Power and Knowledge Essay

Poststructuralism as one of the contemporary political philosophy gain its popularity because of its radical assumptions that veered away from the traditional structuralist thinking. The project of the renaissance scholars to control everything including nature through the used of knowledge particularly scientific knowledge did not gain much fame in this late century. Structuralism although it offers much in looking how institutions served as parts of a social system tend to believe that society could control the individual with the aid of science. However, the ideas of Jean Lyotard, Michel Foucault and Jean-Luc Nancy proved otherwise. The dream of grand theorists to integrate knowledge and create a unified social system is the very idea that most contemporary theorists avoid. Prior to the development of poststructuralism, discussion on power and knowledge is always a feature seen within the structures and not something that emanates from the individual, this structure-agency pendulum continues to fascinate theorists. Structural functionalists believed that social structures such as religion, culture, and government have strong hold over the individual particularly in their socialization process. Talcott Parsons (1951) for instance, look society as the social system divided by subsystems that have specific functions. Each part of society functions and creates mutual interdependence thus maintaining the dynamism of whole social system(Parsons: 1951). The Contemporary political philosophy opens a lot of venues in analyzing society with proposing meta narratives. Much of the themes of contemporary thinkers would be on the consequences of modernity, globalization among others. Topics on power and knowledge are just two of the basic issues that philosophers continuously are gaining interest. It provides a picture on how the development of knowledge transformed power relations in contemporary society. Contemporary political philosophy as it is advanced by the writings of three philosophers mentioned in the previous paragraph, look at power and knowledge in a different light. Before, the scholars would think that the development of knowledge is in a continuum and that power is exerted by institutions to the individual as if power has a center or a fixed point. In Contemporary political philosophy one can view that the source of power comes from various agencies,and the struggling character of power is in every discourse. Power is not only evident on political apparatus, on the religious order or on the intellectual community but power is seen on all arrays of everyday existence. Our day to day social relations are power relations. One of the contemporary thinkers who would employ much time in discussing power is Foucault. Some thinkers considered him as a poststrcuturalist or a postmodern thinker, because of the fluidity of his ideas. Moreover, there are critics who accused him of relativism because of his theory favors, intersubjectivity, the discursive method, discourse among others. Foucault (2002) did not suggests a central power or a solid one that one can see for instance in an authoritarian society, rather in looking at society, one could see ‘pockets’ of power or a decentralized one coming from various discourses. On the other hand, in his theory of knowledge one can see its deviation from Descartes’ Cogito. Reason as the underlying principle of the enlightenment period, did not escaped the gaze of Foucault. In his Madness and Civilization (1965) he examined that through history, madness became an invention that would serve as the opposite of reason. With the definition on madness as â€Å"non-rational† or irrational, it justifies the power of reason during the enlightenment period. Only through its binary opposition which is madness can reason hold its power. The control of the patient with the development of psychiatry in Madness and Civilization (1965) also served as a critique that looks at how modern society manifests the same features as that one can find in the discipline of psychiatry. There are various means by which society controls the individual. Foucault discussed that in the modern era, exercising power need not necessarily be brute and obvious. One example is his idea of punishment as a result of deviating from the norm. Foucault in Discipline an Punish (1977), discussed in what way torture as a form of punishment in the 18th century was transformed by discipline. With the birth of the prison, instead of attacking the physical body the institution inculcate discipline as a form of punishment. This feature of the prison, and even the birth of the clinic shows how slowly modern society is becoming more authoritarian and all of these are possible because of the different knowledge that people believe as true and moral during their times. Foucault in his Archeology of Knowledge (2002) look at historical development not in a continuum because he did not believed in a unified discourse as proposed by grand narratives such as that of the Parsonian theory. What one can see through history are various realities, are what he called discontinuities. Much of his theory of power and knowledge could also be seen in the History of Sexuality (1990) wherein he is not interested in sexuality per se, but in looking at the underlying struggle within the discourse of sexuality. While in the earlier periods, society repress one’s sexuality, this kind of discourse even propagates it. The more that society for instance repressed homosexuality, the more that people become interested in exploring the topic. In the History of Sexuality (1990)), he sees the reciprocal relation of power and knowledge. One example is the different meanings that society give on sexual relations such as relations out of marriage and the one allowed by the community. These definitions creates divisions in society, thus exercising power over the individual through social norms. By propagating a certain kind of knowledge, this could lead to a power relation between groups. The one who is in control of knowledge will therefore exercise power to the other group. However, it must be clear that the reciprocal relation of power and knowledge is not fixed rather it transform through every discourse. Apart from Foucault, Jean Lyotard also contributes to the debate on the relationship of power and knowledge. In his book, the Postmodern Condition (1979) Lyotard mentioned that the transformation of society into industrialized and complex system leads into the redefinition of the nature of knowledge. In Modern societies, the power of the capitalists to open the market leads to the question that, what kind of knowledge is acceptable or is legitimate provided that there are a lot of choices. Lyotard(1979) sees the complexities in modern times because when one looks at it, it is in no longer a question of simple legitimacy of knowledge but a question of who has the power to decide what is acceptable or legitimate. In addressing the uncertainties of knowledge, Lyotard suggests that one should employ the value of speaking the same language game. How can people speak the same language provided that there are various ways of learning things? Lyotard believes that one must contextualize, and in this part he adopts Wittgensteins’ language game. ’ By contextualizing, the person should be aware of the rules before making considerable actions. Lyotard believes that to be able to analyze knowledge in contemporary society, one must consider what kind of society it is situated. The split between Parsonian theory and that of Marxism will definitely help in looking at the problem of knowledge. Initially one will decide whether to maintain the status quo or radically change it. Because of the ability of language to bind society through communication, Lyotard favors this framework in addressing the issue of knowledge in the postmodern era. Greatly influenced by Heidegger on the other hand, Jean -Luc Nancy (1991) believed that we are thrown into the world therefore we should not rely on God for our existence. Contemporary society according to him is becoming more chaotic in the sense that the harmonious relation in traditional society is transformed into a complex society where there are a lot of uncertainties. Uncertainties are brought by the unintended consequences of modernity. With the advent of globalization, the closed and neatly tied community is transformed into a complex one. While some thinkers consider the development of society into industrialized one as beneficial, still there are paradoxes to this rationality. Nancy in his concept of community critique the grand project of some societies to create a well-planned system such in the case of the socialist state where it only leads to violence. Much of the discussions of contemporary political philosophy dwells on how you can locate the discourse on power as a consequence of the accumulation of knowledge. The Unintended consequences of man’s search for knowledge and the transformation of knowledge into its many forms leads to different power relations. These power relations are seen on every realm of life, on every discourse in society. It is crucial to note that in the analysis of power, power lies to those who have control over knowledge, and in this age of information technology where there is an easy access to all forms of knowledge, it is only logical to think that power is distributed therefore decentralized. While the contemporary era provide a lot of alternatives,undeniably there are consequences that not even scientific knowledge can calculate. Yet the quest for further knowledge continues because beneath those ideas there you can always find power. Various forms of power operates on every realm of life. These are the fascinations of philosophers of the twentieth century.

“Mariner’s Sin, Punishment, Redemption and His Penance”

â€Å"Mariner’s Sin, punishment, redemption and his penance† â€Å"If men could learn from history, what lessons it might teach us. But passion and party blind our eyes, and the light which experience gives us is a lantern on the stern, which shines only on the waves behind us. †Ã‚  This is one of the famous quotes by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834). In his one of the magnificent work, â€Å"The Rime of the ancient Mariner†, Coleridge has been able to prove his quote mentioned above. The decision made by the young and excited Mariner to kill the albatross helping them and the consequences which was faced by the entire sailing crew.Mariner, the main character not only was sorry for what he did, he also went through a series of transformation making him understand his sin. He then suffered all his life searching for redemption. Mariner was all around the places to redeem his sin. Not only he suffered attacks from his haunted past, he had to let everyone know about his deed just to feel relaxed. Mariner killed someone who helped the entire crew survive the icebergs they were in after the storm stroked them. The albatross who flew with the boat, was decided to be a help from the god himself, resulting in all the sailors trying to pet the bird.As all the crew possessed positive aura when the iceberg cracked and they again were in the open sea covered with fog. Something evil consumed mariner heart and he killed the bird with his crossbow. The entire member was cursing him for his deed at first, but when the fog started clearing out everybody was praising the Mariner. Entire crew who was turning away from Mariner for what he did was now agreeing on the sin committed. This now makes all the crew full of sin, which was not be in their favor. Soon their situation turned worse, the breeze stopped, and they were in the middle of the ocean without any movement.Without any water, â€Å"Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. † suddenly entire crew was begging for water. It’s a human nature to be happy and sad depending on the situation he puts himself in. When there are good things happening then they all forget about the harm it can cause. Coleridge proved the human nature on this poem. When the sin was committed, one tends to agree with it, until it has any negative effect. When god started wrath upon them, entire crew turned to Mariner to curse him again for what he did.In ones normal life, one always tries their best to blame someone for the sin they have helped in. God will always punish the one who have committed sin as like in the poem. As the entire crew was involved in the crime, soon they start to get punished. They start to see the wrath from the god in form of different unnatural ways in the grip of nature. The sun was getting really hot. â€Å"Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down†¦ † â€Å"All in a hot and copper sky, The bloody sun at noon. †Ã‚  Hot and dry, and without water the sailors were in dire need of help.Even putting the albatross’s cross around the mariner did not help anything. They could see the slimy and gross creature with legs making entire crew suspicious about their future. After the passing of the mysterious ghost ship, all the members start dying one by one. As if the sin committed by the mariner, was all the reason for the death. The Ancient Mariner is punished mentally by the spiritual world. The Mariner feels responsible for his crews suffering (along with the Mariners own suffering) as the penalty for killing the albatross.The Mariner is punished by being forced to watch his crew be released and knowing he must suffer further (he must suffer alone):  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The souls did from their bodies fly, They fled to bliss or woe! And every soul, it passed me by, Like the whizz of my cross-bow. † The Ancient Mariners physical and mental punishment continues and he becomes the living dead. The Mariner is force d to feel constant pain and has the constant urge to tell others (who he knows must hear his story) his story in order to momentarily relieve his pain: â€Å"That agony returns: And till my ghastly tale is told, this hurt within me burns. God plays in mysterious ways. Although Mariner is getting punished as his colleagues are dying one by one and all he can do is just look at them cursing him. To make mariner responsible for their misfortune they hung an albatross cross around the neck so that the mariner will see that every time and feel the pain and agony felt by the entire crew before dying. Mariner was getting punished also he possessed the guilt, but still god was testing him. Even in the worst situation ever faced by the mariner, god had a plan from which he could escape his guilt.The mariner's own sense of guilt is enhanced through the consequences he faces in the physical world, as a result of the powers of the metaphysical world. That is the powers of the spirits in the po em, allow for severe contrasts in the physical world, which in relation to the mariner's sense of guilt, are reflective of his own unsettled mind. â€Å".. More horrible than that†¦ I saw that curse, and yet I could not die. †He was in great pain. Soon the mariner was in a condition of a living dead person. He was alive, but for no good.Soon he realizes he needs help from the god, but the presence of the negative aura makes that impossible. â€Å"I looked to heaven, and tried to pray; But or ever a prayer had gusht, A wicked whisper came, and made my heart as dry as dust† Soon that night when he again sees the slimy creatures, he finds those creatures to be really wonderful and a part of god’s creation. He then understands every creature in this world is equally loved by their creature i. e. god. After realizing that his necklace of albatross fell and he was able to pray to god. The selfsame moment I could pray; And from my neck so free The Albatross fell o ff, and sank Like lead into the sea. † With the help from god, he could hear the curious and knowledgeable voice; he has to do a lot of penance in the future. Waking up after he fainted, he found it was raining; slowly he regained consciousness, and finds that his curse has been lifted, his entire crew members were alive filled with good souls and it was making the boat to move. â€Å"Then like a pawing horse let go, she made a sudden bound; It flung the blood into my head, and I fell down in a swound. When he reached towards his home, he was approached by the pilot and his young crewmate, also accompanied by the hermit. The hermit might have been sent by the help of god for the information about the penance to be done by the mariner all his life. The boat on which mariner was lying started to get fall in the ocean like the albatross fell when it was shot. Amazingly mariner was still floating on the ocean. When they make back to the shore, Mariner immediately starts asing for redemption.As the mariner closely associates the hermit with religion, to act like a priest, upon seeing the man, the mariner believes it is he who will free him from sin. â€Å"It is the hermit good! / He singeth loud his godly hymns that he makes in the wood . He’ll shrieve my soul he’ll wash away the Albatross’ blood†. The mariner intends for the hermit to wash away the albatross’ blood, and thus, his, sins. The hermit does allow this to happen –  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Oh shrieve me, shrieve me holy man! The hermit crossed his brow. ‘Say quick’, quoth he, ‘I bid thee say — what manner of man art thou?   The mariner is gripped with a compulsion to tell his story to the hermit. This is how the hermit offers the mariner redemption. As soon as he tells the story to hermit he feels really good. He is then told to tell his story to people who need to hear his tale to get off the pain that persists until he tell the story.  "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† teach us to love all the creation of the god. Submission to god is the only option for all people to enjoy their life. It is really foolish to take an instant decision and face the consequences for ever.Only people, who love God’s creation i. e. men, birds, and animal and everything created by god, can pray well and gain a place in heaven. The poem also encourages people to be faithful to god. Redemption and somewhat penance may be the only way for anyone to get rid of his sins. It is up to us to decide what action are sins and what are not. There will be objects and situation which will make it harder for one to decide, but correctly analyzing and choosing ones action is the only way not to do any sin, which is far better than to penance all over one’s life like the mariner in the poem.Citation: -Stillinger/Lynch. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. † The Norton anthology of English Literature. New York. 2006. Print -â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner†. Wikipedia. Ed. Web -Shmoop Editorial Team. â€Å"The Rime of Ancient Mariner†. Shmoop. com Shmoop University, Inc. , 11/4/2012. http://www. shmoop. com/rime-of-ancient-mariner/summary. html. – SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"The rime of the Ancient Mariner. † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2006. http://www. sparknotes. com/poetry/coleridge/section1. rhtml

Apple Inc. Increasing Corporate Market Share Research Paper

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Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Project management - Essay Example However, besides all the tools, concepts and extensive planning’s, the strength of any project and businesses are the employees and workers operating in the project. The organizations have two fates, rather they go up and gains success or they vanish slowly and gradually. And the success and vice versa depends on the performance of the employees. So whether it is a small business or large firm, the quality of the employees makes it, or breaks it. Along with it the satisfaction of the employees, their performance and their motivation and rewards are the most important aspects for the successful upgrading. The leadership qualities of the project manager are the baseline of the successful project. Within a project, there stands from few to hundreds of personnel that have different attitudes and different frame of mind, so it’s all within the project manager that at the end of the project is either praised the most or humiliated, otherwise. The leadership qualities include excellent command over verbal and non verbal skills, ability to cope with the extreme situations and consistency. He should be flexible in terms of compensations and rewards, should asses the problems at what glance and must be capable of handling the situation as a boss. The project manager must have excellent convincing power and he must know that how to communicate all what is required from the employees as a work. The job description communicated adequately also defines the nature of working of the employees. Hiring the right employees is not only important but the most essential part of the project management, because these employees will be conducting all of the works and tasks required for the objectives of the project to be completed. The motivation of the employees is the very important factor in order to get the project successful. The competitive project manager knows that the motivation is the driving force of the employees and worker. The lack of motivation results in b ad management and hence results in the failure of the project implementation. Lack of motivation will result in low sales, improper implementation of procedures, rise in unwanted expenses, and negligence to good work, that all contribute to ineffective management. It is always obvious when the project manager see the sales getting down or rather the target could not be achieved accordingly. The most important thing before getting to the employees is finding and getting RIGHT employees for the project. For the things get moving in the right direction, the project manager needs the right employees. And it is the part where the first success of the project lies. Another important aspect is the consideration of the employee requirement. â€Å"It is a two way handshake that becomes the arms of single body†. For the competitive employee hiring, the project must be of the same caliber. The desires, thoughts and requirements of the employees are very important. Along with the employe e’s selection and recruiting, the working environment of the employees is very important. Safe and sound work environment creates ideal conditions for the employees to work properly. The employee motivation to do work according to the manager needs also lies within the other important factor which is the benefits offered. The benefits attracts the good and professional employees that latter becomes the driving force towards success. In order for the efficient workforce, the modern theory of the

Terrorism in America Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Terrorism in America - Assignment Example   In Article 14, Jonathan Masters elucidates how militant extremism has posed the menace to the innocent Americans. The left-wing, right-wing, single issue groups, and homegrown Islamic are the four bands in which the FBI has branded domestic terrorism into. There is one more group known as lone offenders that can come under all the categories of domestic terrorism. Lone offenders are basically individuals who are not allied with any terrorist organization. America has the greatest danger from lone offenders as it is very difficult to identify and locate such individuals for the intelligence agencies but to our advantage, the lack of association of lone offenders from big gangs of terrorists makes their actions less effective (Masters, 2011). The four broad categories of domestic terrorism have been fashioned, based on their motives to spread terror in the country. The left-wing groups consider themselves as ‘protectors’ of the people against any kind of inhuman effects of capitalism and colonialism in the country whereas the single-issue groups fight against the laws and regulations that have a negative impact on the environment and are against the law of nature. Their attacks are based on the various political issues like abortion, environmental degradation, animal abuse or genetic engineering. According to the FBI, terrorists belonging to this group have executed thousands of attacks and posed a serious threat to the lives of many people. Much of sabotage has been spread by this group, and the FBI has failed to track down the culprits due to rigid secrecy in the group. Right wing terrorists emerged recently in the late 1980s and 1990s. They have diverse drives for their bouts like racial sovereignty, hatr ed and mistrust of the federal government and fundamentalist Christianity (Masters, 2011).   Furthermore, in the article Jonathan Masters argues whether America should amend its laws regarding the austere

Housing Economics (For Housing Studies Degree) Essay

Housing Economics (For Housing Studies Degree) - Essay Example (King 2009:80). One of the guises where the government intercepts in housing markets is by offering subsidiaries to households and landlords. This is mainly to make the housing sector more affordable, to support landlords to construct more or better quality residences, or to make sure the housing stock is of adequately high quality. (King 2009:80). Subsidy means the ways and means to make housing more affordable and cheaper than it otherwise would be. Hence, the subsidies will indirectly reduce the cost of housing and probably will facilitate more households to have access to it. As per Oxley and Smith (1996), housing subsidies mean an implicit or explicit flow of funds encouraged by the government activity which minimises the cost of housing construction or consumption else the cost would have been still higher. (King 2009:80). The demand -side subsidy is one where the government will subsidise the private sector mainly through improvement grants and housing allowance, and owner occupiers through many guises of tax exemptions and reliefs. The supply- side subsidies include rent control where the landlords could not raise the rent beyond the limit set by the government or to increase the income level so that savings can be made which can be used for housing. The rent loss to landlords will be compensated by the extension of tax relief for owner occupiers and extending government grants to housing associations. (King 2009:80). This type of subsidies meant to be granted to households directly or paid to service providers directly in lieu of the households. One-time subsidy is given for the building, purchase or completing either an existing or new housing unit or to rehabilitate the existing houses. Within the government’s budget, these grants are usually funded through an unambiguous appropriation process which throws their total cost translucent to the general public.

Military and the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Military and the Media - Essay Example This paper will analyze the various factors that influence main stream media and its reporting of the military activities happening under the guise of freedom or otherwise. Human society has always been influenced and commandeered by Militarism until recently. As a matter of fact even the present has not moved out of such imbroglio. The powerful have always played key roles in deciding the way history took its turns. Since the days of feudalism in Europe until today militarism was used to amass wealth. Whether it is the Mongols who overran Asia Minor and Europe or the English who laid siege to the Chinese Ports to sell Opium in their country, military might was invariably used for the wrong purpose (Taylor et al, 1992). The same has happened with the US when they wanted to sell arms and military equipment, creating war became a necessity. Again military might came in handy every time, when the US businesses wanted to make more money. Human society throughout the world has experienced this skewed thought process at one time or the other. In order to get the best deals for their business, whether it is the English or the French or Spanish or for that matter any colonizing country has made use of the military might. And the maxim, might is right has been right. History is replete with incidents that were portrait to the advantage of the victor and almost always to the disadvantage of the loser or to the person who does not have the required clout with the media. 3. Media and the Chomsky Propaganda model Chomsky's Propaganda model states five different causes that affect the media coverage and propaganda. Its five filters in the following, 1, Ownership: Ownership of every media through a multitude of its shareholder population is greatly influential on the performance of the media and its output. Chomsky and Herman argue that 'all mainstream media outlets are embodied in large corporations', which are normally a part of much larger conglomerates that are pretty influential on the performance of the media. With the profit centered market economy in place, it is necessary for the media to perform in line with the thoughts of their owners. 2, Funding: Mainstream media is dependent on advertising for its survival and the revenue that flows from it is very essential for the media. Before any news is printed on the media, it goes through this filter to ensure that it does not hurt any of the funding agencies or advertisers. This becomes a necessity for the media for its very survival and t herefore, the media needs to be more lenient to the funding agency and cannot bend itself to hurt people there. Moreover, the media is expected to popularize the current trend of incorporating advertisements as part of the story that is run by the media. 3, Sourcing: The information source for the media is from major companies or governmental sources. These need to be kept happy in order to get continuous and on going information. For instance, a crime magazine needs the help of the police for continuous news to keep their magazine interesting and accurate. This is also needed for timely

Movie REVIEW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie REVIEW - Essay Example He was someone who excelled in almost every task assigned to him and it made Nick jealous of him and then starts the process of how professional jealously actually intervenes with the personal lives and can take its toll on the performance of the employees working at each level. A closer look at the character of Nick Falzone would suggest that Nick was working in a profession which was not only stressful in terms of work requirements but also had relatively higher employee turnover. Due to the difficult work situation, Nick was in a position to respond to the situations in a relatively tensed and stressful manner so that he not only can establish his authority within the department but also establish himself as someone who is high performing and upon which department relies upon when required. It is also clear while watching this movie that competition or professional jealousy between the employees not only hurt their personal lives or also their professional duties and responsibilities. it is evident that when competition between the employees can result into negativity and low productivity if the emotional side of the employees is not managed properly. The role of the organization therefore is of critical nature in such situations to help employees to balance their emotional and personal sides with effective stress management at work and in personal lives. It is clear that Nick was following stress model because underlying his behavior was the stress which was arising from his deep rooted fears that he was working in an industry where jobs were relatively difficult and tough to perform. Apart from this, his personal life also seem to suggest that he was acting under the stress and was willing to do anything to preserve his ego and dominance over others. Underlying the stress model is the basic assumption of our behaviors being driven by the fear and love. It is

Knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Knowledge management - Essay Example Conversely, knowledge management views knowledge as a tacit concept that is resident in individuals and organizations. Information management seeks to enhance internal processes and ensure the quality of business operations whilst knowledge management seeks to facilitate knowledge-rich relations and support ongoing innovation and development. Most Information Management Systems are based on business processes that are clearly defined, relatively stable and involve similar objects such as applications, invoices, and orders. Examples of such business processes include production processes, logistics, and administration. On the other hand, knowledge management systems are dynamic and difficult to predict because different times and situations need different knowledge. The people involved in knowledge management do not need information. Rather, they look for background information, argumentations, conclusions, methods, opinions, analyses and best practices. Knowledge management strategy is primarily the domain of human resource director and its significance to the director explains this. The strategy helps formalize, store, share, distribute, and coordinate an organization’s knowledge assets all of which are functions that touch on the work of the human resource director. The director is able to modify the culture of an organization in such a way that the organization’s values and norms seamlessly connect with the knowledge management strategy. Human resource director is able to promote a climate of trust and commitment in an organization in order to make it easy to manage knowledge. This director has the capacity to organize an organization’s employees in to networks, teams, and communities of practice in order to enhance sharing of knowledge. The strategy also helps human resource director to influence an organization to adopt policies that encourage the hiring and

Dualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dualism - Essay Example In Metaphysics, it holds that there are two realities: material and immaterial whereas, in the Philosophy of the Mind, it holds that the body and soul are categorically two completely different substances. In addition, the Minds’ Philosophy adjoins that the mental fact comprises of a small number of aspects that are by nature non-physical (â€Å"Dualism – Mind/Brain†). This concept is justified because we have a conscious state since we are able to have thoughts, emotions, desires, sensations and beliefs. In addition, that if the mind was merely a material substance comprising only of physical aspects, we would not be able to classify actions as intelligent or otherwise. Fundamentally, this concept opposes that of materialism, as the mind does not operate on a pre-set manner (Mastin). Scientifically, dualism can be explained using the fact that if one wanted to read our thoughts, they would not merely do so by looking at the brain waves; they would have to ask us. From a religious viewpoint, dualism is explained by the fact that people have faith in a Supreme Being; therefore, ascribe themselves to various religions, which consequently determine their actions in certain situations (Mastin). Property Dualism- this classification argues that the brain is an indistinct substance constituting of independent attributes that arise from the brain; hence, mental attributes come up because of the manner in which living human beings are made up. Predicate Dualism- this classification maintains that the psychological occurrences we have cannot be reduced to physical predicates in our innate languages; thus, we cannot explain the reality of the world through mere predicates i.e. description of the subject of a proposition. Initiated by Immanuel Kant in the 17th century, categorical imperative is the core principal behind moral evaluation. It proposes that every action we take when in a particular situation

Environmental Scanning Essay Example for Free

Environmental Scanning Essay Everyone in Pakistan well as many sitting thousands of miles away, the business community too is waiting to exhale. And so, all that’s visible in the run up to the precise moment – General Elections 2013 – are lots of breathlessly red faces. Generally, election year produces diametrically opposing reactions within the public and private sectors. While the incumbent seeks to woo fickle voters through last ditch spending (think: poverty alleviation, development projects, etc.), the private sector often buries its head and its wallet in the sand until the storm of unpredictability has passed. Consequently, the business outlook for 2013 will remain depressingly unexciting until the new government settles down. The global recession isn’t going away anytime soon and the IMF recently cut global growth forecasts for 2013 to 3.6%, down from its earlier estimate of 3.9%. Although the Pakistani Government is doing its best to convince anyone who will listen that it is going to manage ‘four’ percent growth in the coming year, nobody is really convinced. The Government doesn’t really have the money to spend. Public revenues – proposed tax amnesty schemes notwithstanding – are low; the fiscal deficit is 8.2% and, to make ends meet, the Government is borrowing heavily from the banking sector. For decent growth, the Government needs a tax-to-GDP ratio in the vicinity of 16%; all it can muster at present is 9.1%. While inflation has finally been brought into the single digit realm, few are deluded enough to imagine it will last. First, global commodity prices (particularly oil) are still heading upwards. Second, with just enough forex reserves left for three months of imports and no bilateral or multilateral donor rushing to save Pakistan from Islamabad, the rupee is poised to come under serious pressure. (In November alone, Pakistan had to repay a staggering $616 million to the IMF.) Third, the Government has the State Bank printing Rs 1.5 billion a day. All inflationary enough on their own, the combined effect of these three will make for a very painful and prolonged hangover . Further, savings are low and the cash flush banks are too busy throwing rupees at the Government to bother with the few businesses that would be willing to invest in Pakistan prior to elections. Simply put, banks would much rather bolster their profits by lending to an insatiable but dependable Government than lend to the brilliant but risky private sector. Significantly, while the  Central Bank has now cut its policy rate by a cumulative 200 basis points since August, its critics are still unhappy with the decision. Their first bone of contention is that the temporarily low inflation numbers do not merit monetary easing and the State Bank is just making it cheaper for the Government to borrow more rather than hauling it up for doing so. Further, they cite data on private sector credit off take that shows that the same actually declined after the deep cut in August (150 basis points) while Government borrowing increased. Businesses, on the other hand, say that interest rates are st ill too high to consider investing. (Foreign investment, of course, requires a climate unavailable in a frontline state in the war against terrorism.) While the specific merits of this allegation can be argued over, the business environment in the country presents a series of uncontroverted and inescapable realities that dilute the impact of the high cost of borrowing. There are obviously those who cry about energy shortages, the unpredictability of supply and the fear that the dollar-rupee exchange rates will cross Rs 100 by June 2013. There are others who moan about the law and order situation and the fact that extortion levels jump up dramatically in the run-up to an election as political parties gather funds for electioneering. But first and foremost is the fact that the entire country is in a state of political flux and the economy is teetering on the brink of a full blown crisis. Typically, investment – be it the setting up of large projects or just the import of new machines for spinning – has a significant gestation period. An investor, who can’t predict whether his deals with the current Government will be honored by the next or what the duty structure will look like by the time his machines come in, is generally wary and prefers to sit on the sidelines until he gets more clarity. Take the example of the energy sector. The long, sizzling summer of 2012 and the frequency of power riots across the country clearly showed that Pakistan has graduated from being energy insecure to an energy crisis state. Throughout this period, the Government and its ministers frequently spoke of the need for more energy related projects, alternative energy and what not at much touted ‘energy conferences’. At various points during the year, the import of energy from even Iran and India were discussed. Clearly, there is significant unmet demand and correspondingly, great returns in the business. Theoretically then, given that energy infrastructure projects take ages to  mobilise, investors should be queuing up to begin these before the summer of 2013. But while a few canny, deep pocketed investors are making ambitious plans, even they are not committing money to these projects just yet. Clearly, the top priority, for even those investors who are mostly immune to political persecution because of their wealth and/or influence, is political stability. This stability, however, refers not only to the political parties that form governments but also the nature of the economic policies they pursue. If an investor raises $200 million to set up an LNG import business, for example, he needs to know what the returns will be and how long the government intends to buy the product for and in the absence of this certainty; no one will cough up the cash. Key External Factors Business, now-a-days is vitally affected by the economic, social, legal, technological and political factors. These factors collectively form business environment. Business environment, as such, is the total of all external forces, which affect the organization and operations of business. The environment of an organization has got internal, operational and general lives managers must be aware of these three environmental levels and their relationship and importance. The term business environment implies those external forces, factors and institutions that are beyond the control of individual business organizations and their management and affect the business enterprise. Business environment influence the functioning of the business system. Thus, business environment may be defined as all those conditions and forces which are external to the business and are beyond the individual business unit, but it operates within it. These forces are customer, creditors, competitors, government, socio-cultural organizations, political parties national and international organizations etc. some of those forces affect the business directly which some others have indirect effect on the business. 5 Key External Factors: * Economic Forces * Social, Cultural, Demographic and Environmental Forces * Political, Governmental and Legal Forces * Technological Forces * Competitive Forces Economic Forces: Economic environment refers to the aggregate of the nature of economic system of the country, the structural anatomy of the economy to economic policies of the government the organization of the capital market, the nature of factor endowment, business cycles, the socio-economic infrastructure etc. The successful businessman visualizes the external factors affecting the business, anticipating the prospective market situations and makes suitable to get the maximum with minimize cost. Social, Cultural, Demographic and Environmental Forces: The social dimension or environment of a nation determines the value system of the society which, in turn affects the functioning of the business. Sociological factors such as costs structure, customs and conventions, cultural heritage, view toward wealth and income and scientific methods, respect for seniority, mobility of labor etc. have far-reaching impact on the business. These factors determine the work culture and mobility of labor, work groups etc. For instance, the nature of goods and services to be produced depends upon the demand of the people which in turn is affected by their attitudes, customs, so as cultural values fashion etc. Socio-cultural environment determines the code of conduct the business should follow. The social groups such as trade unions or consumer forum will intervene if the business follows the unethical practices. Political, Governmental and Legal Forces: The political environment of a country is influenced by the political organizations such as philosophy of political parties, ideology of government or party in power, nature and extent of bureaucracy influence of primary groups etc. political stability in the country, foreign policy, Defense and military policy, image of the country and its leaders in and outside the country. The political environment of the country influences the business to a great extent. Legal environment includes flexibility and adaptability of law and other legal rules governing the business. It may include the exact rulings and decision of the courts. These affect the business and its managers to a great extent. Technological Forces: The business in a country is greatly influenced by the technological development. The technology adopted by the industries determines the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type and quality of plant and equipment to be used. Technological environment influences the business in terms of investment in technology, consistent application of technology and the effects of technology on markets. Competitive Forces: * Globalization of corporations, knowledge, products, consumers, and communication. * Growing competition within and across countries, amongst domestic companies, and between domestic and transnational companies. * Link between international trade and international labor standards and parallel efforts to secure labor market flexibility through relaxation of labor laws and standards for stimulating investment, both domestic and foreign * Speedy flow of information, capital, and innovation throughout the world. * Rising expectations of all stakeholders. * Easy access to the best and the least expensive products and services, worldwide. * Rapid pace of change ( £If the rate of change in our organization/society is slower than the rate of change outside the organization/society, we will be led by others.’) * Faster response time (As Smajda of the World Economic Forum avers, the days of big fish eating small fish are over. It is the fast fish which swallows the small fish.’) * Growing socio-economic inequity. Now, we are going to discuss about different sectors which are affected by these key external factors and take opportunities to it but threats are also exists. * Service Sector * Agriculture Sector * Telecom Industry * Cement Industry Service Sector Services sector is largest and fastest growing sector in the world economy, accounting largest share in total output and employment in most developed countries. In case of Pakistan, the shares of services are increasing in all sectors of economy over the period. In fact, the growth rate of services sector is higher than the growth rate of agriculture and industrial sector. The Services sector has registered a growth rate of 4.0 percent during July-March of the fiscal year 2011 12 against 4.4 percent last year. It is dominated by Finance and Insurance at 6.5 percent, Social and Community Services 6.8 percent and Wholesale and Retail Trade 3.6 percent. I. Distributive Services: Transport, Storage and Communications * Railways * Water Transport * Air Transport * Pipeline Transport * Road Transport * Mechanized * Non- Mechanized * Communications * Storage * Water Transport Wholesale, Retail Trade and Hotels and Restaurants * Wholesale and Retail Trade including * Imports * Purchase and Sale Agents and Brokers * Auctioning II. Producer Services: Financial Institution * State Bank of Pakistan * Commercial Bank * Other Financial Intermediaries * Insurance Corporations and Pension Funds III. Social Services: Public Administration and Defense Social Community and Private Services * Education * Medical and Health Services Environmental Scanning: Economic Forces The Services sector contributes 53.8% to Pakistan’s GDP. Its major sub sectors are Finance and Insurance, Transport and Storage, Wholesale and Retail Trade, Public Administration and Defense. Services contribution to our GDP is gradually increasing. During the current period of financial downturn, the services sector has been a major contributor to growth. Pakistan’s GDP grew at the rate of 2.4%in 2010-11. The services sector grew at the rate of 4.1% as against 2.9% last year. The main contributors to this growth are public admin and defense (13.2%) and social services sector (7.1%) A cursory look on the composition of subsectors that contribute most to the services sector shows that retail trade, wholesale trade, research and educational consultancy services, restaurants and hotels, financial, construction, and some business services, such as computer and information technology (IT) services, and professional services, such as engineering, legal and accounting services, IT and related services have been most significant. Banks, DFIs and insurance companies, account for 98 percent of value added in this sector. The finance and insurance sector comprises State Bank of Pakistan, all scheduled (domestic and foreign banks) development financial institutions (DFIs), all insurance (life and general) companies, Modaraba/leasing companies, moneychangers and stock exchange brokers. The financial sub-sector consists of all resident corporations principally engaged in financial intermediations or in auxiliary financial activities related to finance. Social, Cultural and Demographic Forces Demography and lifestyle changes have the major contribution to increase in the growth of consumer demand of services. Pakistan’s consumption data shows that the demand of services is increasing over the time. During the 1985-86 people spent more of their income on goods then services. A number of factors such as income growth, changing demographic profile due to more urbanization, and the socio-economic environment are having its impact on retail scene. Pakistan retail is currently a virgin territory. This is more important in view of the large number of middle class population and available high-disposable income in the age group 25-35 years. Successful Retail Chains like Hyper star, Metro Makro has opened the avenues for the upcoming retailers. In Lahore, large numbers of households do the grocery shopping at Hyper star, Jalal sons, Alfatah, HKB, Metro, Makro and CSD. This shows the changing lifestyle and shopping preferences of the urban population of Pakistan. This retail growth is also supported by the increasing literacy rate in Pakistan; current urban population is more educated than their ancestors and has a better understanding of retailer influences on shopping as the larger retailer give quality assurances to consumers. Political, Governmental and Legal Forces Governments around the globe are gradually coming online using processes in which Information and Communications Technology (ICT) play an active and significant role, beyond simple digitalization, or automation of governance  services, or provision of LANs, since it is ultimately a tool for good governance and human development. The main objectives of e-Governance are to increase transparency of government working, increase and diversify public information and its value, and increase the quality of products and services being currently offered. This helps reduce high transaction costs (in terms of time, efforts and opportunities lost) by timely and relevant access to government information, especially for those who are disadvantaged or marginalized or living in remote rural areas. Services are still identified with line ministries and government departments; there is increasing recognition amongst policymakers for improvements in skill levels in many sectors and for a departure from inward-looking policies. In view of the dramatic changes in the services sector, regulatory and policy issues have continued to gain importance in policy-making circles for the last 15 years. Technological Forces Technology allows businesses to do everything faster. Many processes that once required ledgers, checkbooks and journal notations have now moved onto computer systems. Logging in and out, updating inventory information and communicating can now are happening much more swiftly. Technology moves very quickly, constantly evolving and creating new devices and faster systems. Businesses note these changes and attempt to move with technology, adapting it to their present and future needs. Pakistan has seen an explosive growth in the ICT sector in the last few years with deregulation and ending of the monopolies of the state sector. The number of mobile phones achieved their 2007 target two years earlier, and the recent deregulation of long distance (LDI) wireless local loops (WLL), other sections have served to provide faster, better and wide coverage, all at lower costs. Competitive Forces Of the non-factors input used by the services sectors, 61.1 percent were  purchased from commodity producing sectors, suggesting strong backward linkages of services with commodity producing sectors. Of the total purchases from the commodity sectors, 73.9 percent were purchased from manufacturing sector, followed by 14.6 percent from construction, and 7.7 percent from electricity and gas sectors. The service sectors purchases from agriculture sector account for 3.3 percent of total purchases from commodity sectors. About 76.5 percent of services sector (public administration and defiance, 40.6 percent and transport and communications 35.9 percent) made purchases from the commodity producing sectors respectively. Forward linkages the shares of individual service sectors in total purchases from commodity producing sectors are agriculture 28.1 percent, mining and manufacturing 70.2 percent, electricity and gas distribution 1.0 percent, and construction 0.7 percent. Technology also increases the possibility of crime. A tech-savvy employee can embezzle funds and make it difficult for the company to trace. Hackers can access personal and financial data of customers who trust the company to keep their information safe. Agriculture Sector Agriculture: Agriculture, also called farming or husbandry, is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, biofuel and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. Agriculture generally speaking refers to human activities, although it is also observed in certain species of ant and termite. The word agriculture is the English adaptation of Latin agricultÃ… «ra, from ager, a field, and  cultÃ… «ra, cultivation in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. Thus, a literal reading of the word yields tillage of fields. Agriculture Sector in Pakistan: Pakistan has a rich and vast natural resource base, covering various ecological and climatic zones; due to which the country has great potential for producing all types of food produce. Agriculture has an important role in generating economic growth. Agriculture affects the economy in three ways namely, first, it provides food to consumers and fibers for domestic industry; second, it is a source of scarce foreign exchange earnings; and third, it provides a market for industrial goods. Agriculture Sector is a key sector of the economy and accounts for 21 percent of GDP. The supportive policies of the government resulted in a growth of 3.1 percent against 2.4 percent last year. Major Crops registered an accelerating growth of 3.2 percent compared to a negative growth of 0.2 percent last year. The major crops including Cotton, Sugarcane and Rice witnessed growth in production of 18.6 percent, 4.9 percent and 27.7 percent respectively. However, preliminary estimates of wheat production showed a negative growth due to late receding of flood waters in lower Sindh which hampered the timely cultivation of the wheat crop. Livestock has witnessed a marginally higher growth of 4.0 percent against the growth of 3.97 percent last year. Fisheries sector showed a growth of 1.8 percent. Forestry recorded a growth of 0.95 percent as compared to the contraction of 0.40 percent last year. The total geographical area of Pakistan is 79.6 million hectares. About 27percent of the area is currently under cultivation. Of this area, 80 percent is irrigated and Pakistan has one of the highest proportions of irrigated cropped area in the world. Most of Pakistan is classified as arid to semi-arid because rainfall is not sufficient to grow agricultural crops, forest and fruit plants and pastures. About 68 percent of the geographical area has annual rainfall of 250 mm, whereas about 24 percent has annual rainfall of251 to 500 mm. Only 8 percent of the geographical area has annual rainfall exceeding 500 mm. Hence supplemental water is required for profitable agricultural production, either from irrigation or through water harvesting. Agriculture is largely dependent on artificial means of  irrigation. Of the total cultivated area, about 82 percent or around 17.58 million hectares is irrigated, while crop production in the remaining 3.96 million hectares depends mainly upon rainfall. The Irrigation Canal Command Area (CCA) has been grouped into classes on the basis of the nature and severity of its limitations water logging, salinity, sodality and texture. At present about one-fifth of the cultivated land in CCA is affected by water logging and salinity to varying degrees. An additional area of 2.8 million hectares suffers from sodality. Notwithstanding huge investments, the water table was 0 to 1.5 m under 2.2 million hectares of irrigated land, 1.5 to 3 m under6 million hectares and 0to 3 m under 8 million hectares. Thus Pakistan needs to overhaul its entire drainage and reclamation strategy reduces its cost and makes it efficient. Environmental Scanning: Economic Forces Flooding in 2011, affected crops like rice, cotton and sugarcane, although in the current year, 2011-12, they performed well and provided support and continued to support food security objectives this year. The agriculture sector recorded a growth of 3.1 percent in 2011-12. The profitability of agriculture sector during 2011-12, remained high because the farmers received good prices for rice, cotton and sugarcane, which allowed for greater financial resources passed on to the rural economy. During 2011-12, the overall performance of agriculture sector exhibited a growth of 3.1 percent mainly due to positive growth in agriculture related subsectors, except minor crops. Major crops accounted for 31.9 percent of agricultural value added and experienced a growth of 3.2 percent in fiscal year 2011-12 with negative growth of 0.2 percent in 2011. The role of credit is instrumental in the agriculture sector where Pakistani farmers often lack finances necessary for carrying out vital farming activities. This issue, if not addressed, can cause a multitude of problems, ranging from the exploitation of poor farmers at the hands of informal sources of credit, to a slowdown in the adoption of modern farming techniques and inputs, resulting in slow development of this chief sector of our economy. Social, Cultural and Demographic Forces Agriculture generates productive employment opportunities for 45 percent of the country’s labor force and 60 percent of the rural population depends upon this sector for its livelihood. * Established 40 surveillance and 66 rapid response units (RRUs). * Processed 0.4 million samples of blood, tissues and swabs for screening against Avian Influenza * Establishment of the Bio security Laboratory-3 is under process * Disbursed Rs. 23.5 million as compensation to Avian Influenza affected farmers Pakistan is maintaining Avian Influenza (bird flu) free status since June 2008 million tons was from marine production and the remaining came from inland waters. In July-March, 2010-11 the production was estimated to be 937,082 million tons, where 672,652 million tons was marine and the remaining was produced by inland fishery sector. Recognizing the vital role the sector plays in ensuring food security, generating overall economic growth, reducing poverty and the transforming towards industrialization. Political, Legal and Governmental Forces The present government is determined to improve the quality of life of the people and to banish hunger and malnutrition from the country by making agriculture an efficient, productive and profitable sector of the economy. In order to improve governance in the public sector the government took bold steps and brought in the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of 1973. Accordingly, Ministries performing tasks which were provincial subjects were devolved from the Federal level, including the Ministry of Food and agriculture. Two major steps in order to solve the food security issues on a permanent basis; The first step is the establishment of the National Food Security Council representing Federal, Provincial and local level Governments. Secondly, through a Letter of Intent the Ministry, in collaboration with World Food Program, is launching the Zero Hunger Program  worth US $ 1.6 billion to address the food security objective. A total of 290 veterinary clinics have been established providing veterinary services at 70 percent reduced costs to rural farmers at their door steps i.e. 100 percent achievement. Technological Forces The Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD) is engaged in providing seed certification coverage to public and private sector seed companies of the country. It provides seed quality control services through its 28 seed testing laboratories as well as monitoring of seed quality in the market. The activities and achievements of the department during 2011-12 are described below: * During the year 2011-12, forty-five (45) new seed companies were registered, making the total number of registered seed companies in the country 774, which includes four public sector and five multinational companies. * Twenty-two (22) new crop varieties were approved {(5) wheat, (11) cotton, (3) oilseeds, (2) pulses and (1) fodder}. * During 2011-12, different crops offered by the various seed agencies, totaling 502.6 thousand acres, were inspected for certification purposes. * During 2011-12, a total of 13.7 MT of imported seed of various crops and hybrids, with a total value of Rs. 3287.6 million, was tested under the Seed (Truth in Labeling) Rules. 1991 at the port of entries i.e. Lahore and Karachi. * Almost 718 samples of seed and propagating material of various vegetable and fruit crops were tested at the Central Seed Testing Laboratory, Islamabad for detection of fungal and viral disease using latest diagnosis techniques and protocols. The Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSCRD) is engaged in providing seed certification coverage to public and private sector seed companies of the country. It provides seed quality control services through its 28 seed testing laboratories as well as monitoring of seed quality in the market. Competitive Forces Pakistan is member of the Cairns Group (an alliance of 18 countries looking for ambitious outcome in the Market Access areas), G-20 (group for safeguarding interest of developing countries in agriculture negotiations) and the G-33 (group of developing countries and LDCs aiming to get preferential terms in Market Access and Special and Differential treatment). In negotiations on market access, domestic support and export competition, Pakistan’s stance is supportive of the G-20 collective position. Pakistan strongly supports improvement in market access by reducing tariffs, reducing tariff escalation, and eliminating tariff peaks. Pakistan also works closely with the Cairns Group on tropical products issues. Pakistan has entered into Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka and has exchanged a draft FTA with Singapore which includes an investment protection clause. In addition to WTO membership, Pakistan is party to two agreements for regional trade liberalization. The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) comprised of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan; and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives. A Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) have been in place between Pakistan and the United States since July 2003. Both countries are now negotiating a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Telecom Industry Telecommunication: Word Telecommunication has two parts. One is Tele and other is Communication. Communication means conveying or disseminating the information. Word Tele is a Latin word which means far off. Telecommunication is the dissemination of signals to a far palace for the purpose of sharing some message or idea. In ancient time codes, smokes, drums or other components were used for conveying information but now a day telephones, fax, emails etc is used. So now the new definition of Telecommunication states sharing of data over a distance, through electric means. Telecom Sector in the World: In this fastest growing world information flows through the signals and cables in form voice or text. Telecommunication is not just bringing the people together but it is also bringing different economies, cultures and countries together. Now we can see the whole world as a Global Village. Now Telecommunication is an essential part of our lives. With the Expansion of this sector, the world has gained about $3.85 trillion in year 2008. And the service revenues have reached about $2 Trillion and Expected to reach the level of $3 Trillion in 2013. And this revenue is about 3% of the World GDP. The major part of telecom sector is internet and Telephones. Telecom Sector in Pakistan: Pakistan is on the verge of Telecom revolution Pakistan continues to be one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world. Reforms introduced by successive Pakistani governments over the last decade have dramatically changed the nature of telecommunications in the country. The Pakistani telecom sector has attracted more than $9 billion in foreign investments. During 2007-08, the Pakistani Communication sector alone received $ 1.62 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) – about 30% of the country’s total foreign direct investment. By March 2009, Pakistan had 91 million mobile subscribers – 25 million more subscribers than reported in the same period 2008. In addition to 3.1 million fixed lines, while as many as 2.4 million are using Wireless Local Loop connections Pakistan is ranked 4th in terms of broadband Internet growth in the world, as the subscriber base of broadband Internet has been increasing rapidly with the total base crossing 170,000 in the country. The rankings are released by Point Topic Global broadband analysis, a global research centre. Pakistan according to PC World was amongst those top five countries with the highest SMS traffic processed with 763 million SMS during 2008-09. In terms of year-on-year growth, Pakistan traffic volume grew by 253 percent compared to last year during the same period. The contribution of telecom sector to the national exchequer increased to Rs 110 billion in the year 2007-08 on account of general sales tax, activation charges and other steps as compared to Rs 100 billion in the year 2006-07.Pakistan telecom industry is handling the telecom companies  which are operating at this time like Mobilink, Ufone, Warid, Telenor, Zong etc†¦

Indian Removal Act Essay Example for Free

Indian Removal Act Essay Known as having adopted an Indian child as his son, Andrew Jackson was quite fond of the Indian race; however, with pressure to expand westward, he needed to transfer the Indians farther west and soon became their worst enemy. Andrew Jackson’s Indian Policy was to move the Indians westward as peacefully as possible, for the tribes that stayed in the East Coast were annihilated. Also, moving them West will help them live longer, and there is a fair exchange for the tribes moving. Another important component is the gain of Western lands and the addition of American power; this will add on to America’s size and increase America’s authority. Jackson validates his actions by saying he will pay for the land the Indians inhabit, pay for their long journey West, also known as the Trail of Tears, and support them a little while their settling in. President Jackson also said if they move west, they will enjoy sovereignty forever. Jackson made the point that with the Indians gone there will be less conflict between them and state governments, it will allow for prosperous populations and cities to flourish, and the free land will add another line of defense for America. President Jackson’s attitude toward the Indians in his speech reveals that he wants the Indians gone so America can gain land and grow stronger. He uses words like â€Å"Red Men† and â€Å"Savages† to describe them, so they seem like outcasts. He makes it sounds like the Indians are a nuisance and if they move, they will prosper as a people. Jackson says, â€Å"†¦perhaps cause them gradually†¦to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community.† Overall, Jackson wants the Indians gone for his own benefit. He refers to them as uncivilized, uninteresting, and having savage habits, and was proving that he is just looking for a gain for his country, not the native people who have lived there forever.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Spinal Muscular Atrophy Spinal muscular Atrophy is a disorder when the spine and muscles are affected. The Neurons on the spinal cord that control movement of muscles are infected and causes the Neurons to shrink and become destroyed and prevents messages coming from the body To the brain and muscles depend on that for proper function. Some muscles are not affected when having SMA like the bladder muscles. Hearing and vision are not affected and intelligence is normal or above average. Investigators have noted that children with SMA can have very high intelligence. There are 3 types of SMA all 3 types are known As autonomic recessive genes. To inherit SMA both parents must give the defective gene in order for the offspring to inherit the disorder. Sometimes SMA is inherited as an autonomic dominant gene. Type 1, 2, and 3 are got from a defected same gene on chromosome #5, different affected chromosomes will have different affects and types of SMA.There is another form of the disease called x-linked spinal bulbar atrophy that arises from a defect in a gene called the androgen receptor gene on the X chromosome. Every form of SMA affects the bones muscles of the trunk and limbs. These muscles are closer to the center of the body and are more infected than other parts that are farther than the body like the fingers. SMA type 1 affects the neurons that control your mouth and throat which makes chewing and eating problems. Type 1 is the most severe of all the types of SMA and is noticed during the first 6 months of birth. Cannot sit without support or a cushion, death is usually occurred before the age of 2. SMA type 2 isnt as worse as type 1 and is noticed during the ages of 7 months to 18 months of age. Cannot sit properly without a cushion or support, cannot learn to walk without any help or assistance has numerous swallowing difficulty some lucky children survive until childhood. Type 3 SMA occurs after the age of 18 months old. Weakness of the muscles in the mouth and throat is not likely to happen. Not as severe as type 1 and 2 but still can cause death if not cared for, children might live up to adulthood SMA is inherited by both parents having the recessive gene is their DNA and the offspring inherits 22 of the non sex chromosomes. When genes are defected they do not function and properly produce the proteins that are needed for a cell to function. A big chain can happen when a little protein is absent when there is too little or too much protein or if it doesnt work right for some reason. In the case of SMA protein abnormalities prevent the normal functioning of motor neurons. SMA causes muscle degeneration and will shrink until muscle weakness happens. SMA is not spreadable because disorders cannot spread from person to person only if parents have the 2 recessive SMA genes. There are no cures or treatments for spinal muscular atrophy right now but researchers and scientist are trying to find a way to get rid of SMA or at least reverse some of the affects that causes death for the young. Some symptoms of SMA are muscle weakness, leg weakness, thin muscles, hard time breathing, hard time eating/swallowing, lack of movement and walking, head control, hard time sitting up, hard time crawling when a baby. SMA affects life span a lot, especially when a child or a baby because you have a high risk of dying because of the disorder. Muscles are weak and have a hard time walking. SMA affects all kinds of people. In 1890 G. Werdnig found about SMA and the first type of the form of SMA. Years later a person named Kugelberg and another person named Welander described the less severe types of SMA and its affects to the human body and muscles. SMA is the most common diagnosis in girls with progressive weakness. It is one of the most common genetic causes of death in children! In the United States it is about 5 out of 100,000 child births that are affected with SMA. In ND (North Dakota) it is about 15 out of 100,000 children that are affected with SMA. SMA seems to be affecting more people in North Dakota then anywhere else in other areas. Males are more common to get SMA other than females, the ratio to males to females is 2:1 although the ratio is 2:1 how long you live with SMA is not affected by sex. Spinal muscular atrophy used to be only affecting black African Americans but years have passed and it is indicated that SMA is not affecting African Americans that much as it used to a while back. Spinal muscular atrophy is caused by the region of chromosome #5 that contains SMN (survival motor neuron) gene has a very abnormal huge duplication. The gene copies its self which causes mutation. The smn2 gene has a another mutation that makes less protein that does it in a very slow level. The most common forms of SMA are caused by the mutation of the SMN gene and affects different areas of the body and makes severe or less severe damages depending on how the gene mutates. Boys that get the gene die before the age of 2, but girls that get the gene are carriers unless they die before having an offspring. There are about 1,386 families that have SMA and 759 females and 776 males that do have SMA. Doctors and researches help with the symptoms and features of SMA to help reduce the chance of death. Doctors talk with children and help babies walk and breath. The spine is dislocated and is not straight. The spine wont function correctly and spine neurons will eventually die out and muscles will die out to.

Essay --

Hunter Reagan Mrs. Paschall Honors English IV 30 October 2013 The Good Guy Rules In the work The Road by Cormac McCarthy a father and son struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world with evil surrounding them. They always refer to themselves as, â€Å"The good guys,† (McCarthy 66) and try to not become evil. They see things like cannibalism as evil, and would rather go hungry than succumb to this evil. The father constantly tries to keep the child’s eyes away from the gruesome scenes that characterize this environment. When thinking of themselves as the good guys they keep from doing any wrong. Erik J. Wielenberg puts it best when he lists the rules of the good guys. He lists them as follows: "1. Don’t eat people. 2. Don’t steal. 3. Don’t lie. 4. Keep your promises. 5. Help others. 6. Never give up." (Wielenberg 4). All of these rules also have Biblical implications behind them. These rules are taught by the father to his son. Although the father does not always follow them. The father has a hard time following rule five, "Help others." The Biblical reasoning for this rule is, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (King James Version, Luke 6.31). The child continuously wishes to help all people that don’t seem to be bad guys. At one point the man and his son find a man that was struck by lightning the child questions, â€Å"Cant we help him? Papa?† (McCarthy 25). The father doesn’t want to give him any help. This conflict is exemplified when the child and father run into a man named "Ely." The man seems weary of the man as shown when it is said, "He looked up the road and down. If this is an ambush he goes first, he said." (McCarthy 83). The child follows the rules better than the man as shown whe... ...s son live by seven rules that make them the good guys. They do what they have to do to survive, without compromising their morals. They are the epitome of a light shining in the darkness. The conflict of the father and son’s polar opposite personalities is exemplified when looking at how they feel about the rules. The child has ease with following every rule but number six, whereas the father has trouble with every rule but number six. This shows that maybe the characters complete each other. This also shows that maybe the son is better cut out for living in this kind of world than his father is. That fact shows that the father taught the child correctly. â€Æ' Works Sited "Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. McCarthy, Cormac. The road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. Essay -- Hunter Reagan Mrs. Paschall Honors English IV 30 October 2013 The Good Guy Rules In the work The Road by Cormac McCarthy a father and son struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world with evil surrounding them. They always refer to themselves as, â€Å"The good guys,† (McCarthy 66) and try to not become evil. They see things like cannibalism as evil, and would rather go hungry than succumb to this evil. The father constantly tries to keep the child’s eyes away from the gruesome scenes that characterize this environment. When thinking of themselves as the good guys they keep from doing any wrong. Erik J. Wielenberg puts it best when he lists the rules of the good guys. He lists them as follows: "1. Don’t eat people. 2. Don’t steal. 3. Don’t lie. 4. Keep your promises. 5. Help others. 6. Never give up." (Wielenberg 4). All of these rules also have Biblical implications behind them. These rules are taught by the father to his son. Although the father does not always follow them. The father has a hard time following rule five, "Help others." The Biblical reasoning for this rule is, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (King James Version, Luke 6.31). The child continuously wishes to help all people that don’t seem to be bad guys. At one point the man and his son find a man that was struck by lightning the child questions, â€Å"Cant we help him? Papa?† (McCarthy 25). The father doesn’t want to give him any help. This conflict is exemplified when the child and father run into a man named "Ely." The man seems weary of the man as shown when it is said, "He looked up the road and down. If this is an ambush he goes first, he said." (McCarthy 83). The child follows the rules better than the man as shown whe... ...s son live by seven rules that make them the good guys. They do what they have to do to survive, without compromising their morals. They are the epitome of a light shining in the darkness. The conflict of the father and son’s polar opposite personalities is exemplified when looking at how they feel about the rules. The child has ease with following every rule but number six, whereas the father has trouble with every rule but number six. This shows that maybe the characters complete each other. This also shows that maybe the son is better cut out for living in this kind of world than his father is. That fact shows that the father taught the child correctly. â€Æ' Works Sited "Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. McCarthy, Cormac. The road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

McDonalds Corporation Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Coursewor

McDonalds Corporation McDonald’s is the undisputed king of burgers. This has been the trend in the fast-food industry from their creation in the 1960’s to their massive growth in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now the new millennium. Over the past forty years, McDonald’s has fully taken advantage of their strengths but because of maturity in the fast food industry, more focus will have to be put on opportunities, weaknesses, and threats. Strengths. The first strength of McDonald’s has been their product strategy. Throughout the past three decades they have simply been a hamburger and fries Restaurant. Growing customer wants and needs along with increased competition has forced them to alter and improve their menu to better fit the environment. Factors such as growing competition and consumers becoming more health conscious have forced them to make these changes. Today McDonald’s offers a wide variety of products that consist of 26 items. Breakfast items include biscuit sandwiches, Egg McMuffin, hotcakes and sausage, sausage McMuffin with egg, and scrambled eggs. Sandwiches include the Big Mac, cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken Deluxe, Filet-O-Fish, Grilled Chicken Deluxe, Grilled Chicken Salad Deluxe, hamburger, Quarter Pounder, and the Quarter Pounder with cheese. Dessert items include baked apple pies, chocolate chip cookie, hot fudge sundae, ice cream cone, McFlurry, and milkshakes. Other items on the menu include the apple-bran muffin, Chicken McNuggets, French fries, Garden Salad, Happy Meals, soft drinks, and other beverages. Promotion has also been a strength for McDonald’s. They have always focused promotion around good food, friendly folks, and fun. They have also spent a considerable amount of money on promotional programs such as Monopoly, Happy Meals, and the Big Mac. In addition to these promotions, McDonald’s signed a ten-year contract with Disney combining promotions for food items with Disney movies. They also continue the successful Beanie Baby promotion that is credited as the company’s most successful promotion ever. On October 25 they introduced the American Trio Collection of Beanie Babies that celebrate the American Political Process. In addition to promotion, McDonald’s has also been successful at placing restaurants in every available position. The increase of outlets per year has re... ...ket. These restaurants have the ability to be expanded throughout the United States and provide a large amount of sales domestically. This will be growingly important as sales in current McDonald’s restaurants flatten. These restaurant chains may also have the ability to be expanded internationally depending on their success in the U.S. An opportunity that McDonald’s has not been taking advantage of is their environmental concerns. Recently McDonald’s was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their conservation and recycling efforts. The EPA cited McDonald’s as the industry leader because of its continual review and evaluation of packaging materials. This is something that could be used in a promotional effort to better their image in consumers’ minds. It could be positioned directly against competitors to show that McDonald’s does care about the environment. McDonald’s has done well with establishing a plan for future growth and expansion. As long as they continue to build awareness for their other brands, expand internationally, and better manage product introduction in existing McDonald’s restaurants, they will continue to be number one.

A Personal Experience in the United States Socializing Function :: Free Essays Online

A Personal Experience in the United States' Socializing Function My junior/senior high school was public. It served the surrounding four towns with a total student population of about seven hundred. In rural Vermont we were set aside and sheltered from the pain and suffering of the city's ghetto, as well as trained to ignore the poverty right before our eyes; next door. Classes started at eight, and ended at two fifteen. Our windows were tinted black so we would be sure not to ever have a glimpse of the outside world. Here our attention must be focused on the school work; learning what the institution deemed important. My U.S. history class is a perfect example of this; we learned what the teacher taught, and what the textbook covered, but what of all the information not included? It would be impossible for us to learn all the history of the United States, but who gets to decide what history we need to know? We learned about the evil Nazi's concentration camps extensively, but only touched upon our own equivalent imprisonment of the Japanese-Americans briefly. We learned of the fight against communism in Vietnam and Korea, but nothing of the mass slaughter of the common people in those countries that our country took part in. What is even more discouraging than this distortion of history, is that no one cared. Jonathan Kozol writes on page 37 of The Night Is Dark and I Am Far from Home; "Nationalistic education is a special brand of such bamboozlement; patriotic mindlessness is the product being sold. Most children buy it, unresistingly." The teacher did not want to teach anything that was not requ ired, because if it was not required by the government then it must not be important enough information. The government would not dream of having such evil things in our history be required to be taught because it shows the student a weakness of the all powerful ruling class. And the students did not, and certainly were not encouraged to, want more than what our school was giving them already. But who has the right to pick and choose what information shall be given out , and what information shall remain obscure? In looking back on my six long years committed to this high school I can recall numerous instances in which I found myself confronting the institution, yet never pushing enough.

Analytical essay on Primo Levi’s “If This Is a Man” Essay

Primo Levi’s book ‘If This Is a Man’ is a novel about a German concentration camp, one among many novels on the same subject. However, this book is exceptional as Levi never ‘raises his voice, complains, or attributes blame’. ‘If This Is a Man’ is an objective story told in a detached tone using scientific language, which sometimes makes this book not a confession but an analysis. Nevertheless, distant tone and unemotional language bring the horrifying message across with even greater impact on readers. The saddest, the most powerful, and the most ironic chapter of the book is the central ninth chapter, called ‘The Drowned and the Saved’. Here the author’s talent as well as his training as chemist comes through in unique manner. Instead of telling the story, Levi analyses the reasons, the methods, and the effects of German concentration camps. The result is more like an essay or even lab report rather than a part of a novel. The diction of the chapter is sharply contrasted with its content, emphasizing the terrifying events described. Already the first sentence of the chapter (â€Å"What we have so far said and will say concerns the ambiguous life of the Lager.† P. 102) reveals a lot. This sentence is the first step in building up the emotionless tone through technical diction. The first person point of view used throughout previous chapters is suddenly replaced by the pronoun â€Å"we† as it is used in official documents. With every following sentence, the dryness of expression grows gradually: â€Å"To this question we feel that we have to reply in the affirmative.† (p. 102), â€Å"†¦the Lager was presumably a gigantic biological and social experiment.† (p. 102), â€Å"But another fact seems to us worthy of attention†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 103). Read Also:  Analytic Rubric for Essay The impact of language is reinforced by the structure of the chapter. As Primo Levi names the Lager to be an experiment, he writes his analysis of the reasons and effects of the concentration camp in the form of a lab report. One can clearly distinguish statement of purpose, method statement, hypothesis, observations, conditions, and conclusion – all the important parts of a lab report. However, as said before the detachedness of the structure is in sharp contrast with the content. For example, the â€Å"method  statement† (â€Å"Thousands of individuals†¦ are enclosed within barbed wire: there they live a regular, controlled life which is identical for all and inadequate to all needs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  p. 102) describes plainly and understatedly terrifying conditions of the camp. Levi does not complain, he just says that the conditions are â€Å"inadequate to all needs† but the underestimation brings the message across more powerfully, especially when compared to previous chapters. Similarly, the author writes: â€Å"And one must take into account a definite cushioning effect exercised both by the law, and by the moral state which constitutes a self-imposed law;† (p. 103), a statement, describing the conditions of â€Å"the experiment†, implying that there is no law or sense of morality in the camps. However, yet again, there are no protests or grumbles, and the reader has to find the meaning behind the statement himself. â€Å"Variables† in the experiment are two categories of men – the saved and the drowned. Sudden change of tone – from official to poetic and back to official – is used to accentuate the difference among the prisoners, to bring it across for the reader that in the Lager the only choice was either to survive or to die. Everyone struggles to survive and in this brutal exertion, all means are justified. â€Å"If some Null Achtzehn vacillates, he will find no one to extend a helping hand; on the contrary, someone will knock him aside†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 103). With this line author clearly states the moral of the camps: if I’m not for myself, who will be for me? With bitter irony Levi avers that the law â€Å"to he that has will be given; to he that has not will be taken away.† (p. 104) is openly at work in the camp and to obey this law is the only possible way to survive. Thus, the morality of the Lager is the antithesis of morality of normal life the way the concentration camp itself is antithesis of normal world. This passage is even more sarcastic when the fact that Primo Levi himself was not particularly strong and capable prisoner but rather a ‘muselman’. However, as it has been mentioned in the beginning of this essay, Primo Levi’s book is different from other novels on the same topic. All the writers have shown the brutal morality, or rather immorality of the Lager and deduced from it that â€Å"the Hà ¤ftling is†¦ a man without inhibitions† (p.  103) thus giving up on the humankind. Levi’s attitude is different. He believes that humanity of the prisoners is still hidden deep in their souls waiting for an opportunity to recover. (â€Å"†¦in the face of driving necessity and physical disabilities many social habits and instincts are reduced to silence.† p. 103) and as it becomes evident in the end of the book, he proves to be right. Another fact worth mentioning about this chapter is that the title â€Å"The Drowned and the Saved† used to be also the title of the English translation of the novel, indicating hence the importance of the chapter. As a conclusion it can be said that the novel ‘If This is a Man’ by Primo Levi and especially the ninth chapter is a unique account of the horrifying actions carried out in German concentration camps as it tells the story unemotionally using scientific diction to accentuate the seriousness of matter discussed. Analysis of the reasons behind setting up the Lager, methods used to break down human soul and the effects of the actions carried out by SS officials gives an appalling insight to one of the most horrifying events of the 20th century.

Manila Lodge No. 761 vs Ca

capital of the Philippines LODGE NO. 761 vs CA word 1431 MANILA LODGE NO. 761, kindly AND evasive ORDER OF THE ELKS, INC. , petitioner, vs. THE HONORABLE romance OF APPEALS, metropolis OF MANILA, and TARLAC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, respondents. (G. R. no L-41001 family line 30, 1976) TARLAC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, petitioner, vs. HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS, CITY OF MANILA, LODGE NO. 761, BENEVOLENT AND PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS, INC. , respondents. ( no. L-41012 September 30, 1976) THE CASE deuce gaucheries are petitions on certiorari to refreshen the decision dated June 30, 1975 of the Court of Appeals that the pith subject field is a usual approximate range or core. FACTS On June 26, 1905 the Philippine bearing enacted do zero(prenominal) l360 which make itd the urban center of manila to reclaim a stack of manilla paper Bay. The get area was to establish parcel of the Luneta extension. Subsequently, the Philippine Commission passed on May 18, 1907 Act No. 1657, amending Act No. 1360, so as to authorize the metropolis of manila all to lock or to sell the portion tidy sum aside as a hotel site. On July 13, 1911 the urban center of manila paper, affirming a prior barter dated January 16, 1909 cancelled 5,543. 07 square meters of the reclaimed area to the manila paper reside No. 761, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the U. S. A. manilla indian lodge No. 761, BPOE, subsequently change the said 5,543. 07 square meters to the Elks Club, Inc. The registered owner, The Elks Club, Inc. , was later changed by court oder to manilla Lodge No. 761, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Inc. In January 1963 the BPOE. petitioned the Court of First Instance for the cancellation of the honest of the City of manilla to repurchase the blank space. given(p) On November 19, 1963 the BPOE sold the world to Tarlac phylogeny Corporation (TDC). In June 1964 the City of manila paper filed with the Court of First Instanc e of manila paper a petition for the reannotation of its make up to repurchase. RTC belief the subject land to be violate of the open park or plaza and, in that respectfore, part of the public domain.The court in that respectfore declared that the deal of the subject land by the City of Manila to Manila Lodge No. 761, BPOE, was null and subjugate that plaintiff TDC was a purchaser thus in g faith and for protect from BPOE and can enforce its remedys against the latter. CA public opinion AFFIRMED the lower courts decision. ISSUE win the subject topographic point was genetic holding of the City of Manila and not a park or plaza.NO WON the City of Manila is estopped from challenge the validity of the trade it execute, conconveying the subject property to the Manila Lodge No. 761, BPOE. NO SC rule We hold that it is of public dominion, mean for public use. When the shore or part of the request is reclaimed, it does not lose its character of worldness pr operty for public use. It is not necessary, therefore, that a plaza be already constructed of- put out as a plaza in order that it be considered property for public use.It is sufficient that it be intended to be such In the case at bar, it has been shown that the intention of the lawmaking luggage compartment in giving to the City of Manila the extension to the Luneta was not a take into account to it of patrimonial property but a grant for public use as a plaza. We have demonstrated ad satietatem that the Luneta extension as intended to be property of the City of Manila for public use.The conversion of the said property into patrimonial property is within the executives and possibly the edict departments authority and the power to make the proclamation that said property, is no longer take for public use, and until such declaration i made the property must have-to doe with to form paint of the public domain. In the case at bar, there has been no such explicit or imperative declaration. TDC finally claims that the City of Manila is estopped from questioning the validity of the sale it xecuted on July 13,1911 conconveying the subject property to the Manila Lodge No. 761, BPOE. This contention cannot be seriously defended in the light of the doctrine repeatedly enunciated by this Court that the Government is never estopped by mistakes or errors on the pan of its agents, and estoppel does not apply to a municipal tidy sum to validate a contract that is banned by law or its against state policy, and the sale of July 13, 1911 executed by the City of Manila to Manila Lodge was sure as shooting a contract prohibited by law.Moreover, estoppel cannot be urged even if the City of Manila accepted the benefits of such contract of sale and the Manila Lodge No. 761 had performed its part of the agreement, for to apply the doctrine of estoppel against the City of Manila in this case would be tantamount(predicate) to enabling it to do indirectly what it could not do directly. The sale of the subject property executed by the City of Manila to the Manila Lodge No. 61, BPOE, was unemployed and inexistent for lack of subject matter. It suffered from an incurable fault that could not be ratified either by lapse of time or by express ratification. The Manila Lodge No. 761 therefore acquired no right by virtue of the said sale. because to consider now the contract inexistent as it always has seen, cannot be, as claimed by the Manila Lodge No. 761, an impairment of the obligations of contracts, for there was it, contemplation of law, no contract at all. The inexistence of said sale can be set up against anyone who asserts a right arising from it, not only against the first vendee, the Manila Lodge No. 761, BPOE, but too against all its suceessors, including the TDC which are not saved the doctrine of bona fide ii purchaser without notice, being claimed by the TDC does not apply where there is a total absence of backi ng in the vendor, and the good faith of the purchaser TDC cannot create title where none exists.