.S.Ramnath, 2012) Puthiya thalaimurai 24/7 news channel has positioned itself now as Independent channel and also it is the first channel with High Definition in India as such and also it has attracted the audience because of its bright and clear graphics ,crystal clear appearance , and it has also imported latest broadcast equipments from various sources worldwide as all these factors has enhanced Puthiya Thalaimurai news channel and made it reach the 1st position in News channels in Tamilnadu. The channel has also concentrated in the news gathering by sending 3 reporters to cover the cyclone Thane which hit the coastal areas of Tamilnadu and they also hired helicopters and reported about the affected area where they also took some farmers with them on helicopters and even in National issues like Anna Hazares protest was covered by the channel in a effective way. Thus Puthiya thalaimurai channel has created a difference and it is having an impact on the way other channels cover news. Sathiyam Television Sathiyam tv is a part of Sathiyam Media Vision Private Limited. It is also a 24/7 news channel in Tamilnadu. They give full independence and responsibility to their employees to report the facts with truth and transparency. We as a company have passion to reach out to the Tamil speaking population world over with the honest and responsible presentation of news and current affairs that reflects the true spirit of journalism and reported with authenticity, clarity and definitive conviction(Copyright2010 Sathiyam Television). The Moto of Sathyam Tv is Yes as Yes and No as No. Sathiyam Tv aims in giving news in true, integral, understandable and devoid of sensationalism or slander of any kind. They believe in preparing our nation to face the reality of truth and motivate citizens to function based on their individual decisions.

The Truth of Thanksgiving Essay -- American History Thanksgiving Essay

The Truth of Thanksgiving While children are growing up in America, they are told several tales of America’s establishment and history. However, these stories are generally not told as they actually happened. An instance of this is the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is explained as this elaborate ceremony where the Pilgrims and Indians gathered in harmony at this large harvest in celebration of their coming together. According to the primary document of William Bradford’s journal, Thanksgiving didn’t pan out quite as it is explained to Americans today. In the film, The Addams Family Values, the Addams children take part in a traditional, yet misconceived celebration of the first Thanksgiving. This film in comparison to Bradford’s testimony proves how Americans view their history as they please; giving America the official Thanksgiving ceremony even if it never actually happened. In the film, Addams’ Family Values, the Addams’ are depicted as an odd American family. They practice magic, dress in all black, worship the dead, etc. In this specific film, the Addams children, Wednesday and Pugsley, are sent to summer camp. The camp is a Native American activity based camp named Camp Chippewa. At camp, Wednesday and all of her friends are considered â€Å"losers†. Wednesday and Pugsley have black hair, wear all black clothes and, along with all their friends, don’t enjoy typical kid activities, such as watching Disney movies and playing with dolls. All the other children are blonde, rich girls, who are considered the â€Å"cool kids†. They are all apples of their parent’s eyes and truly enjoy being at summer camp. The children partake in typical â€Å"Indian† activities such as shooting bow ... ...to Bradford’s, â€Å"Of Plymouth Plantation†. Americans have such a need to be exceptional and different that they are willing to risk their true history for a celebration that comes only once a year. It is important for American children to learn their true history rather than the alternative in order for them to understand the struggles the original founders went through to create the America we have today. Works Cited The Addams’ Family Values. Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld Perf. Angelica Houston, Raul Julia, Christopher Llyod, Joan Cusack, Christina Ricci, Carol Kane, Jimmy Workman. Paramount,1993. Bradford, William. â€Å"Of Plymouth Plantation.† Ed. Nina Baym. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: 2003. 156-195. Newman, Andrew. â€Å"William Bradford, the ‘Pilgrims’, Thanksgiving†. American Literature I. EGL 217. 06 Feb. 2006. (cited as â€Å"Lecture†)

Automobile Industry in Oman

No. 8 24 January 2012 GLOBAL FLOWS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT EXCEEDING PRE-CRISIS LEVELS IN 2011, DESPITE TURMOIL IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY HIGHLIGHTS Despite turmoil in the global economy, global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows rose by 17 per cent in 2011, to US$1. 5 trillion, surpassing their pre-crisis average, based on UNCTAD estimates (figure 1). Figure 1. Global FDI flows, average 2005 2007 and 2007 to 2011 (Billions of US dollars) 1 969 1 744 1 480 1 472 1 180 1 290 1 509 740 0 pre-crisis average 2005-2007 2007 2008 2009 2010* 2011** Source: UNCTAD. * Revised. * Preliminary estimates. FDI inflows increased in all major economic groupings developed, developing and transition economies Developing and transition economies continued to account for half of global FDI in 2011 as their inflows reached a new record high, at an estimated US$755 billion, driven mainly by robust greenfield investments. In this group, the 2011 increase in FDI flows was no longer driven by South, Ea st and South-East Asia (which saw an increase of 11 per cent), but rather by Latin America and the Caribbean (increase of 35 per cent) and by transition economies (31 per cent).Africa, the region with the most least developed countries (LDCs), continued its decline in FDI inflows. FDI flows to developed countries also rose by 18 per cent, but the growth was largely due to cross-border merger and acquisitions (M&As), not the much-needed investment in productive assets through greenfield investment projects. Moreover, part of the M&A deals appear to be driven by corporate restructurings and a focus on core activities, especially in Europe. Looking forward, UNCTAD estimates that FDI flows will rise moderately in 2012, to around US$1. trillion. However, the downward quarterly trend in FDI projects over the final quarter of 2011 indicates that the risks and uncertainties for further FDI growth in 2012 remain in place. Global FDI flows rose in 2011, surpassing their pre-crisis level Globa l FDI inflows rose in 2011 by 17 per cent compared with 2010, despite the economic and financial crisis. The rise of FDI was widespread, including all three major groups of economies developed, developing and transition though the reasons for this increase differed across the globe (see below).During 2011, many countries continued to implement policy changes aimed at further liberalizing and facilitating FDI entry and operations, but also introduced new measures regulating FDI (see UNCTAD's Investment Policy Monitor). UNCTAD’s global FDI quarterly index remained steady during 2011, underscoring the increased stability of flows witnessed during the year. Unlike foreign portfolio flows that have dramatically started to decline in the third quarter of 2011, FDI flows maintained their upward trends at least until this period (figure 2).However, as preliminary data from cross-border M and greenfield investment projects suggest, FDI flows are expected to slow down in the fourth qua rter of 2011. Figure 2. UNCTAD’s global FDI quarterly index compared with global foreign portfolio investment index , first quarter 2007 to last quarter 2011 (Base 100: quarterly average of 2005) 350 300 250 200 FDI 150 100 Foreign portfolio investment 50 0 Q1 – 50 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 – 100 Source: UNCTAD. Notes: The Global FDI Quarterly Index is based on quarterly data of FDI inflows for 67 countries.The index has been calibrated so that the average of quarterly flows in 2005 is equivalent to 100. The similar index for global foreign portfolio investment is also based on quarterly data of portfolio investment inflows for the same 67 countries. This index has also been calibrated so that the average of quarterly flows in 2005 is equivalent to 100. Figures for the last quarter of 2011 are UNCTAD estimates. After three years of consecutive decline, FDI flows to developed countries grew robustly in 2011, reaching an estimate US$753 billion, 18 per cent up from 2010.While FDI flows to Europe increased by 23 per cent, flows to the United States declined by 8 per cent (annex 1). These trends stand in stark contrast with the previous year, which saw a strong recovery in the United States and a continuing decline in Europe. Large-scale swings (from contraction in 2010 to expansion in 2011 or vice versa) were also observed for a number of major FDI recipients, including Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Ireland witnessed a large increase in FDI flows due entirely to equity and debt movements in the financial sector.The rise in FDI in developed economies, mainly in European countries, was driven by crossborder M which in most cases appear to be driven by corporate restructuring, stabilization and rationalization of their operations, improving their capital usage and reducing the costs. Rising crossborder M in developed countries were partly due to the sale of non-cor e assets (e. g. Carrefour SA of France completed the spin-off of its Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion in Spain for US$3. billion), and targeted opportunistic deals due to the lower currency values and fire sales caused by lower prices of stock exchange markets. However, these general trends were not shared equally by all developed countries. For example, FDI in Greece and Germany was down, but up in Italy and France. The differences also manifested themselves among different FDI components (figure 3). In the majority of developed countries, the share of equity investment declined to less than 40 per cent; reinvested earnings accounted for almost half of FDI flows while other capital flows (primarily intra-company loans) increased.In Europe alone, these debt flows swung from -(minus) US$25 billion in the first three quarters of 2010 to +US$36 billion in the same period in 2011, reflecting parent firms’ responses to the financial difficulties faced by their European affiliates. Figure 3. FDI inflows by components for 27 selected developed countries, average 2005–2007 and 2007–2011 (Percentage) 100 80 60 40 20 0 Average 2005-2007 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Q1-Q3 Equity flows Reinvested earnings Other capital flows Source: UNCTAD.Notes: Selected developed countries included here: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Data for 2011 cover the first three quarters only. Developing and transition economies continued to absorb half of global FDI inflows in 2011, though with a somewhat smaller share than in the previous year.FDI flows to developing Asia (excluding West Asia) the principal driver of the dynamic rise of developing and transition economies decelerated as the region suffered from t he protracted crisis in Europe. On the other hand, Latin America and the transition economies saw a significant rise in inflows, though not enough to increase the share of all developing countries and transition economies in global flows. FDI flows to developing Asia (excluding West Asia) rose 11 per cent in 2011, despite a slowing down in the latter part of the year.By subregion, East Asia, South-East Asia and South Asia received inflows of around US$209 billion, US$92 billion and US$43 billion, respectively. With a 16 per cent increase, South-East Asia continued to outperform East Asia in growth of FDI, while South Asia saw its inflows rise by one -third after a slide in 2010. The good performance of South-East Asia, which encompasses the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole, was driven by sharp increases of FDI inflows in a number of countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.FDI to China rose by 8 per cent to an estimated US$124 billion (US$116 bi llion in the non-financial sector) as a result of increasing flows to non-financial services, though FDI growth in the country slowed down in the last two months of 2011. FDI to Latin America and the Caribbean rose an estimated 35 per cent in 2011, to US$216 billion, despite a 31 per cent drop of the region's cross-border M&A sales. Most of the FDI growth occurred in Brazil, Colombia and offshore financial centres.Foreign investors continue to find appeal in South America's endowment of natural resources, and they are increasingly attracted by the region's expanding consumer markets. Particularly attractive are Brazil's market size and its strategic position that brings other emerging markets such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru within easy reach. In addition, uncertainty in the global financial market served to boost flows to the region's offshore financial centres. The fall in FDI flows to Africa in 2009 and 2010 continued into 2011, though at a much slower rate.The recover y in flows to South Africa did not offset the significant fall in FDI flows to North Africa: Egypt, Libya and Tunisia all witnessed sharp declines in FDI flows during the year. Central and East Africa experienced overall decreases in inward investment flows. West and Southern Africa, meanwhile, saw robust growth during the year. West Asia witnessed a 13 per cent decline in FDI flows to an estimated US$50 billion in 2011. Turkey stood out as an exception, with inward FDI registering a strong 45 per cent increase to US$13 billion, mainly due to a sharp rise in cross-border M&As sales.This consolidated the country's position as the region's second largest FDI recipient behind Saudi Arabia, where FDI dropped by 44 per cent, to an estimated US$16 billion in 2011. Transition economies of South-East Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) experienced a strong recovery of 31 per cent in their FDI inflows in 2011. This was mainly due to a number of large cross-border deals in the Russian Federation targeting the energy industry. Investors were also motivated by the continued growth of local consumer markets and by a new round of privatizations.Diverging trends in FDI modes accentuated in 2011 Cross-border M&As rose sharply in 2011 – especially mid-year – as deals announced in late 2010 came to fruition (figure 4). Rising M&A activity, especially in the form of megadeals, in developed countries and transition economies served as the major driver for this increase. The extractive industry was targeted by a number of important deals in both regions, while a sharp rise in pharmaceutical M&As took place in developed countries. M&As in developing economies fell slightly in value.New deal activity began to falter in the middle part of the year as the number of announcements tumbled dramatically. Completed deals, which follow announcements roughly by half a year, also started to slow down by year’s end. Figure 4. Value of cross-border M&A s ales and greenfield investment projects, First quarter 2007 to last quarter 2011 (Billions of dollars) 500 450 400 350 $ billion 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Q1 Q2 Q3 2007 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 2008 M&A value Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 2010 Q2 Q3 Q4 2011 2009 Greenfield value Source: UNCTAD.Note: Data for the last quarter of 2011 are preliminary. Greenfield investment projects, in contrast, declined in value terms for the third straight year, despite a strong performance in the first quarter (figure 4). As these projects are registered on an announcement basis, their performance largely coincides with investor sentiment during a given period. Thus, their tumble in value terms beginning in the second quarter of the year was strongly linked with rising concerns about the direction of the global economy and events in Europe.For the year as a whole, the value of greenfield investment projects dropped 3 per cent, compared with the previous year, with nearly three quarters of this decline occurring in developed countries. Greenfield investment projects in developing and transition economies rose slightly in 2011, accounting for about two thirds of the total value of greenfield investment projects (annex 1). FDI prospects for 2012: cautiously optimistic Based on the current prospects of underlying factors, such as GDP growth and cash holdings by transnational corporations (TNCs), UNCTAD estimates that FDI flows will rise moderately in 2012, to around US$1. trillion. However, the fragility of the world economy, with growth tempered by the debt crisis, the uncertainties surrounding the future of the euro and rising financial market turbulence, will have an impact on FDI flows in 2012. Both cross-border M&As and greenfield investments slipped in the last quarter of 2011. M&A announcements continue to be weak, suggesting that equity investment part of FDI flows will slow down in 2012, especially in developed countries. All these factors indicate that the risks and uncertainties for further FDI growth in 2012 remain in place.Annex 1. FDI inflows, cross-border M&As, and greenfield investment by region and major economy, 2010–2011 (Billions of US dollars) a Host region / economy 2010 World 1 289. 7 Developed economies 635. 6 Europe 346. 8 European Union 314. 1 Austria 3. 8 Belgium 72. 0 Czech Republic 6. 8 Denmark – 1. 8 Finland 6. 9 France 33. 9 Germany 46. 1 Greece 0. 4 Ireland 26. 3 Italy 9. 2 Luxembourg 20. 3 Netherlands – 13. 5 Poland 9. 7 Portugal 1. 5 Spain 24. 5 Sweden – 1. 2 United Kingdom 51. 8 United States 228. 2 Japan – 1. 3 Developing economies 583. 9 54. Africa Egypt 6. 4 Nigeria 6. 1 South Africa 1. 2 Latin America and the Caribbean 160. 8 Argentina 7. 0 Brazil 48. 4 Chile 15. 1 Colombia 6. 8 Mexico 19. 6 Peru 7. 3 368. 4 Asia and Oceania West Asia 58. 2 Turkey 9. 1 South, East and South-East Asia 308. 7 China 114. 7 Hong Kong, China 68. 9 India 24. 6 Indonesia 13. 3 Malaysia 9. 1 Singapore 38. 6 Thailand 5. 8 S outh-East Europe and CIS 70. 2 Russian Federation 41. 2 Source : UNCTAD. a b FDI inflows b 2011 Growth rate (%) 1 508. 6 17. 0 753. 2 18. 5 425. 7 22. 8 414. 4 31. 9 17. 9 366. 3 41. 1 -42. 5. 0 -25. 9 17. 8 .. 0. 5 -92. 2 40. 0 18. 1 32. 3 -30. 0 – 0. 8 .. 53. 0 101. 3 33. 1 261. 0 27. 2 33. 8 – 5. 3 .. 14. 2 46. 7 4. 4 203. 3 25. 0 1. 9 22. 0 .. 77. 1 49. 0 210. 7 -7. 7 – 1. 3 .. 663. 7 13. 7 54. 4 -0. 7 0. 5 -92. 2 6. 8 12. 0 4. 5 269. 2 216. 4 6. 3 65. 5 17. 6 14. 4 17. 9 7. 9 392. 9 50. 4 13. 2 343. 7 124. 0 78. 4 34. 0 19. 7 11. 6 41. 0 7. 7 91. 7 50. 8 34. 6 -10. 0 35. 3 16. 4 113. 4 -8. 8 7. 4 6. 7 -13. 4 45. 1 11. 4 8. 1 13. 8 37. 9 48. 2 27. 6 6. 1 33. 1 30. 6 23. 4 Net cross-border M&As 2010 2011 Growth rate (%) 338. 8 507. 49. 7 251. 7 396. 3 57. 4 123. 4 191. 2 55. 0 113. 5 162. 8 43. 3 0. 4 6. 9 1 505. 6 9. 4 3. 9 – 58. 3 – 0. 5 0. 7 – 258. 4 1. 4 7. 7 431. 4 0. 3 1. 0 200. 6 3. 8 23. 6 524. 6 10. 9 12. 8 17. 2 – 1. 2 1. 2 – 201. 7 2. 1 2. 2 2. 5 6. 8 13. 4 98. 8 2. 1 9. 4 350. 9 4. 0 9. 4 134. 9 1. 0 10. 1 868. 3 2. 2 0. 9 – 58. 8 8. 7 17. 3 99. 1 1. 4 4. 4 203. 2 58. 3 34. 9 – 40. 1 80. 3 129. 7 61. 6 6. 7 5. 1 – 23. 9 82. 8 78. 8 – 4. 8 7. 6 6. 3 – 17. 1 0. 2 0. 6 198. 9 0. 3 0. 5 82. 2 3. 9 4. 4 10. 6 29. 5 3. 5 8. 9 1. 6 – 1. 6 8. 0 0. 7 45. 7 4. 6 2. 1 32. 1 6. 12. 0 5. 5 1. 7 3. 4 4. 6 0. 5 4. 3 2. 9 20. 3 – 0. 2 15. 1 0. 6 – 0. 9 1. 2 0. 5 52. 3 9. 5 7. 2 42. 7 9. 0 1. 0 12. 5 6. 5 4. 5 4. 5 0. 6 32. 2 29. 0 – 31. 3 – 107. 1 70. 5 – 65. 0 – 44. 5 – 84. 6 – 28. 8 14. 3 105. 8 251. 9 33. 2 50. 8 – 91. 5 125. 2 287. 8 31. 3 – 2. 1 24. 7 644. 5 895. 9 c Greenfield investments 2010 2011 Growth rate (%) 807. 0 780. 4 – 3. 3 263. 5 229. 9 – 12. 7 148. 9 145. 2 – 2. 5 143. 1 142. 2 – 0. 7 1. 9 3. 7 94. 6 4. 6 2. 8 – 39. 3 5. 5 4. 2 – 23. 7 0. 3 0. 5 53. 1 1. 5 1. 6 7. 0 8. 5 7. 3 – 13. 8 13. 7 13. 6 – 1. 2 1. 2. 0 95. 8 4. 4 5. 9 32. 6 10. 1 4. 8 – 52. 2 0. 4 0. 2 – 43. 4 9. 8 4. 3 – 55. 8 10. 0 9. 1 – 8. 9 2. 6 1. 0 – 61. 7 14. 8 9. 1 – 38. 6 1. 8 2. 3 27. 1 23. 6 31. 1 32. 2 57. 1 51. 3 – 10. 2 4. 5 4. 2 – 8. 0 491. 6 498. 1 1. 3 84. 1 76. 6 – 8. 9 13. 8 6. 1 – 55. 7 12. 5 4. 0 – 67. 7 5. 9 9. 1 55. 0 118. 2 7. 1 43. 2 8. 1 8. 8 14. 5 11. 6 289. 3 52. 0 9. 1 236. 2 84. 6 5. 0 45. 4 11. 7 12. 8 13. 6 7. 7 51. 8 33. 4 126. 9 11. 6 59. 7 11. 6 7. 7 15. 8 3. 8 294. 7 60. 2 6. 6 231. 4 81. 9 3. 9 51. 5 22. 2 10. 7 16. 6 3. 1 52. 3 19. 5 7. 3 62. 8 38. 2 43. – 12. 9 9. 1 – 67. 0 1. 8 15. 7 – 27. 9 – 2. 1 – 3. 2 – 21. 4 13. 6 90. 7 – 15. 7 22. 3 – 59. 7 0. 9 – 41. 4 Revised. Preliminary estimates by UNCTAD. c Net cross-border M&As are sales of companies in the host econom y to foreign TNCs excluding sales of foreign affiliates in the host economy. Note: World FDI inflows are projected on the basis of 153 economies for which data are available for part of 2011 or full year estimate, as of 19 January 2012. Data are estimated by annualizing their available data, in most cases the first three quarters of 2011.The proportion of inflows to these economies in total inflows to their respective region or subregion in 2010 is used to extrapolate the 2011 regional data. Annex 2. Cross-border M&A deals with a value of over US$3 billion in 2011 Value (US$ million) 25 056 7 057 6 041 5 629 4 948 4 800 4 750 4 546 3 895 3 832 3 800 3 800 3 549 Acquired company Industry of the acquired company Host economy Ultimate acquiring company Ultimate acquiring nation France Australia Australia Spain Norway United States Australia Germany Switzerland Spain United States United States United StatesGDF Suez Energy AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd Bank Zachodni WBK SA Vale SA AIG Star Life Insurance Co Ltd Chesapeake Energy Corp. Porsche Holding GmbH Baldor Electric Co Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS Universal Studios Holding III Corp OAO â€Å"Vimm-Bill'-Dann Produkty Pitaniya† EMI Group PLCFirst quarter Natural gas transmission Belgium Life insurance Australia Life insurance Australia Banks Poland Iron ores Brazil Life insurance Japan Crude petroleum and natural United States gas Automobiles and other motor Austria vehicles Motors and generators United States Banks Turkey Television broadcasting United States stations Fluid milk Russian Federation GDF Suez SA AMP Ltd AMP Ltd Banco Santander SA Norsk Hydro ASA Prudential Financial Inc BHP Billiton Ltd Porsche Automobil Holding SE ABB Ltd BBVA GE PepsiCo Inc CitiGroup IncServices allied to motion United Kingdom picture production Second quarter Telephone communications, except radiotelephone Biological products, except diagnostic substances Land subdividers and developers, exce pt cemeteries Offices of bank holding companies Copper ores Drilling oil and gas wells Food preparations Electric services Personal credit institutions Radiotelephone communications Italy United States United States United States Australia United States Denmark United Kingdom United States Brazil Brazil Canada Russian Federation Australia United States United States United States Sweden United States BrazilWeather Investments Srl 22 382 21 230 Genzyme Corp Centro Properties Group 9 400 7 800 7 359 7 306 7 206 6 505 6 300 5 524 4 925 4 356 4 000 3 908 3 842 3 560 3 500 3 400 3 117 3 070 Morgan Stanley Equinox Minerals Ltd Pride International Inc Danisco A/S Central Networks PLC Chrysler Financial Corp Vivo Participacoes SA VimpelCom Ltd Sanofi-Aventis SA Blackstone Group LP Mitsubishi UFJ Finl Grp Inc Barrick Gold Corp Ensco PLC DuPont PPL Corp Toronto-Dominion BankTelefonica SA Cosan Ltd Cliffs Natural Resources Inc Total SA Rio Tinto PLC Unilever PLC Grifols SA Investor Group Inves tor Group Ventas Inc Sinochem Group Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd BHP Billiton Ltd BP PLC Polyus Zoloto IPIC Rolls-Royce Group plc Solvay SA Bank of Montreal Investor Group Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc GE Shareholders Investor Group SABMiller PLC Microsoft Corp Metelem Holding Ltd Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Polymetal International Plc Mitsubishi Corp Chiron Holdings Inc Peabody Energy Corp Volcan Investments Ltd Liberty Global Inc UCL Holding BV Hutchison Whampoa Ltd Grupo Sura China Investment Corp Level 3 Communications Inc Netherlands France United States Japan Canada United Kingdom United States United States Canada Spain Brazil United States France United Kingdom United Kingdom Spain Singapore United States United States ChinaShell International Petroleum Co Industrial organic chemicals Ltd Consolidated Thompson Iron Iron ores Mines Ltd Crude petroleum and natural OAO â€Å"Novatek† gas Bituminous coal and lignite Riversdale Mining Ltd surface mining Perfumes, cosmeti cs, and Alberto-Culver Co other toilet preparations Talecris Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical preparations Holdings Corp Frac Tech Holdings LLC Oil and gas field services Securitas Direct AB Security systems services Atria Senior Living Group Inc. Peregrino Project,Campos Basin Nycomed International Management GmbH Petrohawk Energy Corp Reliance Industries Ltd OAO â€Å"Polyus Zoloto† Cia Espanola de Petroleos SA {CEPSA} Tognum AG Rhodia SA Marshall & Ilsley Corp.Parmalat SpA Phadia AB Converteam Group SAS Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion SA{Dia} SPIE SA Foster's Group Ltd Skype Global Sarl Polkomtel SA Cephalon Inc OAO â€Å"Polimetall† Anglo American Sur SA Kinetic Concepts Inc Macarthur Coal Ltd Cairn India Ltd Musketeer GmbH OAO â€Å"Pervaya Gruzovaya Kompaniya† Northumbrian Water Group PLC ING Groep NV GDF Suez SA Global Crossing Ltd Skilled nursing care facilities Crude petroleum and natural gas Third quarter Pharmaceutical preparations Crude pet roleum and natural gas Crude petroleum and natural gas Gold ores Crude petroleum and natural gas Internal combustion engines Manmade organic fibers, except cellulosic National commercial banks Fluid milk Surgical and edical instruments and apparatus Motors and generators Grocery stores 13 683 11 776 9 000 6 256 4 964 4 723 4 640 4 095 3 599 3 540 3 200 3 140 3 033 10 793 8 500 6 611 6 311 5 499 5 390 5 139 4 949 4 542 4 495 4 223 3 837 3 614 3 259 Switzerland United States India Russian Federation Spain Germany France United States Italy Sweden France Spain Japan Australia United Kingdom Russian Federation United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Belgium Canada France United States United States France United States United Kingdom United States Cyprus Israel Jersey Japan United Kingdom United States United Kingdom United States Netherlands Hong Kong, China Colombia China United StatesEngineering services France Fourth quarter Malt beverages Australia Prepackaged Software Luxembourg Radio telephone Poland communications Pharmaceutical preparations Gold ores Copper ores Surgical and medical instruments and apparatus Coal mining services Crude petroleum and natural gas Cable and other pay television services United States Russian Federation Chile United States Australia India Germany Railroads, line-haul operating Russian Federation Water supply Insurance agents, brokers, and service Electric services Telephone communications, except radiotelephone United Kingdom Mexico France Bermuda 3 017 Source: UNCTAD. The next issue of UNCTAD’s Global Investment Trends Monitor will be released in mid-April 2012. The next issue of UNCTAD's Investment Policy Monitor will be released in the first week of February 2012.

Customer Retention Strategies Essay

Assume you are doing a classroom presentation on customer retention strategies. Reread your responses to the What Do You Think? questions that you completed throughout this chapter. 1.What are some service attitudes and practices that promote retaining customers? Customer retention refer to a strategy with the purpose of doing whatever it takes to keep a company’s current customers on a long term basis (Gibson, 2012). Retaining customers is enabled by excellent customer service that produces many positive benefits for the organization. Retaining customers through effective customer service enables easier growth, indirectly and directly. When the customers are happy and satisfied then the staff is happy as well (2009). You can improve the customer stimulation by offering discounts, promotions and having active sales efforts will keep a relationship with your customer and attract them to buy more of the products or service you sell. Upon the organization, you can keenly monitor the customers for signs of attrition such as a decrease/increase in calls. If you develop a precise campaign strategy then you will prevent high risk customers and you will be able to retain in more swiftly manner. When you can improve the precision and clarity of your billing process, you can go a long way toward minimizing customer worry. Increasing the power of the service organization and the sales team to address customer complaints promptly and offer retention-oriented promotions are other ways to appease dissatisfied customers. When doing this, you are addressing the key sources of customer dissatisfaction (2011). 2.What service issues must be carefully addressed by the CSRs to retain customers over a long period of ti me? An angry, dissatisfied customer. When dealing with these customers, listen to what they have to say while they explain their problem. Offer an apology and  empathize with them even if you don’t agree with their complaint, you letting them know that you can and might come up a solution to help them. After things have been solved, do a follow up with them. 3. Which skills should CSRs demonstrate that keep customers returning for more products? You always want to keep your customers happy and satisfied so they can continue doing business with the company. Communicate and listen to your customers. When you listen to your customers, you can find out what they needs and wants are. Ask questions concerning them like: How you doing? Is your day going okay? Did you enjoy the product or service that you purchased? Let them know that you appreciate their business. Keep a positive attitude with the customers. Smile when you are talking to the customer; if you are on the phone still smile even though the customer can’t see it, they will feel it. Speak clearly try not to talk so fast to where the customer can understand you. Last but not least remain objective. Your goal is to make sure they are happy. I think if the CSRs use these skills, they wouldn’t have any problems losing customers. References: Customer Service. (2009). Retrieved June 1, 2014, from www.businessballs.com: http://www.businessballs.com Gibson, P. (2012). Customer Retention. In P. Gibson, World of Customer Service (p. 118). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Thorton, V. (2011, December 14). Three Keys to Attracting and Retaining Customers or Clients. Retrieved June 1, 2014, from www.evanmichael.com: http://www.evanmichael.com