Thursday, October 31, 2019

Technical Report about Zigbee Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technical Report about Zigbee Network - Essay Example Zigbee is a set of specifications that facilitate a low cost, low consumption power, low data transfer load and non-complex wireless mesh network. Zigbee protocol has been standardized by IEEE. In this paper, the basic attributes of Zigbee networks shall be discussed along with the network topologies, applications and components. The protocol shall also be studied with reference to the OSI model to highlight the layers where it is defined. Table of Contents Abstract ii List of Figures iv 1. Introduction 1 2. Background 1 3. Components of Zigbee Networks 3 4. Applications of Zigbee 5 5. Network Topologies of Zigbee Networks 5 6. Zigbee Specifications in OSI Model 7 7. Conclusion 8 References 9 List of Figures Figure 1: Zigbee comparison with other wireless technologies 2 Figure 2: Zigbee network in a smart home 3 Figure 3: Coordinator, Router and end-devices 4 Figure 4: Types of network topologies of Zigbee standard 6 Figure 5: OSI layers comparison with the definition of Zigbee in th e model 7 Zigbee Networks and Specifications 1. Introduction Technology has intervened to an extensive degree in the lives of humans. The intervention has made man rely on technology for his business, as well as domestic needs. The trend of transforming regular houses into smart homes has been a field of interest for researchers around the world. Gohn (2007) stated that the advancement in the domain of wireless networking and information technology has made an age-old dream come true of automating one’s house with a centralized source of control. The innovative technology that is responsible for leaping wireless technology to another level of automation is known as Zigbee. The report focuses on the components and network topologies that develop the standard and facilitate communication with devices that are placed within a close range. Section 2 discusses the background and overview of the Zigbee standard. Section 3 includes the components of a Zigbee network while Section 4 discusses the applications of the respective standard. Section 5 includes the network topologies that are followed by the standard and Section 6 defines its placement in the OSI model. 2. Background Several technologies have been developed in the past years that are based on different levels of bandwidth, ranges and degrees of power consumption. Some of the common technologies to provide connectivity with different devices around a smart home have been Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and WiMax. Leopold, Dydensborg and Bonnet (2003) provided the information that bluetooth is considered to be the first technology in the domain of Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) that gained extensive recognition and acceptance. Leopold, Dydensborg and Bonnet (2003) stated that Bluetooth offered omni-directional communication that led to the desire for a smarter technology after some years of its common usage. Stevanovic (2007) provided the information that Zigbee Alliance introduced a new standard with the nam e ‘Zigbee’. Zigbee is a standard which is meant for communication between embedded devices placed in a limited range. It was recognized as a standard under IEEE 802.15.4. Gohn (2007) stated that the main aim behind the standard was to facilitate wireless connectivity between devices such that it would possess the following attributes: Low complexity Low cost Low consumption of power Two-way communication Low load of data transfer Lonn and

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The war at sea Essay Example for Free

The war at sea Essay Despite this fact they were only a side show to the Western Front. Aeroplanes were significant to the war effort as they brought glamour and gave cvillians and soldiers on the Western front hope as well as heros to believe in. This boosted the morale of the nation and helped the war at sea, on the home Front and on the Western Front. The Home Front: The war of 1914-1918 was the first war thathad an impact on everyone. No longer did a war involve sopldiers or men in the armed forces alone. Helpless civilians were also affected. The first world War touched everyone at some point throughout its duration, and people who lived in cities were the victims of bombardments by enemy planes. The First World War was the fist time that blackouts were introduced, this was so German planes would not know when they were opver a city. The alarm would sound and everyone would take cover intheir bomb shelters until a second alarm sounded to say it was safe to come out. When the war started Britain had only a small professional army. The government decided to invest a lot of money into advertsing aspects of the war; fighting for ones country and trying to encourage patriotsm. Posters and leaflets were plastered everywhere to promote and encourage recruitment to the armed forces. Propoganda was vital to ensure men signed up. The British press reinforced the governments recruitment drive with tales of German atrocities such as the murder of babies and nurses and the raping of HELPLESS WOME. One of the most popular stories of the time was that of German factories making soap from boiled corpses. The campaign to enrol men was very succesfull and by 1916 over 2 million had enlisted. In 1916 the government introduced conscription for men between the ages of 16 and 40 for the first time. This was due to many reasons; the number of men volunteering for the war was dropping, the lower classes were conscribing which was crippling the agricultural system whilst the upper classes did not volunteer. The war effort was only attracting certain people and it was felt by most that not all men were playing their part. Conscription meant that everyone, from all walks of life, helped their country. Not everyone agreed with conscription, many members of parliament voted against it. Others did not go to war due to political or religious beliefs. They were called conscientious objectors or conchies. They had to appear in front of a tribunal to prove that they had valid reasons. If not they were often put in prison where they were badly treated. Some chonchies helped at the front as stretcher bearers; these men had a life expectancy of about 3 days. In 1914 the government introduced DORA this stood for the defence of the Realem Act. This gave the government a wide range of powers, some of which included censership of what the publicfopund out about the wa and what enemy countries found out about the allies, thus ensuring no piece of information got into the wrong hands. The government was able to use any building as part of the war effort and to take over various industries including the coal industry, ensuring that business men did not profit from production. In 1915 the munitions crisis occurred due to the stalemate on the Western Front as armament and weapons were running out. Men had to train with wooden sticks as there were insufficient rifles to equip each man. The bombardment of enemy trenches could not continue if there were no shells. Some soldiers were only allowed to use 3 rounds of shot per day. The situation was looking dire for the government at this time. The daily male put the national scandal into circulation and as a result a coalition government was formed so that all parties could work together. Lollyd George was made Minister of Munitions. One of the initial problems of the munitions crisis was that too many skilled young workers had gone to war in search of better pay. The government had to recall many of these men. Another key constituent of Llyod Georges plan was to introduce women to the work force. In 1915 100,000 women enlisted for work however only 5,000 of these got jobs. The unions were worried that when women took the jobs they would dilute the salary of the mens jobs. Llyod George clearly ststed that women would earn the same amount as men and that their jobs would be complete when the war was over. Many women worked in the munitions factories and by 1915 the situation had improved and helped all fronts. It is recognised that without the assistance of the women the war would probably been lost. As men left for war an increasing number of women went into the professions usually dominated by men. Women went into all fields of work including ship, coal , steel, transport and agricultural (land girls) industries. However their made impactwas in the munitions factories. Here the women were in high risk jobs which affected both their skins and their lives. Toxic chemicals turned their skin yellow and they were often labelled canaries as a consequence. Women payed the ulimate price as many of the died of the cancer these toxic chemicals caused. In1917 women aged over 30 were given the right to vote. The war had help[ed the men of the country to realise that women were a part of a functioning Britain and that they to had a voice that needed to be heard. Asquith a former priminister, supported votes for women during the war although he had previously aposed this when in power. The attitude towards women and their role changed as a result of the war. Under DORA the government had the right to secure land and use it for farm production. In 1917 the government had a problem, there was a shortage of food. A quarter of British ships were being sunk by German U-boats in April and there was supposedly only six weeks of wheat left. As supplies ran low prices rose. Shops closed early as they ran out of food. Poorer families starved whilst the rich hoarded all of the food they could get their hands on. The government reacted in a variety of ways. The earnings of industry workers rose and in May 1917 voluntary rationing was introduced. The Royal family led the way by stating that hey were reducing their ingestion of bread and such products by 25%. Posters were designed to encourage economical consumption and in November the nine penny loaf was introduced. None of these measures were affective so in 1918 compulsary rationing was introduced for bread, sugar, meat, butter and beer. Each fam,ily was given a ration which was stamped when anything was bought. There were heavy fines for those whgo tried to break the rules. Rationing was welcomed by most and even improved the health of poorer people by the ne dof the war. The Defence of the Realm Act also controlled the news that flowed in and out of Britain. The british press was heavly censored and even the House of Commons was not always kept informed of the goings on at the Western Front. Journalists were banned from travelling with the troops in case stories were leaked to the British public, thus maintaining morale amongst civilians. In 1916 the british government had to overcome one of its greatest challenges, the filming of the battle of the Sommme. The battle had raged on and many lives had been lost for only a few square miles of land. The film sold out in cinemas all over the country. The footage was unique and showed dying soldiers, and men going over the top. The nation appreciated the tone of the film and although people were shocked they appreciated the films realism. The film was a huge success and saluted as a great piece of cinematography. For the government it achieved its aim by showing the public that despite the absurd and horrendous number of casualties, the war was a worthy cause. Propaganda was used to keep up morale as well as uniting all against the enemy. The Home Front was as important and as vital as the other fronts. It supplied the troops with munitions and the patriotism to convince those at home that their sacrifice was for a deserving cause. This would not have continued without the propoganda and the governments policy of protecting the public from hearing news that would destroy their trust. The Home Front was succesfull due to the efforts of many women who were able to show the men in power that they were as good as them. On a political the Home Front gave women confidence and a certain amount of admiration from the countries men. The war wopuld not have been won without this and was beneficial to the success of the Allies, but it also needed the help of the other three fronts to succeed. Western Front: When the war was first declaired in 1914 it was expected to be over by Christmas. The public thought that it wopuld revolve around gallant young men on horse back charging against the Germans and thus winning a lightning victory. They could not have been more wrong. As sson as war was declared the Germans put the Schlieffen Plan into operation. Their aim was to secure victory over France within six weeks and then turn their attention to Russia in the East. Al;l would have gone according to plan if Belgium had not put up such heroic resistance against Germany and delayed them. The German commander Moltke had also to send a 100,000 troops towards Russia who had mobalised more quickly than anticipated. The Germans were heading towards Paris but were held up quite dramatically by the British troops even though they outnumbered the British. The French launched a direct and grand attack on Germany but were halted by machine gun fire. The Germans gathered their troops and headed towards Paris. However the German troops advance too quickly and ran out of supplies, the German soldiers were also exhausted. The Allied troops desperately tried to save Paris without France, Britains chief Ally, the war would be over. The Germans decided not to advance on Paris and instead chose to go around and attack the French from behind. The French stopped the German advance on the river Marne but were unable to force them to retreat. By the 8th of September each side had dug in to protect themselves, using barbed wire, snipers and machine guns as a means of defence. These were the first signs of stalemate. This stalemate lasted until 1918 with millionsof lives lost and no land gained. The trenches stretched fro the sea in the North too the Alps in the South. The Germans launched several attacks on various Forts in Verdun and both sides resourced the battle. By 1916 700,000 men had been killed and then French were close to collapsing. To help the French the british led by Hague launched their offensive at the Somme, after a week of bombardment the British advanced. There were 57,000 casualties on the first day and by November 1. 5 million men had died. The atrocities of the battles of Verdun and the Somme were something the politicians and the public were unprepared for. Military leadership was criticised and Hague became known as a bad commander; a butcher who knew nothing about modern warfare. Hague was used to the old style of war and was not prepared dor the way things were in the new age of technology. At these battles new technology and tactics, like the introduction of tanks and creeping ambush, set a presedant for future wars. The Battles of Verdun and the Somme have sinced been recognised as a turning point in the war although at the time they were thought of as a complete disaster. In 1917 the Americans joined the war after the Germans declared unrestricted warfare on American ships suspected of carrying armaments for the Allies, although America maintained neutrality. The Germans accused the USA of having double standards. When the Germans tried to ally with mexico it was the last straw and America declared war on Germany on the 1st April 1917. Although this was good news the Americans did not arrive immediately in force and the French continued to struggle. Top make matters worse the Russians had made peace with the Germans in 1917 as a result of the Russian Revolution and the new communist regime. This was bad news for the Allies. It meant that Germany could now mobalise hundreds of thousands of troops from the Eastern to the Western Front. The German force increased as their army was no longer spread across Europe. A final attack was planned under the command of Lundenhoff. However the power of Germanys army had diminished as they were weak and tired. The troops were starved and their whole final offensive failed largely due to the malnurishment of the troops. Although the Germans had ended the stalemat it was the Allies who benefited. The Americans were sending troops at a rate of 50,000 men per month. The troop swere assisted by technologically advanced tanks, aeroplanes and improved artillery. In 1918 the Allied counter attack along the Western Front had reached the Hindenburg line and by October the Germans were in full retreat. When the November Armistice came into effect the Great War was finally over. The Western Front was considered the most important by some. The public views of The Western Front was far from reality. Letters from soldiers fighting on the front were censored and changed so that the image of the heroic battles the Allies were fighting were not destroyed by the truth. It was feared that if the truth were known it would result in havoc amongst the Allied Nations. Civillians new nothing about the terrible conditions of the trenches and propaganda made the war look muchmore glamerous than it really was News papers painted victorious pictures of trench war fare and the public new no better as this was the first technically advanced war ever. The film of The Battle of the Somme, changed that image and people became more aware of the tragedy of loss. Recruitment numbers reduced during the war which was why conscription was introduced. Each of the fronts played an important part in winning the war. The public viewed the Western Front as the only War Front as this was where most of the soldiers were sent, although others were sent to Gallipoli, The Balkans and the middle East. The Western Front had the most casualties which is why it will always be perceived as the most important. The war in the air was vital for surveillance, advancements in aviation and morale boosting. It gave the public something they could understand and belive in. The war at sea proved to be a turning point for the Allies. The Allies starved the Germans into surrendering, thus weakening them and rendering their last offensive unsuccesfull. The war at sea brought the Americans into the picture at a time when the Allies needed reinforcement. The Americans brought with them artillery, equipment and strong healthy men at a time when they were most needed. The war at sea also supplied the troops on various fronts with food and ammunitions so that they were as strong as circumstances would permit. The Home Front was the provider of men for enlistment, was the center for propaganda and made ammunitions and artillery to be used by the troops. DORA was introduced as part of the Home Front offensive to protect civilians and information, and brought women into action replacing the men who were away. The Home Front also provided nurses and kept the nation at Home running smoothly so that the men could return to an organised country at the end of the war. The Western front was where the fighting took place where thousands of men died and where some of the most heroic and dangerous battles ever took place. The men on the Western Front clearly had the hardest task with variable weather conditions and the dreaded over the top manoeuvre. It was also the most traumatic but it would not have succeded without the help and combination of the other three fronts. The Allied victory was due to an imalgamatoion of effort from all the fronts.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Merits and Demerits of Devaluation

Merits and Demerits of Devaluation Background and History Pakistan has unusual history of successive devaluation. The rupee was first devalued in 1950 in response to a similar move by India. Later in 1972, Z.A. Bhuttos government massively devalued the rupee by 133%. The rupee was further devalued in early 1980s during General Zia regime. Moeen Qureshis caretaker government in 1993 also devalued the rupee by 7%. After that it was Benazir Bhuttos government that further devalued the rupee and finally same measure are being taken by the present government of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan has been on a system of managed float since January 8, 1982. For most of the past decade the rupee had been fixed in relation to the US dollar at the rate of Rs 9.9= US$1. The new exchange regime commenced with an official nominal depreciation of 5 percent in the month of January, and a cumulative 30 % for the year 1982. This was accompanied by the abandonment of the fixed peg to the US dollar and its replacement by a flexible basket peg whereby the authorities manage the nominal exchange rate actively. The exchange rate system has remained unlettered up to the present and the Government has periodically re-affirmed its commitment to this flexible management in stabilization and adjustment programs negotiated with the IMF. Since the introduction of the new system there has been a continuous downward slide in our exchange rate. At present the rate of Pak RS in 2010. This represents a depreciation of 260 percent since Devaluation and its function Depreciation or devaluation refers to the downward movement of the rate at which the home currency exchanges against the foreign currency or an increase in the domestic price of one unit of the foreign currency. Depreciation is the name given to this drop when it occurs in a free market; devaluation is the same thing resulting from government actions in a market that is not free. Since 1973 most of the currencies are on the floating currency system, through the system of dirty floating still allows government/ central banks to interfere to some extent. The question of devaluing the external value of the currency is one of the hotly debated issues in public policy discussions. On the one hand, the IMF and the World Bank supports devaluation as an important component of their recommended policy package for less developed countries (LDCs). On the other hand many economist and economic policy makers are strongly opposed to devaluing currencies has become a dirty word in many countries. Technically, devaluation of a currency is the last resort when other fiscal and monetary measures like demand management , financial incentive, trade restrictions have proved to be less effective in solving problem of balance of payment, by boosting the countrys exports and decreasing imports. In countries like Pakistan where major economic problem is lack of growth, exports are low because of poor quality of goods rather than the value of the currency. The mechanism of the open market keeps on adjusting exchange rate automatically and has made devaluation obsolete. Balancing Mechanism Basically devaluation is a measure to correct a fundamental disequilibrium in countrys balance of payments. Equilibrium in a countrys balance is a result of restraint on imports and foreign payments of all sorts and an expansion of exports and foreign exchange earning of all sorts. The restraint on import cannot be achieved through appeals. It has to be done through direct restriction and/or through operation of the price mechanism, that is to say through making imports costlier by operating on import duties, and this in fact has been extensively done in many developing countries, including Pakistan. However, this is open to some objections and limitations so a simple way of making imports costlier is not adjustment of the exchange rate. The entire burden of making imports costlier is not generally placed on the exchange rate mechanism. It is shared by the device of import duties and also quantitative regulations. The import duty mechanism can also be used to make transition to the n ew exchange rate and to give a certain amount of discretionary treatment to individual items of import. The Price Factor The other major objective of devaluation is to promote export. It should be noted that what is contemplated is an increase in exports in foreign exchange; in term of domestic currency. Exports on the whole will have to increase by more than the percentage of devaluation. Expansion of exports depends upon a number of factors, the elasticity of supply in devaluing country and of demand for the products of that country abroad. Much depends on the prices at which the devaluing country is able to offer its goods. Contractionary Impact Reluctance to adjust the exchange rate in downward direction is due to its possible contractionary impact on output and employment, re-distribution of income from wages earner to property owners, cost-push inflationary pressure and the initial favourable effect on the balance of payment. All of the above will eventually reserved through a process of domestic inflation and larger imports. When quantitative controls on imports duties are reduced along with the devaluation, imports and exports are not particularly sensitive to price changes especially in the short run. This is particularly applicable in the case of UDCs whose imports are often consist of essential capital goods, intermediate inputs including fuel and fertilizer and sometimes basic consumer goods like food grains, edible oils etc. There is little scope for cutting down these imports. The exports of UDCs on the other hand mainly consist of primary commodities and processed materials whose supply elasticity are rather low in short run. If devaluation has to improve the balance of trade in short run, it should come through a reduction in the level of output and changes in the distribution of income towards high saver which would reduce the demand for imports and generate a bigger exportable surplus. Recession, unemployment and unequal distribution of income are the costs of a successful devaluation. Inflationary Pressure The ineffective of exchange rate adjustment in securing improvement in the external balance primarily comes from the fact that changes in costs arising from exchange rate movements feed through quickly and extensively into the economy and contribution to the accerlation of prevailing inflationary pressure associated with an improvement of the monetary conditions. The rigid climb in price over a long period has stimulated defensive inflationary responses amoung industrialists, agriculturalist, business mens, and wage earner and has nullified the impact of exchange rate adjustments on the international competitiveness of our exports. It should be taken into account that devaluation corrects the past inflationary and other economic development that led to adverse movement in the balance of payment. This does not protect the balance of payments against further inflationary and other adverse developments. Frequent devaluation of a currency is undesirable. It stimulates speculation and res ults in distortion in income, consumption, industrial growth and public finance. This also erodes the confidence in the currency. DEMAND Management Unfortunately, for keeping our external accounts disequilibrium within sustainable limits, we have relied rather heavily on exchange rate adjustment and not paid attention to the efficiency dimension of our economic system. Economic efficiency at the macro and micro levels requires high productivity, technological efficiency, high rates of saving and investment, and incomes policy that does not lead to cost-push inflation and fiscal-monetary policy that provides a stable environment for careful demand management. These are the simple and inflexible economic laws that were recognized and grasped. Neither negative controls nor artificial stimuli like frequent depreciation of external value of the currency with help except a little and temporarily. International trade and Devaluation Globalization is the strategy of todays world. The concept of information sharing has reinforced the process of globalization throughout the world. The consultant and analysts are, therefore, working on the integration of the entire system to run smoothly without any hindrances. Looking at the economic activity in this scenario, there is two major classifications, good and services. The globalization of goods can be seen in the prospective of international trade. By international trade we mean exchange of goods between the nations. Looking at the economies of the world we find that the states are broadening their activities by offering investors to share their share of excellence and encouraging their local manufacture to explore the possibilities of selling their goods in the foreign markets. International trade is very important in terms of increasing the foreign exchange of the country which ultimately prospers the people. The Government of Pakistan has liberalized its trade policy with devaluation of Pak rupee and encouraged the manufacturers to export their goods and invited foreign companies to compete in the local market. The key reason for international trade is provided by the theory of Comparative costs importance of relative cost saving in the production of one item over the other. Obviously it would be better to buy a product from china at the price of Rs 1/= instead of producing it at the cost of Rs. 2/- that can be ultimately be sold for Rs 2.50 in the market. There are various other reasons which strongly support the trading among the countries, few of which are: Decreasing cost Consumption of excess production Difference in taste Foreign Exchange rate From international trade, we mean buying and selling the goods among nations. The deal cannot, of-course, be taken place without availability of currency to be accepted by the seller, on the other hand an exporter/importer would definitely like to know how the exchange rate of Pakistan rupee into dollar is being fixed, and how can her benefit from it?. At present in Pakistan we have managed float of currency to determine exchange rate as an independent policy instrument. We need some criteria to fix the exchange of currency amoung the countries. It is important to note that only a favourable exchange can really benefits the nation and by favourable exchange, we mean, getting more foreign currency by paying less local currency. Theoretically there are two type of exchange rates: Stable Exchange rate Altough stable exchange rate has no pratical value now a days, yet it helps in understanding the determination of exchange theory. A stable exchange rate was set by the value of gold. However, with passage of time, the limitation and deficiencies of gold standard started emerging. Few of these were carrying inconvencies, remelting of gold, shipment of gold, different valuation of gold by different countries, and unavailability of sufficient gold to meet with the heavy demand. That is why the gold system was found inadequate ans was replaced with the flexible exchange rate. Flexible or floating exchange rate Flexible exchange rate is set by the interaction of demand and supply schedule for foreign exchange indepently. The optimum level in demand and supply teory is set at the point where supply equal to the demand. So if a person want to buy electric equipment from America worth $ 100000/- and an American in contrast wants to buy cotton and the parity between US$ and Pak rupee is 1:1, the equation will be somehow similar to as follows: Demand for US$ by Pakistan 100,000 Demand for Rs. By America 50,000 Pakistan is demanding more dollars than America wants to supply. The demand and supply are not in balance, consequently Pakistan shall have to refix the parity between $ and rupee at a level where our demand for $ will become equal to the supply of $. Now if we reduce the price of our goods by half of the existing price: Demand for US$ by Pakistan 100,000 Demand of Rs by America 25,000 This reduction price will have dual effects: Dollas will become more expensive, the American goods will become more costly. Pakistani Rupee will become more cheaper, our goods will become cheaper and as a result the demand for our goods will increase. From the above it can be included that demans for imports should be in line with supply of exports. Total value of imports and exports of a country can also help manufacturers to design their plans for future expansion. With an expensive foreign currency, export may be increased with relatively low price supply of goods and quality production within the country. At the same time with a cheap currency investment can be made in foreign countries to utilize the cheap resources and ultimately increases the value of the firm. DEVALUATION its effects on Exports As the reason for the devaluation has been to strengthen the countrys balance of payment by stimulating exports, curtailing imports and by encouraging overseas Pakistanis to remit their earning through banks by narrowing the wedge between the official exchange rate and the kerb rate in the open market. It is universally accepted concept that the exchange rate mechanism is used to create a balance between the imports and exports but what is lesser known fact is that this mechanism need to be implemented at the right time and for the right economic reasons to be fully effective in achieving the desired purpose. Advantages and Disadvantages of Devaluation Advantages of Devaluation Devaluation helps in obtaining international market demand perfection in quality and reduction in price up to a competitive level. As both developed and underdeveloped countries function in one international market therefore, it is not easy for Pakistan to sell a product which is also produced by France, Germany or Holland if the prices are high. However, we are competing with the underdeveloped countries, it is, therefore, very necessary for us to adjust our prices with the prices of our competitors to serve in the market. Every new product has four stages, out of which the first stage is introduction stage. An introduction stage demands lot of efforts to promote the product and create awareness among the buyers. At this stage it is vital to sell it at even below the cost. That is why the government provides certain duty drawbacks for a specified period, until that time when the product is self-sufficient. Each country maintains an account for its total imports exports schedule along with balance of payment chart. At times when its imports increase from its exports and the balance of payment deteriorates it becomes vital to increase its exports immediately. The reduction in prices is one of the quickest ways of increasing the exports. At times when people tend to buy imported goods and local industry start suffering, it is necessary to discourage the people so that they cut down their expenditure towards foreign buying and direct towards local goods. Devaluation is one of the techniques to decrease imports and encourage the local industry. Reduction in price through devaluation has long term effects, which can be seen over a period of time. All the above conditions are currently prevailing in Pakistan. However the question arises as to why all these conditions have comparatively more drastic affects on our economy. The answer to this question relates to our policy of income projection and receipt from foreign donors and countries. In the past, we were used to manage our budgetary gaps with the help of aids and debts. But this time the situation is different we could not did any foreign source of income. The IMF was used to extend loans for our development programs in the past. However, during the current year the IMF had stopped its $300 million trench of its ESAF credit. The result is quite obvious: devaluation and imposition of new duties/taxes Disadvantages of Devaluation Devaluation with all its disadvantages has become an irregular policy. It is rater an ad-hoc arrangement for less demand. Instead imperfect planning is essential to forecast the future when the original price level will be maintained again. Devaluation involves high risk of inflation with the country for e.g if the exports do not increase as the result of decrease of price the country will suffer losses due to increase cost of all imports as well as local imports. Loss resulted due to decrease in prices in international market. Devaluation automatically increases the value of external debts and correspondingly the amount required for debt servicing Devaluation of a currency is considered as a last step to be taken after failure of all other fiscal and monetary measures. Before devaluing currency to boost economy through increasing exports, other factors need to be evaluated, for example, lower exports may be because of poor quality of goods, trade barrier, lower value added goods, unavailability of export items e.t.c Continued depreciation of currency may result in unlawful import of goods within the country. Such unlawful import and export may creat unlawful parallel economy within the country, which will be completely out of the control of the government. Devaluation is always supported by special incentive package to reduce the internally produced items for export. By critically analyzing all the above referred factors, it is proposed that the following necessary action should be taken to improve the situation: Tax Network should be enhanced by a) levying tax on agriculture, b) improving collection procedure, c) bringing small businessmen under tax nutshell etc. Imports should be discouraged by encouraging locally produced quality goods. Export of value added items should be increased instead of increase of low value exports to compete with the other developing countries. Needless to say that government should reduce drastically its own expenditure. It is vital for government to build up its creditability through investing money in public projects very honestly. The proceed from privatization of public sectors should be utilized to pay off our external as well as internal debts. Rescheduling of the debt should also be requested from the lenders. In case of our low priced items in the international market, we should prove that the reason of our low price quality items is not government support but cost efficiency. This can be done only with the help of very competent professional people i.e management accounts, engineers and managers. With the current devaluation, it is vital that necessary incentives must be given to industry and fixed income group for their survival and to reap the benefit of devaluation. The government should build capacity to deal with economics problems on both macro and micro level. It is generally believed that the government does not possess necessary capabilities, out of elected representative and bureaucrats to deal with it. That is why most of our key position holder is either current of Ex World Bank/IMF officials. It is also suggested that major businessmen and industrialist should be taken into confidence before any major decision. Effectiveness of price control committees very necessary. In countries like Pakistan where every individual has the power to determine the price of his own product, inflation is automatically multiplied Conclusions Clearly, devaluation has not been the answer. It has rather contributed to a further increase in the trade gap. The important consequences of devaluation are the burden it is putting on the repayment of the foreign debts. The ensuing depletion of reserves has such a negative effect that the positive impact, if any, is more than wiped out by the increased foreign exchange burden. Reviewing the policy of devaluation by successive governments in the last 50 years, one finds that devaluation has miserably failed to resolve any problems or improve the macro or micro economic conditions in the country. Rather, devaluation has been counterproductive. In the existing scenario of the forces of demand and supply, the rupee is expected to continue with its downward trend. If the counter measures through cost cutting and efficiency management are not taken to check the inflation, which is already running in double digit, the advantages of devaluation will be offset as in the past, leaving adverse impacts as our economy which mainly depends on imported raw-materials, fuels and capital goods. That will certainly bring more hardships for common Pakistani people because our industry has substantial imported inputs in a wide range of locally produced goods and will also retard the process of industrialization in the country. Similarly defense budget and debt servicing will c ost more due to costlier dollar. Our main problem is still uncontrolled i.e. the rise in non-development expenditures, which has given rise to the culture of living beyond means. This can be countered by adoption of practical harsh measures by the government especially at the top level to set the example for the whole nation.

Friday, October 25, 2019

nathaniel :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nathaniel is a magician’s apprentice. All apprentices live in their masters’ homes and their masters teach them magic, how to summon demons, and provide schooling for their apprentices. The also pick a name for them. The name is so that a magician or demon doesn’t find out what a person’s birth name because knowing someone’s birth name is a source of power to an enemy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now to the story. The story starts when Nathaniel is selected to be an apprentice to Mr. Arthur Underwood. He trains Nathaniel, only he doesn’t realize that Nathaniel is brighter than he looks. When Nathaniel is ten, he finishes all the books that his master said would keep him until he was twelve. At the age of ten, Nathaniel meets the villain of the story, Simon Lovelace. His master takes the liberty of showing him off to the other magicians. Simon questions Nathaniel’s smarts, and proves that Nathaniel is smart. Nathaniel answers all the questions correctly, but that ticks Simon off. Then, Simon puts a spell on Nathaniel, and embarrasses himself and his master. Since then, Nathaniel has been focused on revenge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When he turns twelve, he summons a demon called Bartimaeus. Nathaniel charges him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand. Little does Nathaniel know that Simon was planning to use it to overthrow Mr. Rupert Devereaux, the Prime Minister, and the rest of the government. One day, Nathaniel charged Bartimaeus to spy on his master in the study, but Nathaniel is called down to the study to talk to his master, exactly where Bartimaeus is. Mrs. Underwood uses â€Å"Nathaniel† because that’s his name, but it’s also his birth name. Bartimaeus hears it and thinks it’s his second name, but in the study, Mr. Underwood schedules a day for his official Naming. Bartimaeus is thrilled to hear this because whatever punishment Nathaniel uses, he can just direct it back at Nathaniel. Nathaniel threatens with a spell that confides Bartimaeus in a tin and Bartimaeus eventually backs down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple of days after Nathaniel was Named, Mr. Underwood, family, Named apprentices, and other ministers are invited to Parliament for a gathering. Now Nathaniel is officially name John Mandrake. At the gathering, an attack is carried out by a group of people that call themselves the Resistance. The Head of Internal Affairs, Mr. Underwood, is really upset about this attack because he is supposed to be in charge of the finding and stopping the Resistance.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Research Proposal Social Work Essay

Document 1 of 1 Southern China talk fest a hot air blow-out Author: van der Kamp, Jake ProQuest document link Abstract (Abstract): Yes, they had plans, 30,000km of new superhighways fanning out from Guangzhou and 10,000km of new railway lines with trains speeding at 200km per hour to {hellip} well {hellip} ahem {hellip} but let us have no talk here of the mbarrassment Shanghai has suffered with Just a short hi-tech line to its airport. Not to worry. AsiaWorld-Expo is not being built to showcase Hong Kong products or designs. It will tout mainland wares in competition with several even bigger centres in the mainland. There is one Just across the border, big and empty and hungry for business. Clearly there was a call on AsiaWorld-Expo here to Justify its existence and it has heeded the call. In the first year of operation the centre will contribute a $2. 8 billion economic return, says the advertorial, again and again, in headlines, captions and testimonials. I think I have warned you before that â€Å"economic return† is pure magic. Take a number, any number, wave your wand, and you can have any other number you want, in this case 3. 67. Research, yes, diligent economic analysis, has proved to AsiaWorld- Expo that every dollar spent at its facility will, poof, create another $3. 67 spent elsewhere in Hong Kong. Links Linking Service Full text: ON PAGE 3 of this newspaper yesterday we discussed the hopes of 1 1 aspirants to a crowning achievement of commercial success and career satisfaction. No, I am not referring to the photograph at the top of the page of 11 Miss Hong Kong ontestants pictured in swimsuits at a waterfall in Kenya, although it was definitely more absorbing and probably more meaningful. I had in mind (when that mind could be distracted from the photo) a wodge of print underneath about a hot air blow-out from nine mainland provinces plus Hong Kong and Macau in what is termed the Pan- Pearl River Delta forum. It was the third day running in which we provided this evidence of why some trees should be left to grow in the forest rather than be turned into newsprint. Did you know that Guangdong party boss Zhang DeJiang would like to see his rovince turned into a key world manufacturing base, Hong Kong into an international business services centre and Macau into a gambling tourism hub? I understand that Mr Zhang also wants Marco Polo to visit China and hopes that Christopher Columbus will soon discover America. You probably saw some of the television coverage with one blue- suited lookalike after another taking turns at the podium to tell us to great applause that the sea is wet and the desert is dry or messages of equal revelation. Interspersed was so much self-praise that you would think this was Delia School of Canada. But yes, they had plans, 30,000km of new superhighways fanning out from Guangzhou and 10,000km of new railway lines with trains speeding at 200km per hour to {hellip} well {hellip} ahem {hellip} but let us have no talk here of the embarrassment Shanghai has suffered with Just a short hi-tech line to its airport. Stop me, however. Did not the word come down from Beijing recently that a halt must be called to big infrastructure projects in order to prevent the economy from overheating? I fully recognise that the further south you go in the mainland the less weight that Beijing’s edicts carry and I now that these big plans are still meant only to occupy time at talking shops. But surely a nod to central authority was required here. If we were to be so cavalier in Hong Kong about central government directives, they might call it subversion. Here is an idea for you, fellows. If you really want southern China to prosper, then implement all the promises Page 1 of 3 you made when entering the World Trade Organisation and do it as soon and as fully as possible. Stay off the podiums, spend no money but open your provincial economies and success will come your way. It is all you need to do and if you do not o it, then the story will continue to be what it has been so far – Hong Kong and the Ten Dwarves. And as to that photo, fourth from the left for the crown and second from the right for Miss Photogenic. There you nave my picks and let us be gratetul that those 1 1 not in the picture stayed fully clothed. HOT AIR MERCHANTS are not only to be found across the border. On Tuesday we carried a full-page advertorial for AsiaWorld- Expo, the new airport exhibition centre that is scheduled to open in December next year. You know the story. This was something first mooted for construction by the private ector at a cost of less than $1 billion. The fgure has now risen to $2 billion and it is to be picked up by the public purse. No, pardon me, the private sector can put in another $2 billion if it wants. Uh-huh. The people who run the big exhibition centre on the Wan Chai waterfront are none too happy with all this. They worry that there is not enough business to go round and that we are cannibalising earlier investments in the exhibition trade. Not to worry. AsiaWorld-Expo is not being built to showcase Hong Kong products or spent elsewhere in Hong Kong. It may be true. Here I come to spoil the magic, owever. If we instead spent that dollar on something else, it would create this same multiplier effect and, if we spent it to better use, that multiplier would be higher than 3. 67. The advice that your mother gave you has not been improved by voodoonomics. Spend your money as wisely as you can if you want the greatest benefit to yourself. The appeal to voodoonomics should only confirm to you that the money is not well spent. Publication title: South China Morning Post Pages: 18 Number of pages: O Publication year: 2004 Publication date: Jun 4, 2004 year: 2004 Publisher: South China Morning Post Ltd.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Guns Germs and Steel Essay

Yali asked the question of â€Å"why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had so little cargo of our own? † (Diamond 14) In other words, he is asking â€Å"what is the factor between our people and ours that causes human development to proceed at different rates? † (Diamond 16) What Yali is really asking though, is, what is this mysterious factor? According to Diamond, the basis for development is the environment around us including the resources and the native people of New Guinea don’t live in an area where a chance is provided for them to take advantage of. The natural resources are just enough for them to get by. This is why the people of New Guinea produce so little â€Å"cargo† of their own. Pizarro’s capture of Atahuallpa and destruction of the Incas made the Europeans realize what power they head, and what they could do to the rest of the world. They easily wiped out the Inca’s of 80,000 with 168 men. From the Battle of Cajamarca, Pizzaro came back to Charles I saying that Europe had the power to conquer the Americas. There were reasons Pizarro and the Europeans could conquer the Americas†¦ They had better warfare than the Incas. Pizarro’s men had armor rode horseback and used steel compared to their wooden weapons. Eurasia happened to have an abundance of edible material because of the right environment leading to the domestication of plants and animals led the people to settle down in one place instead of being nomads. When people started to settle down and bring the food to them, they started to have a surplus which led for the people to have extra jobs and it started to also support a higher population while allowing women to have more children contributing to job specialization. These specialists were not devoted to farmers or food producers but varied to priests, blacksmiths etc. Permanent agriculture societies were able to from with the food surpluses leading to empires. Some of the reason that people began to settle down and farm are because at the time many wild foods began to decrease due to hunters and gatherers killing off too many large animals leaving life unsustainable. More wild plants that could be domesticated became available at the time. Technological advances allowe3d people to harvest and store greater amounts of food that they cultivated. Human populations rose it’s not clear how much it caused food production and how much food production caused it but researchers believe there’s a connection. As populations rose, they needed to have better food supplies and started farming. The farm societies were able to drive out neighboring hunter-gatherers. A continent with long east-west axis like (Eurasia) has an advantage over continents with long north-south axes (like Africa and the Americas). The reasons it does have to do with crops and longitude. In general similar crops can grow at similar longitudes. In other words a cropped that developed in one place can be spread east to west (or west to east) but less likely to spread north and south. Epidemic diseases developed among the societies that had been farming the longest. These were Eurasian societies. Societies in the Americas, Australia, and other places had not been farming as long and lacked epidemic diseases. When Europeans came in contact with Native Americans, for example, European epidemic diseases killed huge percentages of the Native Americans. This helped the Europeans conquer and the conquest made them richer and more powerful. Therefore germs help to answer Yali’s question. The societies that did independently invent writing were those with complex hierarchies and sophisticated systems of food production. Writing was needed for politics and was generally learned by bureaucrats who had the comfort of available time and energy. As food was available to them, they had no need to hunt and gather for themselves. Since their basic needs were being met, they could focus on a higher level of existence and communication. There are two conditions in which technology may develop. The first is â€Å"mother necessity ideology† which is when a society needs something to make things easier they invent it. Technology differed from place to place because there were more people to invent and better diffusion to spread the invention. The opposite happened in the Americas because there were less people and a slower diffusion rate. Also different cultures had different ideas for change. The only way that society can emerge is through food. Such developments include jobs, such as the chief and the beginnings of government. The institutions of society changed over time based on how organized they were. They evolved based around various factors like war and other societies. They are related by diffusion. Whenever a state is conquered by another state they enforce use of their technology or exploit it. States are going to develop weapons, troops, and religion in order to make the state survive. They develop in response to need of their population size. They use these agents of conquest to become larger and to conquer other societies; and for that they need guns, germs, and steel. What Diamond is saying is that he thinks that people really should not think that history is so much different from the sciences. He is saying that the study of history can be pretty â€Å"scientific† if it is done correctly (and that some sciences are not as precise as things like chemistry). Diamond is trying to argue that historians should use what he calls â€Å"natural experiments. † He thinks that there are many â€Å"experiments† where there are two or more places that are pretty similar in many ways but which then turned out differently (like his experiment in Chapter 2). He argues that historians can use these — they can look at what was different and what was similar and how the differences led to the differences in the outcomes. Guns, Germs, and Steel Book Review I think Diamond’s central intent of writing the book is to explain how varying societies become dominate, and how certain others can become dominated. By looking at environmental conditions that caused the disparities that lead to certain societies developing guns, germs, and steel, including other technology, and forming a government necessary for conquest. He introduced the book with Yali’s question â€Å"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people has so little cargo of our own? † This question used a scientific/geographic background, and set his intent is to answer the question or inform how to answer the question. He also tries to analyze the causes of the expansion of civilizations’ in some parts of the world, since all people are physically the same what could cause some to be successful and others to die? He used archaeological and historical case studies and evidence from genetics and linguistics, he argued that technological and gaps in power are not caused by race or culture differences but by environmental differences, He used the idea of the axis as one saying that Eurasia had an east to west (or west to east) therefore having an advantage over Africa or the Americas for instance, because crops could grow at the same longitude but it was more difficult as they went north and south. Also when cultural or genetic differences have favored Eurasians like for example written language or resistance to epidemic diseases he says these advantages occurred because of the influence and geography on societies and cultures and were not inherited as genes from Eurasian ancestors. Diamond’s book argues that the differences in progress for different societies around the world do not result from one group being smarter or more resourceful than another. Rather, he focuses on the impact of geography — whether food and other key items were plentiful, whether and how disease spread, and how these developments led to different levels of industrialization, and wealth The book â€Å"Guns, Germs, and Steel† was very well written in the sense that Diamond had a question in which was the foundation of the book, he throughout the book acquired evidence and explanations and ideas of how to answer the question. The book had evidence to back it up by explaining how Eurasia had a better opportunity being west to east meaning they had better crop farming. Which led to a growing civilization and soon conquest. The book wasn’t exactly dull or boring but it wasn’t exciting or entertaining either. It was like any other history book it asked a question, then went on to the point. There was an explanation of the main topic which was Yali’s question and evidence that dealt with answering the question. From beginning to end, Diamond stresses that he realizes that efforts to compare societies have frequently been used by racists or nationalists to belittle groups or justify mistreatment of them. He argues that his analysis is in fact anti-racism at work because it shows that the white people who enjoy the comforts of modern life are ultimately luckier than, not more deserving than, people in impoverished nations.