Drug War and Mexican Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Drug War and Mexican Economy - Essay Example The economy has had its times of rising and hard times as well. During the period of 1940 to 1960, various measures were put in place by the Mexican government to reduce the inflation rate and promote its growth. Such measures were both fiscal and monetary policies, as well as import substitution. This saw the economy rise but the effect was not to last long since in 1970; the populists abandoned these strategies for increased consumer subsidies and facilitated state ownership of public entities. This was together with uncontrolled state spending and over reliance on oil revenue thus raising the levels of inflation in the economy of Mexico. In the period between 1980 to 1990 several measures to prevent the increasing inflation rate and excessive borrowing were put in place, which included privatization of state owned companies, reduction of tariff and non tariff trade barriers among others (Library of congress, 20). This was crowned by the signing of the North America free trade agre ement in 1994. During this period, the gross domestic product was about 2.6% in contrast to the period 1983 to 1988, which was 0.1%. This trend has continued ever since set for the year 2001 when there was recession in the United States, which automatically affected the economy of Mexico negatively. ... The war against drugs use and the cartels for its trade has been a major challenge in Mexico for quite some time in the past and it is still ongoing. Several efforts have been put in place to eliminate the drug cartels operating within the country, some which have succeeded while others have not seeing that the drug cartels are still operating within the country and beyond. Some contributing factors for its thriving in Mexico are the availability of ready market for the drugs especially in the United States (Shirk, 6). Further, the availability of weaponry by the operators of these cartels has further boosted this illegal trade since they help offer security to the drugs while in transit and even to the people transporting them. The weapons are also used to eliminate anybody who tries to prevent the drug trade from taking place hence accounting for the numerous violent cases related to drugs. The major suppliers of the arms are from the United States and this therefore requires that the United States have to play a major role in the war against drugs in Mexico if at all the war against the drugs will be won. The effect of drug wars on the economy of Mexico Apparently, there is a great relationship between the economy of Mexico and the existing drug cartels in the country. The drug wars in Mexico affect the economy negatively in various ways, one of the major effect being the loss of foreign currency due to the reduced activity in the tourism industry (Schneider, Para 4). Due to the Mexican government’s rising attacks on the drug cartels in a bid to eliminate them in the country, the drug cartels that do not follow the rule of law are fighting back now more than ever especially with the increased supply of

Thematic Critical Paper Essay Example for Free

Thematic Critical Paper Essay Two stories, â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, are stories about two women’s lives, so different and yet so similar. Mansfield’s Miss Brill is a character which does not provide us with many details about itself. This is a woman who goes to the same park every Sunday to observe the same people, and is not given by the author any particular details to her appearance or character. The only exact thing we know about her from the story is that she is a teacher. Also the conversation of a young couple in the end of the story gives us a little idea of the Miss Brill’s age.   Here â€Å"No, not now, said the girl. Not here, I cant. But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there? asked the boy. Why does she come here at allwho wants her? Why doesnt she keep her silly old mug at home?† (Mansfield 124) the dialogue gives a feeling that Miss Brill is probably a woman in her late forties.   So, the character of this story is not a strong individuality at all, but is more like a â€Å"mirror-character†, which only â€Å"reflects† the story. And though the reader seems can read only about one small episode of Miss Brill’s life, it is vividly understood from the context, that this short episode is actually a â€Å"photocopy† of her whole, everyday routine. This woman seems doesn’t exist. The author shows a human being, living in the society, but there are no interests, dear things, personal ideas or thoughts brought in there with her. â€Å" It was like a play. It was exactly like a play.†¦ They were all on the stage. They werent only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting. Even she had a part and came every Sunday† (Mansfield 122). In Faulkner’s story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† we are told the life story of Miss Emily Grierson. Unlike in â€Å"Miss Brill† we find here more facts about her life events. We find some information about her background, her â€Å"noblesse oblige† (Faulkner 72), about her relatives, about her personal life, about her life activities, like china-painting etc. Not a small episode of Emily’s life is described, but the author shows us its different stages, periods and accompanying them events. Nevertheless, it does not help us to reveal the Emily’s character. We know nothing about her feelings, her thoughts and ideas about her life events. We meet no comments of hers as to the things happening with her in the story. We only can observe some changes in her appearance with the time flowing, but we are completely unaware of the character’s inner world. We can find and read the judgmental statements or ideas as to Emily’s life, what it must be or mustn’t be like, of those surrounding her, like â€Å" So we were not surprised when Homer Barronthe streets had been finished some time sincewas gone. We were a little disappointed that there was not a public blowing-off, but we believed that he had gone on to prepare for Miss Emilys coming, or to give her a chance to get rid of the cousins†¦.Sure enough, after another week they departed. And, as we had expected all along, within three days Homer Barron was back in town†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Faulkner 73). All these â€Å"we were not surprised†, â€Å"we were a little disappointed†, â€Å"we believed†, â€Å"we had expected† show us that mainly this is a society, which â€Å"forms† a personality and presents it to the world, but not the personality itself grows and develops. So, to conclude it can be said that though the stories describe two different women, two different lives, different sets of circumstances, they still both tell us about people who seem to live in the society,   but at the same time they are isolated and all alone. They are closed to the world, and their inner world is a mystery known by nobody. Are these two women rare examples of the lost souls? Or are they usual people we come across with everyday? That is a question the stories make us think about. Works cited Inge, M. Thomas, ed. William Faulkner: A Rose for Emily. The Merrill Literary Casebook Series. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill, 1970. Mansfield, Katherine. Miss Brill. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Eds. Kirszner, Laurie G,and Stephen R Mandell, 5th ed. Boston: Wadesworth, 2004.

Functions of Management Essay -- Business Management

There is no one definition for the term management. However, Fayol (1916) defined the term management as; â€Å"To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate and to control.† Mc Ilwee.T and Roberts I, (1991): p.g117 Management is not standardized and is undertaken at all levels of the organization, as it is an integrating activity. Managers have to manage in order to achieve the overall objectives and strategy of the firm. All firms are seeking effective managers, and the quality of management is a key element of business success. The four functions of management are essential to building strong teams and stronger organizations. Common to all managers, the four functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The aforementioned functions of the manager are the activities, which all managers must perform regardless of the industry, the level, the title, or the activity in which engaged. In this paper we will be examining all four of these ingredients and then we will apply them to real world examples. These four things are used any time when initiating a new project or dealing with any change, which we all know is constant. A lot of us may be all ready using or have seen others, but just never noticed it or didn't know how to identify the methods. Let us start by looking at the definitions and examples of each. Planning Planning is the function of â€Å"doing.† It’s the first management function both because it lays the groundwork for all o...

A Discussion of Environmental Changes Affect Organisations

There are two types of the term environment, internal and external; both of them can be changed. Recently the global environments are changing and will keep changing, either the internal or the external. As the very famous butterfly effect theory, a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. A tiny environmental change can badly affect a organisation itself. This essay is going to discuss the influence of the environmental changes effect the organisations in both sides, positive and negative. The most important factor to an organisation is the market; it is like the blood for a corporation. In the current situation, globalisation acts the main role of business. Which means any organisation has the opportunities to meet the global market? Therefore the marketing division in each organisation has to consider the global environment can change the market share percentage. For instance, the natural environment getting more and more polluted, and consumers choose products more carefully. So the quality of products also have to be more carefully monitored, otherwise customers will choose the products from the competitors and the corporation loses the market. Another example is the global economy. It is well known that the finance crisis in 2008 affect most entities all over the world. The ex-market might never need the products or could cut down the needs. Or those ex-markets do not exist any more. So the external environment can definitely change the market. Other the other hand, external changing environment could bring new market. Any new changes can create new wants and needs, thus the new creation can be found for cater to the needs and wants of customers. Secondly, the changing environment affect the resourcing include the natural resources and human resources. It is undeniable that the resource on earth is getting less and less, and most of them are non-renewable. Since children, we were told that the last drop of water will be human being’s tear. With the decreasing of the natural resources, the organisations will have to adjust itself to get with it. After finish the oil resources, how many oil based organisations can survive, like the car corporations? However, with the new inventions, there are more and more new power resources can be used. For instance solar, wind power, wave energy and nuclear. So the car industries can produce and sell cars using new energy. Changing from whether internal or external environment can make a lot differences on human resource. Talk about the human recourses, the new generation is called Generation Y, who have highly educated. Which means more and more talents from the entire world could get and work together. So more and more diversity and multi-culture can display in today’s organisations. Take Australia for an example, people in different age, gender, background, personality, educational level and so on can just perfect amalgamated. However, the diversity can also cause misconstrue, conflict or discrimination. Another important thing has to be mentioned is culture diversity. As we all know, the current society has became social diversification. Take Australia for example, more than 100 nationalities and cultures can be found in this continent. People who from different culture background can mostly examine the matter from different angles. Also, the changes of environment affect the managing, different environment requires different styles of management. In modern society, most multinational organisations need to consider that what kind of leadership is the best way to leader the local teams. To gain the highest profit, a good leader who can lead the team and motivate staff is highly necessary. A good manager can adjust his methods to cater to different requirement. For example, a good newly transfer manager could get into the local culture quite soon and respect it. And the changing environment can affect the decision making. Good management could never include personal moods or emotions, same as changes in working conditions.

Case Study: The Privatization of Water Essay

World leaders at the Evian Summit have resolved to decrease the number of people who are without access to safe drinking water by half by the year 2015. Critics fear that this may lead to privatization, arguing that private companies are not motivated to provide water to the poor. Those who favor privatization on the other hand argue that only the private sector can make the investment in place of the state, saying that because of the state’s failure, the poor are in fact already paying more. What then is the effective solution for solving this access to water problem? Should the private companies do it or should the responsibility remain with the state? What is the best way to do this? How can the water shortage problem be managed and what are the pros and cons to the issue of privatization? Privatization as an Effective Solution According to Michael Klein, Vice-President for Private Sector Development at the World Bank in Washington, the issue is not whether it is the private sector or the government that should serve as the entity to increase accessibility to water. The realization is that somebody has to pay for water and the real issue lies in who pays? Governments face the fiscal and political difficulty of raising consumer tariffs and providing subsidies. And if nobody pays at the end of the day, even the private sector will not want to invest. The solution then lies in solving the problem of user fees, on who bears the responsibility of paying for water, the government through subsidies or the consumers through service provided by the private companies. The challenges to this standpoint and the corresponding responses by Mr. Klein are the following: Are there any specific Third World countries that have benefited from privatization without corresponding large charges? Examples are Ivory Coast, Guinea, several cities in Colombia, Argentina, two cities in Bolivia and the Philippines (Manila). In the 90’s, the average increase was about 30% of the cost of water systems and in countries where the government provided subsidies like Manila and Buenos Aires, the price levels remained low. But whether public or private, the prices really rise over time. How can it be assured that the cost of water especially in Third World countries will be affordable? Focus should not on those who have access already but to providing access to those who do not have good modern water systems because they are the ones who pay more (by drilling wells, paying private water vendors, among others). Providing access to these people using better services will lower prices and make water more affordable to them. And both for those who have access already and those who really cannot afford to pay, focus should be given to the subsidies to be given by government. The issues here are how much subsidy is available and what kind of subsidy system should be used, and further assuring that these subsidies really go to the poor. How about cases like Tanzania where government has privatized water but entered it into an agreement with the World Bank? In most cases, privatizations are not full privatizations, it is still the state that bears the investment and the private sector just enters into a management contract with the state. It will only work if the private sector has the technical and management capability. Since experience shows the lack of interest of international private firms to invest in the least developed countries, should not the focus be on World Bank supporting public utilities to improve their services instead? That is why the real issue is not public versus private but who pays at the end of the day. In many concession agreements and privatization arrangements where subsidies are given and incentives given to private companies, services expanded. Examples are Bolivia (La Paz), Philippines (Manila), Buenos Aires. The involvement of domestic water companies may also help in expanding water access in remote areas. How can corruption in privatization be avoided? It is commonly known that there is corruption in the public sector that in private companies especially in equipment supply. Privatization does not mean corruption will disappear, it only means that there will be better services. The Case Against Privatization From the Anti-Privatization Forum in Johannesburg, Trevor Ngwane asserts that water is a basic need and as such it is the government that is mandated to ensure it provides all basic needs and services which is in the public interest. If it is the private sector that will do this, profit will become the objective. The clash is between need and profit and in the case of water, the priority is the need which every government should provide the means for. The challenges to this standpoint and the corresponding responses by Mr. Ngwane are the following: Are there any specific Third World countries that have benefited from privatization without corresponding large charges? As to the examples of success cases, they are not really successes and the example that can be given is Cochacamba in Bolivia where privatization caused the loss of access to water, which led to a civil war. In South Africa, even the moves to privatize already brings social conflict, dissatisfied trade unions, more people losing access to water, the outbreak of a waterborne disease cholera, which eventually meant loss of peoples’ lives. People need to realize that water cannot be provided for free. What then is the concrete plan to help government do this? Is the solution in the form of taxation, from payments of consumers, fro m subsidies from other consumers, etc.? In South Africa, the proposal is based on the premise that water is every citizen’s right. The recommendation is cross-subsidization, where high volume users like companies and industries subsidize low volume users like end users and the poor. The pricing system recommended is the block tariff system where the more water you use the higher charges you pay. This will prevent wastage of water. How can corruption in privatization be avoided? How long will the poor wait to have water? Corruption is brought more by privatization with businesses needing to bribe politicians, etc. Instead of expanding or rolling out to remote areas as they should, private companies choose the most profitable areas to operate and these are not the poor areas. Reference http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/bwi-wto/wbank/2004/01waterpriv.htm http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=317924 http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/11/01/water.shortage.reut/ http://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/12/2/63