Biography of Georges Braque, Pioneer Cubist Painter

Biography of Georges Braque, Pioneer Cubist Painter Georges Braque (May 13, 1882 - August 31, 1963) was a French artist best known for his cubist paintings and the development of collage techniques. He worked closely with Pablo Picasso as they broke down traditional rules of the use of perspective in painting. Fast Facts: Georges Braque Occupation: Painter and collage artistBorn: May 13, 1882 in Argenteuil, FranceDied: August 31, 1963 in Paris, FranceSelected Works: Houses at lEstaque (1908), Bottle and Fishes (1912), Violin and Pipe (1913)Notable Quote: Truth exists; only lies are invented. Early Life and Training Growing up in the port city of Le Havre, France, young Georges Braque trained to be a house painter and decorator like his father and grandfather. In addition to working on his vocation, Braque studied in the evenings at Le Havres Ecole des Beaux-Arts as a teenager. After apprenticing with a decorator, he earned a certificate to practice the craft in 1902. In 1903, Braque enrolled in the Academie Humbert in Paris. He painted there for two years and met avant-garde painters Marie Laurencin and Francis Picabia. The earliest Braque paintings are in the classic impressionist style. That changed in 1905 when he began to associate with Henri Matisse. Public domain Fauvist Matisse was at the forefront of the group of painters known as the Fauves (beasts in English). They are noted for the use of vibrant colors and simpler lines designed to make a bold, emotional statement to the viewer. Georges Braques first exhibit of his Fauvist paintings took place at the Salon des Independants show Paris in 1907. Braques Fauvist works are slightly more subdued in color than those of some of the other leaders of the style. He worked closely with Raoul Dufy and fellow Le Havre artist Othon Friesz. After viewing a massive retrospective show of the work of Paul Cezanne in Paris in late 1907, Braques work began to shift again. He also visited Pablo Picassos studio for the first time in 1907 to view the legendary painting Les Demoiselles dAvignon. The association with Picasso had a powerful impact on Braques evolving technique. The Olive Tree Near lEstaque (1906). Public domain Work With Pablo Picasso Georges Braque began to work closely with Picasso as they both developed a new style that was soon dubbed cubism. Many researchers dispute the specific origins of the term, but while organizing a salon show in 1908, Matisse reportedly said Braque has just sent in a painting made of little cubes. Picasso and Braque were not the only artists developing the new approach to painting, but they were the most prominent. Both artists exhibited influences of Paul Cezannes experiments with painting objects from multiple perspectives. While some believed that Picasso led the way and Braque merely followed in his wake, a close examination by art historians has revealed that Picasso focused on the animation of objects while Braque explored a more contemplative approach. In 1911, Braque and Picasso spent the summer together in the French Pyrenees mountains painting side by side. They produced works that are virtually impossible to distinguish from each other in terms of style. In 1912, they expanded their approach to include collage techniques. Braque invented what came to be known as papier colle, or paper cutouts, a method of incorporating paper with paint to create the collage. Braques piece Violin and Pipe (1913) illustrates how the pieces of paper allowed him to literally take the shapes present in the objects apart and rearrange them to create art. Man with a Guitar (1911). Corbis Historical / Getty Images The extended collaboration came to an end in 1914 when Georges Braque enlisted in the French Army to fight in World War I. He suffered a severe head injury in May 1915 in the battle at Carency. Braque experienced temporary blindness and required a long period of recuperating. He did not begin painting again until late 1916. Cubist Style The style of cubism is an expansion of the experiments by painter Paul Cezanne in depicting three-dimensional form on a two-dimensional canvas. Cezanne died in 1906, and, following significant retrospectives of his work in 1907, Pablo Picasso painted Les Demoiselles dAvignon, a piece that many believe is an example of proto-Cubism. At the same time as Picasso exhibited his new style through abstracted images of people, Braque was at work on extending Cezannes vision of landscapes with reductive, geometric forms. Soon, the pair became leaders of a new style of painting that attempted to represent multiple viewpoints on an object or person simultaneously. Some observers likened the works to a diagram of how the objects worked and moved in real life. Gjon Mili / Getty Images In the period between 1909 and 1912, Braque and Picasso focused on a style now known as analytic cubism. They painted mostly in neutral colors like brown and beige while taking apart objects and analyzing their shapes on the canvas. It is difficult to tell the work of the two artists apart in this period. One of Braques key works during this time is Bottle and Fishes (1912). He broke the object into so many discreet shapes that the whole became nearly unrecognizable. Cubists challenged the conventional view of perspective in painting that ruled the establishment since the Renaissance. It was perhaps the most important legacy of Braques art. Breaking down the rigid notion of perspective paved the way for multiple developments in the painting of the 20th century that ultimately led to pure abstraction. Later Work After he began painting again in 1916, Georges Braque worked alone. He began to develop a more idiosyncratic style that included brighter colors while relaxing the harsh nature of his earlier cubist work. He became close friends with Spanish artist Juan Gris. New subject matter entered Braques work in the 1930s. He began to focus on Greek heroes and gods. He explained that he wanted to show them in a pure form stripped of symbolic gestures. The bright colors and emotional intensity of these paintings depict the emotional anxiety felt by Europeans as a second world war approached. Painter and Model (1939). Corbis Historical / Getty Images After World War II, Braque painted ordinary objects like flowers and garden chairs. He created his final series of eight works between 1948 and 1955. They were all titled Atelier, the French word for the studio. At the time Georges Braque died in 1963, many considered him one of the fathers of modern art. Legacy While his painting ranged across multiple styles during his lifetime, Georges Braque is primarily remembered for his cubist work. His focus on still life and landscapes influenced later artists who returned to the traditional subject matter. Braques most distinctive legacy is his development of collage techniques involving cut paper that he focused on for only a few short years of his career. Source Danchev, Alex. Georges Braque: A Life. Arcade, 2012.

Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critique - Essay Example In this qualitative study, titled - Using a strategy of â€Å"structured conversation† to enhance quality of tutorial time the author Stephanie Robinson has proposed a specific approach referred to as â€Å"structured conversation† as an effective tool for improving the quality of tutorial time with regard to students with ASD. The article was published in the Journal of Further and Higher Education (Vol. 32, No.1 February 2008). It is an international peer-reviewed academic journal involved in publishing articles and book reviews concerning global issues related to the field of learning and education, especially those with learning disabilities (2009 [online]). The author is a lecturer and module leader for the PGCert.LTHE since 2003 and for the Brunel Associate Practitioner Pathway since. She is involved in various projects including providing further education particularly to students with learning difficulties and is focused on working with both the adolescents as well as adults with ASD. She has also been a part of a program dedicated to development and implementation of training for staff teaching children or adults with autism or Aspergers Syndrome (2009 [online]). Her credentials and extensive knowledge in the field of education (and particularly with regard to students with learning disabilities) establishes her as a worthy and suitable authority within the sphere of research concerning special education. In this article the author Stephanie Robinson, attempts to examine the â€Å"The impact of a technique of structured conversation to enhance a student-centered approach to tutorial time for students with autistic spectrum disorder† (2008., Pp.59) and suggests that the development of such an approach can offer enhanced learning support in the current challenge of widening diversity in the learner population. The purpose of the article was aptly

Follow instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Follow instruction - Essay Example The story The murder of Roger Ackroyd talks about the killing of a prominent person of the town, Mrs. Ferrars . However, the book ends with an unexpected plot twist where the murderer finally confessed of the murder. It is Dr. Sheppard who admits on committing the crime. The murderer tries to hid the guilt that he has on committing the crime and says, â€Å"I did what little had to be done† which is said at the situation where he hides the Dictaphone and shifts his chair. According to Dr. Sheppard he thought that he would finally be the one responsible for failing Roger Ackroyd and that the detective won’t be able to solve the case. Hence this serves as the confession as well as the suicide note by the murderer (Chritstie, 123). It is in this last chapter, that the murderer writes about how he committed his murder, mentioning every detail on how and what happened and what was his purpose behind it. It would have been better if the author could have divided each paragrap h into shorter ones instead of writing everything in two very big ones. The author has put more dialogues than actual actions which make it a bit tiresome to read. Also sometimes in the paragraph, the author has forgotten to put inverted commas which indicate the beginning of a dialogue, and since there aren’t any inverted commas the story becomes a little confusing to the readers. Apart from these, the paragraph is written well with not punctuation or grammatical errors. Similarly in the book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, it is in the final chapter that the crime of the murder of the boy is finally solved after going through various locks and dead ends. The detective Jonathan Whicher, finally discovers that it was the half sister of the young boy who committed the crime. Contance Emilie Kent wrote a letter which served as her confession letter, she also agreed on letting the press know that she had killed Francis Saville Kent (Summerscale, 288). She explained her

Is investment in green or environmentally friendly activities of Essay

Is investment in green or environmentally friendly activities of benefit to a small business - Essay Example And, a sufficient number of scholars necessitate that managers to consider the natural environment more as a subjective or a strategic problem than as an ethical or normative one (Aragon-Correa et al., 2004; Banerjee, 2001; Cordano and Frieze, 2000; Sharma, 2000). Consequently, they support a strategic mindset and approach to promote change from within the organization (Clemens, 2001). For SMEs, it is in their organizational interests to pursue such environmental policies that make them a responsible part of the environmentally responsible organizations; more importantly, the SMEs do not exist always to be identified with this term, they need growth and economic prosperity on a very strong footing; their entire future growth is largely associated with their current outlook seen and observed by the stakeholders; they need to invest in environmentally friendly activities. However, it is and will not be an easy task for SMEs as they face many problems such as limited financial resources , under-developed organisational structure, raw management style and so on are those factors that do not help SMEs to introduce a positive outlook denoting them as ‘an environmentally friendly entity.’ In the subsequent parts of this paper, first, it is argued for the topic and followed by argued against the topic; subsequent to that a conclusion is provided. Every organization always wants to grow particularly SMEs. And, nowadays, growth requires more social and environmental investment as a way to promote their name as an environmentally friendly entity. Most of the larger organizations have been enjoying growth in their net profit figures by providing the annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports along with their annual reports. In these reports, they account for such economic, social and environmental investment either that have been

Impact of FDI on Host Country

Impact of FDI on Host Country ABSTRACT This project critically examines the negative effects that FDI poses to the host economy. The impact of FDI on the host economy can be understood with the help of The Standard Theory of International Trade and The Theory of Industrial Organisation. FDI has both positive and negative impacts on the host-country. FDI has an adverse effect on the host countrys economy, environment, domestic firms, political environment, labour market and trade balance. Through this project, it is concluded that the government policies should be such that they exploit the benefits of FDI completely in order to overrule its drawbacks. INTRODUCTION There is an increasing acknowledgment to recognize the forces of economic globalization which first requires looking at Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by multinational corporations (MNCs): that is, when a firm based in one country locates or acquires production facilities in other countries. (Blonigen, 2006). Over the past decade Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has grown noticeably as a major form of international capital transfer. Between 1980 and 1990, world flows of FDI- defined as cross-border expenditures to acquire or expand corporate control of productive assets have approximately grown three times (Froot, 1993). â€Å"FDI has turned out to be a major form of net international borrowing for Japan and the United States, the worlds largest international lender and borrower respectively† (Froot, 1993, pp. 1). The most introspective effect of FDI has been seen in developing countries, wherein annual Foreign Direct Investment flows have increased from an average of less than $10 billion in the 1970s to an annual average of $208 billion in 1999 (Source: UNCTAD). A large portion of global FDI is driven by mergers and acquisitions and internationalization of production in a range of industries (Graham and Spaulding, 2005). Despite the noticeable importance of FDI and MNCs in the world economy, research on the factors that decide FDI patterns and the impact of MNCs on parent and host countries is in its early stages. The most significant general questions are: what factors determine where FDI occurs, and what impacts do those MNC operations have on the parent and host economies? This report mainly analyses the negative impact of FDIs on host economies. FORIEGN DIRECT INVESTMENT â€Å"Foreign Direct Investment reflects the objective of obtaining a lasting interest by a resident entity in one economy (â€Å"direct investor†) in an entity resident in an economy other than that of the investor (â€Å"direct investment enterprise†)† (OECD). In other words, it is a direct investment made by a corporation in a commercial venture in another country. What separates FDI from portfolio investment is the control over the investment (Gillies, 2005). In case of FDI at least 10 percent of the voting rights must be held by the foreign investing company (Daniels et al., 2004). The difference between FDI and other ventures in foreign countries is mainly that the new venture operates completely outside the economy of the companys home country. The main motivators behind FDI are resource acquisition, sales expansion and risk minimisation. Besides this governments may also encourage FDIs due to various political motives (Daniels et al., 2004). TYPES OF FDI Foreign Direct Investment can be classified into three broad categories on the basis of direction, target or motives. On the basis of direction FDI can be classified into Inward or Outward FDI. When foreign capital is invested in local resources, it is referred to as Inward FDI, on the other hand when investments are made by local firms in foreign resources it is referred to as Outward FDI. Outward FDI is also known as â€Å"direct investment abroad† and is always backed by government support in case of any risks. On the basis of target FDI can be classified into Greenfield Investments, mergers and acquisition, horizontal and vertical FDI. Greenfield Investment refers to direct investment in new arenas or the development of existing amenities. This leads to creation of production capacity, employment opportunities, transfer of technology and expertise as well as linking of the host economy to the global marketplace. Mergers and acquisition are a major kind of FDI whereby there is a transfer of existing resources from local businesses to foreign businesses. Cross border mergers take place when the management of resources and business operations is relocated from a local company to a foreign company, with the local organisation becoming an associate to the foreign organisation. Acquisitions take place when the foreign company takes over a domestic company, and establishes itself as the new owner of the domestic company. Horizontal FDI refers to an investment made by a foreign company in the same industry in which it operates in its home country. Vertical FDI can be classified further into backward and forward vertical FDI. Backward Vertical FDI occurs when a domestic firm is provided input by a foreign firm in order to aid its production process whereas Forward Vertical FDI occurs when the output of a domestic firm is sold by an industry abroad it is known as forward vertical FDI. Lastly on the basis of motives, FDI can be classified into four types. The first type is of FDI takes place when the various factors of production may not be available in the home country of the firm or be more efficient in the host country, thereby encouraging firms to make investments. This is known as Resource seeking FDI. The second type of FDI which can be used as a defensive strategy is Market-seeking FDI. These investments are made either to maintain existing markets or to penetrate into new markets. The third type is Efficiency Seeking FDI, where the firms hope to increase their competency by exploiting the advantages of economies of scale and also common ownership. The firms thus try to achieve the objective of profit maximization. the last type is Strategy -asset seeking FDI, which is a common tactic used by firms to stop their competitors from acquiring resources. Thus these are the various types of FDI. IMPACT OF FDI ON HOST ECONOMY There are two approaches in economic theory which contribute to studying the effects of Foreign Direct Investment on host countries. One is the standard theory of international trade by Macdougall (1960). This theory is a â€Å"partial equilibrium comparative-static approach intended to examine how marginal increments in investment from abroad are distributed† (Blomstrom, 1997, p.1). The main assumption of this model is that there is an increase in the marginal productivity of labour and a decrease in the marginal productivity of capital. The other theory was proposed by Hymmer (1960) and is called the theory of industrial organisation. The main question of the theory is why firms make investments in other countries in order to manufacture the similar goods they manufacture at home. The answer to this question has been rightly devised by Kindleberger, 1969, p.13), who says, â€Å"for direct investment to thrive there must be some imperfection in markets for goods or factors, including among the latter technology, or some interference in competition by government or by firms, which separates markets†. Thus firms of home countries must have some asset which is going to be lucrative for its associate in the home country (Blomstrom, 1997). Foreign Direct Investment has both positive and negative effects on the host economy. POSITIVE EFFECTS OF FDI ON HOST ECONOMY FDIs have a number of positive impacts on the host country. It encourages economic development by increasing the productivity and exports of the host countries. There are four channels which help in increasing the productivity of host country, namely imitation, skill acquisition, competition and exports (Gorg Greenaway, 2004). The local firms in the host countries benefit by the indirect technology transfer that takes place between the MNC and the domestic companies. Local firms can compete more successfully in the export markets by copying the superior technology or management techniques used by the multinationals (Blomstrom, 1991). Domestic firms become more exposed to the foreign markets and subsequently their knowledge of the international markets increases. The Managers and other qualified employees of the domestic firms acquire the superior managerial and technical skills, which increases their efficiency. Multinationals increase the existing market competition, instigating the local firms to become more efficient by investing in physical or human capital. They help to increase industrial efficiency and improve resource allocation in host countries by entering markets which had many entry barriers. Thus by entering these monopolistic markets they increase competition and force the local firms to become more proficient. This is how, domestic firms are provoked by multinationals and other overseas firms to improve their performance and productivity. Multinationals also influence the local suppliers of intermediate products to become more efficient with delivery speed, quality and reliability of the products so as to meet the high standards of the overseas company. It is seen that FDI has a positive impact on labour market. If the productivity of domestic firms increases by copying the multinationals production style which is based on increased labour productivity, then the domestic firms will not hesitate from paying higher wages to the labour (Lipsey Sjoholm, 2010). Multinationals also increase the standard of the host countrys labour market by providing the labourers with training and making them qualified enough to handle complicated machinery and increasing their productivity. Lastly FDI affects the economy of the host country positively by increasing their revenues in the form of taxes, strengthening the exchange rate of the country and instigating the government to make policies which would attract more MNCs towards it. NEGATIVE IMPACT OF FDI ON HOST ECONOMY As seen above FDI has a number of positive effects on the host economy but these effects do not come free of cost. FDI brings along with it a number of negative effects which prove harmful to the country in various ways. Extend of the negative effects of FDI depends on the characteristics of the multinational companies, the host country and the policies of the host country. Some of the negative effects have been highlighted below: ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION With increasing competition all over the world, companies are shifting their production base to developing countries where they can carry out the production of goods that are pollutant to the environment. These countries have flexible environmental regulations and are less stringent with their enforcements. Thus by carrying out production in such countries they are able to get a competitive edge over companies which carry out production elsewhere. Lowered trade obstacles are leading to a shift of polluting industries from countries with austere environmental regulations to countries with moderate environmental regulations. This leads to an increase in pollution in countries with lenient environmental policies because they refuse to tighten them in order to gain a stronger position over others in international trade. Trade may modify the environmental outcomes through a number of different channels. The scale effect is one such channel that has harmful implications to the environment. This is because when multinationals set up manufacturing facilities or outsource these to other local businesses, it leads to an increase in output which in turn leads to an increase in pollution (Liang, 2006). MARKET STRUCTURE FDI has a negative impact on the market structure as well. As the multinationals enter the market, it leads to the increase of concentration levels within the economy which in turn hampers market control. Therefore risk is prevalent. FDIs tend to assemble in exceedingly concentrated industries. The relationship between presence of foreign organisations in the host countries and the concentration within the economy is indebted to the nature of multinational ownership benefits rather than to anti-competitive activities. In small economies, proficient exploitation of modern advanced technology leads to concentrated market structures. If such economies have lenient trade administration then the risk of anti-competitive activities is diminished to a great extent (Lall, 2000). However it is evident that successful competition strategies are very important as multinationals have the capability to simply control an industry in a host economy. TECHNOLOGY FDIs open the doors for the host country to access new technology but this technology is controlled and possessed only by the MNEs. MNCs generally invest in capital-intensive technologies and have strict proprietary rights which prevent its spill over to local firms. The technology bought in by the MNC may not be favourable to conditions of the host country. For example if the host country is a labour-intensive country and the technology used by the multinational is capital-intensive then gradually it will have a negative effect on the host economy. Once the domestic firms start imitating the foreign firm and start using the same technology used by them, labourers will lose out on their jobs. Thus this would lead to unemployment problems which will negatively affect the economy of the host country. A country attracts FDI so that the national economy grows by creating new job opportunities but in this case it would work in the opposite direction. Pollution-intensive technology may also be exported from countries where they are banned. COMPETITION FDIs have an adverse affect on competition and hamper the prevailing market equilibrium. In developing countries, the domestic firms may not be able to cope up with the competition put up by the MNCs. Thus they would lose out on business. Some multinationals acquire monopoly status in highly profitable sectors. With their monopolistic power they wipe out all competitors from the market. New enterprises are not willing to enter these markets because of the huge capital and risks involved. Thus these multinationals are able to demand unreasonable prices form the customers, leaving them with no other choice but to pay excessively higher charges due to the limited choices available. These monopolistic companies do not even invest in new technologies to bring down their costs since they are already enjoying the luxury of irrational prices. PRODUCTIVITY Atiken and Harrison (1999) and Konings (2001), have suggested that MNCs decrease the productivity of local organisations through competition effects. MNCs are able to carry out productions at lower costs since they bring along some proprietary knowledge which is firm specific. In addition they have superior managerial and marketing skills, reduced production costs, bulk purchases, etc which helps them reduce their marginal costs. Therefore, the demand for goods produced by MNCs increases, which in turn reduces the demand for locally produced goods. This ultimately leads to a decrease in domestic production increasing the average costs. With the establishment of multinationals, the demand for foreign inputs increases in comparison to local inputs which hinder the domestic firm from producing to its optimum capacity. Thus the domestic firms are not able to take advantage of economies of scale. Domestic firms may not be quick enough to grasp knowledge from the foreign firms, losing out on competition in the short run (Gorg Greenaway, 2004). MNCs usually offer higher wages to domestic workers, thereby attracting all the skilled ones, leaving behind only the semi or unskilled labour for the local firms. It is a common trend amongst MNCs to offer higher wages in comparison to the domestic firms in developed as well as developing countries. LABOURERS The workers in the host countries may not be comfortable with some of the foreign policies adopted by MNCs. One of the most attractive features for FDI in a host country is cheap labour. They take advantage of the cheap labour by producing labour intensive goods and thereby decreasing their costs of goods. With the establishment of labour intensive technology by MNCs, a country becomes highly dependent on them for its employment. Now multinationals are always trying to reduce their costs, so if they are able to find places with cheaper labour, they shift their base to that country. Thus there is always a fear of unemployment due to FDI withdrawal. GOVERNMENT POLICIES The government of the host country may face problems due to the establishment of FDIs. The government has less control over the operations of the foreign company that is functioning as the wholly owned subsidiary of an overseas company. Taking advantage of this, the MNC may not abide by the economic policies of the host country. They hamper the various environmental, governance and social regulations laid down by the government of the host country. With FDI there is risk that confidential information of the host country could be leaked out to rest of the world. It has been seen that due to FDIs the defence of a country has witnessed various risks. It is also noticed that multinationals are very reluctant to pay taxes of the host country. MNCs exploit the tax structure of the country by taking advantage of the lenient tax regulations of the host country and lack of enforcement by the government (Velde, 2001). Another huge problem faced by host countries is that of transfer pricing which is a financial accounting device used by MNCs to maximise profits. Transfer pricing refers to the price charged by one associate of a company to another associate of the same company. Transfer pricing relates to all transactions that take place within a company including raw materials, management fees, royalties, finished products, etc. Transfer pricing is an illegal way of making huge profits for the MNCs. Transfer prices can be fabricated, thus different from the price that unrelated firms would have to pay. Thus by using transfer prices as a weapon, MNCs manipulate their books of entry and acquire huge amounts of profits without an actual change in their physical capital. Profit transferring is a way of avoiding or saving taxes by MNCs through illegal ways. If the MNCs pay lesser taxes in the home country of their foreign affiliates in comparison to their host countries, then in order to increase profits, MNCs manipulate their book of accounts. They will inflate their expenditure on import of materials from their foreign partners or subsidiaries, this will show higher profits in the books of accounts of the foreign affiliates and less profit in the MNCs account in the host country. Thus evading taxes and at the same time they will artificially transfer profits to the home country. CROWDING OUT OF DOMESTIC INVESTMENTS FDI crowds out domestic investments by creating a monopolistic environment. This can be explained in two ways. Firstly MNCs raise funds locally in the domestic market, increasing the demand for money and in turn increasing the interest rates, which crowds out domestic investments. Secondly when MNCs enter a new country, they bring with them huge investments which increases the overall money flow of the country. This increases the aggregate demand, leading to an increase in prices, i.e. inflation, which will then increase expenses, reduce savings and ultimately force people to borrow money, leading to higher interest rates. Thus is this way the local investments are crowded out (Borensztein et al., 1997). Foreign firms have better advertising powers, ability to dominate the market and predatory pricing to prevent entry. INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRAINTS Multinationals come in the way of a countrys infrastructure development. It is seen that multinationals are always attracted towards the more favourable regions of a country. Now with the establishment of multinationals in these regions, more efforts are put towards the betterment of these regions. As a result the rural and poor regions are ignored and they continue to remain underdeveloped. COUNTRYS TRADE BALANCE FDI has an adverse effect on the Balance of Payment of the host country (De Mellow, 1997). Financial inflows raise the exchange rates, making it unfavourable for exports. When MNCs enter a country, they bring along foreign exchange and thus increase their supply, which strengthens the host-country currency, making the domestic products more expensive in the international markets, and as a result of this the total exports of the host country reduces. Thus there is a decrease in the net exports (Total Exports- Total Imports) of the country. Hence the BOP may become unfavourable. The capital and current account are also hampered. When the MNC enters the host country, it might have previous raw material suppliers, or intermediary product suppliers, from whom it continues to buy its secondary material; this would lead to an increase in the import of the country making the BOP unfavourable. Secondly MNCs transfer their profits, management fees, royalty fees, etc back to their home country, hampering the capital account of the country. ECONOMY Multinationals usually tend to exist in close proximity to each other. It is seen that MNCs have a tendency to concentrate in the certain sectors taking advantage of the location, labour and resources. Thus the economy becomes extremely reliant on the MNC. A withdrawal of MNC from such areas could seriously hamper the economy and this is seen as a very severe problem in the backward areas. RECOMMENDATIONS CONCLUSION This research paper was carried out to analyse the negative effects of FDI on the host economy and we have come to a conclusion that even though FDI helps in the development and growth of various countries all over the world, these benefits do not come free of charge. FDI can have several harmful effects on the host country. To overcome these harmful effects some recommendations gave been proposed To overcome the negative impact of environmental hazards, the host countries can use a variety of channels. One such channel is the technique effect where the local firms of the host country could learn from MNEs who often use superior technology or these firms may also exit from the market if the foreign firms seize the market share as well as labour supply. Therefore directness to trade will help in improving the quality of the environment. Another channel is the income effect whereby the local electorate may demand better environment standards as well as more strict regulations which are more enforceable by the government when the multinationals increase the income in the economy by creating jobs and thus increasing employment (Liang,2006). To overcome the competitive barriers in developing countries, the domestic firms could use various protective corporate agreements. They could either combine local firms or begin cooperative ventures with the foreign firms. Government of the host company should become more stringent with their policies. They should adopt policies which encourage proper social and environmental principles by the foreign companies. Multinationals should be penalised if they do not adhere by the policies of the country Measures should be taken to curb consumer and labour exploitation and at the same time competition should be created in the labour and product market, removing all entry barriers from the domestic markets. Encourage education, train labourers and promote infrastructure to increase the local capacity to absorb and disseminate the superior new traditions pioneered by overseas companies. By taking a few precautionary measures and by amending the government policies, the harmful effects of FDI can be avoided. Thus, these policies should be such that they are able to maximise the benefits of FDI and curtail their negative effects. REFERENCES Blomstrom, M. (1991). Host Country Benefits Of Foreign Investment. NBR Working Paper 3615, pp 1-33. Blomstrom, M. and Kokko, A. (1997). The Impact Of Foreign Investment On Host Countries: A Review Of The Empirical Evidence. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 1745, pp 1-42. Blomstrom, M. and Kokko, A. (1998). Multinational Corporations And Spillovers. Journal Of Economic Surveys 12(2), pp 1-31. Blonigen, B. (2006). Foreign Direct Investment Behavior of Multinational Corporations. NBER Reporter: Research Summary. Borensztein E., Gregorio De J. And Lee J-W (1997). How does Foreign Direct Investment affect economic growth? Journal of international Economics 45(1998), pp 115-135 Daniels, J.D., Radebaugh, L.H. and Sullivan, D.P. (2004). International Business Environments And Operations. 10th ed. Delhi: Pearson Prentice Hall. De Mello L.R. (1997). Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries and Growth: A Selection Survey. The Journal of Development Studies 34(1), pp 1-34. Froot, K. (1993). Foreign Direct Investment. London: The University of Chicago Press Ltd. Gorg, H. and Greenaway, D. (2004). Much ado About Nothing? Do Domestic Firms Really Benefit From Foreign Direct Investment? The World Research Observer 19(2), pp 171-197. Graham,J.P. and Spaulding, R.B. (2005). Understanding Foreign Direct Investment. Citibank international portal. Lall, S. (2000). FDI and Development: Research Issues In The Emerging Context. Policy Discussion Paper 20, pp 1-27. Letto-Gillies, G. (2005). Transnational Corporations and International Production concepts, theories and effects, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing House Limited. Liang, F.H. (2006). Does Foreign Direct Investment Harm the Host Countrys Environment? Evidence from China. pp 1-24. Lipsey, R.E. (2002). Home And Host Country Effects Of FDI. NBR Working Paper Series 9293, pp 1-76. Lipsey, R.E. and Sjoholm, F. (n.d.) The Impact Of Inward FDI On Host Countries: Why Such Different Answers? Does FDI Promote Development pp 23-43. Velde D.W. (2001). Policies Towards Foreign Direct Investment in Developing Countries: Emerging Best-practices and Outstanding Issues. Overseas Development Institute, London.

Pressures Of Industry On Education :: essays research papers

With the high rate of adolescent unemployment an economic reality, the secondary education system needs to concern itself with the occupational future of the youth of America. Vocational education provides students with an alternative to a college degree. When vocational education is used in conjunction with local industries, a unique relationship is formed in which both institutions can benefit. These benefits include the following: 1. Educational institutions offer quick and ready access to facilities and trained personnel. 2. An exchange of goods for services rendered allows for savings to industry and an opportunity for the institution to provide important community service. 3. A cooperative effort between education and industry is time efficient and cost effective. 4. Community, educational, and industrial interchange are enhanced and appreciated. 5. Opportunities for expanded cooperation between education and industry on future occasions are enhanced. 6. Opportunities for more active counseling roles in industry are expanded. Furthermore, the United States Office of Education 1975 policy paper states the following: †¦while initial implementation of career education†¦ will be relatively inexpensive, total educational reform is going to be expensive†¦ the days of educational isolationism are past. It is time that our formal education system join forces with all other segments of the total society†¦ to meet the varied and continuing educational needs of both youth and adults†¦ all must collaborate in providing appropriate educational opportunities for all citizens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During times of slow economic growth and high technological change, many industrial firms find themselves needing fewer employees or are forced to replace their workforce with individuals who have updated technological skills. With this in mind, the education system should find ways to adapt to the current employment needs of the society. Of the several kinds of process-oriented approaches to educational change (e.g. year round education or acquiring a higher counselor-student ratio), career education represents the most logical and certainly the most available approach for consideration by career guidance professionals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By joining forces, schools and industries can find ways to benefit one another. Teaching job-specific skills in the classroom can provide students with the necessary background for participating in summer internships. These internships will provide students with valuable work experience that will make them much more marketable upon graduation, not to mention give them extra money to save for college if they so desire. Summer work programs can also benefit the instructors so that they can keep up-to-date with the current advances in technology that influence the industries which they support.

The Impact of Donor Funding on Nra- Sierra Leone

INTRODUCTION The act of the National Revenue Authority came into being on 13 September 2002. The National Revenue Authority has a mandate to administer and collect all taxes, revenues and all penalties as stated in the NRA act. The purpose of the National Revenue Authority is to serve as a central body for the collection and assessment of national revenue.The implementation procedures and policies by the National Revenue Authority will ensure that revenues are collected efficiently by enforcing specified laws through the provision of robust administration. However, the capacity of the NRA was inadequate to efficiently perform its mandates and mobilize the revenue needed for the socio-economic development. Against this background, several donor organizations including Dfid opted to support the capacity building drive of the NRA.This study focuses on Dfid as one of the major donors supporting the NRA. I will attempt to analyze the impact of Dfid intervention in NRA, with specific focus on staff capacity and revenue mobilization. IMPACT OF DONOR FUNDING ON THE OPERATION OF NATIONAL RENVENUE AUTHORITY With Dfid funding in July 2009, to strengthen the performance of NRA through ensuring compliance with international trade agreements, improving business processes and developing staff capabilities.Crown Agents was contracted to provide technical assistance to the National Revenue Authority (NRA) in the Modernization Plan to target a benchmark wherein the institution (NRA) transforms into modern and effective medium through which to secure vital state revenues and to ensure that the newly implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST) is viable and robust wherein NRA will have in place effective compliance management procedures. This reform program has designed to deliver efficient and equitable customs and tax administration procedures to target international practice.Through its continuing support program to NRA, the Department for International Development (Dfid) has pled ge its assurance to achieve the overarching poverty alleviation and the reduction of dependency on foreign aid through the effective collection of revenue which has gradually increase domestic revenue to build the nation from 65% dependency on foreign donors in 2000 to 40% in 2010. The modernization program carried out by crown agent sponsored by Dfid encompassing the following areas: ?Integrated Revenue Management Program- This area focuses on Customs Modernization, Administrative Reform on Domestic Taxes, and the Implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). It also looks at the review of laws, procedures and structures to bring them in line with International best practice and to improve NRA's revenue collection base. This modernization component will involve capacity building in improving taxpayers audit and compliance management and assist in the establishment of a new Domestic Taxes Department that will merge GST and Direct Tax operations. Human Resource and Institutional De velopment Program- This modernization program is aimed at developing the human and institutional resource base of NRA by equipping it with modern performance management systems and procedures. Information systems should be enhanced under this program, change management strategies and improved monitoring and evaluation systems throughout the organization. ? Taxpayer Information and Educational Program- This modernization program is aimed at changing the taxpaying culture in Sierra Leone through better information to the public and by assisting individual taxpayers to understand their tax obligations. Consolidation of the Strategic Management Program- This modernization program focuses on the development of the NRA's Strategic Management capacity and institutional footprint with international procedures and policies. Having gone through this modernization program, Dfid contracted another agency known as United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the provision of AS YCUDA to: ? Abolish the bureaucracy and administrative hard work for both the business community and NRA. ? Reduce the time used in processing and clearing of imported consignments under the previous manual system. Reduce revenue leakages and increases the collection of revenue ? Create transparency in the Customs administration of imports and exports departments in Sierra Leone. ? Assists the Customs Officers in providing consistent, fair and equitable treatment of all traders in applying the legal and regulatory framework ? Create equality and fairness among traders about response service and obligations. ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACT OF DONOR FUNDING ON THE OPERATION OF NATIONAL RENVENUE AUTHORITY Having looked at the impact of donor funding on the operations of National Revenue Authority (NRA).Their involvement in developmental activities in strengthening the performance of NRA through ensuring compliance with international trade agreements is far yet to be achieved base on the moderni zation plan, but having said this, progress is on the way which has created an impact on the operations of the institution. Analyzing further, as to what the donor funds have done in the operation of National Revenue Authority may be highlighted below. ? Enable senior management to focus on the â€Å"strategic† issues, which will inevitably arise within individual Program and the overall Plan itself, leaving tactical decisions to middle managers. Minimize leakage and other revenue losses by reducing discretion, curbing smuggling, and instituting systems and control. ? Increase revenue collection by improving on the efficiency of the current revenue administration and then expand the revenue base by tapping into new taxpayers, facilitate trade, take advantage of opportunities and deal with challenges in the revenue administration environment. ? Reduce existing arrears to 5% using persuasion where necessary or litigation ? Improved and enhanced tax administration by computeriza tion of operational and administration system. Develop and implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system ? Effectively monitor and control bonded warehouses to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and verify inventories and internal controls on a quarterly basis. National Revenue Authority benefiting from donor partners has created an impetus on its operations. Therefore, having implemented all the modernization plans will help NRA to increase their revenue collection base by strengthening the capacity of staffs.The introduction of GST under the integrated management program as one of the modernization plan has help NRA to increase the Domestic Revenue which has reduced the dependency of foreign donors in our economy. The launching of ASYCUDA will reduce the bureaucratic and administrative work on both NRA and the community in reducing the time spent on processing and clearing of imported consignments under the previous manual system. ASYCUDA will reduce revenue leakag es and increase revenue collection and transparency in the Customs administration of imports and exports departments in Sierra Leone.CONCLUSION Donor funding has increasingly affected the operation of National Revenue Authority in diverse ways and as a result, to that, revenue generation has increase tremendously, which has reduced the dependency on foreign donors. Modernization plan is a funded program by Dfid but contracted Crown Agent in the implementation of the plans and they further contracted UNCTAD in the provision of ASYCUDA in reducing revenue leakages and the increases revenue base. It further reduced the bureaucratic and administrative work on both NRA and the community. References: Revenue and tax Policy Unit- MOFED Modernization Unit- NRA Website