South Africas National Holidays

When Apartheid ended and the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela came into power in South Africa in 1994, the national holidays were changed to days that would be meaningful to all South Africans. March 21: Human Rights Day On this day in 1960, the police killed 69 people at Sharpeville who were participating in a protest against the pass laws—laws that demanded blacks always carry passes. Many protesters were shot in the back. The carnage made world headlines. Four days later, the government banned black political organizations and many leaders were arrested or went into exile. During the Apartheid era, there were human rights abuses by all sides; the remembrance of Human Rights Day is but one step to ensure that the people of South Africa are aware of their human rights and to ensure that such abuses never again occur. April 27: Freedom Day This was the day in 1994 when the first democratic election was held in South Africa, an election when all adults could vote irrespective of their race, as well as the day in 1997 when the new constitution took effect. May 1: Workers Day Many countries around the world commemorate the contribution made by workers to society on May Day (America doesnt celebrate this holiday because of the days communist origins). It has traditionally been a day to protest for better wages and working conditions. Given the role that trade unions played in the fight for freedom, it is unsurprising that South Africa commemorates this day. June 16: Youth Day On June 16, 1976, students in Soweto rioted in protest against the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of instruction of half their school curriculum, sparking eight months of violent uprisings across the country. Youth Day is a national holiday in honor of all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and Bantu Education. July 18: Mandela Day On June 3 2009 in his State of the Nation address, President Jacob Zuma announced the annual celebration of South Africas most famous son—Nelson Mandela. Mandela Day  will be celebrated on the 18th of July each year. It will give people in South Africa and all over the world the opportunity to do something good to help others. Madiba was politically active for 67 years, and on Mandela Day people all over the world, in the workplace, at home and in schools, will be called upon to spend at least 67 minutes of their time doing something useful within their communities, especially among the less fortunate. Let us wholeheartedly support Mandela Day and encourage the world to join us in this wonderful campaign. Despite his reference to wholehearted support, Mandela Day failed to become a national holiday; but Nelson Mandela International Day was established by the United Nations in November of 2009. Aug. 9: National Womens Day On this day in 1956, some 20,000 women marched to the Union government Buildings in Pretoria to protest against a law requiring black women to carry passes. This day is celebrated as a reminder of the contribution made by women to society, the achievements that have been made for womens rights, and to acknowledge the difficulties and prejudices many women still face. Sept. 24: Heritage Day Nelson Mandela used the phrase rainbow nation to describe South Africas diverse cultures, customs, traditions, histories, and languages. This day is a celebration of that diversity. Dec. 16: Day of Reconciliation Afrikaners traditionally celebrated December 16 as the Day of the Vow, remembering the day in 1838 when a group of Voortrekkers defeated a Zulu army at the Battle of Blood River, while ANC activists commemorated it as the day in 1961 when the ANC started to arm its soldiers to overthrow Apartheid. In the new South Africa, its a day of reconciliation, a day to focus on overcoming the conflicts of the past and building a new nation.

Samuel Kramer s Argument That The Ancient Civilization Of...

Samuel Kramer’s argument that the ancient civilization of Sumer and the modern-day world are â€Å"fundamentally analogous† (p. 250) is supported heavily throughout his literary work History Begins at Sumer, and has evidenced this from the social perspective, as well as from an institutional one. The first social comparison Kramer mentions is that of Juvenile Delinquency. Starting from page 14, Kramer describes a fathers point of view about this social disease and describe that his child is one of few who, rather than attend school, meet at the street corner and loiter. He continues, with the father expressing his anger. â€Å"I, night and day am tortured because you. Night and Day you waste in pleasures† (p. 17) is a perfect example of the parent’s emotions, and can be related to the modern household, for both the ancient parents and those of today focus on making sure their children rise to economic success. In Sumer, the father wishes his son to be like him, a scribe, and does not understand why the son doesn’t work towards that goal (p. 15). This contrasts with the modern family, where parents want children to, not only supplant them, but ascend to a higher economic position. Nevertheless, in today s world and that of the past, juveniles forming like-minded gangs prevails, and is but one example of comparison. Secondly, best described on page 11 of History Begins at Sumer, â€Å"apple-polishing† was yet another example used within Kramer’s argument. In 2016, many see the only way to

American Business and Foreign Policy †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the American Business and Foreign Policy. Answer: Introduction The international business procedure is getting affected due to the geographical location of the country. As stated by Miranda-de la Lama et al., (2018), especially the business rules and regulation in the border area. Due to its location in between the south and North America, the business industry of Mexico gets influenced by both the countries. Here the study has focused on Mexico, which is situated in the southern portion of North America. In this study, the external environment of the country has been discussed by using PESTLE analysis. On the other hand, competitive advantages of the business organizations have been analysed. The existing trade rules and regulation of Mexico have been highlighted in this study. Impact of foreign currency in the business industry has been discussed. Depending on this the rate of foreign investors and their interests towards business development in Mexico, the study has discussed the position of the country in international business industry. At the end of the study, depending on issues in the market required suggestion have been provided. Business industry of Mexico has the higher level of contribution in the economy of the country. As per the GDP, it is in the 15th position in the world. Large portion of the Mexican GDP comes from service and industry sector (Grande, Islas Rios, 2015). Mexico has the significant business market for the food and beverages, aerospace, motor vehicles, clothing, tobacco, mining and petroleum industry. In the year 2017, GDP rate of the country was $1.147 trillion. It has been identified from a recent report that it has second largest economy in Latin America. However, due to various socio-cultural gaps, the Mexican people are facing various challenges regarding its business development. The economic condition of the country is good is few places, but in the case of rural areas, people are facing many challenges due to lack of financial backup (Aguilar et al., 2015). As the country is located in between the North and South America, therefore both the continents have influenced the busines s environment of this country. However, mostly in the case of technological development, the European influences have been shown. PESTLE analysis Situation Positive impact Negative impact Political The Mexican government has taken different initiative for making the stable political situation in Mexico (Walker, 2015). However, the initiative has faced the failure in the rural areas. By taking the advantages of this, few local organizations have increased the price of the products and earning huge from the rural market. As the study has discussed that the political situation of the country is not in the stable condition. This has been identified recently large number of people have died due to gang violence. Therefore, this can be said that the political situation is not in favourable condition for the foreign investors. Economic The GDP rate in the country is $1.147 trillion. Which indicates the stable economic condition (Valds Vzquez Fraire, 2017). Therefore this can be understood from the GDP rate is the business opportunities in the country is very high. Due to this reason, the small business organizations will get the chance to enter the market. At the same time rate of employment will also increase. On the other hand, this has been discussed in this study that although the economic condition of the country is good, however, it is not equal in every portion of the country. In rural areas, the people face different problems due to lack of financial support. They do not get any chance to develop any kind of business in the Mexican market. On the other hand, due to economic development labour wages increases. This creates challenges for the small organizations to appoint employees in low range. Social Due to economic development in Mexico, the standard of living of the people also increases (Valds, Vzquez Fraire, 2017). It impacts on the purchasing power of the people. It helps the business organizations to develop the pricing strategy as per the requirement. On the other hand, the social status is not same in every place of Mexico. This can be said that due to an unstable social situation. This is very difficult for the organizations to develop business in Mexico. Technological From the ancient period, the Mexican civilization is famous for their mathematics, technology and astronomy. In the current scenario, the country has introduced modern technology in the business industry. Due to the introduction of software and hardware in the business industry, the online business trend has been introduced. On the other hand, if the foreign technology will be developed in this country, it will be more beneficial for developing business organizations in Mexico. Due to technological development, the local investors are not able to compete with the foreign competitors due to their technological support. Legal The Mexican government has introduced various policies for foreign investors in order to develop business in the country. In the emerging market, the foreign investors are getting the chance to enter without any complication. Therefore, this can be said that the legal condition of Mexico is in the favourable condition for the foreign investors. On the other hand, due to easier business policies, the foreign investors can easily grab the Mexican business market. This will bring the difficulties for the local organizations, which are trying to develop their business in the Mexican market. Environmental The Mexican government has introduced various environmental laws in order to develop the waste management system in this country. In order to reduce the rate of pollution from the environment, this is considered as the wise step taken by the government On the other hand, due to strict environmental laws, the business organizations, which are trying to enter in the Mexican market need to bring the changes in their packaging materials and waste management (Charter, 2017). Therefore, this can be said that the strict environmental laws can bring difficulties for the foreign organizations. Competitive advantages The term competitive advantage indicates the advantages which are being taken by an organization or country over the competitors for achieving customers attention. Hence, this can be said that competitive advantage is an important part of market analysis. By using Ansoff Matrix, the competitive advantage of Mexican business industry in the international market has been highlighted. Market penetration strategies being adopted in the case of developing existing product in the existing market (Yin, 2016). Through this strategy, the market share of the company is being increased on the market. Depending on the market segment the market share is being increased. This also helps the organization to grab the attention of new customers in the existing market. In order to implement the strategy, the organizations bring changes with its pricing strategy. By decreasing the prices of the existing products it tries to grab the attention of the customers. On the other hand, the promotional strategy of an organization gets changed for introducing existing product in the existing market in the better way. However, in this study, the market penetration strategy cannot be adopted because in this case, the study has discussed that due to rapid economic growth in Mexican market, the business organizations have decided to enter in the New Mexican business market. The strategy of market development is being adopted in the case of expanding business in a new market (Filippov, 2017). In this case the business organizations select various customer segmentation for entering the new market. These strategies are mostly taken by the organizations, which try to enter the foreign market. Though the market research the rules and regulation in the external market are being analysed by the company. By identifying the competitors in the market, the business strategy is being developed. The business segmentation gets influenced by the economic condition of the country. Here the study has focused on the strategy of market development as the business organizations are trying to enter in the Mexican market. In order to develop the business in the foreign market, the business organizations focus on the needs and demands of the market. As well as it also analyses the position of the competitors for understanding the competitive advantages. The strategy of product development is being adopted in the case of developing the new product in existing market. In this case, the organizations try to introduce new product or service in the market. In this case, the organization needs to focus on research on the market for understanding the needs and demands of the customers. On the other hand, in the case of new product development, different strategies can be adopted such as purchasing a product from the market and branding it, the joint development by connecting with other organizations and manufacturing the old product by adding more features and the new look. In the case of this study, this strategy cannot be adopted, because in this case, the Mexican market is totally unknown for the business developer. As stated by Yin (2016), the strategy of product diversification is being adopted in the case of developing new product in new market. This strategy is being adopted by the organization for increasing market share. It has been identified in this study that, in order to develop the strategy the organizations give strong effort for developing the market fist. Depending on the segmentation and target market, the product and its pricing strategy is being developed. In this situation the organizations adopt vertical and concentric diversification strategy for entering in the market with new products. Influence of foreign currency Foreign currency has the higher level of impact for developing business in any country. In the case of Mexico, in 2017, the Central Bank of Mexico has taken a drastic step towards increasing the interest rate of the country to near about 3.75% (Jensen, Quinn Weymouth, 2015). Here the government of Mexico has decided for selling the American dollar to the buyers directly in the market. Due to this reason, the value of PESO has fallen 17% in last year compared to the dollar. In this year, the PESO has recovered near about 17.81 to the dollar. As stated by Subedi (2016), after this recovery situation the volatility of Mexican PESO in the international market has increased. This has deteriorated the economic condition of Mexico in international trade industry. The chances of inflation can bring higher level of impact in the business market. The government is trying to bring the possible changes in order to stop this. The exchange rate will bring strong impact on the customer prices. Fro m a recent report, it has been identified that in the year 2014, the PESO was about 12.5 to 13.3 US dollar (Wilson, 2015). This was a significant movement taken by Mexican government. In 2015, PESO was 14.7 against 1 dollar. As opined by Cavusgil et al., (2014), due to the movement in currency exchange market, the business of the country gets affected. The payment of supplier gets affected due to this reason. On the other hand, employee wages also gets affected. As opined by Cavusgil et al., (2014), the sale forecasting report also gets influenced due to the influence of foreign currency. It becomes unpredictable for the financial experts. On the other hand, the study has highlighted the broader economy of the country, which is considered as the sensitive area and which mostly controls the export and important business, will get affected. Existing trade policies, system, barriers and incentives of the country According to Kollmann (2016), the Mexican government has introduced liberal trade policies for the business organizations, which are trying to enter in the business market of Mexico. As stated by Martn Meza (2015), wide range of trade agreements has been done by the government in order to reduce the tariff of goods. The country has taken membership in WTO in order to deal with the global rule and trade in the international market. The trade policies have been developed by the government in order to manage the export and import in Mexico. As stated by Subedi (2016), the government has also reduced the price for attracting a large number of investors. The trade system which is being followed by the business market is outward-oriented development business strategy. As the export and important business has highly contributed the GDP rate. Therefore, by following the macroeconomic policy, the trade movements are being analysed by the government. Although the government has taken various initiatives in order to bring the changes in the business industry, but due to the improper distribution in both the political and economic facilities in all over the country has created barriers for adopting the business policies (Walker, 2015). In order to motivate the foreign companies towards investing, the government has also introduced exciting incentive policies. Mexico follows the Maquiladora investment incentive policy, in which attractive incentives are being provided to the organizations which enter the Mexican market (Petras Veltmeyer, 2016). The existing level of foreign direct investment Mexico is considered as one of the popular country where the scope of foreign direct investment is very high. On the other hand, Mexico is being considered as the 15th largest FDI recipient. From the report of 2018, it has been identified that USD 93 billion has been invested in the Mexican trade industry. The investment has done directly in the Mexican industry through different foreign companies. If the foreign direct investment in Mexican industry will be analysed, it will be identified that in the year 2014, the FDI inward flow was 27508 and FDI stock was 37.5% (Petras Veltmeyer, 2016). On the other hand, in 2016, FDI inward flow was 26,739 and FDI stock was 45.3% (Salacuse, 2017). Recommendation From the above study, it has been identified country is facing the challenges due to lack of proper control on political situation. Therefore, this can be said that if the government takes strong step towards handling the political violence in the country, it will attract the foreign investors towards investing in the Mexican market. On the other hand, it has been identified in this study that due to improper economical distribution in the country, people from rural areas are facing different challenges. Therefore, this can be said that if the government notices the situation by providing financial support or providing job opportunity, the condition of the people in those areas can be improved. Conclusion In the above study, it has been identified that the government of Mexico has introduced various strategies in order to bring the development in the Mexican business industry. However, due to lack of political and Economic support in every places the business organizations may face various challenges. On the other hand, the liberal trade policies are also very influencing in the case of influencing the foreign investors towards the business market. It has been suggested in this study that if the government notices to solve the internal situation of the country, this will be helping the government in order to attract the foreign investors towards contributing in the Mexican economy. Reference list Aguilar, J. O., Xaman, J., Alvarez, G., Hernndez-Prez, I., Lpez-Mata, C. (2015). Thermal performance of a double pane window using glazing available on the Mexican market.Renewable Energy,81, 785-794. Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J. R., Rammal, H. G., Rose, E. L. (2014).International business. Pearson Australia. Charter, M. (Ed.). (2017).Greener marketing: A responsible approach to business. Routledge. DesJardins, J. R., McCall, J. J. (2014).Contemporary issues in business ethics. Cengage Learning. Filippov, D. V. (2017). Positioning of the Organization in the Target Markets Using the Modified Three Dimensional Matrix Model on the Example of Transport Education Market of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) of the Russian Federation.Advanced Science Letters,23(10), 9861-9865. Grande, G., Islas, J., Rios, M. (2015). Technical and economic analysis of Domestic High Consumption Tariff niche market for photovoltaic systems in the Mexican household sector.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,48, 738-748. Jensen, J. B., Quinn, D. P., Weymouth, S. (2015). The influence of firm global supply chains and foreign currency undervaluations on US trade disputes.International Organization,69(4), 913-947. Kollmann, R. (2016). Forthcoming in: International Journal of Central Banking (special issue on 2015 Annual Research Conference of the IJCB held in Mexico City, November 23-24, 2015) Discussion of" Financial Intermediation in a Global Environment"(Victoria Nuguer, Bank of Mexico). Martn, A. F., Meza, F. (2015).Informal Employment and Business Cycles in Emerging Economies: The Case of Mexico(No. 6780). Inter-American Development Bank. Miranda-de la Lama, G. C., Estvez-Moreno, L. X., Villarroel, M., Rayas-Amor, A. A., Mara, G. A., Seplveda, W. S. (2018). Consumer Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare-Friendly Products and Willingness to Pay: Exploration of Mexican Market Segments.Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 1-13. Petras, J., Veltmeyer, H. (2016).Multinationals on Trial: Foreign Investment Matters. Routledge. Salacuse, J. W. (2017). BIT by BIT: The growth of bilateral investment treaties and their impact on foreign investment in developing countries. InGlobalization and International Investment(pp. 25-45). Routledge. Subedi, S. P. (2016).International investment law: reconciling policy and principle. Bloomsbury Publishing. Vagts, D. F., Koh, H., Dodge, W. S., Buxbaum, H. L. (2015).Transnational business problems. West Academic. Valds, A. L., Vzquez, R. D., Fraire, L. A. (2017). Conditional correlation between oil and stock market returns: The case of Mexico.Revista Mexicana de Economa y Finanzas Nueva poca REMEF (The Mexican Journal of Economics and Finance),7(1). Walker, D. W. (2015).Kinship, Business, and Politics: The Martinez del Rio Family in Mexico, 1823-1867(Vol. 70). University of Texas Press. Wilson, J. H. (2015).American Business and Foreign Policy: 1920--1933. University Press of Kentucky. Yin, N. (2016). Application of AHP-Ansoff Matrix Analysis in Business Diversification: The case of Evergrande Group. InMATEC Web of Conferences(Vol. 44). EDP Sciences.

Tok History Essay Example

Tok History Paper Its purpose is to absorb the main idea of what happened in the past and how we will adjust or change to such events. In order for this to take place, we must then just accept certain facts, or myths, that we really arent sure of because we wont ever be completely assured of this information, but it still ends up being part of the past. This leads to the second fragment of the quote, that history is hope. Truth is, without a doubt, we wont ever be able to go back in time and relive certain events that wed like to see or to prove or disprove. We will write a custom essay sample on Tok History specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tok History specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tok History specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer For the time being, though, its imperative that we must have faith that all of the history that were being exposed to is the majority of the truth. We have let historians screen what they believe to be relevant and meaningful and therefore it is only fair that we accept such history and hope that it is true because we personally wont ever presence the actual occurrence of events that took place in the past. However, there is indeed a significant amount of history that is reality that in fact happened. Whether we were there when it happened, we have been told from extremely reliable sources or we are let known from undeniable evidence, there does exist history that is completely true. We may not know the background to certain events and the true causes or motivations, but we can certainly see the outskirts and the effects of such incidents and that is the truth. If we take for example the Bible and its teachings, this is surely a clichi d example, but the effect that it has had in my life, proves the validity of the quote that was previously mentioned. Revisionists will always question events that are depicted in the Bible for their supernatural nature whether it is the creation of humanity as a result from Adam and Eve or the fact that Jesus rose again three days later after he was crucified. Heck, its difficult for me to truly believe these concepts even if I understand them. This myth part ends up being the counterargument in itself because history is supposed to be the truth of what happened. A myth ultimately has no evidence to support its claims. However, I must admit that all these myths that my Catholic religion has nurtured to me trust in, and even more so because of the fact that I committed to my religion after First Communion, confirmed myself to being a Catholic only a few years ago and still go to church every Sunday, I believe in them. I hope that theyre mostly truths because even though they have been disproven as of late, I still choose to have faith in God because Ive grown to pray to him and venerate him all my life and he is my inspiration in times of despair. Now, the overall implication of the initial quote in the importance of knowing history is quite simple. The quote encompasses what history truly is made of and how valuable history is. History allows us to consider the perceptions, emotions and reasons that people had when writing the past and then make connections of this accepted past with the present and the future in order to see its true relevance and significance. Moreover, asking questions about the past allows us to prepare and think about how to react in the present and for the future. In a life with no history, humans would discover the same, new things everyday and society would never advance. Knowledge for development would not be acquired. What is good and what is evil? What is right and what is wrong? Such simple questions are the basis of discussion in terms of the Area of Knowledge (AOK) called Ethics. However, if we were to define ethics, we should consider the quote, Ethics is part myth, part hope and party reality. If we take for example the role of ethics in my life, although it is pretty present, it surges in various ways and maybe not so apparent at first. For example, the relationship I share with my mom. I truly love her and care for her greatly, however, I must admit that I constantly lie to her to a certain extent. For instance, when I go out in weekends, she restricts me in such a way that I feel I cant really enjoy myself and spend a nice time. So in response, I tell her part of the truth. I let her know where Ill be at first, but not were I plan to go or the people that will be with me. Now, the myth is that its unethical and wrong to lie to your mom. However, what if it turns out to be better for the both of us. I ultimately feel independent and enjoy my days off, while she doesnt have to bear with the worry or the fear that something bad might happen to me. Does this win-win effect end up being morally wrong? Furthermore, ethics is hope because I believe that despite my untruths, and the fact that the myth says that lying is an awful vice, it might actually be a virtue to keep my mom from carrying the burden of a volatile son and instead hope that I am doing a good deed by letting her believe that I do everything as she says and under her watch. The reality of ethics, however, is that hiding the truth will always be incorrect and morally wrong and especially when its directed towards your own mom. Nonetheless, through this quote and this example, were able to see that ethics plays a major role in the immediate consequences that are present in everyday life especially as we gain more knowledge of them and how we decided to apply them. In conclusion, I believe that history and ethics play a significant role in the way we attain knowledge and they are the main basis of who we are as a whole and who we will become in response to grasping this new knowledge. They are, however, part myths, part hope and part reality, but that doesnt change the fact that theyre crucial to the expansion and employment of our knowledge. Word Count: 1600 Bibliography 1. The Bible, Truth and Reality . Bible prophecy: world government| RFID |climate change| EU |Israel| Middle East | apostate church | persecution. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 May 2011. http://www. seekingtruth. co. uk/.