Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Peripheral and Semi-Peripheral Regions

Peripheral and Semi-Peripheral Regions INTRODUCTION The terms Core, Peripheral and the Semi peripheral are born from the World systems theory. World systems theory has been closely associated with Immanuel Wallerstein. According to him, it is multicultural territorial division of labour in which the production and exchange of basic goods and raw materials is necessary for the everyday life of its inhabitants. Our world is divided into different regions the Core, the Peripheral and the Semi Peripheral. The core nations are the highly economically developed countries with they reaping benefits from the economy of the rest of the world. The peripheral nations are the third world countries which are still in the developing stage with a very low standard of living. The semi-peripheral nations are those which are between the core and the peripheral. They are the stabilising factors in the world system. The world is divided into two major world regions. First, the core and second, the periphery. And somewhere in between them, lies the semi periphery. Now, before starting discussing about these regions, first let us know their meanings and the countries which come under these regions. Core: The core consists of the world powers and countries, in other words, the developed or first world countries. This is basically the centre point which benefits from the economy of the peripheral regions and enjoy wealth not just from their economy but also from the other world regions. They have most of the wealth of the world. Most of the characteristics of globalization like development, scientific innovation, trans national links, good healthcare, high education occur in these regions. They are technologically, socially, politically, geographically highly developed with peripheral and semi peripheral lagging behind. Wage rate, employment conditions, access to healthcare, infrastructure and many other factors contribute to the countries being core which in turn is ignorant in their peripheral counterparts. Core regions success is determined by being dominant and exploiting the other world regions which in turn is determined by the participation of the other regions in the world system. What is more significant in these regions is their population. Population is stagnant and way too less in compared with the peripheral. In other words, 75% of the benefits of the world economy are enjoyed by just 15% of the world population. These countries are highly industrialized with ever growing tertiary sector. Most of its population is the working class with importance given to the salaried jobs than being in business. They are wealthy and powerful Very much industrialized Specialization in finance, information and service industries Strong military Highly influential Independent of outside control Forefront in inventing new technologies Some major core regions are: Peripheral: The Periphery consists of the rest of the world or in other words, the third world countries. These regions are characterised by poverty, ignorant healthcare, less education and a low standard of living. Infrastructure is very bothering with more space for slums. Some places do show positive development but generally this is the state of peripheral regions. The major factor in these regions is the migration from small cities to the bigger cities to have better economical opportunities which in turn poses problems in terms of housing, unemployment and many others. Despite of there being no jobs in the cities, people from the rural areas migrate in order to support their families. Population is sky rocketing is these regions as children are perceived to be the family supporters in terms of income generation and no education adds to the population woes by having no information on family planning. Majority of the population growth happens in these regions. Crime rate is very alarming in these regions as because of massive unemployment, people turn to crimes to have income and support their families. Economically backward Expects investments from the core nations Most of the people poor and uneducated Inequality Lack of development Easily influenced Regions that are peripheral in nature are: Semi peripheral: The term semi peripheral originated in the thirteenth century as there was a growing need to have a separate term for those regions and countries which have moved away from the periphery but have not yet become core. The category describes them as those regions which remain dependant and to some extent under developed despite having a significant rate of industrialization. In world systems theory, semi peripheral are the regions positioned between the core and the peripheral. The organizational structure of these countries or regions are both of core and peripheral countries and are often geographically located in between them or between two or more core countries. These are the industrializing and mostly capitalist countries. They play a major role in mediating between the core and the peripheral regions in terms of social, economic and political activities. These regions are different from the peripheral regions as they provide room for industrial growth, innovative technology and reforms in social and organizational structure. Just as the core regions, semi peripheral regions also tend to dominate and exploit the peripheral regions but not to the same extent as the former. Semi peripheral countries have chances of being promoted to the core countries group mainly because of their industrialized nature and also because they contribute to manufacturing and exportation of variety of goods. They can be also defined as being the key structural element as it plays a very vital role. Some of the regions which come under this category are: Peripheral regions will remain peripheral? Now, the second part of peripheral countries remaining peripheral or advancing to become the semi peripheral or core is to be answered. According to me, every nation has the space to improve given proper strategy and planning. First world countries have started note of the third world countries which are growing at a stupendous rate socially, economic and political. As far as current economical trend goes, third world countries like India, China are fast emerging to be the superpowers of the coming decade. They with their stable economic growth rate are outnumbering many of the countries ranked higher above them. Many core countries like the United States are feeling the jitters after analysing the growth trend that some of the peripheral countries are showing. Many of the multibillionaires from these peripheral countries are being given space in the Multibillionaires of the world list which indirectly shows the way where the latter are headed. New technological advancements, scientific innovations are increasing as compared to the years and decades gone by. First world countries are facing problems like unemployment which is harming their economy considerably whereas the developing nations have not experienced the bolt of recession as the former have. Socially, as the core countries perform well as they always done on the education, healthcare, infrastructure, wage rate part, the peripheral nations are improving but at a slow rate. Core countries have always given preference to the needs of the people and their standard of living whereas the latter have only recently started noticing the social factors that need to be addressed much more any other problem. Education is being given due importance with literacy rate going notches higher. Awareness of higher education is making even the rural areas note the advantages and send their children to schools. Social hierarchy, caste system are one of the major factors in stagnating the growth of the third world countries as these only promote differences in the system. This calls for equality amongst people and a better social structure. This is fast improving as there is a need to acknowledge efforts made by everyone in improving the overall economy of the nations. Politically, many countries are getting democratic with citizens given right to vote and choose their own leaders as opposed to the fact that the people were treated as slaves. The right to be governed upon is solely in the hands of the people in many nations though some are still under military governance and self imposed leaders. When somebody forces himself on the rest solely on the power status, that nation is bound to get stagnant in all the fields, whether its social, economic or political. This is slowly and steadily improving in the peripheral region though the rate is not that good. This makes the region unstable as political pressure makes it handicapped. Conclusion: Still there are many factors which need to be addressed by the peripheral nations in order to advance. There is huge possibility of some of the third world countries becoming part of the core or semi peripheral group in economical terms but as far as the social system goes, they need to work hard to be in that league and achieve what the core countries have, long back. Proper planning and strategy with no corruption and transparent system will pave way to be advanced and shift to the other better world systems. REFERENCES Carlos A. Martinez-Vela n.d. World Systems Theory [Online].Available from: http://web.mit.edu/esd.83/www/notebook/WorldSystem.pdf [Accessed 08 Feb. 10] Colin Steif (August 4, 2008) Core andPeriphery [Online]. Available from: http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/coreperiphery.htm [Accessed 08 Feb.10] Techtor-ga (May 26, 2003) Core and Periphery [Online]. Available from: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/208711.html [Accessed 06 Feb.10] Wikipedia n.d. World-systems approach [Online]. Available from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World-systems_approach [Accessed 06 Feb.10]

Monday, January 20, 2020

Samsung Electronics Case Write-Up Essays -- Business Analysis SWOT

Samsung Electronics Case Write-Up 1. The Memory Industry (5 points). Conduct a five-forces analysis of the memory industry. You will need to rate each of the five forces in this industry as high, medium or low and then explain briefly why you selected this rating. A) Threat of New Entrants(Barriers to entry) (MEDIUM) Samsung, being a global company with net revenues of over $30 billion, had established an integrated supply chain with economies of scale and scope. New entrants were required to come in on a very large scale for effectively minimizing costs, which the Chinese companies succeeded in doing. Samsung had scale of economies in research and chip fabrication and was world leading memory producer for all types of PC’s, digital cameras and other electronic products. Samsung had demand side benefits of scale as it demanded superiority in product quality and efficiency and it was a well established and trusted brand name ($5.2 billion in 2004). High switching costs were associated with the industry as due to established production lines and multibillion dollar commitments, it would be extremely costly and time consuming for a company to divest into different technologies and design commitments. When IBM, Toshiba and NEC discovered problems with their â€Å"trenching† method of incorporating cells into tiny chips, they lost years of development time trying to switch to the â€Å"stacking† method. The cost of production facilities rose to $3 billion and hence created a higher barrier of entry for smaller level competitors. As most of the capital required in the semiconductor industry is used in Research and development, it is unrecoverable and enhances the eff... ...me the administrative barrier and enjoy the same benefits as a regular Chinese firm. They will also receive easier access to finance, tax incentives and other essential resources to help them reduce the Chinese competitive advantage. In doing so they must take precautions to ensure that their technology and intellectual property is not replicated as there are several flaws in the Chinese administrative system. They could also buyout an established local Chinese semiconductor firm that has some brand recognition in the market which could give them a local presence. Lastly, they could cede the lower end of the market to the Chinese firms and invest in higher value, cutting edge memory products that would be hard to replicate. All three options would be viable in different ways and could help Samsung overcome their primary threats.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Reducing College Tuition Essay

Abstact There is a need to reduce the cost of college tuition in America. The rising costs threaten the ability and desire of students to attend college, but there are ways for both parents and students to make going to college more affordable. The Need to Reduce College Tuition With the cost of education on the rise, students are asking that time aged question, will they be able to attend college? The answer is yes, and without taking on the burden of overpriced tuition fees and loans. Attending community college has become a trend across the country and offer continuing education with little to no direct cost to students. Dual enrollment options, where a student can take a class that counts towards both high school and college credits are becoming increasingly popular with a large proportion of these students enrolling through two-year colleges and universities. Economic downturns are also believed to attract many students to community colleges, acting as a more affordable route to higher education at a time when money is tight and jobs are scarce. In 2007, 6.3 million students enrolled in community colleges in the United States, representing 34 percent of all undergraduates, and 46 percent of all undergraduates at public institutions. (25 Ways to Reduce t he Cost of College Tuition, 2006) Community college enrollments have grown considerably over the last half-century, reflecting a general increase in demand for postsecondary degrees seen in this period. However, little attention is given to the fact that community colleges have quietly gained not only in enrollments, but in public institution market share as well (25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College Tuition, 2006). Colleges and universities are not in a position to give you a discount on the cost of tuition. What they can do, however, is offer you gift aid in the form of scholarships, grants and work-study programs to reduce your out-of-pocket cost of attendance. Even if you’ve been awarded some gift aid from the school in your financial aid award letter, there may be additional aid available that the school can use to attract desirable candidates (Negotiating Your College Tuition, 2012). Once you’ve been accepted to a colleges or university, look at their published tuition rates and your financial situation. While public colleges will generally have a lower tuition, keep in mind that private, non-profit colleges are more dependent on tuition money, so they may be especially willing to make a deal with you – receiving less tuition money from a student is better than receiving no money at all, and you should always ask about other monies that may be available through programs and scholarships. If you do not ask, the school will not divulge this information willingly (Negotiating Your College Tuition, 2012). President Obama offered a plan Friday to reduce the costs of higher education by increasing the amount of federal grant money available for low-interest loans and tying it directly to colleges’ ability to reduce tuition (WP Politics, 2012). In an impassioned speech before 4,000 students at the University of Michigan, Obama delivered an election-year pitch to the type of youthful audience that buoyed his 2008 campaign, saying his administration was putting colleges â€Å"on notice† that they must rein in soaring prices. (WP Politics, 2012). â€Å"You can’t assume you’ll just jack up tuition every single year,† Obama said to cheers at Glick Field House (Obama, 2012), the school’s indoor football facility. â€Å"If you can’t stop tuition going up, your funding from taxpayers will go down. We should push colleges to do better; we should hold them accountable if they don’t† (Obama, 2012). With all the talk during the run for president, it will be great to see if all the plans for college tuition being lowered are true. We have thousands of students graduating from colleges across the country, and if they cannot find jobs that will pay them enough to pay back student loans, they will find themselves drowning in debt, and this will not be good for the student or the economy. These people will not be able to establish credit, buy a home or even purchase a vehicle. They will fall further in debt as the interest rate on the loan accumulates. This is why tuition fees need to be reduced, so even if a student does not come straight out of school with a high paying job, they will be able to make affordable payments on their loans without being overwhelmed. Tuition fees are scary. References 25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College Tuition. (2006, September). Retrieved from Center for College affordability: http://centerforcollegeaffordability.org/uploads/25Ways_to_Reduce_the_Cost_of_College.pdf Negotiating Your College Tuition. (2012). Retrieved from Campus Explorer: http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/422D4AF3/Negotiating-Your-College-Tuition/ WP Politics. (2012, November 02). Retrieved from The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-outlines-incentive-plan-to-reduce-college-tuition-costs/2012/01/27/gIQAc92fVQ_story.html

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Masculinity In Homers Odyssey - 1655 Words

Homer’s Odyssey is an epic tale set in the world of ancient Greece - a world dominated by men. Admirable men such as Odysseus, the story’s protagonist, are strong, cunning, and wise; they have control over their lives and the people within them. In The Odyssey, the quintessential man is characterized by his authority, including control of the women who surround him. As is suggested throughout the novel, the patriarchal world would fall into disarray without the force of intrinsic male authority. Odysseus’s struggles with his wife, his son’s search for manhood, and the wiles of cunning women like Clytemnestra and Calypso highlight the disordering powers of women. These disordering powers justify, to the men within this world, the necessity†¦show more content†¦Telemachus’s transition to manhood, according to the story, must include his defeat of the suitors and restoration of control over his household. Telemachus’s coming of age, how ever, is incomplete because he lacks the most important masculine influence: a father. He is unable to fully become a man without Odysseus present; he cannot kill the suitors on his own, and feels abandoned and weak without his father. He says of Odysseus, â€Å"He’s vanished, gone, and left me pain and sorrow...All of the nobles who rule the islands...are courting my mother and ruining our house. She refuses to make a marriage she hates but can’t stop it either† (Homer 8). The reason Telemachus’s life is so out of control is because his only parental figure is his mother, Penelope. The text portrays Penelope, untempered by the presence of a husband, as the cause of disorder in the home of Odysseus; she refuses to choose a husband, but is too weak to stop the suitors’ advances. A father figure, Odysseus, is needed to create order in young Telemachus’s life, because only a man can impose such order. Throughout the text, many references are ma de to a similar situation in the house of Agamemnon. This man, a friend of Odysseus, was killed by his wife and her lover, later to be avenged by his son, Orestes, who killed this same lover. Fatherhood has a powerful effect here as it does with Telemachus; Athena explains, â€Å"Haven’t you heard how Orestes won glory throughout the world when he killedShow MoreRelatedThe Epic Of Homer s Odyssey1433 Words   |  6 PagesHomer’s Odyssey makes use of its epic qualities to narrate the lives of three men. The tale begins with Telemachus, a young prince who leaves his homeland to learn about his father and about himself at the same time. Through the use of this initial event, Homer creates a chronological structure that is further observed through the introduction of the story’s main character, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca and the father of Telemachus. 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It is a timeless classic about one man’s struggle to persevere and reclaim the home that was taken from him while he was away at war. However, The Odyssey is much more than a simple message about getting home. Odysseus’s outer struggles with his trials mirror the inner battle he is fighting within himself: one to regain the masculinity which has