Life of Maya Angelou Essay

Maya Angelou was born an African American. One would feel the agony she went through to be born as such and in America. Her grandmother was raped and bore a child; this child later came to be her mother. Similar to the ferocity her grandmother experienced, she was raped as a child by her mother’s boyfriend who was later on killed by her uncles. Because of this, she didn’t speak for almost six years afraid that her words had killed the man. This must be the dawn of her path to being a writer, realizing that words are powerful. If it could kill then it could give life as well. When her parents divorced, her grandmother took good care of her and her brother Bailey, Jr. and it was him who called her Maya. She became many things: a dancer, a cable car operator, a singer, a waitress, and where she flourished, a writer. The turn of her career came when she went to Egypt and Ghana. She went back to America to support Malcolm X’s Organization of African American Unity but he was assassinated. The struggle of the race continued as she supported Martin Luther King, Jr. who was also assassinated defending the African American cause, this made Maya Angelou devastated. She never stopped working for the emancipation of the African Americans and continued writing for equal rights and liberty. And so, in 1993, she read ‘On the Pulse of Morning,’ at President William Jefferson Clinton’s inauguration at the White House. Her words are valuable to the nation. Her words influence men of power. Her life is interesting which produced works that are priceless to the American people most especially to the African Americans of whom she dedicated her efforts to for their emancipation. Angelou’s style of writing categorized her works in the genre of autobiographical fiction because of her writing styles in dialogues, characterization, development of theme, setting, plot and language. But for her, these are simply autobiographies. She speaks through her writing what she has learned or learning out of life. In her interview with Mike Schneider in Bloomberg TV, she talked to all women as her daughters for her book, â€Å"Letter to My Daughter†. She speaks to them how a woman surpasses an incident in life as she would, given a similar situation. She writes to all the women as her daughters, sharing with them her story like she was one with them. In the poem, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing†, one would feel between the lines how an African American feels in the land called America. The words are simple and yet powerful in the sense that it deeply triggers emotions from the reader. These are deep sentiments of an enslaved race, wanting to be free but â€Å"the bird’s wings are clipped†. Feelings of being held while the other birds are free: is something that she has undergone while the whites enjoy the liberty of being part of their race. A critic named Lupton, considered Angelou’s writings as autobiographies for they contain the elements of such: written by a single author, chronological, and they contain character, technique and them. Although, there are parts that are fictional, the elements necessary for an autobiography are present. Angelou has the tendency to go to the direction against the convention of what an autobiography is. She used the first person singular, â€Å"I† in talking about â€Å"we†. She is placed among the African American autobiographists but other writers insist that she has created a different kind of interpretation of the autobiographical form. The book, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, became an acclaim containing the sentiments of the black people. She wrote it out of a challenge by Robert Loomis, her editor, for her to write â€Å"high art†. African American literature is more challenged in such that the authors have to agree about the status of their writings on whether it’s â€Å"high art†. O’Neale considers Angelou’s poetry a â€Å"more expected ghetto expressiveness† and she also avoids a monolithic Black language. The bird was used as metaphor that is struggling to set itself free from its cage. The cage that incarcerates the creature represents â€Å"oppression† of the African American people. It must be emphasized as well that Angelou doesn’t intend to isolate the white people. She wanted to promote the relevance of diligence so as to change the concept of laziness among African Americans. At the latter part of the 1960s, one of her goals was to create a book that satisfied the criteria, â€Å"organic unity†. According to English literature scholar Valerie Sayers, her poetry and prose are similar because of the episodes which are done like a series of short stories, but they do not follow a chronology of events. Her prose and poems are both in â€Å"direct voice†, which are characterized by steady rhythms with lyrical patterns that use figures of speech (similes and metaphors). Hagen has mentioned that Angelou’s works were influenced by the African American community’s literary and oral tradition. She uses the â€Å"blues† music and literary characters in testifying about her life and hardships, with the use of metaphors, rhythms, and intonations. Angelou’s one of the most important themes are â€Å"kinship†, this has something to do with her parents abandonment of her and her brother, her relationship with her son, husbands and lovers all throughout her books. She discusses the value of family relationships of how it can affect development of a person. She spoke of her paternal grandmother who prophesied of her being a teacher when she intentionally went mute. Telling her that she would be a teacher someday but how could that happen if she does not speak. In most of her books, â€Å"motherhood† is predominantly manifested based on her experiences as a single mother, a daughter, and a granddaughter. Like in the book, â€Å"Letter to My Daughter†, she dedicated this book to all women pondering on their life experiences. She delivered words of wisdom to soothe and give directions to their souls. When asked if she would say the same things to her son or sons, she said it would be different. She would never know how it is to be a man. If she would write something for her son/sons, it would be through the perspective of a woman. Her plot often surrounds in this motif – mother & child. â€Å"The woman who survives intact and happy must be at once tender and tough. † – Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now (1994) She is an embodiment of strength and wisdom. This is where she gets her tenets from – the experiences she has gained from childhood up to the present which molded her to become a woman whom people listen to. For Scholar Mary Burgher, African American women autobiographers have rejected the stereotyping of roles as â€Å"breeder and matriarch† of their kind and they are being presented as â€Å"creative and personally fulfilling†. Maya Angelou also wanted to deliver the message that women are more than the purpose of bringing forth children. Women are valuable beings in society as much as men are. In her books, women are winners and are brilliant who have overcome hindrances of racial discrimination. She has been influenced greatly by her relationship with her grandmother who died early in her third autobiography, â€Å"Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas†. Momma (Angelou’s grandmother), is quoted in the whole book. â€Å"I write because I am a Black woman, listening attentively to her people†. Maya Angelou, 1984[87] She has greatly contributed to the emancipation of the black people in America working alongside with Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Went through devastation because of their deaths but continued on the struggle of her people. She continued to express the pains she goes through as a black woman through her music and poems. Using her gift in expressing through words her thoughts and struggles, unified the very same sentiments of all the black people in America. Her experiences especially from childhood gave her the foundation she needed to become who she is now. Everything that transpired in her life was a message she depicted in all her books. She resisted racial biases and protested outright to effect change in American society. She mentioned in her interviews when asked if she was angry, she said, â€Å"I am angry but I am not bitter†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , reiterating that anger was necessary to express indignation to the unjust treatment towards the black people. She emphasized, however, that she is not bitter. There is a difference between those two. She used anger to advance the cause of African Americans but made sure there is no bitterness in her heart. Works Cited Hagen, L. (1997). Heart of a Woman, Mind of a Writer, and Soul of a Poet: A Critical Analysis of the Writings of Maya Angelou. Lanham, Maryland: University Press. Lauret, M. (1994). Liberating Literature: Feminist fiction in America. New York: Routledge. O’Neale, S. (1984). Reconstruction of the Composite Self: New Images of Black Women in Maya Angelou’s Continuing Autobiography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

How the Bursting of the U.S. Housing Bubble Triggered

The banking and financial market meltdown of 2007-2009 resulted in the downfall of large financial institutions, bailouts for banks by national governments, and global declines in stock markets. A suffering housing market also contributed to the economic recession. While there were many factors that triggered the global market meltdown, this paper will focus on the factors that created the U. S. housing bubble and how the bursting of the U. S. housing bubble sparked the recession. Home ownership is part of the â€Å"American Dream,† but because homes can be expensive, most people need to borrow money to buy them.In the early 2000s, mortgage rates were low, which allowed people to borrow more money with lower monthly payments. According to Katalina M. Bianco, author of â€Å"The Subprime Lending Crisis: Causes and Effects of the Mortgage Meltdown† the U. S. ownership rate increased from 64% in 1994 to 69. 2% in 2004; this demand helped fuel the rise of housing prices (Bi anco, 2008). Because home prices were increasing, many homeowners decided to refinance and take second mortgages to cash out of their homes’ equity.According to Merrill Goozner of The Fiscal Times, a simple explanation for what caused the Great Recession is people had too much debt; during the housing bubble, too many homeowners used their inflated home equity like â€Å"piggybanks† to support their spending (Goozner, 2012). Banks also contributed to the creation of the U. S housing bubble by offering easy access to money. Many borrowers got into high risk mortgages and numerous people with bad credit could qualify as subprime borrowers.According to Bianco, subprime borrowing was a key factor in the increase in home ownership rates during the housing bubble (Bianco, 2008). Some experts suggest mortgage standards relaxed during this period because each link in the â€Å"mortgage chain† believed it was passing on the risk to someone else (Bianco, 2008). Most banks do not keep mortgages on their books; instead, they sell these loans to investors. Before the crisis, many people, businesses, and governments chose to invest in mortgage linked investments because of the low interest rates.After the dot-com bubble crash in 2000, the Federal Reserve Board cut short-term interest rates from about 6. 5% to 1% (Bianco, 2008). Since banks and mortgage brokers could sell loans before they went bad, loan quality deteriorated. Mortgage denial rates reported under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act dropped from 29% in 1998 to 14% in 2002 and 2003 (Bianco, 2008). When home prices stopped increasing and interest rates rose, monthly payments increased due to adjustable rate mortgages. This marked the end of the housing bubble.Many borrowers could no longer afford their mortgages, and defaulted on their loans. The U. S. foreclosure epidemic eroded the financial strength of banking institutions. Losses on other types of loans started to increase as the crisis ext ended beyond the housing market. Banks and investors began losing money, and to decrease their exposure risk, reduced lending to each other. As a result of the slowing lending, hundreds of banks and high-profile institutions failed. Just as a number of factors caused the mortgage crisis, a number of different factors caused the global recession.The bursting of the U. S. housing bubble was not the only cause of the banking and financial meltdown of 2007-2009, but it was the immediate trigger of the economic crisis. Word Count 550 ? Works Cited Bianco, K. M. (2008, April 8). business. cch. com. Retrieved from http://business. cch. com/bankingfinance/focus/news/Subprime_WP_rev. pdf Goozner, M. (2012, March 16). Real recovery: America’s debt is on the decline. The Fiscal Times. Retrieved from http://www. thefiscaltimes. com/Articles/2012/03/16/Real-Recovery-Americas-Debt-is-on-the-Decline. aspx

Choosing a Car to Buy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choosing a Car to Buy - Essay Example The most important factors that influenced my decision in what type of car to buy are its affordability, use and aesthetic features. I like the Toyota Corolla because even though the price is quite high for me, I think I can work for it given a good payment scheme wherein I can pay for the item within a year. As I mentioned earlier, the car will be primarily for my daily activities so I want a car that is handy enough so I will not have trouble in parking spaces and even when I am on the road. I think the Corolla is easy to maneuver because of its ideal size and I can use it to work, school or other activities such as picnics and family visits. The car is just perfect for me in terms of functionality because with the many places I could use the car for, I do not think I would need another car for other functions. Lastly, I also want the features of the car. The car looks simple from the outside which I like so much because it is not a show-off. The size of the car is really important for me as well because it affects the functions mentioned above. I do not like a smaller car simply because I do not prefer it. I want to have friends ride with me for outdoor activities so I want a car that enables me to do just that. But a larger car would be difficult to bring along to most of my activities. Although a bigger car would be nice for outdoor activities such as picnics and camping but it is not every day that I go to such occasions. The Toyota Corolla is really a perfect choice for me in terms of price, functions and size.

The Great Recession 2008 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Great Recession 2008 - Term Paper Example According to the research findings the 2007 global financial crisis has had serious impacts on the economies of many countries, resulting to what economists call the Great Recession. The downturn began initially as an isolated problem with the sub-prime sector in the US housing market, mutating to a serious and fatal recession by the beginning of 2008. Consequently, other nations especially in the European Union followed the US into the crisis by mid-2008. In essence, 2009 was the first recorded year in history that the global economy was actually in recession since the Second World War. Interestingly, the recession came as a surprise to many economists, investor, academics, policy-makers, and multilateral agencies. For instance, Organization for Economic Co-operation Development’s Jean-Philippe Cotis was quoted as speculating further growth in the global economy because of the buoyancy of emerging economies and favoring financial conditions. After the economy drove into reces sion, the economics profession was under fire for failure to predict the financial downturn. As a result, there were few intellectual conversations taking place between scholars of like minds. Therefore, the underestimation of the severity of the global downturn was not surprising. Indeed, some leading financial forecasters like World Bank and International Monetary Funds revised their initial to their growth forecasts in 2008 and 2009. Nonetheless, there were warnings from a few economists of a brewing economical disaster. A portion of the economist predicted a looming recession based on economic models where the accumulation of the private sector was the central cause. However, their cries were not significant enough for the majority of the lulled individuals. Despite all these, the warning signs were blinking red: loose monetary policy especially in the US, lax in financial regulation, misperception of risk and search for yield, and huge current deficits in UK, US, and other supe r economies that accumulated huge savings of oil exporters and emerging economies. Events of 2008, with emphasis on the collapse and consequent closure of Lehman Brother, reversed the perceptions of risk-taking banks (Clungston, 2008). However, the complexity and nature mortgage-backed securities left most banks in the dark concerning the exact level of liabilities that was linked to the severing housing sector in the US. Thus, liquidity of most banks dried up, literary bringing the global financial system to a halt. Some critiques were quick to question the survival of the American-style capitalism. Governments in developing and advanced countries were quick to react aggressively, injecting obscene credit amounts into their financial markets, reducing interest rates, nationalizing banks, and unveiling stimulus packages to increase discretionary spending. Most policymakers were determined to avoid mistakes from previous crises, and their response was important avoiding disastrous de pression in most countries,

Financial Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Financial Analysis - Assignment Example Products that are used on a daily basis enhance the asset turnover. A supermarket has consumables products that are consumed on a daily basis that is why it will have the highest asset turnover followed by a steel company because of constructions. Pharmaceutical retailer will depend on health state of its client. The current lifestyle has impacted the health status of people, thus increase in pharmaceutical services is on the rise. However, asset turnover is concerned with the revenue, not profit. That being the case then musical instrument might have the highest profit than the others. Sales margin is also the gross margin. It is the revenue a firm earns after making sales. It should be known that sales margin is inclusive of the operating expenses thus it cannot be used to determine the profitability of a firm. A supermarket will have the lowest sales margin because a small mark-up is attached to the price it bought for the goods as a profit. The idea to add a small mark-up is the competitiveness of supermarkets and high sales rate. The prices of Tesco and Sainsbury’s supermarket are very competitive which attract consumers. A musical instrument retailer will have the highest sales margin this is because the sale of musical instruments is slow. To cover up the cost of operating expenses, the retailer will have to add markup that settle the income and operating expenses. Return on Equity (ROE) is a financial measure to determine how efficient a firm is in maximizing the return to the shareholders’ equity. A firm needs to have a high ROE to lure other investors. ROE has three components namely; return on sales, asset turnover, and financial leverage. In 1995, Chrysler had ROE of 20% while Ford had 8%. The difference can be explained by the three components. Firstly, it seems that Ford had low asset turnover meaning the sales in 1995 was low for its automobile. Secondly, it had a low return on sales. The profit generated

BaAka Music and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BaAka Music and Culture - Essay Example There also is percussive polyrhythm made by clapping as well as drumming and as they drum, one man sits on the drum, straddling it and the other standing behind him, playing a cross-rhythm with a stick on the side of the drum. In spirit plays involving both sexes, women sing beautifully and dance seductively to the melodies, for everyone to enjoy the euphoria brought about by the spirit. In this technique, voice movement is from the chest to the head and the resultant melody is beautiful. The chest and head voices are also a way of achieving ranging tone colors, from tense to the relaxed form. The dancers taking part in ritual and ceremonial dances are initiated skilled dancers and all members of the BaAka culture are expected to undergo the cultures' initiation; so that the various values and traditions of the land are passed down to them. As the individual is born into this culture, musical skills are inculcated into them and participation of every member is expected. The tradition of the BaAka people is orally transmitted, and the elderly members of the culture have all the information on the origins and writers of various songs. Older people also have the responsibility to teach the young ones in the region as well as members from other regions. Most of the instruments used by the BaAka people are ones borrowed from the Bantus. Depending on the melody and kind of event taking place, this culture uses instruments like drums, including water drums, flutes, a musical bow that is played by women only.

Tesco Company Pestle Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tesco Company Pestle Analysis - Essay Example This particular store was operational up to 2010. The brand’s first supermarket was opened in 1956 in Maldon. Tesco underwent organic growth in the 50s and 60s, while also undergoing acquisitions up to its peak ownership of over eight hundred stores. In 1957, the company bought seventy stores off Williamsons, two hundred outlets from Harrow Stores in 1959, two hundred and twelve stores from Irwin’s in 1960, ninety seven from Charles Phillip and in 1968 bought a chain from Victor value. At its inception, it specialized in drinks and food, but diversified into software, internet services, music and movie downloads, telecoms, electronics, and clothing. In 1987, Tesco completed a hostile acquisition of forty supermarkets from the Hillards chain for approximately ?220 million. 2. Pestle Analysis The pestle analysis is a tool that is vital in the comprehension of decline or growth of the market, thus creating better awareness of the direction, potential, and position of the b usiness. The tool is utilized for the measuring business activity in a company. Pest is an acronym for political, Economic, Social, technological, Legislative, and environmental factors (Cadle et al, 2010 p6). These are used for the assessment of the market or unit of organization. The headings used in a Pestle analysis are situational review framework and can be utilized reviewing company ideas, market propositions, direction, position, or strategy. Pestle analysis is an important tool when used in workshop sessions, on top of being quite simple to use. It is also quite useful in sessions that involve brainstorming, as well as for strategic planning, research reports, product development, and market planning. Since this tool is virtually external, it is best completed before the SAWOT analysis, which is more based on internal and quasi external factors (Cadle et al, 2010 p6). The headings in a Pestle analysis give the company a manner in which to examine the external scene surround ing it (Cadle et al, 2010 p6). It is possible to become too involved with internal issues while working in a company that the external issues are relegated in importance. The fact that these issues could have a huge impact on the success of the company makes their status vital. Ignorance of these issues could put the company’s future endeavours in doubt. The headings are as follows: Political This particular section involves the identification of political facets that impact on the organization. These are issues on politics within the company itself, political issues in the organization’s region or base, and political issues on the international and international stage (Williams & Adrian, 2007 p34). In an economy that is increasingly global, political changes affecting a particular country have an effect on legislation and business in other countries as well. The motor industry is one such industry that is affected by political changes in overseas markets. In case moto r car importation restrictions are loosened in a particular country, then countries that deal in motor vehicles will get an opportunity to export more cars into that particular country. It is however essential to realize that these companies will only benefit if they had produced adequate cars for the increase in export orders. Via keeping a close eye on any developments, such companies are able to better anticipate and prepare for these kinds of scenarios. The company can get enormous knock-on effects from these changes, with increased need for more sales team

Sustainable Design in Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainable Design in Tourism - Essay Example It is only recently that there has been a growing recognition of the importance of combining the needs of traditional urban management (transportation, land use planning, marketing, economic development, fire, and safety etc.) with the need to plan for tourism.† Sustainable design includes structures, which need fewer materials, and resources to construct and maintain are relatively more healthy and comfortable to work and live in. it does not mean a new building style rather it is a revolution in how people think about design, build, and operate buildings. One of the main aims of sustainable design is to reduce the harm caused by poorly designed buildings by combining the best of old building approaches with the new technological advances. Sustainable tourism is â€Å"an industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It is responsible tourism which is both ecologically and culturally sensitive.† Constructions have huge impacts on the environment. In industrialized countries, carbon dioxide emissions from the constructions form the half of total national carbon emissions and construction waste account for 35-40 percent of national annual waste output. The 60’s of the twentieth century witnessed the construction of several hundred uncomfortable and uneconomical resorts which required most expensive devices of refrigeration and heating. Though modern construction is much more energy and resources efficient than the building’s in the 60’s, they are still far from sustainable and eco-friendly. It is a fact that many resorts continue to be designed with little regards for improved comfort, climate, or reduction of energy, water, and waste during construction and occupation.

Analyze the Pros and Cons of the use of CHIP Research Paper

Analyze the Pros and Cons of the use of CHIP - Research Paper Example The chip is approximately 2 mm in size and it consists of essential information in the form of codes which can be decoded through special devices (Foster 2007). The chip truly represents a form of invention which can prove to be beneficial for the medical field but many objections have been raised with regard to the usage of these chips. The chip is known to have many benefits but there are many disadvantages of this technology as well. The utilization of computerized chips for humans was approved in the United States in the year 2004 by the Food and Drug Administration. The only chip which is allowed to be used in the country is the VeriChip manufactured by the Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla. The chip is introduced in the human body mainly in the arm through a technique which is accomplished in merely 20 minutes and is not very invasive. The chip can be detected at a range of 30 feet. A few health insurance companies have started the provision of these chips for pati ents who have serious illnesses. Though this technology has been new to the field of human medicine, it has been a part of the veterinary practice and it has been implanted in animals for over the past 2 decades. These chips were inserted in animals and it has been analyzed that one million animals in the United States have these chips inserted (Ahuja 2006; Associated Press 2004). The chips can prove to have many advantages to the field of medicine. It has been highlighted that chips will reduce the burden of the paper work that is required for keeping medical records. The insertion of the chips will keep the data of the patients stored for extended periods which may be retrieved whenever needed. Information that the patient may tend to forget may also be revealed through these chips. The maximum benefit of these chips may be for people who enter the hospitals in unconscious states and are not able to reveal essential medical information. This may be retrieved directly through the m edical chips and they can be treated according to their physical health. This would lead to avoid major complications which may result otherwise. It can also be very helpful for patients with illness like Alzheimer’s disease (Associated Press 2007; Foster 2007). The chips have been advocated for by many medical experts but many negative issues with regard to these chips have been revealed. It has been highlighted that the usage of chips has been connected to the causation of cancer. This has been revealed in a few animal studies. This raised questions with regard to the chips and it was seen that these chips might bring more harm to people than benefits. But this point was argued against by a few experts who believed that this risk was higher in animals but humans were not at risk (Feder 2007). Other disadvantages of the chips have also been highlighted. This includes the fact that the chips can serve to be intruders of the privacy of the individuals and there have been quest ions that these chips may tend to reveal personal information of individuals and hence deviate from their true purpose. The chips are also expensive and range to an amount of 150 to 200 dollars which may not be affordable for every person. Another disadvantage is that the codes on the chips may be decoded by hackers who may disrupt the personal information and medical information stored on the chips. They may gain access to personal informat

M & a of China Automobile Industry Essay Example for Free

M a of China Automobile Industry Essay The Researches on Overseas Mergers and Acquisitions of China Automobile Industry in Post-Crisis Period? ZHU Qin School of Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University, P. R. China, 310018 [emailprotected] com Abstract: Since the 2008 financial crisis, the overseas mergers and acquisitions (MA) of China automobile industry have become a topic the worlds automobile market most concerns about. This paper views that the rapid growth of the domestic automobile market, the adjustments in overseas auto industry and much support from government’s policies provide a good background and favorable conditions to overseas MA of China automobile industry. It also points out that although Chinas state-owned enterprises are still the main body of overseas mergers and acquisitions of China auto industry, private enterprises are playing an increasingly important role. Through studying specific cases, the paper proposes countermeasures concerning overseas mergers and acquisitions of China automobile industry in post-crisis period. Keywords: Post-crisis period, the automobile industry, overseas mergers and acquisitions 1 Introduction The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform and opening, the explosive increase of automobile industry in recent years and government’s supporting policies on the automobile industry altogether offer new opportunities and conditions to overseas MA of China automobile industry. At present, China has become the largest automobile producer in the global. In 2009, the top ten automobile manufacturing countries were: China (13791000), Japan (7. 935 million), United States (5. 697 million), Germany (5. 206 million ), Korea (3. 513 million), Brazil (3. 183 million), India (2. 628 million), Spain (2. 17 million), France (1.935 million), Mexico (1. 561 million). Large-scale production capacity endows China auto companies with a base to expand overseas. Following the 2008 financial crisis, the global economic downturn has had the international Automotive Group faced with overcapacity problem; meanwhile, the global credit shortage has brought great pressure to the survival and development of the automobile business. Funding gaps emerged in many international auto giants. After the financial crisis, the asset value of many foreign enterprises is seriously underestimated, which gives a good chance for Chinese enterprises to take a shot. Through overseas MA access to the dreaming international auto brands, the core technology and international marketing channels can be acquired at low costs. At the same time, Chinese auto companies have sufficient capital reserves at the present stage, and with the strong support from the government and national financial institutions, there is a potential for them to become competitive buyers for part of the international Automotive Groups quality assets. It is worth mentioning that related departments in the Chinese government treat the auto industry as a pillar industry of national economy, giving it much positive policy support. The automotive industry restructuring and rejuvenation program, promulgated in 2009 increased efforts to support the automobile industry. First, the program states that â€Å"it is required to promote the restructuring of the automotive industry, to support MA of large-scale automobile enterprise groups, to expand the scale of major auto parts enterprises through MA. Previously, the major auto companies were not willing to conduct cross-regional restructuring because of too many barriers. The automotive industry restructuring and rejuvenation program can effectively solve this kind of concerns. In related detailed ? [Sustentation Fund]: National Science Fund of China (70703030) , Zhejiang Province Science Fund (Y6080222), Humanity and Social Science Fund of Chinese Ministry of Education (07JA790083, 09YJC790240) 43 M D FORUM regulations, associated guidelines are made which involve the acquirer and acquiree, such as the source of acquisition financing, tax issues that may arise in acquisition, the asset disposal of acquired companies and employee relocation and other problems prone to cause disputes or already existing barriers. At the same time, it will lift the standard of admitting foreign asset and acquiring related domestic enterprises to (protectively) enhance the competitiveness of domestic auto companies. In addition, in March 16, 2009, the Ministry of Commerce issued procedures for the administration of foreign investment to further reform foreign investment management system, promote the facilitation of foreign investment, support Chinese enterprises to go out and participate more in international economic cooperation and competition. These help to raise strong and positive support for overseas M A of China automobile industry. 2 The Main Body of Overseas MA of China Automobile Industry Before 2008, although there were many cases of overseas MA in China automobile industry, such as SAIC’s acquisition of Ssang Yong in 2004, Nanjing Auto ’s acquisition of Rover in 2005 and so on, the overall impact and scale were still limited and attention from the domestic and international was not intense enough. From 2006 to 2008, the scale of MA Chinas major automobile companies has been further reduced, with the total number of only 7. It only covered 19% of the total number of Chinese car companies’ various overseas investment. Other overseas investment approaches were: 21 cases of joint ventures or strategic alliances, accounting for 57%, 8 cases of factory founding directly, accounting for 22%, and 1 case of technology transfer. But after 2008, when the world auto market is still full of financial cold haze, the Chinese auto companies went against the trend. A number of enterprises joined with foreign auto brands in carrying out cross-border marriage. In this short year, both the vehicle industry or parts manufacturers lunched many acquisitions either far-reaching or with extremely high degree of concern. Beijing Automobile Works acquired Saab, Geely acquired Volvo, Beijing West Industry’s acquisition of the U. S. Delphi, Geely DSI bought Australian automatic transmission companies, to name just a few. Overall, in the current automobile industry, China’s M A main body is evolving towards a diversed boom. China’s automobile companies participating in overseas M A are no longer confined to state-owned ones. Due to their growing strength and government’s supportive policies, private enterprises have become the new force, injecting new vigor and vitality into the overseas MA of China automobile industry. However, state-owned enterprises are still the most important main body in cross-border M A activities [7]. In this M A wave, the Beijing Automotive, as one of the state-owned enterprises, successfully finished the acquisition of the Swedish brand Saab in December 2009. State-owned enterprises have an advantage of large scale, but often there is a serious deficiency in the governance, a general lack of motivation of in the management. A majority of state-owned operators have an incomplete momentum for cross-border M A. The private enterprise, with their natural clear property rights, fewer policy constraints, and a flexible structure and mechanism are playing an increasingly important role in the wave of automotive MA. Thanks to less intervention from the government and following less protection compared with the state-owned enterprises, private enterprises possess stronger self-awareness, risk awareness and a sense of competition. Increasingly powerful private enterprise group is supposed to become an important force in the cross-border M A in the future [15]. In this MA wave, the most distinctive representative of private enterprises is China Geely Group. As a leader of Chinas private auto enterprise, in March 2010, it successfully reached an agreement with General Motors, purchasing 100% of the shares of GMs Volvo. 3 A Study of Overseas M A Cases in China Automobile Industry 44 M D FORUM 3. 1 Overseas M A cases of automobile enterprises In the choice of overseas M A targets, China’s auto enterprises prefer developed regions like Europe and the United States, especially concentrating on world’s top 10 auto-producing countries besides China such as the United States, France and other places. The vehicle industry in these areas has long history, with many powerful brands, more developed economy, higher living standard and stronger consumer ability. In the choice of specific targets, Chinese enterprises are in favor of those enterprises that are of highly well-known brands, a long history, as well as advanced technology and experienced management. However, during this financial crisis, a serious setback in operating performance led some of these companies or brands to great losses or even near-collapse. Geely’s acquisition of Volvo and Beijing Auto’s of Saab is representative ones. They are very typical in this MA wave starting after the financial crisis. 3. 1. 1 Beijing auto’s acquisition of Saab On December 28, 2009, Beijing Automotive Holdings formally announced the acquisition of relevant intellectual property rights of Saab cars at a cost of 200 million U. S. dollars. By then, Beijing Automotive has gotten the core data of the complete research, production, marketing, quality control system. This international transaction is the first successful case for a domestic automobile enterprise to carry out the acquisition of foreign advanced and complete vehicle power technology since 2009. As one of a few Chinas Automotive Groups who not yet have their own brands, Beijing Automotive is very urgent on owning its own brand-related technology. So the successful marriage with the Saab is of great significance for Beijing Automotive to speed up the process of independent R D and internationalization. 3. 1. 2 Geely’s acquisition of Volvo On December 23, 2009, Ford Motor Company released a statement of reaching a framework agreement to sell its Volvo to Geely. In March 28, 2010, Geely signed a definitive stock purchase agreement with Ford to buy 100% of the shares of Volvo Car at a cost of 1. 8 billion U. S. dollars and then signed a definitive agreement concerning related assets [32]. This saliva battles full of troubles ended with Geely tenaciously achieving its dream of snake swallows elephant. It is a spur for other domestic auto enterprises, also a major step for Geely towards the international market Simultaneously it helps the Volvo brand to further open the Chinese market,. However, it is not easy for Geely to digest Volvo. Whether it is because of the picky European Union, or high operating costs for brand, or cultural integration, especially the integration and management of Volvo’s distributors, factories and suppliers scattering over more than 100 countries and 2,400 regions. There are a series of huge problems. 3. 2 Overseas M A cases of automobile parts enterprises After the financial crisis, overseas auto parts enterprises were faced with greater difficulties than full-vehicle enterprises. Bankruptcy and MA happened frequently. Influenced by this round of auto industry structure adjustment, the integration of parts suppliers intensified, and M A wave aimed at supplier groups resurged. Foreign well-known auto parts enterprises like Australian transmission company DSI, Delphi in the United States and so on occupy pivotal positions in the auto parts industry, and even have a significant impact on the development of the full-vehicle market. Direct purchase of foreign auto parts enterprises is local suppliers’ one way of gaining access to core technology. After the current financial crisis, the MA cases of auto parts enterprises are quite frequent and also larger and more far-reaching than that of before the crisis. Such as Geely’s acquisition of the Australian transmission company DSI, Beijing West Industry’s acquisition of U. S. Delphi, WanXiang Groups acquisition of the U. S. DS automobile steering shaft and so on. 3. 2. 1 Beijing West Industry’s acquisition of Delphi On March 31, 2009, Delphi formally agreed to sell its global businesses of braking and suspension to Beijing West Industry. Beijing West was prepared to pay 90 million U. S. dollars in cash to acquire Delphi’s related machinery and equipment, intellectual property and real estate, including its businesses of braking and suspension in eight plants, five technology centers and 14 technical support and customer 45 M D FORUM service centers which locate worldwide. 3. 2. 2 Geely’s acquisition of DSI. On March 27, 2009 in New South Wales State’s Government Building, the signing ceremony of Geely acquiring Australian Automatic Transmission Company was held. According to a statement from Li Shufu, the Chairman of Geely Group, Geely conducts a wholly-owned acquisition of DSI for it values DSI’s complete designing and manufacturing capabilities accumulated over 80 years. DSI Automatic Transmission Company is an automatic transmission specialist centralizing research and development, manufacturing, and sales altogether. What is more, it is one of the only two global automatic transmission companies that are independent from all automotive vehicle companies. 4 Countermeasures and Suggestions for Overseas M A of China Automobile Industry 4. 1 The selection of objects for overseas M A First of all, when making overseas M A, Chinese auto enterprises need to be careful of those M A targets who already have no competitive advantage within the industry, and just to sell companies to reject the burden. Therefore, they should be especially cautious in the choice of Objects for overseas M A and take various factors into consideration. Second, while doing overseas MA, Chinese auto enterprises can not just focus on targets of low purchase price, but on the potential value of the enterprises after the acquisition. Therefore, the Chinese auto enterprises ought to choose targets that are consistent and coordinated with their own strategic objectives, and can complement their own businesses to achieve synergies; to choose overseas assets with low cost but are able to produce better results through the integration. Finally, in assessing M A targets, priority should be given to smaller yet high quality objects in accordance with their requirements. M A are to be done for many times, at small amount and with steady integration. 4. 2 A careful and scientific implementation of overseas M A After enterprises have determined the strategic premise of overseas M A consistent with their own development requirements, they need to compare the key links in tactic and carry on related initiatives. First, in M A planning session, to establish a more comprehensive overseas assessment system; to do a comprehensive and quantitative research with regard to the status of the host country market, national policies and regulations, competition pattern, the main risks; to do further accurate assessment of the target companys technology, independent intellectual property rights, operation status and potential value, weighing the risks and opportunities. Second, after selecting the target of M A, a comprehensive understanding of the business-related technology, the details of intellectual property rights should be gained, and the specific items and amounts of M A be finalized. To maximize benefits at the lowest cost by conducting effective negotiations. Third, after the transaction is completed, to assess comprehensively the differences of both managements in management philosophy, and the differences of staff in culture, values, benefits, remuneration and so on. To orderly propel the process of integration in achieving M A objects. 4. 3 The implementation of the strategic resource reserves in overseas M A To obtain opportunities of overseas MA, auto industry are required to carry out resource reserves in four aspects. First, human resources reserves. The Chinese auto enterprises should consciously reserve all kinds of overseas M A professionals as soon as possible. Second, M A experience reserves. By continually accumulating experience through practices, enterprises can learn more about related laws and regulations, operating procedures, and precautions to reduce risks, and then improve the success rate. Third, M A financial reserves. To fight for access to financial support from the government or large financial institutions. To ensure enough amount of money while minimizing financial costs. 46 M D FORUM 5 Conclusion During post-crisis period, the China automobile industry is facing an unprecedented good opportunity in overseas MA. With the support of concerning policies, the China auto industry is adopting an active global strategy. Through the integration of global auto industry resources, the international competitiveness force of China auto industry is enhanced in a great degree. In the process of overseas MA, the China auto industry needs to actively carry out relevant strategic resource reserves, scientifically select acquisition targets, and carefully as well as scientifically implement specific overseas M A strategy. Author in brief: Zhu Qin, PHD, Associate Professor, School of Economics, Zhejiang Gongshang University Email: [emailprotected] com. References [1]. Stefano Rossiand Paolo Volpin. Cross-Country Determinants of Mergers and Acquisitions [M]. London Business School, 2002 [2]. Guo Jianhua. The global automotive industry changing situation report [R]. Beijing: Equality in Automobile Research Institute, 2009(in Chinese) [3]. RolandBerger Strategy Consultants. Chinas auto industry development, in the current financial crisis the opportunities and challenges [R], 2009 (in Chinese) [4]. State Council Development Research Center of Industrial Economics Research Department, Society of Automotive Engineers of China, Volkswagen Group. China Automotive Industry Development Report [M]. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2009. 7 (in Chinese) 47

Overview of Marine Insurance Policies

Overview of Marine Insurance Policies The structure of marine insurance Marine insurance is the way to cover vessels or cargoes in case of loss or damage from the port of origin until the destination. Marine insurance is a kind of insurance developed in maritime sector. The first types of marine insurance contracts were born in Genoa and other countries of Italy around the XVI century. During the 19th century Lloyds London and the Institute of London have developed standard clauses to use in marine insurance also called the Institute Clauses. Marine insurance is often grouped with Aviation and Transit risks, and known with the acronym MAT. The Marine Insurance Act includes a standard policy called SG. In 1991, the London market produced a new kind of standard policy called Mar 91 with the Institute Clauses. The MAR 91 form is a general statement of insurance; the Institute Clauses are used to set out the detail of the insurance cover. Lloyds of London is composed from names that are making their own wealth at risk to underwrite insurance cover. They provide cover for vessels, platforms and aircraft. Hull and Machinery policy is a kind of limited cover in case of explosion, fire contact with land conveyances, aircraft, salvage, general average, constructive total loss, total loss, partial collision liability and with additional premium limited cover for bursting of boilers and braking of shafts. All forms of hull cover have to be decided from an insurance broker. Protection and indemnity association provide a cover to loss of life, pollution and the risk of cargo for ship-owners. In other forms of insurance to cover vessels can be included war risk Strike and Freight defense. The underwriters are all liable together, but only for their proportion of the risk. If one underwriter should default, the others are not responsible to pick his share of the claim. Cover could be based for voyages and time. Definition of a PI club This is an association of ship-owners who are together to insure each other on a mutual non- profit-making basis, for their third-party liabilities. Mutual association The PL club is formed from ship-owners which are competitors in the business but they understood that it was more advantageous to cooperate together for insurance purposes. Currently the members of PL are international and different languages culture religion wont divided their cooperation because they are sharing the same risks and liabilities. In other words they are different people but with the same status and same objectives. Moreover would be better if all the members of the PL club have the same type of ship, same size, age, cargoes, involved in the same trade, with the same crew. Every ship-owner should have common characteristics to avoid unfair situations. For example a ship owner with a big tanker should pay more than a ship owner with a small bulk cargo. Every member of PI club shouldnt unfairly pay the other ship-owners. Since the PL is a no profit club the members want to ensure each other and try to achieve together optimum efficiency in the management of their money. The typical marine policy will cover just three-quarter of the insureds liability towards third parties. For this reason in the 19th some ship-owner created an underwriting clubs called PL to insure with all the members of the club the remaining part that the typical marine policy doesnt cover. These Clubs are still in existence Actual total loss and constructive total loss ALT (actual total loss) occurs where a ship owner has been irretrievably denied access to the property insured. Total loss happens when the vessel is completely damaged and the costs of repairing are higher than the insured value. In this case the Ship-owners will issue a notice of abandonment to Insurers. Insurers will take what is left of the ship and then dispose of the vessel in the best way possible. Average In the situation of partial loss or emergency repair of a vessel such as in case of storm or when they have to leave a part of cargo to protect the ship and the remain of the other cargo, a common law undertaking in the UK, may be declared. General Average requires all parties concerned in the venture as cargo, freight hull and bunkers, to contribute to compensate the losses or damages. Average adjusters are people specialized in marine claims and responsible to provide the general average statement involved from the insurers or ship-owners. Types of Policies The major types of marine insurance policies are Time policy The time policy is used for a specific period of time usually for12 months. This policy is most suitable for hull insurance. Voyage policy With the voyage policy the vessel will be insured just for a specific voyage for example from Karachi to Port Saied. The voyage policy has reasonable time. The ship will be also insured 24h after the arrival. When the cargo has an open cover it will be covered for a voyage in a specific period of time. If there will be some modification about ports, places and destination the insurers are not still responsible of the voyage. Moreover in case of deviation the ship may be covered with an additional premium. Mixed policy This is a mix between the Time policy and Voyage policy. In other words the vessel will be covered for a particular voyage and specific period of time. Floating policy Floating policy is taken for the habitual suppliers of goods. It covers several shipments which are declared afterwards along with other particulars. This policy is most suited to exporter in order to avoid trouble of taking out a separate policy for every shipment. Valued policy This policy will cover the cost of goods and shipping charges plus 10% to 15% margin for anticipated profit. This value could be more than the real value of the goods. Unvalued policy Where the value of the subject matter of insurance is not declared but left to be ascertained and proved later it is called unvalued policy. Builder’s risk This policy is valid for more than one year and it will be cover the ship during the construction until the trial voyage. Blanket policy This policy shows all the cargoes insured, with specific ports, destinations, voyages ,places and it will cover all the risks accordingly. Under this policy the maximum limit of the required amount to protect the vessel will be estimated. Port risk policy This policy will cover the vessel in a specific port for a determined period of time Wager policy This is called also gambling policy because the policy has not legal effects on the insurers and it cannot be taken to a court of law. Special hazards policy This policy is used to cover specific risks such as war or piratery. Composite policy This type of policy is bought from more than one person. When there is not freud each of them will be paid separately in case of loss. Block policy This kind of policy is usually used from golds buyers. It will cover all the risks to loss or damage of the gold from the port of delivery until the destination. Fleet Policy This policy will cover more than one ship which is member of the same ownership or management. Each ship will have a separate insurance. New Building risks: The policy is used to cover the risks of damage the vessel during the construction. War risks: Usual Hull insurance doesnt cover the risks of the ship in war zones. The vessel could be protected in war zone paying an additional premium. The areas with war risks are decided by the London-based Joint War Committee which has recently included the Malacca Straits. Increased Value (IV): This policy will cover the ship-owner in case of difference between the insured value of the vessel and the market value of the vessel. Overdue insurance: This is a form of old insurance and it is currently obsolete. It was used by the insurer in case the vessel was late to arrive at the port of destination or lost. A All Risks Another type of insurance policy is A-ALL Risks which doesnt mean that it will cover all the losses but just the ones by fortuitous condition. The requirement that the cause of loss be fortuitous excludes: inherent defects, intentionally caused losses ordinary wear and tear and naturally occurring losses. The term Inherent Vice refers to a loss arising from qualities inherent in the goods insured. The application of Inherent Vice is a strong possibility in certain cargoes, for example hydroscopic cargo, fruits and vegetables, wine, cocoa and coffee beans, iron and steel products, wood products, fish meal, leather goods, hides and skins, flour, soybeans, plantains, potatoes, pistachio nuts, walnuts, rubber, rugs, carpet backing, others. As Inherent Vice is an exception to liability, the burden of proof is on the insurer to support the declination of any cargo claim. An insurer does not agree to insure against damage that is bound to happen or inevitable as a result of the natural tendency of the cargo to deteriorate or sustain damage without an external fortuitous accident triggering the damage. The Inherent Vice exclusion can also apply to a loss which, due to manner in which the cargo is shipped, is regarded as inevitable. A good example is given by cargoes that are susceptible to high and low temperatures. Fresh eggs, chocolate, cocoa cake, wine, beer that are shipped in regular ocean containers during certain times of year when weather conditions are expected to be hot or cold, and without the use of a heated and insulated container ,are bound to sustain losses. Damage that occurs in the course of ordinary handling and transportation of cargoes, without the intervention of a fortuity, can be due to Inherent Vice and would be exuded from coverage.

How to Survive Portuguese Taxi Ride :: Free Expository Process Essays

How to Survive Portuguese Taxi Ride Less than twenty-four hours after arriving in Portugal, I was introduced to my first taxi ride. I was traveling with a native Portuguese girl, Sandra Batista. Sandra called a taxi to take us to our home. I hadn't, yet, experienced a taxi ride in Portugal. I had heard how dreadful these rides can be, especially the first time. "Consider yourself forewarned," a friend had cautioned a few minutes before I boarded the plane. He was, of course, referring to the taxi drivers in Portugal. I laughed. "The taxi drivers can't be that bad," I reasoned with him. He laughed. He had the last laugh. In fact, he still laughs about my ignorance. The taxi pulled up and Sandra and I got in. She took the passenger's seat; I sat in the rear. I felt calm. After the first acceleration, that serenity transformed to sheer panic and nausea. I was praying silently as I held on for dear life. Sandra was nonchalant; she animatedly spoke in Portuguese to the driver. The spoken language was foreign to me; her body language was not. She was completely unaffected. Fifteen minutes later we arrived home. "For cars and motorcycles the speed limits are 60 kilometers per hour (37 m.p.h.) in built up areas (city streets)." (Baedeker 388) Our driver was averaging about 90 kilometers per hour (55 m.p.h.). Sandra thanked and tipped our driver. I lost my lunch in the nearest bush. It was my first "near-death experience," as I like to call it; little did I know, I would endure several more experiences similar to this one in the following year and a half, while residing in Portugal. After several months of fearing, my life, followed by vomiting, I decided to create a method for relaxation in the Portuguese taxi. First, give yourself time to prepare for the event. You will need a good amount of time to think about and prepare for your excursion. Meditation is powerful. In Lamaze classes, for example, you are told to have a calm and peaceful setting to think about when labor pains get climactic and intense; the Portuguese taxi ride qualifies as "intense." Prepare your mind by thinking of a peaceful scene; this scene could be a beach or a forest setting. Pondering a roller coaster ride would not be a good idea. Thinking through an entire calm setting can put your mind into "relax" mode.

Comparing Rugby and Football :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Comparing Rugby and Football The thick, broad-shouldered athlete breathes heavily and grunts with each step as he and his teammates push mightily against the opposition. His arms are locked over his teammates' shoulders, all of their heads down. The two teams are pushing against each other like two moose fighting over territory. He looks down to see the ball, sitting just in front of his feet. If he could just hook it with his foot and heave it to his teammate behind him†¦ This is what every player in a scrum is thinking while they fight each other for possession. Rugby is the true sport of men, because you wear no pads, and it is even more violent than football; however, football requires that you wear pads, thus being the true sport of want-to-be men. The rules of these similar yet vastly different games are extremely complex, so only the basics are necessary to distinguish the better sport. In football, the primary rule is that you must advance the ball forward by throwing it or running with it. Once a player with the ball is downed, the entire team lines up again, and the ball is snapped to the quarterback. The short pause in-between each down may not seem significant, but it definitely takes its toll on the excitement. In rugby, however, the primary rule is that you can only advance the ball by running with, kicking, or passing it. With passing, though, you can only pass the ball backwards or directly to your side, never forward. Like football, you score by running the ball into the endzone or by kicking it through the uprights. Also, you must touch the ball to the ground for it to count, and it is worth five points. When kicking, the ball can be kicked from anywhere spontaneously. If it passes through the uprights, it is worth three points, as in football. The equipment for the two sports is widely different, with football requiring much more. In football, players must wear a large set of pads, covering most of their body, and a masked helmet. The ball is made up of an inflated rubber bladder, surrounded by stitched leather, and it appears ellipsoidal in shape. Most players now wear cleated or spiked shoes, but flat-soles are often worn for artificial turf surfaces. But rugby, being the true sport of men, uses no pads of helmets.

Robert Crandall :: essays research papers fc

Leadership in Aviation American Airlines was under Robert Crandall's leadership from 1980, when he was named president and later chairman, until he retired in 1998. He possesses characteristics like intelligence, character, ability, and desire, all of which is needed to get things accomplished through people. American Airlines was transformed from a small, domestic carrier to one of the world's leading airlines with the largest jet fleet worldwide. American led the airline industry in the 1990's in revenues and operating income, and its parent company, AMR Corporation, was one of the top Fortune 500 companies under Crandall’s reign. Raised in Rhode Island, Robert Lloyd Crandall graduated from his state’s university and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School. He worked as a regional credit supervisor for Eastman Kodak and later, headed the computer programming division at Hallmark Cards. In 1966, he joined TWA (TransWorld Airlines) as assistant treasurer. He briefly left the airline industry in 1972 to become senior financial officer at Bloomingdale's Department Stores, but returned the next year when American made him its senior Vice President of Finance (Robert L. Crandall: Official Biography). From there, Mr. Crandall advanced to president. During his 18-year tenure as head of American Airlines, Robert Crandall and his self-empowered team formulated many of the innovations that helped to revolutionize the airline industry after deregulation, when many competitors went bankrupt. American was the first to recognize the value of filling empty seats with discounted tickets now known as "Super Saver Fares." These tickets offered deep discounts for advance-purchase tickets and outsold cheap charter competition. He was also quick to see the importance of restructuring and building a route system around central hub airports to which many airlines still use today. To keep American Airlines on top of the industry, one of Crandall's visions was to accelerate the company's efforts into the rich overseas markets. By tapping into voids created by Pan Am, Eastern Air, Braniff Int’l and TWA, Mr. Crandall’s ambition acquired promising overseas routes to Asia and Europe, and Latin America. Perhaps Robert Crandall's greatest contribution to the success of American Airlines was his vision in propelling the SABRE Group from an internal division of the company to one of the world's largest, privately owned computer networks. Conceived in 1959, the Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment served as an internal link between American's offices and ticket counters to help track reservations. When talks aimed at developing an industry-wide reservation system, broken down between travel agents and major carriers in the mid-1970’s, Crandall successfully marketed his airline's computer system throughout the world.

Therapeutic Techniques

THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Gerald Corey Section 5 APPLICATION: THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES The redecision therapy model of the Gouldings (1979) is grounded within the framework of TA theory, yet their methods are a combination of TA, Gestalt therapy, interactive group therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, family therapy, and psychodrama. Realizing the importance of combining the affective and the cognitive dimensions, the Gouldings draw heavily from TA heory for cognitive structure, and they use Gestalt techniques to provide the emotional work that breaks through the impasses clients often experience. Following is a brief description of some of the more commonly used processes, procedures, and techniques in TA practice. Most of them can be applied to both individual and group counseling. Therapeutic Procedures Structural analysis Structural analysis is a tool by which a person becomes aware of the content and functioning of his or her Parent, Adult, and Child.TA clients learn how to identify their own ego states. Structural analysis helps them resolve patterns that they feel stuck with. It allows them to find out which ego state their behavior is based on. With that knowledge they can determine their options. Transactional Analysis Two problems related to the structure of personality can be considered by structural analysis: contamination and exclusion. Contamination exists when the contents of one ego state are mixed with those of another. For example, the Parent, the Child, or both may intrude within the oundaries of the Adult ego state and interfere with the clear thinking and functioning of the Adult. (Figure 1). Contamination from the Parent is typically manifested through prejudiced ideas and attitudes; contamination from the Child involves distorted perceptions of reality. When contamination of the Adult by the Parent, the Child, or both exists, â€Å"boundary work† is called for so that the demarcation of each eg o state can be clearly drawn. When the ego-state boundaries are realigned, he person understands his or her Child and Parent rather than being contaminated by them. Here are some statements reflecting contamination from the Parent: â€Å"Don’t mix with people who are not of our kind†; â€Å"Never trust Italians†; â€Å"Watch out for mechanics; they’ll cheat you every time†; â€Å"You can’t depend on teenagers. † The following statements reflect contamination from the Child: â€Å"Everyone’s always picking on me. Nobody treats me right†; â€Å"Anything I want I should get right now†; â€Å"Who could possibly ever want to be my friend? †

Islamic Political Thought Essay

The division of spiritual and temporal in Christianity has taken a long time to be enacted into the political theory of the occidental mind. There is a long history of church rule behind today’s secular political thinking. Which recognizes religion as of no significance in the eye of the state. They have taken the sovereignty from God and put it into the hands of the people. In doing so they have declared collective human conscience as their guide and have rejected all sorts of scriptures of divine nature. This is leading these societies to moral ruin. Approval of homosexuality as a legal practice by the legislatures of some western countries is an indication of the moral collapse that awaits them. Although Islam has no division of spirit and mundane but still does not support theocracy or any other form of autocratic rule. It has taken a middle course, which can best be explained by the word â€Å"autonomous†. Giving the absolute power and responsibility of guidance in the hands of God, Islam lets the, Muslims to exercise unlimited sovereignty within the limits of Quran and Sunnah. Introduction This topic seemingly look very simple and the one which can have a straightforward answer. But actually it required a great insight into the historical and the political perspective of Islamic world at large. This proposition can be tackled at a number of levels. One scheme of addressing this question could be to go to the theological injunctions, that is, to argue from Quran and Hadith. The second approach could be of digging into the history and bringing out the relevant examples. There is yet another way of going through this riddle and that is to examine the evolution of political ideology in the world of Islam and comparing it with the political evolution of the other nations or rest of the world. We may adopt any of the above methodology. But in order to get a better view of things and comprehensive answer to this question. We analyze it at all the three above-mentioned levels. This will certainly render us a better understanding of not only this question but also of many other aspects of related political problems confronting the modern Muslim societies. Before beginning with our discussion it is useful that we first determine what sovereignty is? Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary describes sovereignty as: the highest power or fully independent and self-governing. Similarly Webster’s dictionary gives the following meanings to this word: â€Å"supreme leader or the one who exercise authority in a limited sphere†. Quranic Interpretation As for as simplest mind, which goes through the Quranic text, it cannot ignore the fact that the God, that is Allah, is omnipotent, all powerful and all governing. This is the first and the last impression, which Quran leaves on any mind, no matter how naive it may be. Contrary to many doctrines, Quran declares Allah to be the sole authority on every thing that is present not only in this world but the whole of the universe. Many Quranic verses can be quoted in this context. Blessed is the Lord who holds control over all and is Omnipotent. † (Al-mulk) And again: â€Å"Exalted is the One who controls every thing and to Him you shall resurrect. † (Ya-seen) This makes very cleat that every thing lies with Allah. It flows from thence unto His creatures. Same is the case with authority and sovereignty. Allah has send man on this earth as his vicegerent. Allah has given man sovereignty to reign on this world. As Quran says, â€Å"(remember) When your Lord said to angels that indeed I shall appoint a vicegerent on Earth. † (Al-baqarah) Thus, man rules earth on the behalf of his Lord. Therefore he can exercise sovereignty with in certain limits, prescribed by Allah. Once established that sovereignty is a reign were man has been given access. We find out whether men have been given some right to make decisions for themselves or not. Is a ruler selected by Allah and imposed on men or they are encouraged to exercise their sovereign right by some collective means? Now this is an arguable question. Some section may say that a king or some sort of ruler, imposed on the society by one way or the other, has the right to exercise the sovereignty that Allah has bestowed upon men. And we also find such a precedent in the Quran, from the story of Talloot and Jalloot in sura al-baqarah we come to know that kings were imposed on men without their will and consultation, what so ever. One may cite this example from the Holy book to give weight to his argument. But one thing must be kept in minds of the people that it was the practice of Allah for the people of Israel, usually referred to as Banu-Isreal in the Quran. Who were in a stage of evolution that was to culminate at the advent of the last Prophet Muhammad (P.B. U. H)? For us i. e. the ummah of the last prophet, this rule has changed. And the new scheme under which the sovereignty has to be exercised is given in the following verse: â€Å"And they conduct their affairs with mutual consultation. † (Shura) Thus we see that Quran encourages its followers to adopt a scheme of exercising their sovereignty over themselves by a way, which hinges itself over some system of broader consultation. Of the two views, latter is the one, which seems to be accurate and closer to the rationale thinking. From the above discussion, we have reached a conclusion that Quran does recognize the sovereignty of Muslim citizen in an Islamic state and they have to device such a methodology or system, which makes it convenient for them to achieve broader consultation. Quran, similarly, rejects a single person’s claim to sovereignty and authority. Who so ever becomes a ruler of a muslim state must take the views of the society while making decisions? Now the Quran does not let loose Muslims after giving them right to sovereignty. There are a number of responsibilities that the Quran puts on their shoulders. And Quran, in its own brief but effective manner, puts them as: â€Å"Those to whom we give power, must establish the system of prayers and charity and they ask the people to do good and forbid from doing evil. † Guidance from Sunnah Sunnah i. e. Prophet’s life and actions is the biggest source after the Holy (Quran). There fore, we refer our self to this source. As the Quran says, â€Å"Consult Allah and the Prophet in a matter of discord. † At another place it is mentioned: â€Å"Surely there is the best guidance for you in the life of the prophet. † We see that the early part of the Prophet hood of Prophet Muhammad (P.B. U. H) does not give us any clue of the relation of citizens and state. It is only the latter part of his Prophet hood i. e. Medina period, in which he established a city state that we find some form or structure of a government. Now we can have any debate on the question of citizen’s sovereignty in the eye of Islam basing our investigations on this period of Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H)’s life. It has become convenient, for at the very beginning of Medina period there is a record of a political agreement between all the cross-sections of population of Medina. This political document in itself, otherwise, is a very important and valuable document. It gives an insight into the political situation of the Muslims in particular and Medina and it’s surrounding in general. Coming back to the question we are confronted with. We investigate this document to find if it sheds any light on this particular question. The first clause, which defines the parties to the treaty, adequately addresses the sovereignty of the citizens. 1. This is the treaty between the Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H), Aus and Khazraj (the helpers) and Jews of Medina and its surroundings. . Above-mentioned parties would be one group for the defense of Medina. 3. Every body is independent to practice ones religion. 4. Disputes among Jews would be settled according to their laws. It was an unprecedented treaty in respect of its very liberal approach towards communities of other religions. The point, which is very important for our thesis, is that everybody in Medina was treated as an equal party in this treaty. This was going to be the future constitution of that state for the rest of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H). Although the Jews broke this accord and had to pay its price. We do not talk about Jews as is mentioned above that they were left to their own laws. But the Divine laws governed Muslims. Which were revealed to the Prophet (P. B. U. H. ) from time to time. Thus we see that Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) in that state was the sole source of legislation. All the laws came from him. Many people misunderstand this phenomenon and they equate this authority of making laws by the Prophet Muhammad (P. BU. H) (that were revealed) as a precedent for authoritarian government by a single man. No, this approach is essentially flawed and contrary to the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H). If we examine his political life and circumstances prevalent at that time more carefully and keenly. Then we get to a conclusion rather different from the misunderstanding that has been indicated above. As we know that Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) was sent to a people who were totally ignorant, had never experienced any form of collective government and, therefore did not have laws and legislations. Further more, Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H)’s, messaged was meant for all times to come. Thus Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) was sent to such a neighborhood where he could construct a model beginning from scratch and having no influence of any previous system whatsoever. Now it was Prophet Muhammad’s (P. B. U. H) job to introduce to them a system of laws and governance based on the divine guidance, and through them he was to demonstrate it to all people for all times to come. Laws were of course revealed and Muslims had and have to obey them as such. But when it comes to governance, we have ample examples to quote; Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) mostly used the method of consultation. And this is what the message is that after the discontinuation of revelation, Muslims have to run their affairs in the light of revealed guidance by mutual consultation. To quote few examples from Prophet Muhammad’s (P. B. U. H) life, in order to support the notion that citizens of an Islamic state do have some rights to exercise sovereignty over themselves, we refer to the following instances from the Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) life: 1. As mentioned previously, in the very beginning of political history of the state of Medina general public i. e. Muslims were made an equal part in the matters of the governance. Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) did not make himself the sole representative of the whole Muslim community. 2. Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) appointed twelve representatives (Naqeebs) among the Ansar to represent them. 3. Before the battle of Badr Prophet Muhammad (P. B. U. H) consulted Muhajreen as well as Ansar. 4. In the battlefield of Badr, the camping place of the army was selected on the advice of Habbad-bin-Munzir. 5. At the time of Uhad , Prophet Muhammad’s (P. B. U. H) own opinion was to fight within the city but the general opinion was to fight outside the city, and that was followed. 6. In the battle of Ahzaab, the strategy of digging a trench for the defense of Medina was again an idea presented by Salman. 7. The method of calling the faithful to the prayer was again a matter sort out by mutual consultation. Hence at end of this chapter we conclude that Prophet Muhammad’s (P. B. U. H) life adequately provides us the evidence that in an Islamic state the power to rule and govern lies with the citizens and not with a single person or family or some creed. Rather it is the right of the people to govern themselves as they please, but of course not violating the Quranic limits set upon them. Those to whom we give power, must establish the system of prayers and charity and they ask the people to do good and forbid from doing evil. † Islamic History and Muslim Scholars We have come out of an academic discussion. Now we shall be analyzing historical events and political realities. As we enter into a new phase of discussion. It will be very useful that we revise and redefine the question we are confronted with. So when we ask this that â€Å"are people sovereign in Islam? † What do we actually mean to imply? What are the other questions, which confront us when we say, â€Å"yes people are sovereign†? Having proved that sole source of power and strength is the Allah Almighty; do we mean to say, that Allah and His angels are physically involved in the governance of a state? Of course not, is the obvious answer. It is the men themselves who shall be arranging for any type of government. After placing theoretically all powers in Allah, when sovereignty is given to citizens it means following things. 1. Any government that is formed will be only due to the consensus of the majority of people. 2. Whenever there is some decision to be made, again it will be referred to people. Whatever a government or the rulers do is accountable to public. 4. As the government or state has functional powers, thus checks and balances on it to safeguard people against any sort of tyranny or exploitation. Now we shall examine different types of governments in Islamic history on the basis of these above points. To begin with, we first analyze first four guided caliphs. Abu Bakr (R. A) was made caliphs and presented him in front of public. His first address is very suitable example. It encompasses almost all the above four points. He said: â€Å"O people! I have been made caliph against my will.

Information Systems and Operations Management

Please read the article: Zara: Fast fashion from savvy systems available for free at http://www. flatworldknowledge. com/pub/gallaugher/41128#pdf-7 This article makes up Chapter 1 of the free, open access book titled, Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology, by John Gallaugher. Please ensure that you read the entire Chapter 1 of the book consisting of 3 parts (Part 1 Introduction; Part 2 Don’t Guess, Gather Data; and Part 3 Moving Forward). Now answer the questions below: Question 1: The Zara case shows how information systems can impact every single management discipline.Which management disciplines were mentioned in this case and how does technology impact each? (50% of the total mark) The case study mentioned management disciplines including information gathering, processing, storing, distributing and use of information. Gather market information One of the successful factors in Zara is they know the market trends. Zara deploys the latest information technology tools to facilitate the information exchange and collect market data through both formal and informal channels – the PDA and POS systems.The Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) system Zara’s store managers were given personal digital assistants (PDAs) so they could gather customer input outside an office setting. The staff in Zara would regularly gather information from customers, such as the trend of fashion customers preferred and feedbacks of garment that they would like to see more in the shop. The range of information collected included colours, length and even small detail of the clothes were collected from customers through front line shop staff.Besides getting information directly from customers, they staff have another channel to gather customers’ preferences. The staff will investigate the unsold items that customers tried on but didn’t buy, to find out their preferences in cloth, color, or styles offered among the products in stock. T he Point-of-sale (POS) system Besides the informal channel to gather customers needs (through conversations), the head office will collect information through a formal channel, the store’s point-of-sale (POS) system.This system is a transaction process that captures customer purchase information, in order to show how garments rank by sales. Since the POS system is linked with the PDA system, in less than an hour, managers can send updates that combine the hard data captured at the cash register with insights on what customers would like to see. Information on customer needs and trend information collected daily are fed into a database at head office regularly. The PDAs support the connection between the retail stores and head office.Each store managers are assigned with market specialists, they will communicate regularly through PDAs to transmit all kinds of information to head office. [1] Zara store management and staff use PDAs and POS systems to gather and analyze customer preference data to plan future designs based on feedback, rather than prediction. Data driven product development The data collected from PDA as well as POS system formed a valuable marketing database and provided data allows the design teams to plan styles and issue re-buy orders based on feedback rather than hunches and guesswork.The goal is to improve the frequency and quality of decisions made by the design and planning teams. The designers from â€Å"The Cube† follow evidence of customer demand. When they deign new garments or decide which kind of fabric, cut and price points to be used or modify existing designs, they will base on information from PDAs and POS rather than create trends by pushing new lines via advertisements or catwalk fashion shows. Vertically integrated value chain Inditex is a vertically integrated group, it owns several layers in its value chain.The distribution center in La Coruna equipped with up-to-date equipment for fabric dyeing and processing , cutting and garment finishing. The vertically integrated ability allows the group to response faster against the latest fashion trend including provide the appropriate for new lines. Zara’s IT expenditures are low by fashion industry standards. The spectacular benefits reaped by Zara from the deployment of technology have resulted from targeting technology investment at the points in the value chain where it has the greatest impact, and not from the sheer magnitude of the investment.This is in stark contrast to Prada’s experience with in-store technology deployment. Inventory control Zara uses Toyota-designed logistics system and overnight parcel services to manipulate items stocked in the five-million-square-foot distribution center in La Coruna, or a similar facility in Zaragoza in the northeast of Spain. About two and a half million items were handled every week and none of them stayed in the warehouses more than 3 days. Before sending to each store, clothes are i roned in advance and packed on hangers, with security and price tags fixed beforehand.This system helps staff in Zara utilize their time efficiently with the inventory during busy periods. Just-in-time manufacturing (JIT) The JIT approach to manufacturing involves timing the delivery of resources so that they arrive just when needed. Inventory optimization models help the firm determine how many of which items in which sizes should be delivered to each specific store during twice-weekly shipments, ensuring that each store is stocked with just what it needs.Trucks serve destinations that can be reached overnight, while chartered cargo flights serve farther destinations within forty-eight hours. And the firm can coordinate outbound shipment of all Inditex brands with return legs loaded with raw materials and half-finished clothes items from locations out-side of Spain thanks to the revised shipping models through Air France–KLM Cargo and Emirates Air. Zara’s products are manufactured for a limited production run. This approach encourages customers to buy right away and at full price.The constant parade of new, limited-run items also encourages customers to visit often. Staff allocation Headquarter of Zara uses software to arrange staff’s roster. The manpower is allocated based on each store’s forecasted sales volume, with locations staffing up at peak times such as lunch or early evening. The firm claims these more flexible schedules have shaved staff work hours by 2 percent. This constant refinement of operations throughout the firm’s value chain has helped reverse a prior trend of costs rising faster than sales.Zara’s combination of vertical integration and technology-orchestrated supplier coordination, just-in-time manufacturing, and logistics allows it to go from design to shelf in days instead of months. [pic] Question 2: Do you think information systems are a strategic liability for Zara? Give reasons. (50% of the total mark) Porter’s five forces analysis To understand the business condition of fashion industry, we need to use Porter’s five forces model. It is shown how the market behaved at the very beginning of the company according to the Porter’s 5 forces analysis.Bargaining Power of Suppliers This is how much pressure suppliers can place on a business. If one supplier has a large enough impact to affect a company’s margins and volumes, then they hold substantial power. †¢ There are many suppliers for raw material †¢ There are many substitutes †¢ Presence of substitute inputs †¢ The nature of the products allow to storage them long time, unless the trends conditions. Bargaining Power of customers This is how much pressure customers can place on a business. †¢ Switching to another (competitive) product is simple The product is not extremely important to the buyer; they can do without it for a period of time. †¢ Customers are price s ensitive †¢ Buyer do not have switching costs †¢ Many availabilities of existing substitute products †¢ Buyer is price and style sensitive †¢ Low purchase volume per customer. †¢ Highly dynamic, customers preference changes frequently in short time Competitive rivalry within an industry This describes the intensity of competition between existing firms in an industry. Garment industry is highly competitive generally earn low returns.For many industries, this is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. Sometimes rivals compete aggressively and sometimes rivals compete in non-price dimensions such as innovation, marketing, etc. †¢ It is a mature industry with very little growth. Companies can only grow by stealing customers away from competitors. †¢ It has a lot competitors in the industry about the same size †¢ Little differentiation between competitors’ products and services. Key competitors include Gap,, Benetton, H, Forever 21 , etc.Pfeifer, (2008); Rohwedder and Johnson, (2008) H has increased the frequency of new items in stores, Forever 21 and Uniqlo get new looks within 6 weeks and Benetton, a firm that previously closed some 90 percent of US stores, now replenishes stores as fast as once a week †¢ The barriers to get out of the industry are low in distribution and high in manufacture †¢ Since the chances of clothes getting damaged before sold is very little, the storage costs would be low †¢ High manufacture costs because of high raw material cost and manpower cost Threat of new Entrants No distribution barriers to entrance because it only consists on low costs of renting a shop, no administrative restrictions, low initial capital to start †¢ Reduced reaction possibilities in front of new entrants †¢ In production, there are barriers for the existence of economies of scale. †¢ The start up capital needed is high †¢ Need time to build up relationship wi th supply chain and suppliers Threat of substitute products What is the likelihood that someone will switch to a competitive product or service? If the cost of switching is low, then this poses to be a serious threat. Buyer can easily found substitute †¢ Relative price performance of substitutes †¢ Buyer switching costs is low †¢ Perceived level of product differentiation †¢ Fad and fashion †¢ Technology change and product innovation The main issue is the similarity of substitutes. For example, if the price of coffee rises substantially, a coffee drinker is likely to switch over to a beverage like tea because the products are so similar. If substitutes are similar, then it can be viewed in the same light as a new entrant. Zara’s success factorsThe success factors/ competitive advantages include always producing the style that customers are looking for, short production time from design stage and limited quantities. Information system plays strategic l iability in the following: – Collecting Market Data & customer’s needs – Product development – JIT production Considering the information technology investment helping Zara to maintain it’s competitive advantages, it is strategic liability for the firm. ———————– [1] Zara's Secret for Fast Fashion, Kasra Ferdows, Michael A. Lewis and Jose A. D. Machuca (http://hbswk. hbs. edu/archive/4652. html)

What Is Idiom?

What is idiom? According to Oxford Dictionary idiom can be defined as â€Å"group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words†. In another word, the meaning of idioms cannot be figured out from its shown words. Each language has its own idioms that used in every day speeches and conversations. Al-Shawi & Mahadi describe idioms as â€Å"idiomatic expressions are colorful, dramatic, lively, closer to the way people really feel and near to the local culture†. Although idioms give color to conversations, they consider a serious problem to students in translation. Translation defined as â€Å"the process of translating words or text from one language into another† (en.oxforddictionaries.com, n.d). Many Saudi students encounter difficulty while translating idioms from Arabic into English language. These difficulties occur because of different reasons. The aim of this study is to identify the difficulties that faced by students and to know the reasons for these problems. Also, this study provides strategies that may help students in translating idioms from Arabic into English.Statement of the ProblemMany Saudi junior level students at Yanbu University College face problem in translating idioms from Arabic into English language. These problems occur because of various reasons. The differences between source language and target language, the lack of knowledge of the TL, the absence of equivalents of the idiom in the TL, and the lack of knowledge of translation strategies. This problem affects students' efficiency in translation. Purpose of the StudyThe purpose of this study is to identify the difficulties that faced by Saudi students in translating idiom from Arabic into English language, to find the reasons behind these difficulties and to suggest some strategies that may help students to avoid these problems in translating. Research QuestionThis research answers the following questions: What are the difficulties faced by Saudi junior level students in translating idioms from Arabic into English? Why are students making these kinds of problems? MethodologyThe participants of this study will be Applied Linguistics junior year students from Yanbu University College. Participants will be given a translation test that includes ten Arabic idioms and they will be asked to translate them into English language. Then researcher will take the responses and analyze them individually. Then the research will present the responses in a table. Literature ReviewThis chapter presents a definition of the key concepts. Also, the chapter presents the previous studies.Definition of Key ConceptsIdiom. An expression with a meaning that you cannot guess from the meaning of the separate words. Translation. The process of translating words or text from one language into anotherPrevious Studies The first study was conducted by Alrishan and Samdi (2015), about the difficulties that face EFL Jordanian University students in translating English idioms into Arabic language. The research was a qualitative research. The researchers used a translation test to collect the data. The participants of the study were 90 M.A translation students at Yarmouk University and the University of Jordan. The participants had given a translation test that included 16 idioms from different semantic categories. They were asked to translate them into Arabic language. The results showed that the students have a problem in translating idioms from English into the Arabic language where students could not find the correct equivalent in Arabic, also students were unfamiliar with translating idioms. Second study was written by Al Mubarak (2017). It was about the barriers that faced by students while translating idiom from Arabic into English language. The participants of the study were 40 B.A students in Al Imam Al Mahdi University in Sudan. The participants' first language is Arabic and they are an advanced level in English language. The study was qualitative and quantitative research. The tools that used in the study were a translation test that included 12 Arabic proverbs and an interview. The findings showed that most students faced trouble in translating idioms and that based on some reasons, such as the differences between Arabic and English system and students do not know how to use literal translation approach. Third study was done by Mezmar (2010), about the problems of idioms in translation. This study was conducted at Mentouri University, Constantine. The participants of the study were 21 first year Master degree students at Mentouri University. The participants' mother tongue language is Arabic and they are an advanced level in English. This study was quantitative study and the tool that used in the study was a test included twelve idioms in English and ten in Arabic language. The researcher chose the idioms depending on the four categories of idioms, transparent, semi-transparent, opaque and semi-opaque. The participants of the study were asked to translate the idioms into Arabic and English language. The results showed that the students did well in translating transparent and semi-transparent idioms. However, they faced trouble in translating opaque and semi-opaque idioms.The differences between this study and the studies above. Fist, all the studies above have been done outside Saudi Arabia, in Jourdan, Sudan, and Constantine. However, this study conducted in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Secondly, two of the previous studies involved participants from Master degree where this study involved participants from Bachelor degree. The participants of the studies above were an advanced level in English, but in this study, they were in an intermediate level. The similarities between this study and the previous studies that all of them investigated the problem faced by students in translating idiom, either in Arabic, English or both. Also, the tool used to collect data was a translation test and the participants were asked to translate them. ReferencesAl Mubarak, A. A. (2017). The Challenges of Translating Idioms from Arabic into English a Closer look at Al Imam AL Mahdi University–Sudan.  International Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies,  5(1), 53-64.Retrieved from http://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/IJCLTS/article/view/3167/2625Alrishan, A., ; Smadi, O. (2015).Difficulties EFL Jordanian University Students Encounter in Translating English Idioms into Arabic.  Journal of Education and Practice,  6(10), 124-133. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081685.pdf Al-Shawi, M. A. ; Mahdi, T.S. (2012).Strategies for translating idioms from Arabic into English and vice versa.Journal of American Arabic Academy for Sciences and Technology, 3(6), 139-147. Retrieved from HYPERLINK â€Å"LING324_Assignment_3-172.docx† http://www.amarabacmagazin.com/fileadmin/images/pdfs/AMARABAC_3-6_139-147.pdf Idiom. (n.d).In Oxford Dictionary. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictio naries.com/ definition/idiom Translating. (n.d). In Oxford Dictionary.Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries .com/definition/translation Meryem, M. (2010). Problem of Idioms in Translation. Case Study: First Year Master. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/PyRcDp