Riordan Strategic Plan

The Impact of the Real Estate in Dubai Economy

The Impact of the Real Estate in Dubai Economy Abstract This research project aims at finding out the real estate and construction sectors in Dubai. Currently Dubai is one of the emirates that form the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and currently it is the second largest emirate with massive economic opportunities after Abu Dhabi.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Impact of the Real Estate in Dubai Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Real estate sector in this emirate constitute the main economic artery that has resulted into transformation of the once desert country. Nevertheless evidence shows that with the change in property freehold rights, the emirate real estate sector experience boom until early 2008 before crashing and currently efforts are in gear to revive the sector. More so, the contribution of major real estate companies to the economy of Dubai cannot be ignored and further studies shows that the companies are mega-economy boosters to Dub ai economy. Therefore the conclusion of the research paper is that real estate sector is vital to Dubai economy and efforts to revive the sector from detriments of financial crises are necessary. Introduction Many people all over the world, in most instances, find it difficult to recognize that Dubai is a city and not a country. In viewing, studying or researching about Dubai, what comes in mind is that this is an independent country. In essence, this is not true, as Dubai constitute a prominent city in a country known as United Arab Emirates (Hill 2010). Geographically, Dubai is situated in a Persian Gulf country popularly known as United Arab Emirates (UAE), which, apart from having Dubai, has other six different emirates or principalities (Hill, 2010). The capital city of UAE is known as Abu Dhabi, and on large scale, the country is dominant in Islamic religion and culture. Population statistics from the country show that Dubai is the most populous of all the seven emirates with almost two million people (Hill, 2010). UAE economy depends much on oil and energy but data shows that Dubai’s economy depend less on these resources, and instead, much of the city’s economy depend on real estate and financial service industries together with tourism and trade (Hill 2010). Moreover, Dubai continues to draw the attention of the world due to its â€Å"bold and innovative real estate projects† (Hill, 2010, p.1). The emirate of Dubai experiences â€Å"hot climate, which is sometimes accompanied by humidity† (Hill, 2010). Notable warmest month is August that generally experiences a high temperature of 41.3 degrees; and the emirate is located inside the â€Å"Arabian Desert, and the landscape is dominated by sand, with wild grasses and some palm trees† (Hill 2010).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The official d eclared language of the emirate is Arabic though English has become another widely spoken language as a result of many non-Arabic foreigners in the emirate (Hill, 2010). The essence of this paper, guided by this brief history of Dubai, will be to investigate and evaluate the real estate in Dubai and the way it has contributed to the economy of the emirate and some of the real estate companies in this emirate. Objectives The objective of this research will center on: The economy of Dubai and how it has benefited from the real estate and construction economy. How Dubai construction and real estate has developed through history. How recent financial crises has affected the sector. How change in law has seen foreign rights of property ownership. Importance of investigating the subject Dubai is a first growing economy that is viewed to be nearing that of Singapore. Such resources as oil and natural gas have been associated with UAE but in the case of Dubai, these resources contribute a meager portion. Therefore, an adequate understanding of real estate and construction sector is important in understanding how this particular sector is continuing to grow and impacting Dubai economy. Research Objective The major research objective of the paper involves investigating the role real estate and construction sectors play to the Economy of Dubai. Other related objectives will include how change in law has revolutionalized the sector, the impact and contribution of the major three real estate companies to the economy, and the impact of financial crises to the crises. Literature Review Dubai’s Economy Dubai, which is one of the UAE’s emirates, has positively continued to contribute to the economy of the country where statistics shows that Dubai emirate account for almost 29.2 per cent of UAE’s GDP (Explorer Publishing, 2006). Since its foundation, Dubai relied on oil revenues that initially formed 50per cent of the emirate’s GDP, but as time has elapsed, the role of oil in Dubai economy has decline (Explorer Publishing, 2006). By the year 2004, oil accounted for 6 per cent of the emirate’s GDP and by the start of the year 2010 contribution of oil to the economy of Dubai had further dropped to one per cent. Authors describe Dubai as one of the unique and unusual regions of the world especially with regard to its economic structure. For instance, duties and imports have been eliminated on goods being imported to the Emirate, while at the same time numerous free zones exist such as Jebel Ali free zone, Dubai Maritime City, Dubai Internet City, and Dubai Media City (Caploe, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Impact of the Real Estate in Dubai Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The role of these free zones has been to attract foreign direct investment to the emirate. Currently, Dubai houses one of the largest buildings in the world known as Burj Khalifa and other notable buildings include Burj-al-Arab hotel (Caploe 2010). Literatures concerning Dubai postulate that for a long time, the rulers of the emirate knew that a time would reach when oil would run out and as a mitigation measure, there was need to diversify the economy (Explorer Publishing 2006). Today, Dubai prides itself in having a diverse economy that incorporates new sectors such as trade, manufacturing, transport, construction, and real estate as the main contributors to Dubai’s strong and growing economy (Explorer Publishing, 2006). Property and construction sectors contribute 22.6 per cent of the emirate’s economy; trade 16 per cent; shipping, warehousing and logistics account for 15 per cent; tourism contribute 11.6 per cent; financial services account for 11 per cent; and oil and natural gas account for 6 per cent (Caploe 2010). Further, Dubai’s vibrant and growing economy is seen to be benefiting from the strategic locat ion of the emirate, which acts as the prime location for re-exporting center in the Middle East. This is compounded by the fact that Dubai’s costs of operations and logistics are relatively low; the emirate has an international outlook due to numerous citizens of different countries who reside or conduct businesses in the emirate. Starting early this year, statistics showed that the economy of the emirates grew by 2.3 per cent during the first six months of the year where it was noted that trade and manufacturing improved a lot (Dubai Statistics Center 2010 cited in Reuters, 2010). At the same time, it was noted that the property sector again contributed greatly to the economy of the emirate by injecting about 11 per cent of its revenue to the economy although this was a reduction of 3 and 6 per cent as compared to 14 per cent and 17 per cent for 2009 and 2008 respectively (Reuters, 2010). According to the emirate’s economic predictions, they have placed economy to gro w at 2.3 per cent by the end of this year although the International Monetary Funds (IMF) had made its earlier predictions of 0.5 per cent (Reuters, 2010). Even with slight prospects in the economy appearing to be positive, there are still concerns about Dubai’s liabilities that are estimated to be about $115 billion.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nevertheless, these concerns appear to have been â€Å"eased after Dubai World reached a deal in September to restructure almost $25 billion of debt† (Reuters, 2010). Other worries prevalent in the emirate revolves around a huge debt owed by vital firms in the emirate such as the Dubai Holdings that has a debt of almost $30 billion which will be maturing in the financial period of 2011-2012 (Reuters 2010). Real Estate Economy of Dubai Actual economic development of Dubai is believed to have gained momentum as from 1950s when the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum dredged the Dubai Creek, which in turn led to the expansion of the emirate and the loan he borrowed to expand the emirate repaid immediately to the Emir of Kuwait (United Arab Emirates 2004). Towards the end of 1959, Sheikh Rashid further established Dubai airport and built the pioneer hotel in Dubai in the same year. As a result of these actions by Sheikh Rashid, the first Dubai construction boom started in ear ly 1960, which in turn prompted increase in population of the emirate to about 120,000 people by the end of that decade (United Arab Emirates, 2004). The construction boom that was being experienced included the construction of Port Rashid which main feature was presence of five berth container terminals for big ships during the time and the discovery of oil in Dubai propelled these construction intentions (United Arab Emirates 2004). Further, property construction in Dubai continued in late 1990s as more notable and huge buildings were put up in the emirate that elevated the emirate to a global scale. Such new buildings included a seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel which is rated to be the tallest hotel in entire world while the Emirates Towers constructed during the same period tops as the tallest building in Europe and the Middle East (United Arab Emirates 2004). Sheikh Mohammed as the ruler of the emirate put more emphasis and facilitated development of real estate through the establ ishment of the publicly quoted Emaar Properties in 1997, which has evolved to become the biggest real estate company in Dubai; and in the same league, is the Nakheel Company, which is a Dubai government-owned company (United Arab Emirates 2004). In essence, Dubai’s property construction was greatly influenced by Sheikh Rashid that despite his death in 1990, his policies with regard to Dubai property construction remained a live. Size of Dubai’s real estate sector In 2002, Dubai property market was opened to foreigners and the property sector in the emirate started to experience growth and expansion. The initial road map for real estate boom was started by the launch of first phase of Emaar Properties Emirates Hills plan, which, within a short time had been grabbed by foreign investors (2 Day, Dubai n.d, p.1). The result of this is development of huge and new property eco-system in the emirate of Dubai account for 13 per cent of the emirate’s GDP in the prosperin g construction sector (2 Day Dubai n.d, p.1). During the year 2005, construction sector was the highest developed with a growth rate of 29 per cent followed closely with real estate sector at 22 per cent and currently the diversification projects in the emirate sees real estate as the main driver of Dubai’s economy. During the same period, as construction economy boomed, property prices were predicted to decrease due to slow down in the rush for building. But the same predictions indicated that the sector’s investment of â€Å"$50 billion of residential projects will be built in the next four years, including at least 85,000 new homes, according to research by EFG-Hermes, an Egyptian investment bank with offices in Dubai† (Hanware, 2005, p.1). The real sector further continues to experience growth in the emirate due to establishment of real estate companies such as Emaar Properties, Al-Nakheel, A-Ittihad, and Jumeirah both of which receive government support in their activities (Hanware, 2005). For example, according to Emaar, it had awarded a â€Å"$735.1 million contract to a consortium to build a shopping mall it says will be the worlds largest† (Hanware, 2005). The company had earlier, in January, won another contract to put up â€Å"a multi-billion dollar Dubai Waterfront real estate project which will be open to private and foreign investors† (Hanware 2005, p.1). On the other hand, another government supported Real Estate Company; Nakheel offered 49 per cent through Dubai Waterfront Co. â€Å"to develop the 8,100-hectare residential, tourism and commercial project† (Hanware 2005). Performance of real estate sector in Dubai Key factors have contributed to the success of Dubai’s real estate market, which include turbulence in the Western markets combined with low interest rate thus boosting Dubai property by making it attractive to investors; growing investments from Russia in the emirate and continued expan sion of the tourism sector, which is pushing demand for hospitality real estate (Oxford Business Group 2008). Demand for real estate in Dubai has primarily been stimulated by expansion of economy which in turn has triggered growth of the emirate’s population. At the same time, real estate sector has been boosted by the rising demand for properties from foreign investors especially after the partial liberalization of the sector in 2002, where property market has turned to be a popular investment among majority of investors (Oxford Business Group 2008). Another reason has to do with abundance of liquidity in the market which has contributed to the success of the sector. Liquidity of the market has further been supported and encouraged by high oil and gas prices in UAE. Research Methodology According to J. D. Raadt, author of ‘A Method and Software for Designing Viable Social Systems’, slight differences exist between method and methodology but in most cases, they a re used interchangeably. According to the author, methodology refers to the study of scientific thought; that is, it is the science of sciences (Raadt 2001). On the other hand, method is guided by methodology but in its capacity method deals with handling of information, that is collection of information, its organization, and manipulation for scientific purposes (Raadt, 2001). According to Morley D. Glicken, author of ,A Guide to Writing for Human Service Professionals’ methodology represent that part of research process concerned with description of how data collection is carried out, how sampling process progress, and also data collection procedures (Glicken, 2008). Methodology process to be employed in the research will largely be used to investigate the goals of the research study that include: how economy of Dubai has benefited from the real estate and construction economy; how Dubai construction and real estate has developed through history; how recent financial crises have affected the sector; how change in law has seen foreign rights of property ownership. The last three objectives have been answered through literature review and the methodology to be utilized will essentially answer the first question. Population and sample Nancy Burns and Susan K. Grove, authors of ‘the practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization’ defines population as totality of all elements, objects or substances that meet certain inclusion in a given universe (Burns and Grove 2005, p.40). A study may be conducted on firms, people and so on. On the other hand, sample has been defined as subset of the population selected for a particular study, while sampling represents the process and technique used for selecting a group of people, events, or other elements with which to conduct a study (Burns and Grove 2005). For this study, the population includes all companies in the real estate and construction economy of Dubai while the sample constit utes the three main large real estate companies in Dubai. Instrumentation Research instrumentation is regarded to be a component of measurement where measurement is defined as, â€Å"the process of assigning numbers to objects or events or situations in accord with some rule† (Burns and Grove 2005, P.40). As a result instrumentation refers to, â€Å"application of specific rules to the development of a measurement device or instrument† (Burns and Grove 2005, P.40). Generally selection of an instrument should be to examine a specific variable in a study and normally data generated with an instrument are at the nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio level of measurement (Burns and Grove 2005). More so, choice of any particular instrument requires wide examination of the instrument’s reliability and validity. Reliability is essentially concerned with how constantly the measurement technique measures a concept while validity of an instrument is the extent to which the instrument in reality reflects the theoretical concept being examined (Burns and Grove 2005). This research will employ case study strategy and instrumentation. According to an online article titled, ‘Research Methodology’ case studies are generally linked with qualitative research but in some instances can be used as a method of inquiry utilizing a positivist epistemology and ontology (Anonymous n.d). Yin (1994) observes that researchers involved in carrying out case studies sometimes may not necessary have to visit the organization they are researching on instead they can collect their data by consulting secondary sources or conducting interview of respondents through telephone or by email (cited in Anonymous n.d). Yin (1994) defines case study as, â€Å"an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly defined† (Anonymous n.d, p.83). Case stud y has been hailed and been found useful in situations where contextual conditions of the events being studied are critical and where the researcher has no control over the events as they unfold (Anonymous n.d). Advice given by numerous authors is that case study as a research strategy should include specific techniques for collecting and analyzing data, guided by precise stated theoretical assumptions. At the same time, data need to be collected from different sources and its integrity to be verified. The case study strategy is favored due to its usefulness for practice-based problems where the experience of the actors is important and the context of action is critical (Lee 1989; Galliers 1991 cited in Anonymous n.d). The selection of firms’ cases was based on two major reasons. First, the three firms are relative large in terms of asset and financial as compared to other firms therefore there contribution to Dubai economy is big; second, in the three firms, the Dubai governm ent has shares in the firms hence there presence and operation in the market is seen to be directly linked to the economy of the emirate. Therefore compared to other methods, case study is seen to be suitable for this kind of research on Dubai real estate and construction sector. Analysis and Research Finding Data generated through case studies is largely qualitative in nature. Therefore, qualitative techniques of analysis will be employed. According to Ian Dey, author of ‘Qualitative Data Analysis: A User Friendly Guide for Social Scientists’ states that data analysis involves the act of breaking data down into small bits and the process can be defined as the process of resolving data into its constituent components, to reveal its characteristic elements and structure (Dey 2003). Most techniques employed in qualitative analysis are based on description and according to the author, â€Å"the core of qualitative analysis lies in these related processes of describing phe nomena, classifying it, and seeing how our concepts interconnect† (Dey 2003, p.31). The first step in qualitative analysis is to generate and develop thorough and comprehensive descriptions of the phenomenon under study. Popular known as ‘thick’ description, qualitative analysis generally involves description of information about the context of an act, the intentions and meanings that organize action, and its subsequent evolution (Denzin 1978 cited in Dey 2003). Within this pretext description includes is normally carried out involving the context of action, the intentions of the actor, and the process in which action is embedded thus in most cases qualitative analysis usually aims to produce thorough descriptions in each of the above outlined cases. Dubai’s real estate economy Contribution of real estate sector to the economy has been evident through establishment of real estate companies, which today dominate property and construction projects in the emir ate. Dubai’s Number of Real Estate Businesses by the year 2003 Source: Roumi et al. 2004 Expected Growth Revenue for Real Estate firms between 2003-2004 Source: Roumi et al. 2004 Emaar Properties Limited Emaar Properties Limited was established in 1997, and since then, it has established its presence in Dubai as a local property giant, which in 2005 became the number one real estate company in the whole world in terms of market capitalization (Dubsky 2006). A part from having heavy presence in real estate industry, the company has expanded its activities and invested in other industries such as hospitality, leisure, retail, education, finance, and healthcare (Dubsky 2006). Currently, the company is listed on the Dubai Financial Market as a Public Joint Stock Company and the growth of the company reflects the strong demand of residential properties in Dubai and the resultant increase in associated prices. With regard to revenue reports, in 2005 the company had a revenue base of $2,276 million which increased to $3,813 million in 2006 and in 2007 the revenue increased to $4,782 million and this represented a growth rate of 48 per cent in three years for the revenue (Al-Abed, Vine and Hellyer 2004). As part of its real estate projects, the company has ten major real estate projects that it has been developing. They include: Dubai Marina; Arabian Ranches; Emirates Hills; The Meadows; The Springs; The Lakes; The Greens; and Emaar Towers (Al-Abed, Vine and Hellyer 2004). At the same time the company owns and manages the Gold and Diamond Park with high prospects accrued to the company as a result of â€Å"construction of Burj Dubai the tallest skyscraper and largest shopping center in the world† (Al-Abed, Vine and Hellyer 2004). A part from pursuing its expansion of business ventures plans and taking part in high-quality real estate development, the company â€Å"owns and manages four subsidiaries: Dubai Bank, Amlak Finance, Emrill Services and Sahm Technologies† (Al-Abed, Vine and Hellyer 2004). Emaar Properties has not just concentrated in Dubai market but it is expanding its operation to other Middle East and Asian countries especially after the launch of its Vision 2010 which postulates the company’s ambition to become one of the most valuable companies in the world through geographical expansion and business segmentation. Therefore the contributions of Emaar Properties to Dubai’s economy are enormous. Currently this company with large capitalization than any other company has become an effective driver of Dubai Economy through growth and progress and today Dubai has transformed its status to one of the globe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities. In Dubai Emaar’s growth is associated to success stories of lifestyle communities, effective established suburbs in the desert, and re-shaped Dubai’s map of skyline by offering the emirate’s growing population urban cosmopolitan li festyle. In short Emaar’s developments and properties have been integral to the economic growth and prosperity of Dubai and the contribution of the company continue to expand the economy of the emirate (Boermeester n.d). Al-Nakheel Company Another giant real estate company in Dubai, Al Nakheel Properties also known as Nakheel Corporation, has been rated to be among the popular and resource-endowed real estate companies in Dubai. The company mainly deals in freehold properties in the emirate and the company’s â€Å"real estate development ranges into residential, tourist, commercial and retail property† (Ten Real Estate, 2010, p.1). The company, since its inceptions, operates under the Corporate Office where it is mandated with the responsibility of managing numerous real estate projects on the behalf of the Dubai government. Real estate properties under the management and development of the company include: â€Å"Palms Island that comprises Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira; The World Island; Dubai Waterfront; The Gardens; Jumeirah Lake Towers, Discovery Gardens, Lost City, Jumeirah Islands; Jumeirah Village; The International City; Jewel of the Palm; The Palm Golden Mile; Palm Trump International Hotel and Tower, and the Ibn Battuta Mall† (Ten Real Estate 2010, p.1). In accordance to the first growing and developments taking place in Dubai, Nakheel has become a critical player in ensuring the emirate achieves its vision in the 21st century by creating a world-class destination for business operations and tourism activities. Due to crashing of the real estate and hence the economy of Dubai, the company early this initiated a program of pumping Dh 4 billion into the local economy of Dubai. And as Mena would state later, â€Å"the effect of Nakheel, having played an important role in the evolution of Dubais and indeed the regions real estate market, getting back into the action is good news† (Anonymous 2010, p.1). F urther, Mena observes that, â€Å"Dubai has continued building its infrastructure over the last two years and the city now can accommodate significantly more economic activity and Nakheel has played an important part in this† (Anonymous, 2010, p.1). Today, Nakheel’s creditors involves over â€Å"1,000 contractors, suppliers, designers and all other related consultants involving more than 4,000 contracts† (Anonymous, 2010, p.1). As a government owned company, Al Nakheel Properties will continue to be an essential arm to the economy of Dubai. Following the financial crisis and real estate crush the company was faced with financial woos a scenario that prompted the government of Dubai to bail the company from this menace. The government commitment was that it would inject about $ 9.5 billion into the Dubai World with the aim of rescuing the company since the company had become through its many projects in the emirate, a chief conglomerate that had changed and recap tured the image of Dubai as a hub for business activities and tourist destination (Surk and Schreck 2010, p.1). Stating and commending on this move by the government, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of Dubai’s supreme fiscal committee noted that, â€Å"the support for Nakheel aims to ensure Dubai World and property development company gets back to normal as it has been a key contributor to the strong economic future of the Emirate of Dubai and the wider United Arab Emirates† (Surk and Schreck 2010, p.1). In short, Nakheel Company will remain as the backbone real estate company following Emaar in contributing and sustaining emirate’s economy through their numerous real estate projects and other related economic activities. Dubai Holdings Company Dubai Holdings was founded in 2004 and currently the company is comprised of some twenty companies that undertake diverse investment opportunities in energy, shipping, healthcare, media, finance, and real estate (Oxford Business Group, 2008). One of the company’s international subsidiaries is the Sama Dubai, which has a global net investment capacity in terms of revenue of almost $38 billions. The subsidiary further manages local, regional and global real estate investments on behalf of Dubai Holdings. The Dubai government has considerable shares in the company. Dubai holdings have been attached to the Dubai’s dream of becoming a regional and international economic powerhouse. In 2007, Tunishia’s president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the ruler of Dubai Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum entered into an agreement that was to see Dubai Holdings initiate one of the biggest real estate investment in the history of Tunisia where the company would be granted the opportunity to develop an area of 830 hectares on the shores of Tunis’s Lac Sud (Oxford Business Group 2008). Currently, operations being overseen by Dubai Holdings with regard to real estate investment incl ude buildings of towers that are being facilitated under the Dubai Towers brand, large and huge resorts undertaken under the Salam brand, business investment and developments, jumbo malls and other high-profile projects (Agnew, 2006). Further, the company has extended its real estate investments projects to Morocco where in 2007 it injected about $12 billion in Moroccan real estate that confined to constructing major cities in the country (Agnew 2006). The numerous real estate and other related investments by the company have promoted the company as one of the biggest real estate companies in that its activities have continued to give life to the economy of Dubai. Conclusion and Recommendations Summary Real estate sector is the biggest income-generating sector and continues to service Dubai’s economy greatly. It has been described as Dubai’s dynamic and driving force for the emirate’s economy. The emirate of Dubai is today one of the world’s ‘super- place’ due to its excellent and magnificent sky-buildings. The emirate which is largely a desert has transformed into a busy business hub, a one-stop tourist center and other high placed activities. Today some economists’ and political economists’ asserts that the economy of the emirate may soon be on the same pace with that of Singapore as more economic activities continue to take place in the emirate. With exceptional, real estate sector remains the artery of Dubai’s economic growth and prosperity and the government recognized and boosted this sector when in2002 it passed partial property freehold rights that for the first time gave foreign investors partial rights to buy and own property. The growth of this sector has been promising until 2008 when it crashed and to extend slowed the pace of growth in the sector. Nevertheless, given the importance all stakeholders in the emirate have attached to the sector concerted efforts in form of numerous recovery initiatives have been undertaken to rescue the sector, and though the sector is yet to note and experience full growth, numerous predictions indicate that it may not take long before the sector regain its earlier position and hence the contribution to the economy will be enormous. In essence the prospects of the real estate sector are positive an will be boosted by the recent Land department initiatives which aims to registers all built and un-built property and this has been perceived to be putting back confidence among investors. Recommendations In summary, it can be recommended that the emirate need to improve and better its legal system with regard to foreign investors where legal rights of foreign investors should be assured through appropriate legislations. Regulatory environment for real estate and construction sector should be improved to embrace policies that are more flexible. Appendix Real Estate Research Sample of Interview Checklist/Questionnaires Name of Company: Ty pe of activity: Purchasing and selling Management Brokerage Date of establishing the company: What is your evaluation for the real estate market as per quality and quantity? What is the volume of the real estate investment in Dubai and UAE? What are the market trends in the coming period as per quantity and quality? In consistence with the requirements of the coming period, what are the scopes of services you are ready to render? What are the most attractive areas in Dubai in terms of real estate investments? What are the factors behind stimulating customers in the real estate market (location, services, prices, others)? What do you think about the general environment of the real estates in Dubai as per the government legislations, finance instruments, labor and human resources, competition? What are the factors of influence in the real estates market and what is the extent of this influence? To what extent the real estates sector is affected with the other productive sectors? Wh at are the effects of real estates projects that have emerged in the recent years upon the market in general? In your opinion, are there any specific obstacles facing the real estates market in Dubai? Do you suggest any solutions? What are the most prevalent finance methods and what are the problems facing the landlords in getting the finance? What are your recommendations to develop the sector market? Reference List 2 Day Dubai. N.d. Dubai Property Sector. Web. Agnew, R., 2006. Dubai Holding launches real estate operation. Arabian Business News. Web. Available from:  https://www.arabianbusiness.com/dubai-holding-launches-real-estate-operation-208963.html . Al-Abed, I., Vine, P., and Hellyer, P., 2004. United Arab Emirates yearbook 2005. Trident Press Ltd. Web. Available from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=75VA3rU2sVQCpg=PT131dq=Emaar+Properties+companyhl=enei=tWrvTOrNB4vEswbSyLyLCwsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=Emaar%20Properties%20companyf=false . Anon ymous. N.d. Research Methodology. Web. Anonymous. 2010. Nakheel allots Dh 4billion to restart projects. Gulf News. Web. Boermeester, S., N.d. Best of Dubai. NY: Global Village Productions Ltd. Web. Available from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=K-N7zOHsQHUCpg=PA287dq=Emaar+Properties+companyhl=enei=IHbvTP-HPIGClAeRoPmjDQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=Emaar%20Properties%20companyf=true . Burns, N. and Grove, S. K., 2005. The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization. PA, Elsevier Health Sciences. Web. Available from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=vj_LZ6w2kXoCpg=PA40dq=research+population+and+samplehl=enei=xlH1TN3OKpWH4gbx-bioBwsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=research%20population%20and%20samplef=true . Caploe, D., 2010. Dubai Economy. Economy Watch: Economic, Investment and Finance Reports. Web. Available from:  economywatch.com/world_economy/dubai/ . Dey, I., 2003. Qualitative Data Analysis: A User Friendly G uide for Social Scientists. NY, Routledge. Web. Available from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=_CldPVi2g1cCprintsec=frontcoverdq=qualitative+data+analysis+techniqueshl=enei=wGP1TOHLCKCO4gaGrPW9Bwsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=qualitative%20data%20analysis%20techniquesf=false . Dubsky, A., 2006. Emaar takes on the global challenge. Middle East, No.367, pp.34. Web. Glicken, M. D., 2008. A Guide to Writing for Human Service. Rowman Littlefield. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=R2TZMXm2_YMCpg=PA149dq=writing+methodology+section+of+research+paperhl=enei=XiH1TJnYAtqM4gaJ5tDHBwsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=writing%20methodology%20section%20of%20research%20paperf=true . Hanware, K., 2005. Will Dubai’s Real Estate Bubble Burst? Arab News. Web. Hill, A., 2010. What Country is Dubai In? Web. Available from:  https://www.wisegeek.com/what-country-is-dubai-in.htm . Oxford Business Group. 2008. The Report: Dubai 2008. UK , Oxford Business Group. Web. Available from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=tw6DedF0Hq4Cpg=PA137dq=real+estate+in+Dubaihl=enei=rRPuTKX_BcKP4QbewpiUDAsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=real%20estate%20in%20Dubaif=false . Raadt, J. D. R., 2001. A Method and Software for Designing Viable Social Systems. Universal-Publishers. Web. Available from:  https://books.google.com/books?id=1mmjtHRuzPECpg=PA1dq=method+and+methodologyhl=enei=vEX1TILxGcaK4Qb4n9jsBgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=method%20and%20methodologyf=true . Roumi, J. et al. 2004. Real Estate Sector in Dubai. Web. Available from:  dubaichamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Real-Estate-Sector-in-Dubai-eng.pdf . Reuters. 2010. Dubai economy grew 2.3 per cent in first half. The Economic Times. Web. Surk, B., and Schreck, A., 2010. Dubai Offers $9.5 Billion to aid struggling firm. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Web. Ten Real Estate. 2010. Property Developers: Al Nakheel Properties. Web. Avail able from:  http://realestate.theemiratesnetwork.com/developers/al_nakheel_properties.php . United Arab Emirates. 2004. A Short History of Dubai Property. Web. Available from:  https://www.ameinfo.com/industry/real-estate/a-short-history-of-dubai-property-part .

Case study on vodafone Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Transnational Governance And Overseas Filipino Workers Politics Essay

Transnational Governance And Overseas Filipino Workers Politics Essay In an era of increased globalization, different countries turn to different national strategies in order to maintain a competitive edge in the global market. For many developing countries, the labor force that they possess is a significant resource that may be utilized in order to pursue economic and social growth and development within their countries. The Philippines is one of the major countries that rely heavily on its workforce for economic stability and social advancement. Indeed, the Philippine experience of Diaspora is a sad and happy story to tell. The fact is that Filipinos working outside of the country brings the bacon home-the dollars that supports the economic activities in the country. However, the Philippine government is faced with this dilemma: how do they make sure that these Filipinos outside of the country maintain their links to the country. The fact that they send money back to the Philippines is not enough. They have to make sure that these Filipinos remain connected to their homeland lest they might lose them someday. A stronger sense of identity, solidarity and nationalism will ensure that these Filipinos will participate in the affairs of the country which will then ensure continued support from them in terms of financial matters. In order to induce such participation, the government should cross borders and exert re-territorialization and extra-territorial jurisdiction efforts-the government now faces the issue of transnational governance. These integration mechanisms to induce participation from Filipinos abroad is an effort that should be carried out by the Philippine government to make sure that Filipinos abroad remain connected to their home countr y. Research Questions What difference did the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (RA9189) made in terms of the political participation of OFWs in national and local elections in the Philippines? How does RA 9189 function as a tool of transnational governance for the Philippine government? Why is it important for the Philippine government to re-territorialize OFWs all over the world and encourage them to participate in the political processes of the country? What are the measures that the Philippine government has to take in order to secure transnational governance on OFWs all over the world? Independent Variable: RA 9189 or The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 as a tool of transnational governance for the Philippine government Dependent Variables: The transnational connection between OFWs and the Philippine government as seen through the exercise of the voting rights of OFWs and its subsequent effects on the domestic politics of the Philippines; The sense of identity, solidarity, and nationalism of OFWs as the basis for their corresponding political representation and participation; The efforts of the Philippine government to seek re-territorialization and establish extra-territorial jurisdiction (through RA 9198) as a political integration mechanism As such, the aim of this study is to be able to look at RA 9189 as a tool employed by the Philippine government as a political integration mechanism to address the much larger and broader issue of transnational governance which is brought about by the increasing interaction between the economic, social, and political forces at play in the global arena and their respective counterparts from a state-level perspective. II. Significance/Importance of the Study A Brief History of Filipino Migration The migration of Filipinos to foreign lands has a long history in modern times. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 eased Filipino migration into Europe. By the turn of the 20th century, the growth of nationalist ideas fermented in Europe by Filipino exiles such as Dr. Jose P. Rizal gave birth to the Philippine nation. In the early 1900s, Filipino workers laboured hard in the sugar and pineapple plantations of Hawaii while skilled Filipino labour in the health and tourism sectors helped in the reconstruction of Europe after the devastation of the Second World War. The post war era also saw many Filipinos joining the US navy for the privilege to petition for residence in the United States and live a better life. The 1970s saw the massive importation of Filipino construction workers to the Middle East where petrodollars were readily available. By the 1980s and the 1990s, there were Filipino doctors and physical therapists in the United States, Filipino nurses in the United Kingdom, Filipino secretaries in the UN headquarters in Geneva, Vienna and New York, Filipino engineers and teachers in Africa and Asia, Filipino au pairs in Scandinavia, domestic workers in Italy and Hong Kong, and seamen in Greece. Filipino migration has spread to other continents and by the 2nd millennium continues unabated. Filipinos are the second largest migrant population in the world (Hoegsholm, 2007). Current Trends and Situation The Philippines is one of the major countries that rely on its labor force for the support of its economy. Of the 80 million people in the country, approximately 10 percent is outside of the country working permanently or temporarily and because of this massive diaspora, Filipino migration continues to be a major concern for the Philippine government. However, one aspect of this issue that remains unexplored or altogether ignored is the fact that these Filipino migrants can be significant political forces that may influence the political situation in the country. The political system in the Philippines is one that needs reforms and transformations. As a democratic country, the electoral process of the country provides for an opportunity for the people to choose representatives that will empower them. However, time and time again, corruption and bureaucracy over rules democracy-the voice of the people through electoral votes is not entirely reflective of the political change so long desired by the Filipinos. Perhaps it is a lack of the participation from the middle class of the country; perhaps it is a result of the indifference of the average citizen of the country; and perhaps many people do not see why they should be clamouring for change in the government when clearly the government has nothing to do with their economic survival anymore. Such is the case of the many Filipinos living and working outside of the country, and such political outlook may be shared by their families in the Philippines as well. Seeing as the Filipinos outside of the country may be a significant political force that can initiate changes in the political system of the country, there is a need to understand how to tap these political forces that might serve the interest of the Filipino nation in general. Table 1. Estimate of Overseas Filipinos, Commission on Filipinos Overseas (2009) Commission on Filipinos Overseas STOCK ESTIMATE OF OVERSEAS FILIPINOS As of December 2009 PERMANENT TEMPORARY IRREGULAR WORLD TOTAL 4,056,940 3,864,068 658,370 Table 2. No. of Overseas Registered Voters, Commission on Elections, COF (2009) Overseas Absentee Voting 2009 Statistics on Number of Registered Voters Summary per continent and seafarers 2007 DELETED (Failed to vote twice) Asia Pacific 191,761 47,219 North South Africa 27,247 4,886 Europe 48,462 12,233 Middle East Africas 218,250 68,482 Total Landbased 485,720 132,820 Seafarers 18,404 OVERALL TOTAL 504,124 132,820 Comparing tables 1 and 2, we can see that of the more than 8 million Filipinos abroad, only a little over 500,000 people are registered voters. These numbers are strikingly significant if we are to consider Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as political forces that may serve as an avenue of the much needed political change in the Philippines. Literature Review On Transnational Governance and Nationalism: The Issue of Transnationalism In a very relevant study concerning the issue of the nationalism of Filipino migrants and the transnational governance efforts of the Philippine government, Rodriguez (2002) argued that citizenship, and the obligations attached to it, is used as a state strategy for income generation for the Philippine government. Further, citizenship has become a means by which the Philippine state disciplines migrants as cheap workers for the global economic orderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦transformations in notions of Filipino nationalism and citizenship have given rise to new kinds of transnational citizenship struggles allowing Filipino migrant workers to demand economic, political and cultural rights of the Philippine state wherever they may be. Rodriguez also explored the idea that Filipino migrants nowadays offer alternative nationalisms that challenge the constraints imposed by the governance efforts of the Philippine government. This study is important mainly because it pointed out that transnationalism may be looked at from two perspectives: that of the government and that of the Filipino migrant workers and their advocates. When looking from the point of view of the government, Filipino migrants are transnational citizens that can serve the best interest of their homeland. For instance, in recognizing that overseas Filipino workers are the new or modern-day heroes of the country, the Philippine government explicitly commits itself to ensuring that the welfare rights of these migrant workers are protected beyond the territorial boundaries of their country. As the heroes of Philippine society, migrants are extended limited rights and privileges. Yet ultimately, as citizens, Filipino migrants are expected and indeed forced to comply with particular obligations to their home state that ultimately serve the interests of global capital (Rodriguez, 2002). On the other hand, Rodriguez also explored the idea of alternative nationalism pursued by migrant advocates such as the group Migrante International. According to this idea, the Philippine state owe it to the Filipinos abroad to secure their rights in their host countries and ultimately lead them back to the Philippines. However, when this study was conducted, only the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 or RA 8042 was in effect. The Overseas Absentee Voting Act or RA 9189 was passed into law in 2003; a year after Rodriguezs study was published. Since then, a lot of changes in the political strategies of the government in terms of addressing the issues of transnationalism amo ng Filipino migrant workers all over the globe have taken place. RA 9189 Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003: Causes, Roots, and Implications Concerning the issue as to why RA 9189 was not enacted as a law earlier, Moon (2009) argued that the passage of RA 9189 was a product of the dynamic interaction between external (the presidential support in mid-term legislative elections, the emergence of a sectoral party Akbayan in the House of Representatives since 1998, the Asian economic crisis, and the advent of the Internet in the late 1990s) and internal factors (International Coalition for Overseas Filipinos Voting Rights [ICOFVR] and the increasing grievances of overseas Filipinos towards the Philippine government). According to this study the [e]nactment of RA 9189 was neither a sole decision of the political elite such as the president and legislators, nor a consequence purely of overseas Filipinos avid lobby campaigns for their voting rights (Moon, 2009). Instead, the author believes that the factors in the political system of the country and the growing activism of Filipino migrant workers led to the successful passage o f the Absentee Voting Act of 2003. RA 9189 is clearly an effort by the Philippine state to re-territorialize Filipinos all over the world mainly for economic reasons but it also reflects the initiative of the state to respond to the needs of the millions of Filipinos overseas intertwined in the increasing globalization of labor. As Bach Solomon (2008) have pointed out in their study, the urge to re-territorialize is partly about maintaining state legitimacy through the identification and participation of its citizens, partly about exercising sovereign power over extra-territorial flows, and partly an attempt to secure sources of state revenue as wealth becomes located outside the country. Furthermore, these authors have argued that [g]lobalization leads not always to decentralization but also to significant state efforts in building centrally controlled administrative structures; the transnational migrant worker shapes new articulations of belonging and political membership, and as such migrant populations function a s agents of social change; and the formalization of trans-nationalism among migrants points to new, institutionalized mechanisms through which nation-states with large migrant populations manage, channel and forge political action and subjectivity (Bach Solomon, 2008). Such arguments are very important in because it illustrates the issue of transnational governance that is faced by almost all every state in the context of globalization. Indeed, there is an immediate need for states to figure out how transnational governance works if at all for the benefit of the millions of migrant workers around the globe. Furthermore, their study has pointed out another important issue: that globalization and the need for extra-territorial governance are dynamic factors that influence one another which constantly evolve through the increasing interdependence of states arising from the situation in the contemporary global order. Therefore, there is an immediate need for political actors and academics alike to put forth more effort in understanding the political integration mechanisms that is likely to come out of transnational governance concerns. Transnationalism, Transnational Governance, Extra-territorial Jurisdiction: Concepts and Issues With regards to transnationalism, transnational governance, extra-territorial jurisdiction, and re-territorialization-the most important challenge for nation states that seek to address these transnational issues is to acknowledge the fact that they have no effectively employ governance strategies within an anarchic system. In a study by Risse (2004), he pointed out that governance in the global system is about creating social and political order in the absence of modern statehood. He further adds that democratic governance beyond the nation-state faces serious hurdlesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the main problem of transnational governance concerns the lack of congruence between those who are being governed and those to whom the governing bodies are accountable (Risse, 2004). The most important reflection from this study is that states have to craft ways to exercise transnational governance in an international realm where transnational accountability and legitimacy remains to be a problem at larg e. The Philippine Experience The Philippines, being one of the very few states that have really dealt with the issue of migration in a head-on manner, has a lot of experiences to draw up decisions from. Hence, in an era where transnational governance seems to be an option to maintain a steady hold on its nationals in the increasing wave of transnationalism and globalization. In fact, one of the many advantages of the Philippine government is that one of the distinctive traits of Filipinos is that they are deeply attached to their familial roots-there will always be a sense of wanting to belong to something that could connect them from where they came from. This innate characteristic may not be reflected yet in the political sense, but it is certainly is seen in terms of the economic and social support of Filipino migrants to their homeland. As Bach Solomon (2008) pointed out, in the Philippines, a sense of solidarity latent among countrymen and women abroad was skilfully mobilized in order to capitalize on thre e things: the desire of Filipinos to make money abroad to support family back home; the desire of Filipinos abroad to consider themselves part of their nation; an appeal to pride in order to raise the skill-level and market niches of the migrant workers. Hence, the Philippine government could use this to their advantage when coming up with political integration mechanisms to employ transnational governance over the millions of Filipinos overseas. Although a lot of Filipinos feel resentment to the very government that pushed them out of their homeland and nationalism and identity may not be as strong as compared to other sending countries and may be even scattered at large, there will always be that invisible connection to their mother country which arises from the fact that as human beings we would always desire to belong and identify ourselves unto something. Capitalizing on this, the Philippine government should be able to employ effective transnational governance mechanisms. Of course, there will always be domestic issues that will hinder the state in maximizing the potential of the government to exercise transnational governance, some would even reject the idea that such kind of mechanism should be employed, instead, Filipinos all over the world should be encouraged to return back to the Philippines. However, the contemporary situation requires for political actions otherwise: the world is becoming increasingly interdepen dent, globalization is true, and transnational political action is needed-fast. The Research Gap in Existing Literature The literature about transnational governance, its advantages and disadvantages, is not lacking. There are also debates as to whether such mechanism is even needed or not. Furthermore, the discussion of the merits and demerits of capitalizing on Filipino nationalism, culture, and solidarity in applying transnational governance efforts by the Philippine government is also abundant. There is also an expansive literature about the role of governments in facilitating the whole migration process. However, there is a research gap in terms of recognizing the political impact that overseas Filipinos could make on the country if the government would be able to employ effective and efficient political integration mechanisms. This study will aim to fill the missing link between the importance of mobilizing the political capacity of migrant Filipinos and its implications on the political dynamics of the Philippines. Furthermore, this study will seek to explain why and how the Philippine governme nt should be bolder in pursuing transnational governance mechanisms and develop an understanding as to how the dynamics between migrant workers and the government could be fully utilized. III. Research Framework, Concepts, Theories, and Propositions Research Framework This framework shows the concepts and issues that are needed to be addressed in terms of using transnational governance as the connecting link that will bridge the gap between OFWs and the Philippine government. Specifically, this framework is meant to explore the case of RA 9198 as a tool of transnational governance that can strengthen the participation of OFWs in the political outcomes of the country through electoral votes and representation. The political interaction between the OFWs and the government may be bridged through the employment of transnational governance on the part of the government and the corresponding participation by the OFWs. The broken lines represent the possibility of bridging this political gap through the employment of transnational governance mechanisms although the maximum potential of such connection is yet to be explored. Meanwhile, the solid lines represent the concepts which are to be explored using the perspective of either the OFWs or the Philippin e government. Hence, the concepts of identity, solidarity, nationalism, and political representation and participation should be tackled from the point of view of OFWs; whereas the concepts of extra-territorial jurisdiction, re-territorialization, and political integration mechanisms concern the Philippine government. Meanwhile, the dotted lines connect the factors that are likely to influence one another. For instance, the concepts of identity, solidarity, and nationalism among OFWs may be used by the Philippine government as the founding blocks of re-territorialization efforts on their part and in return these efforts by the government may induce more solidarity and a further sense of nationalism on the part of OFWs. Furthermore, political representation and participation from the OFWs may be used by the government as a platform for integration mechanism between the politics in the host country and the homeland, and in return such integration efforts from the government may encour age OFWs to participate in the political processes of their homeland. Taken together, these concepts create a model of transnational governance for the Philippine government in terms of dealing with Filipino migrants at least in the sense that OFWs are seen as a significant political force that may contribute to the growth and development of the polity in the Philippines in the long run. Concepts, Theories, and Propositions Time and again, OFWs all over the globe have proven their invaluable economic contributions to the Philippines by bringing in millions of dollars in the country that supports the economy at large. These economic contributions have been translated into social contributions by ensuring that households receiving remittances are investing more in education and health. Overall, receiving households have been experiencing an increase in the quality of life because of the stability brought about by the monthly remittances from family members working abroad. As a result of this new economic and social empowerment the so-called middle class of the Philippine society are increasing in number. However, the political contribution of this newly emerging middle class if mobilized to its maximum potential is something that political scientists and social researchers should further explore. The concept that OFWs are untapped political forces that could introduce drastic political changes in the Philippines would only be possible if the Philippine government itself would be able to realize the political value held by the millions of Filipinos working and residing overseas. If the government would be able to employ effective and efficient measures of transnational governance that will reach the Filipino workforce outside of the country then they will be able to exercise their maximum potential as transnational citizens of the country. Hypothesis The argument of this study is three-fold: one is that Filipino migrant workers all over the world have become distant not only from the Philippine government itself but from the very political processes of the state as well; the second is that the government is not utilizing the maximum potential of OFWs as agents of political change; finally, this study asserts that if the government would be able to tap the capacity of OFWs as political forces then it will invoke the political participation of the middle class in the Philippines which will eventually lead to a radical change in the polity of the country. Going the Distance: The Lack of Political Participation from OFWs It is known that millions of Filipinos abroad rarely participate in the political processes of their homeland in its most general sense, particularly in the electoral processes of the country. The lack of participation from OFWs may be attributed to a number of reasons. First, there is the problem of logistics. Many of the Filipino workers would have to travel long distances in order for them to register as absentee votes to be able to participate in the national elections of the country. In addition, they would have to allocate time and resources on their own. This would include getting off from work in a day or two which means they would have to forego of their salary during those times. Some Filipino workers reside and work far away from Philippine embassies or voting posts and as such participating in the electoral process would require so much of their time and financial resources. Given these things, they would undoubtedly consider if it is well worth it to exercise their votin g rights. Some of them just regard the situation as given and that they could not do anything about it at all. If given the choice between working and participating in the electoral process, a lot of them would just choose the former, because it is much more convenient for them to stay out of the entire process. Another reason is that, a lot of the Filipino workers are very distant with the Philippine government because they remain distrustful of the very government that could not support them in their own country. Furthermore, they do not see the reason as to why they should be caring for the needs of the government when in fact they do not rely much on the government for support. In other words, they do not depend on the government for financial support because they earn their living from outside of the country. As such, OFWs feel very little attachment to the government and they remain sceptical of the government in terms of the growth and development that it can provide for the Filipino nation in general. This attitude of indifference is a result of the thinking that there is no hope left for a change within the political system of the country. Hence, the why-bother-attitude remains prevalent in the way that the millions of overseas Filipino workers think. Moreover, the lack of motivation among OFWs in terms of participating in the political processes of the country remains to be an acceptable norm and so it creates a feeling of mutuality among those who live and work abroad. Such indifference, is not just evident in the voters turnout during electoral processes, but could also be seen in the civic and political participation of these OFWs when they are abroad. A relatively small number of OFWs are active in pursuing their rights and welfares both in their home country but in their host country as well. This general feeling of indifference remains to be a big disadvantage and a hindrance to the relative growth and development of the civic and political participation of OFWs all over t he world-one which is an unhealthy shortcoming that is very much reflected in the domestic politics of the Philippines. Governing from Across Borders: The Necessity of Transnational Governance Mechanisms On the one hand, there is a large and significant number of OFWs all over the world that remains very indifferent to the political affairs of the country. On the other hand, there is the Philippine government who does not seem to exert as much effort as it should have been doing in order to induce political participation from its nationals who are residing and working in many different parts of the world. Obviously, the government is aware of these untapped political forces but the question remains as to why there is not enough effort from its part in order to encourage such political participation. In answer to this question, a number of reasons come to mind. First is that in order to induce a full-scale participation from its overseas nationals, the government has to invest a significant amount of money to facilitate electoral processes from outside its national borders. For instance, the government and its corresponding offices, agencies, or posts would have to ensure that the Fil ipinos migrant workers would have to sacrifice less of their time and resources in order to participate in the electoral processes of the country. For instance, more voting posts would have to be established and then the government should also provide more incentives to those who are willing to take a day off from work in order to participate in the voting processes. This requires additional financial and manpower resources and since Philippine embassies abroad only have a few employees, ensuring an efficient and effective program to encourage more people to vote would not be an easy task to carry out. Furthermore, considering that a lot of these embassies operate under a limited budget, it would require a lot of bureaucratic and legislative work in order to arrive at certain programs that will promote and encourage participation from OFWs. Another reason that comes to mind is that there may be certain individuals in governmental posts or interest groups that may be preventing the government from pursuing an all-out policy to support the participation of OFWs in the political processes of the nation. There may be some politicians who are afraid of the capabilities of OFWs as a coherent political force and as such they may be preventing measures in order to fully realize such capabilities. These are all political concerns and strategies at the local and national level which hinders the empowerment of the many OFWs who are residing and working outside of the territorial boundaries of the Philippines. Nevertheless, the government itself may be largely at fault in terms of the not-so satisfying political participation that it gets from its citizens from scattered all over the world. Without a strong political will to carry out the tasks of promoting and encouraging more political participation from OFWs little results are l ikely to be achieved both in the short and long run. In this regard, the government is missing on a lot of the political tools that is available at its disposal in order to carry out such strategies. For instance, it does not utilize RA 9189 as a powerful tool of transnational governance mechanism. If the government would be able to capitalize on the inherent nationalist sentiments and connections of the overseas Filipinos to their homeland and combine it an efficient utilization of the RA 9189 as a tool of transnational governance then acceptable political results may follow. OFWs as Untapped Agents of Political Change Ultimately, however, the right steer of leadership and a healthy dose of political will may lead to a successful realization of the potential capacity of OFWs as political forces that may be crucial in determining the future course of the political systems in the country. For instance, if OFWs all over the world would be able to participate in the political processes of the country then they could largely influence their families and relatives to do as well back in the Philippines. This may well be the start of the awakening of the middle class in Philippine society which has long been pointed out as the missing link that could eventually lead to the much needed change in the political change in the country. Furthermore, if the political participation of OFWs all over the world can trigger middle class participation back in the Philippines, significant changes could happen not just in the governmental system of the country but in the general context of the society in general as well. Indeed, the full-scale participation of the middle class in Philippine political context is a much anticipated change because this means that those who remain very indifferent to the political processes of the country would have their voices heard and would then eventually lead to radical political changes not just within the territorial boundaries of the country but well without its borders as well. If the Philippine government and its designated agencies in and out of the country can maximize and fully utilize the implementation of RA 9189, then Filipinos all over the globe could actively participate in the political processes of the country and hence radic

Cocaine Addiction :: Free Essays

Everybody knows cocaine is bad for you. So why do so many people take it? It gets you high. You feel good for a little while. Then you’re sad again. Teenagers have this problem a lot. Scientists have found a way to maybe prevent ‘highs’ when using cocaine. Actually, they found a way in animals, and they are hoping to use it on humans. The team showed that the epilepsy drug gamma vinyl-GABA, or GVG, blocked cocaine's effect in the brains of primates, including the process that causes a "high" feeling in humans. Also, the rodents didn’t go back to the place they received the cocaine as much as they did without the epilepsy drug, which is important behavior when pertaining to a human being. Cocaine may be one of the toughest addictions to cure because it triggers a buildup of a protein that persists in the brain and stimulates genes that intensify the craving for the drug. The GVG might be able to help because it sort of stops the chemical release of the protein that builds up and causes the brain to crave the drug. Addiction is a complex process in humans because it is linked to learning and multiple chemical pathways in the brain. So, if some of these can be blocked, then there is no more addiction, and with GVG, there might not be, once it is tested on humans. Since it helped the animals, there is a good chance of it helping us. In the brain, chemicals called neurotransmitters constantly float between brain cells, sending messages that travel through the brain and into the body in a process similar to the game "Telephone." (The molecules pass on the messages.) After neurotransmitter molecules complete their task of leaving their home brain cell and docking with a neighboring cell to convey the message, they usually return to their home cell or are eliminated in the space between cells, called the synapse.

Toy Critique

Assignment 1 Play activity This assignment had been done with a group of 4 children with ages between 3 and 4?. Planning: In order to do the play activity I had to observe the children for two days. I wanted to know what are they more interested in and what they would like more. After the observation stage, I wanted to make sure that the play activity I had in mind, suited their age and stage of development. I also made sure that the activity is safe and that it included the PILES development and that it s based on future learning. I made a sketch plan for myself without telling the children about it and I see what I need for all that.I consulted with the manager to see if the materials I needed could be provided by her. I explain to my manager that I would like to make an activity based on the children’s imagination. I had been observing that the group was interested in cars and animals, so that made me think of building one car close the real size, with the help of the child ren. They would then have to make an imaginary trip to the zoo, inside the car. I needed a large carton box, sellotape, paint and scissors. The manager agreed with the plan, but she suggests that on our way to the zoo, we should make some stops in different places like shops or public parking areas.I checked to see if I had enough time to accomplish the activity, including the preparation and tidying up at the end. I talked with the children about what we were going to do the next week, and they seemed to like the idea very much. I put the plan together over the weekend and ensured that I have the proper and safe materials by the beginning of the next week. I then realised that I would need more than one day for the play activity. I decided to split the play activity into 4 daily sessions, of 25 minutes each. Implementation: Day 1: MondayWe started by moving some chairs and a table closer to a wall in the room, so we would have enough space for the activity. I put a carton box on th e floor. The children asked: Ch: â€Å"What are we going to do with this box, teacher? † Me: â€Å"We are going to build a big car and all of you would have to paint it. † After I drew the car, trimmed its shape on the carton board, I gave the children different colours of paint so they would paint the car. Me: â€Å"Now I want you to close your eyes and to imagine this car in whatever colour you would like it to be. I didn’t have time to finish my sentence because they all started to tell me at the same time what was their favourite colour for the car. Me: â€Å"Stop, stop, stop. No, not all together. C1, tell us what colour would you like the car to be? † C1: â€Å"I want my car to be pink. † Me: â€Å"Very good! You can paint the front of the car. C2, what colour does your car have? † C2: â€Å"Orange, it’s my favourite colour. † Me: â€Å"OK C2, you will do this side of the car† and I showed him the right side of th e car. â€Å"Now, C3, tell me! † C3: â€Å"I like my car to be blue. † Me: â€Å"Perfect. You have the back of the car. C4? † C4: â€Å"I want my car red.It’s my favourite colour. † Me: â€Å"Very good, C4, you will paint this side of the car† and I showed him the left side of the car. â€Å"Excellent, but there is missing something. Who can tell me what is missing? † Ch: â€Å"The wheels! † Me: â€Å"What colour are they? † Ch: â€Å"Black. † Me: â€Å"Very good! Each of you will have to paint one wheel. † I put their aprons to each of them and they each took a paintbrush. They started painting and to talk about the car. The children gave the car a name: â€Å"Tina†. After they finished painting the car the children asked e what to do next. I told them that we were going to wait until the next day.Day 2: Tuesday First thing in the morning, after arriving at the creche, the children asked me what we were going to do with the car that day. C1: â€Å"Are we going to play with the car, today? † Me: â€Å"Yes, we will play with the car, but not like yesterday. † I then told them to concentrate and imagine that they are going to get into the car with mommy, daddy, or his/her best friends and they would be going to the zoo. On the way to the zoo they would stop twice, in two different places. I wanted them to tell me what were the two places they were thinking about, what they wanted to do there and what were they see at each stop.Knowing that they were having more than 2 places in mind, I asked them to speak in turn about their choices: – C1 told me that he would stop to buy ice cream and visit a fun fair – C2 wanted to play some football and to make a stop at McDonald’s – C3 wanted to visit a fun fair and eat at McDonald’s – C4 wanted to ride in an electric car at the fun fair and eat an ice cream I wanted to include each acti vity in the imaginary car travel so I thought the best way to do that was to plan the itinerary like this: – First stop at the fun fair and electrical cars – Second stop at McDonald’s for ice creamI was not sure that we would have enough time for the fun fair on that day. Me: â€Å"OK. Everybody, let’s go into the car. C3, you will drive today. † C3 was very happy about that. â€Å"Go in front of the car and tell everybody to hurry up and close the doors. † I told them to pretend that they are going in the car and drive to the fun fair. They pushed the car (â€Å"driving†) towards the table (the â€Å"fun fair†). The table was in the middle of the room, so they pushed the car and circled the table twice and then stopped. C3: â€Å"Here we are at the funfair. † The other 3 children started cheering â€Å"Hooray!We are here. † I was very happy and proud of them. They were really enjoying the game. I placed 7 small c ars (â€Å"the electric cars†) on the tables. The cars had different shapes and colours. I asked each of the children to pick a car from the table and then tell me why they picked that car. I wanted to test their intellectual skills. C1 picked a blue sports car. He told me that blue is his favourite colour and that he likes sports cars. I asked how he knows that he was holding a sports car and he replied that the sport cars are very low to the ground. C2 picked a bigger, orange car.He said that orange is his favourite colour and that he likes big cars because his father has a big car. C3 picked a small, red car justifying that small cars are for girls (she is a girl) and she liked red. C4 picked a minivan. He said that he wants a family car so that he could take his parents and sister with him everywhere they want. I was very surprised to find out that the children had good reasons for choosing a car and that the choice was not random. I then asked them if they know how an el ectric car works or what you have to do with in order to start up an electric car. They told me that one should et inside the car and drive it. C3 told me that the car runs on electricity. I let them play with their cars for about 2 minutes. I then asked them to leave the â€Å"electric cars in the funfair and return to their car and park it† close to one of the walls in the room. We planned to continue our trip, the next day. Day 3: Wednesday We started a little bit earlier than the previous days to include the snack time from the creche schedule into the game. I named C1 and C4 to drive the car that day. C1 was the driver from the parking lot to McDonald’s and c4 was the driver from McDonald’s to the zoo.The children got into the car and â€Å"drove† circling the table 3 times and then stopping close to the table. They got out of the car and took a seat at the table. I told them that they were to be the clients and I would be the waitress. I explained t o them what a waitress is and told them how to order. They asked me to bring their snacks from their lunch boxes. After finishing their snacks, I gave them a scoop of ice cream each. After the stop at McDonald’s, C4 stood up and said â€Å"Let’s go now. It’s a long way to the zoo and it’s getting dark. † I was very surprised to hear that from him.I was thinking that was developing an early stage of responsibility. C3 asked me where the zoo was. I replied that it wasn’t very far, pointing in the direction of another table in the corner of the room. They circled the first table twice and went to the second table in the corner. In the meantime I took 8 animals from a box of toys and I lined them up on the table in the corner as if they were in cages at the zoo. When the children got to the table in the corner, something happened and we had to interrupt the game. One of the children (C2) had to go home and I didn’t want to continue the ga me without him.The others wanted to continue but I explained to them that we can’t continue without C2 and we would have to wait until the next day so we could be all together. I postponed the visit at the zoo for the next day. Day 4: Thursday C2 thought that we had finished the trip without him. He was happy to hear that we hadn’t continued the trip and that we had been waiting for him. I also told him that he would be driving from the zoo to the Montessori. After they had their snack in the snack break, I asked them if they could remember where we had stopped the day before. They all told me that we were going to see the animals at the zoo.C1: â€Å"We have to pay first, teacher. † Me: â€Å"Very well, C1. Yes, we do have to pay. † They pretended to take money out of their pockets and give it to me. They gathered around the table so I told them to stay in line so we could walk around the table to see and talk about the animals. We had a dialogue about w hat type of animals they are, what their colour is, where they live and what they eat. I even asked them if the animals are happy in the zoo. The children were very curious to find out thing that they didn’t know about the animals. We talked about them for about 15 minutes. They all knew the names of the animals and their colours.The habitat (where they live) and eating habits were new to the children. The answers were different, some of them were right and some of them were wrong. I was more than happy to tell them the right answer to any question. After the visit at the zoo, C2 said that is was his turn to drive and he was right. They got into the car again and â€Å"drove† around the table four times. They said that it was a long distance back to Montessori. C2 parked the car and we went in the back garden of the creche, for some fresh air. We sat down in circle so we could talk about the visit. I asked them if they enjoyed their visit at the zoo.The children told m e that they would like to go another time but to a different place. I also asked them if they had learned something from this trip. C3 said that she had never been to a restaurant and tell the waiter what she wants by herself, before. I told the children that we would do other trips in the future. Evaluation: Evaluating objectives for children In my opinion, the play activity had a very good impact on the children. It was, in fact, much better than what I expected. Their imagination is very well developed and the trip was a good opportunity to improve their learning outcomes.They did what they wanted to do and how they wanted to do. I just provided them the foundation of the game and they took control of the actions. The following abilities were exercised by the children: – Mathematical learning, by using the shapes of the cars, size of the cars, relationship between objects when comparing cars and animals – Creative learning, by being free to express opinions, ideas a nd feelings, exploring and experimenting art when they painted the car, movement when driving the car and dramatic play when ordering at McDonald’s – Physical experiences when â€Å"driving the car† Linguistic learning when talking about the habitat of the animals and eating habits – Personal and social learning, by developing their self-esteem and autonomy while â€Å"driving†, team working, talking to each others about their ideas, sharing experiences and when C3 admitted that it was the first time she ordered by herself at a restaurant. The play activity can be used in the future to plan other discovery trips in other places like â€Å"visiting a museum†, â€Å"going to the gym†, â€Å"going to the swimming pool†, or if the children have other ideas for trips.Evaluating the adult role My initial goals for this play activity were the developing of the child’s creativity, curiosity and imagination. I achieved the goals by putting the children in an out of the ordinary situation and then constructing different sets of events, upon the main idea, with or without the help of the children. During the planning of the activity I found out that children can actively participate in elaborating ideas, not only carrying out an idea. They were using their imagination and sometimes I felt that they were using it more than I did.As adults we sometimes know how things should be, look like or feel, but a child doesn’t know that. A child is curious to learn about things he does not know, and is eager to experiment, not only asking others what is best in a situation, and to copy the behaviour he sees in adults. Maybe that is why I was amazed to find out the different reasons of the children when picking the cars, and how they related with their families (the human beings with which a child spends much of his time and tends to imitate).The total cost of the project was minimal because I used recycled materia l along with things which were already at hand from the creche. In the future I would like to include either more learning and developmental outcomes, or doing a specialized play activity with one or two learning outcomes. I would like to see which one is more effective on child education. To do that, first I am planning to do a play activity extending the time length from 4 days to 7 days. After assessing that activity, I will then decide whether I would specialize the play on one or two learning or development outcomes, or introducing as many outcomes as possible.

Chinas Dynasties Circa 2100 BCE - 1911 CE

Chinas Dynasties Circa 2100 BCE - 1911 CE The history of China stretches back into the mists of time. For centuries, scholars from China and abroad believed that the ancient dynasties - those prior to the Qin - were simply mythical. However, the discovery in 1899 of oracle bones from the Shang Dynasty dating back to c. 1500 BCE proved that this dynasty actually existed. The bones provided impressive amounts of information about the Shang royal family, religious beliefs and other aspects of life more than 3,500 years ago. Firm evidence for the Xia Dynasty has yet to be found... but do not bet against it! 3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors Period (c. 2850 - c. 2200 BCE) Xia Dynasty (c. 2100 - c. 1600 BCE) Shang Dynasty (c. 1700 - 1046 BCE) Zhou Dynasty (c. 1066 - 256 BCE) Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BCE) Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE) Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280 CE) Jin Dynasty (265 - 420) 16 Kingdoms Period (304 - 439) Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 - 589) Sui Dynasty (581 - 618) Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 - 960) Song Dynasty (906 - 1279) Liao Dynasty (907 - 1125) Western Xia Dynasty (1038 - 1227) Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234) Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)

Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Example

Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Example Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Del Monte Provides secure Connections for Telecommuters Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Del Monte Provides Secure Connections for Telecommuters The primary concern of making a private network available to employees who are outside the office is for security purposes and reliability. When an organization opens up connections over the internet, it makes its network more vulnerable to hackers. Furthermore, in terms of security, the private network requires internet connections that are more stable so that it can get a reliable service as time and quality is a necessity in the Del Monte. Therefore, supplying them with the necessary information enables them to have access to information systems such as the corporate enterprise resource planning (ERP), data warehouse, and customer relationship management (CRM). This is because Del Monte required a system that employees could use to access the corporate network so that they could work as effectively as the employees in the corporate offices could. Technologies employed by Del Monte to address this primary concern include firewalls, encryption, IPSec, and AAA Server. Firewalls are used to offer strong barrier private network and the internet. Firewalls can be set as a restriction to numbers of open ports, the type of packets passed through and the protocols that are permitted through. Therefore, it should be noted that a person could have a good firewall first before implementing a VPN, although a firewall can also be used to destroy the sessions of VPN (Hoover 195). Another technology used is Encryption, which is a process that takes all the information that one computer sends to another and encodes it into a form that only the other computer will be able to decode. IPSec which refers to as internet protocol security protocol has the main function of providing improved security features like better encryption algorithms and extra significant authentication. Lastly, Del Monte employed another technology known as Authentication, authorization and accounting servers (AAA). This technology is mainly used to provide more security in a remote-access VPN surrounding. AAA checks the identity of the person sending a request, provides permission on what to be done, and then accounts for what a person actually does. Therefore, Del Monte employed these technologies in order to set up a secure website for the employees and partners to access the any internet connections. These technologies could keep hackers out and permit the authorized users’ in. The users are enabled to access only the parts of the network and data that they have been authorized to access. In addition, Del Monte supplies its employees with even secure connections for employees that work at home. The benefits enjoyed by both Del Monte and its employees include the speed of communication. Extranets provides access of information from anywhere especially from home in an effective and efficient manner to all partners by connecting intranets for urgent access to critical data. For instance, salesperson traveling far from the distributor is able to access information very fast and securely over the extranet, rather than calling a distributor for information. An extranet offers access to information in a very affordable price. For instance, companies are able to spend a very small amount in establishing and printing information for suppliers, distributors, and customers. Extranet also helps in reduction of hassles especially for an IT professional. It is sometimes hard to keep equipment and connections, while attempting to stay ahead of the access technology changes. Therefore, extranets tries to reduce these frustrations by permitting the IT organizer to outsource the difficult physical infrastructures. Extranets also tries to reduce long-distance phone charges. Hourly access fees charged by ISPs are up to 50 percent cheaper than the best available negotiated toll-free rates. Employees have a Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance, which is a network device that offers a firewall and intrusion prevention system to keep hackers out and virtual private networking to encrypt and safeguard data flowing over the network. The device also enables the professionals to stay in contact while at home. If I were to choose whether to work at home or in a corporate, I would prefer working at home. This will thus enable me to work, at the same time attend meetings and do my own work at home. The company benefits from the devise in the general saving of money by allowing the company to erode expenses. I would prefer working at home rather than based in corporate office because it is easier to balance my personal life with work. For instance, working in an office requires daily commuting to and from work, which is hard to deal with when with children requiring to taken care of. Working from home also saves money and time and most of the time home environment is cool for working with no distractions from work mates, and I can plan my work in more organized manner. There is flexibility when working at home. My job can become flexible as long as I choose to be committed and reproductive. For instance, I can choose to work over the weekends, during the night and any time I am free. Therefore, working from home is very flexible since am able to make my own schedule and follow it to achieve the set goals. Working at home also gives time to spend with family members and friends. Hoover, Nicholas. Telecommunication: the internet, intranet, and extranets. New York, NY: Press, 2008.

Environmental Report (Shell) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Environmental Report (Shell) - Essay Example In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in charge of making sure industry is compliant with standards set into law. On the worldwide scale some developing countries do not have any guidelines, where as European Union and the United Kingdom do. European Union is responsible for a host of regulations that reduce greenhouse gas emission, preserve bio diversity, protect water supply and impose stiff fines for non compliance. The United Kingdom also has its own sets of rules and regulations, also enforced by fines for non-compliance. The International Standards Organization (ISO) has developed ISO 14000 and particularly ISO 14001 pertains to development and reporting sustainability of a company. ISO 14001 is a voluntary guideline that is compatible with the EU environmental management auditing standard (EMAS). This is one complexity that faces all companies that are trying to develop environmental sustainability. Developing a company that is both environmentally friendly and sustainable is the trend of the times in which the world finds itself these days. Shell is a worldwide company that has accepted this challenge of sustainability and reducing its impact on environments in which it operates. Herein is a brief overview of environmental management systems and environmental performance measure that make up a sustainable company. Thereafter evaluations of which systems have Shell put in to place, followed by a comparison of Shell with one of its competitor’s programs to evaluate how well Shell is in becoming an environmentally friendly and sustainable company. First there will be a discussion of sustainable development, environmental management systems (EMSs) and environmental policy management (EPMs). What is sustainable development? Sustainable development refers to using resources in such a way that fulfill our human needs today as well as save the environment from detrimental