The Second Half of Adolf Hitler’s Life Free Essays

The world-renowned dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler, was actually born as Austrian in 1889. It was during the second half of Hitler’s life that he began to realize German nationalism and anti-Semitism in Vienna, Austria. He had internalized and absorbed these ideas and decided to transfer to Munich, Germany where he gave up his Austrian citizenship by seeking the endorsement from the German nation. We will write a custom essay sample on The Second Half of Adolf Hitler’s Life or any similar topic only for you Order Now This happened in the year 1913. In 1914, World War II broke out and Hitler and used this occurrence to prove his loyalty to Germany which he considered as his new homeland. He served as a corporal in an infantry regiment and was decorated after being wounded in 1917 (â€Å"Adolf Hitler Biography,† n.d.). By 1918, Germany declared defeat and eventually surrendered and attributed this failure to the betrayal and treachery of the Jews as well as the Communist’s political rebellion. Hitler believed that in order to avoid this unpleasant incident from transpiring again, these so-called traitor groups must be abolished. Taking a different direction, Hitler decided to involve himself in politics by the year 1919 in that he signed up for the German Workers Party. In a year’s time he became the organization’s leader and later changed its name to National Socialist German Worker’s Party or more popularly known as the Nazi. Hitler’s platform was simple: create a new nation that included all German people and rebuild the German military forces (â€Å"Adolf Hitler Biography,† n.d.). Following World War I, the German army signed the Treaty of Versailles after which they were trimmed down in number and was obliged to disburse billions of dollars to the Allied powers for war damages thereby downgrading German reputation and resulting to economic depression and downfall. Subsequently, Hitler and the Nazis failed to recapture Germany in the supposed Beer Hal Putsch in 1923. This act was considered treason. As such, Hitler was punished for five years imprisonment, however, he only served it for nine months due to political demands. During Hitler’s stay in the penitentiary, he was able to write Mein Kampf (My Struggle), his political declaration and proposal for a Nazi government. In this manuscript, he proclaimed German superiority above other races and condemned the Jews as tainted among others. After the war, he even ordered the genocide of about six million Jews termed as the Holocaust. Hereon, Hitler advanced a dictatorial leadership to have power over the German population and inhibit those who rebel against him. During the 1930s, Hitler urged for a transformation of the German society upon the advent of political and economic flux and regression and this was heeded by the German people. In 1933, the Nazis gained recognition for these innovative agenda thus Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. His leadership was tremendous in that he used media and press propaganda, large security force which used terror and incarcerated Jews in concentration camps to signify Nazi authority in Germany. How to cite The Second Half of Adolf Hitler’s Life, Papers

Individual Position Statement on Evidence Practice-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theIndividual Position Statement on Evidence Based Practice. Answer: Introduction Evidence-based practice aims at hardwiring available nursing knowledge into making decisions related to healthcare process to improve the provisions of care and the patient outcomes. It holds huge promise to produce the intended health outcomes. Majority of the healthcare deficits lead to significant avoidable harms. The Quality Chasm Report was first developed in the form of a blueprint with the objective of redesigning healthcare processes. The chasm focused on using evidences to inform best practices in a hospital setting (Harolds, 2016). This report aims to elaborate on the effect of evidence-based practice on patient outcomes and the role of nurses in implementing such practice. Discussion Components of EBP Evidence-based practice (EBP) can be best defined as the explicit, conscientious, and judicious use of current evidences while making decisions related to care of individual patients. Clinical expertise is integrated with the best clinical evidence that is available from systemic research. This integration helps to provide a holistic care to the patients and increases patient satisfaction. Nursing knowledge helped me understand that evidence, itself, is not sufficient to make healthcare decisions. However, it plays an essential role in supporting the patient care process. Complete integration of all the three components in clinical decision making process, enhances the opportunity for increased clinical outcomes and better quality of life (Andre Heartfield, 2011). Patient encounters often lead to the generation of questions that are related to the effects of therapy, prognosis of diseases, utility of diagnostic tests, and aetiology of disorders. Therefore, the practice requires nurses to acquire new skills, engage in efficient literature search, and apply formal rules of evidence to evaluate the clinical literature (Courtney McCutcheon, 2010). Figure 1- Components of EBP Role of EBP in improving patient outcome Results from several researches helped me gain knowledge that improved patient outcomes, high care quality, reduced hospitalization costs, and greater satisfaction are achieved when compared to traditional care approaches. The standards of practice set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia states that a Registered nurse (RN) is entitled with the duty of carrying out evidence-based and person-centred practices and should follow approaches that have a preventative, supportive and curative role (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2017). These standards provided me the information that when an RN is involved in accessing, analyzing and using the best available evidence, which includes research findings, a safer and better quality of care service can be given to the patients, catering to their specific demands. These standards also state that a relevant plan should be developed to appraise the comprehensive research information collected, before documenting and applying the evidence in hospital setting. Mentors of evidence-based practice directly work with clinicians and try to implement the best practices (Daly, Speedy Jackson, 2017). Supportive context of EBP, administrative support and multifaceted education program assistance enhance the effectiveness of EBP in improving the outcomes. An organized setting or environment where the patients receive healthcare services is an extremely important factor in implementation of evidence at care centres. I realized that patient outcomes are greatly enhanced with the implementation of a wide range of strategies such as availability of resources and mentors, enhancement of individual skills of healthcare leaders and clinicians, allotment of sufficient time, tools and resources that enable clinicians to engage in effective research of the best possible care approaches (Stevens, 2013). My nursing knowledge also assisted me to understand that patient outcomes get improved on rewarding or recognizing the staff who are engaged in the effort of implementing EBP and by the presence of healthcare leaders who are responsible for spearheading the teams and creating strategic goals and vision for achieving best patient-centred care (Aarons Sommerfeld, 2012). In order to measure the effect of EBP on patient outcome, a study was conducted that aimed to develop EBP competencies for APN and registered nurses, practicing in clinical setting. These competencies could be used by the healthcare institutions to obtain a high performing system that sustains EBP. Initially, a set of competencies were formulated by national EBP leaders through a consensus building process, followed by conduction of a survey across the nation with the aim to determine clarity and consensus of the developed competencies (Melnyk et al., 2014). From the findings, I can deduce that higher quality and consi stency was observed in patient outcomes and the cost of hospitalization reduced significantly when these competencies were incorporated in the healthcare system. Another research focused on reporting a natural experiment, where an EBP unit was formed by reorganization of the internal medicine service. However, the rest of the services were unchanged. The units were made to attend to similar patients and the outcomes were compared. I deduced that patients who were subjected to EBP, showed a significantly lower death risk and shorter length of hospital stays (Emparanza, Cabello Burls, 2015). This helped me reach the conclusion that implementation of such evidence-based approaches are effective in enhancing patient outcomes. Clinical and theoretical application of EBP My clinical knowledge and the standards of practice helped me understand that a registered nurse plays a vital role in ensuring the engagement and application of evidence-based practice at the point of care. There are several formulations of national competencies that are specific for registered nurses. Before implementing these EBP to a theoretical setting, it is necessary to identify the competencies (Florin et al., 2012). The implementation process involves some essential activities such as, planning a course of action, engaging appropriate individuals in the implementation, executing the implementation following the standards of the plan and finally evaluating the implementation efforts. According to the standards of practice, I can state that an accurate and comprehensive conduction of systematic assessments is essential for RNs. This helps them to analyse data and information and communicate the outcomes (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2017). This forms the basis for our practice. In order to implement such practices theoretically, it is necessary that we should use a wide range of evaluation techniques that will help us to systematically collect accurate and relevant data and assess the resources that are available for our planning (Stokke et al., 2014). We should work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to determine the factors that might affect the wellbeing and health of our patients (Friesen?Storms et al., 2015). This will help us to identify the patient priorities for future referral. Development of the evidence-based plans agreed upon, I partnership will further help in their implementation. According to the standards of practice, nurses are responsible for constructing nursing practice plans until the goals, priorities and contingencies are met (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2017). We should be involved in effective formulation of the practices until the intended outcomes and actions are agreed upon by all healthcare staff who is involved in the setting. The role of RN also entitles us to assess the time frame of engagement and coordinate the planned actions effectively before implementing the practices. We should work towards providing comprehensive and safe practice to the patients to achieve the desired goals. Moreover, effective implementation of the EBP is achieved when we follow the relevant guideline, policies, regulations and standards to provide safe patient services. Implementing EBP without training Despite the favourable findings, that support the role of registered nurses in applying EBP to improve health outcomes of the patients, nurses often remain inconsistent in the implementation process. My clinical experience helped me realize that there are some nurses, whose inadequate education and training makes it difficult for them to follow EBP that has been incorporated in their nursing curriculum (Gray et al., 2013). RNs often lack basic internet and computer skills, necessary for implementation of these practices. As a result, various misconceptions arise about EBP. These lead to the development of theories that EBP is difficult and time-consuming (Torrey et al., 2012). One of the barriers is the availability of huge amount of healthcare literature that is published in different sources. This makes it difficult for untrained nurses to keep up to date with the new practices that are being discovered (Gerrish et al., 2012). I also identified that lack of access to adequate resource and difficulty in assessing statistical analysis often created barriers for RNs while implementing EBP. Untrained RNs are most often unable to interpret the jargon present in the research findings due lack of information searching abilities and limited IT skills (Dalheim et al., 2012). Therefore, as a nursing student I can conclude that RNs should not be entitled with the complete responsibility of implementing evidence-based practices unless, they show adequate skills and are well trained to search for the best evidence and integrate them with their practice. Conclusion Evidence-based practices empower nurses and enhance their nursing capabilities. However, effective implementation of those practices in hospital setting requires presence of adequate clinical information, skill and judgement abilities. Competencies are necessary to continuously improve the safety and quality of healthcare system with the aim of utilising EBP to provide patient-centred care. As a nursing student, my knowledge helped me understand that several research studies have been carried out, which demonstrated the positive influence of EBP in creating good patient outcomes and reducing hospitalisation costs. However, a thorough research of the barriers that arise in this context helped me conclude that it is not feasible to expect RNs to carry out EBP unless they are well trained and educated in this context. References Aarons, G. A., Sommerfeld, D. H. (2012). Leadership, innovation climate, and attitudes toward evidence-based practice during a statewide implementation.Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry,51(4), 423-431. Andre, K., Heartfield, M. (2011).Nursing and midwifery portfolios: Evidence of continuing competence. Elsevier Australia. 75-93. Courtney, M., McCutcheon, H. (2010). Using evidence to guide nursing practice (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingstone. Chatswood. Dalheim, A., Harthug, S., Nilsen, R. M., Nortvedt, M. W. (2012). Factors influencing the development of evidence-based practice among nurses: a self-report survey.BMC health services research,12(1), 367. Daly, J., Speedy, S., Jackson, D. (2017).Contexts of nursing: An introduction. Elsevier Health Sciences. 93-110. Emparanza, J. I., Cabello, J. B., Burls, A. J. (2015). Does evidence?based practice improve patient outcomes? An analysis of a natural experiment in a Spanish hospital.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice,21(6), 1059-1065. Friesen?Storms, J. H., Moser, A., Loo, S., Beurskens, A. J., Bours, G. J. (2015). Systematic implementation of evidence?based practice in a clinical nursing setting: A participatory action research project.Journal of clinical nursing,24(1-2), 57-68. Florin, J., Ehrenberg, A., Wallin, L., Gustavsson, P. (2012). Educational support for research utilization and capability beliefs regarding evidence?based practice skills: a national survey of senior nursing students.Journal of advanced nursing,68(4), 888-897. Gerrish, K., Nolan, M., McDonnell, A., Tod, A., Kirshbaum, M., Guillaume, L. (2012). Factors Influencing Advanced Practice Nurses Ability to Promote Evidence?Based Practice among Frontline Nurses.Worldviews on Evidence?Based Nursing,9(1), 30-39. Gray, M., Joy, E., Plath, D., Webb, S. A. (2013). Implementing evidence-based practice: A review of the empirical research literature.Research on Social Work Practice,23(2), 157-166. Harolds, J. A. (2016). Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part VI: More on Crossing the Quality Chasm.Clinical nuclear medicine,41(1), 41-43. Melnyk, B. M., Gallagher?Ford, L., Long, L. E., Fineout?Overholt, E. (2014). The establishment of evidence?based practice competencies for practicing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in real?world clinical settings: proficiencies to improve healthcare quality, reliability, patient outcomes, and costs.Worldviews on Evidence?Based Nursing,11(1), 5-15. Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au. (2017).Registered Nurse Standards for Practice. Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines- Statements/Professional-standards/registered-nurse-standards-for-practice.aspx Stevens, K. R. (2013). The impact of evidence-based practice in nursing and the next big ideas.Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,18(2), 4-4. Stokke, K., Olsen, N. R., Espehaug, B., Nortvedt, M. W. (2014). Evidence based practice beliefs and implementation among nurses: A cross-sectional study.BMC nursing,13(1), 8. Torrey, W. C., Bond, G. R., McHugo, G. J., Swain, K. (2012). Evidence-based practice implementation in community mental health settings: The relative importance of key domains of implementation activity.Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research,39(5), 353-364.

Epic Hero Essay Essay Example

Epic Hero Essay Essay Moral Courage EMMA WALSKY PRE-AP CHALLENGE ENGLISH 9 MRS. PEARSON 2 MARCH 2013 â€Å"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. † (Mark Twain) Courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, and Katniss from The Hunger Games all demonstrate jarring courage throughout their journey to heroism. As Aragorn leads the Fellowship, they come across many obstacles and interferences. He is required to battle off Urak-hai, Orcs, and Nazgul and protect his comrades, all while continuing his quest to Mount Doom. Aragorn is a very loyal and intrepid leader whom is brought to heroism through his magnificent courage. Odysseus makes a very long journey in order to return home to Ithaca. He is forced to make tremendous sacrifices, survive the wrath of Skylla and Kharybdis, and take the form of an intelligent beggar. Odysseus is brought to his heroic means through his gallant courage and distinctive endurance. Katniss battles for days in order to win victory for her district. She protects fellow members, cunningly kills off enemies, and endures major physical and intellectual damage. Katniss’ stunning dedication and over powering courage lead her to great heroism. Heroes of epic orchestration, such as Aragorn from The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. We will write a custom essay sample on Epic Hero Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Epic Hero Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Epic Hero Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Tolkien, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, and Katniss from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, establish themselves as superior epic heroes through their intelligent utilization of the twenty-five epic hero steps, along with their astounding courage, bravery, and endurance which ultimately transforms them into three epic heroes that will never be forgotten. As an epic hero the first hero journey step, The Call to Adventure, acts as one of most important steps, as it begins ones strenuous expedition towards victory and triumph. Odysseus, The Great Glory of the Achaians, was under oath to protect the marriage of Helen and Menelaus. After Helen was taken by Paris to the city of Troy, the Greeks demanded war upon the Trojans. Odysseus was asked by King Agamemnon and King Menelaus to endure war and bring his fleet of ships and soldiers. This marked the start of Odysseus’ lengthy journey to capture Helen, and defeat Troy. Odysseus proudly led the Walsky 2 Cephallenians, with twelve ships, who were settled in Ithaca, Neriton, Crocyleia, Aigilips, Zacynthos, and Samos. He was forced to leave his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telelmachus, for what soon became 20 years. Odysseus’ tremendous sacrifice to his country and his family along with his outstanding courage to bring home victory prove his title of an epic hero. Katniss, The Girl Who Was on Fire, begins her journey in the square of District 12. As the reaping begins, Katniss separates from her sister, Primrose, and waits for Effie Trinket to announce which two children of the Seam will act as tribute. Effie reaches her hand deep into the ball and pulls out a slip of paper. As she crosses back to the podium, she smoothes the slip of paper and reads out the name in a clear voice, Primrose Everdeen. As a â€Å"strangled cry comes out of her throat and her muscles begin to move again,† Katniss screams out â€Å"Prim! † (Collins 22). Katniss makes way for the stage and pulls Prim behind her with one sweep of her arm as she gasps â€Å"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute! † (Collins 22). Katniss protects her sister from the dangers of the battle as she unexpectedly volunteers to take her place as tribute. With this, she displays shocking courage and wholesome bravery. Katniss’ great deed is one of many that prove she is a respectable epic hero. Katniss and Odysseus both embark on hearty journeys that force them to make important sacrifices, portray a leader figure, and act courageous in battle, which ultimately prove themselves as epic heroes. Each epic hero heftily utilizes the third hero journey step, The Wise and Helpful Guide and the Magic Tailsman, to assist and guide them in their path to success and glory. Aragorn, The Great Strider, along with the rest of the Fellowship, is led from the shire to Mount Doom by Gandalf the Grey, later Gandalf the White. Gandalf is a wizard, and is also known as the head of the Istari after the fall of Saruman. Gandalf leads and protects the Fellowship through Brandywine, The Old Forest, Chetwood, Bree, Weathertop, Trollshaws, and Rivendell until the final reach of Mount Doom. Aragorn is loyal to Walsky 3 Gandalf’s decisions and respects his strategies and tactics. He allows Gandalf to lead the Fellowship and trusts his knowledge and intelligence. Aragorn’s ability to respect, along with his distinctive loyalty and dedication towards others distinguishes him as an epic hero. Katniss is mentored by Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the 50th Hunger Games, and won for District 12 at the age of 16. Haymitch first appears to Katniss as drunk and staggering as he dives off the stage at the reaping, and once again as he vomits on the expensive floor of the train headed to the Capitol. After a small fight between the two and Peeta, Haymitch begins to formulate a plan as he is interested in ones who can put up a fight. He tells them to train and learn new things, to avoid practicing skills they excel in. Haymitch successfully trains Katniss, as she comes out with a very high training score. Katniss respects Haymitch, although she is aware of his drinking problem, and obeys his rules and consequences. Katniss’ capability to learn and regard others methods prove her as a true epic hero. Aragorn and Katniss are capable of respecting others and distinguishing loyalty towards their mentors, ultimately giving them the title of epic hero. An epic hero would be nowhere without the sixth hero journey step, Hero Partners, to lead, guide, and build each other up throughout the course of their journey. To Aragorn, the members of the Fellowship act as his hero partners. Frodo Baggins, Wise by Experience, Samwise Gamgee, The Salt of the Earth, Merry Brandybuck, Meriadoc the Magnificent, Pippin Took, The Hunchback, Legolas, The Green Leaf, Gimli, The Fire, Boromir, The War Jewel, Faramir, The Jeweled Hunter, and Gandalf, The Elf of the Staff, are all comrades of Aragorn. Each member of the Fellowship has a different type of relationship with Aragorn, whether it is family oriented or merely acquaintances. Aragorn utilizes the skills and abilities of each individual Fellowship member to bring them to victory and triumph. His healthy relationship with each Fellowship member allows them to relate to each other and create a Walsky 4 stronger bond, which is very important in the ultimate win. Aragorn’s healthy bonds and strong relationship with his hero partners differentiates him as an epic hero. One of Odysseus’ hero partners is Diomedes, King of Argos. Diomedes is asked by Nestor to go on a night raid to the Trojan camp to kill guards and destroy their supplies. Diomedes is â€Å"willing to visit the enemy camp. But if one more could go with, that means more courage and more comfort† (The Iliad. 10. 119). Agamemnon orders Diomedes to choose a comrade, anyone he likes, as he knows the force of two will be stronger than one. Diomedes â€Å"could not think of anyone but Odysseus, the best man of all, ready heart and high temper in every enterprise† (The Iliad. 10. 120). Diomedes, along with many other Achaians, trusts and respects Odysseus as a fighter and as a genuine and loyal man. Athena, the Grey Eyed Goddess, is also a hero partner of Odysseus. As Odysseus enters the Phaiakians city, Athena â€Å"poured a sea fog around him as he went† so â€Å"that no jeering sailor should halt the man or challenge him for his luck† (The Odyssey. . 111). She cares about Odysseus’ safety and does everything she can to get him out of harm’s way. Athena knows Odysseus is a caring, genuine man whom deserves protection from danger. Odysseus’ bold relationships with his army and the gods and goddesses, and his strong bonds with generosity associate with the neces sary deeds of an epic hero. The intelligent and genuine utilizations of hero partners by Aragorn and Odysseus prove their title as epic hero. The seventeenth hero journey step, The Hero’s Return, is one of the most important steps because it marks the hero’s victorious journey home. Odysseus had a very long expedition back to his home land of Ithaca. Odysseus and his men sail to the island of Cicones where they slaughter soldiers and kill livestock. After leaving Cicones, they sail to the Island of the Lotus Eaters, where many of his men eat the lotus plant and are intrigued to stay. They then sail to the Island of the Cyclopes and are trapped in Polyphemus’ cave. They brutally drive a pole into his eye ball and escape by hanging under Walsky 5 the sheep he lets out to graze. After leaving the Cyclopes Island, Odysseus and his men sail to Aeolia, where he receives a gift of stormy winds to return home to Ithaca. The men open the bag and are directed to Aeaea, where they are given food and drinks from Circe. They sail to the Land of the Dead, where Teiresias tells them how to fend of the Sirens, Scylla, and Kharybdis. They sail through sirens but 6 of his men are taken by Skylla. As they reach Lord Helios’ island, Odysseus notifies his men not to slaughter and eat the cattle. They do so anyway and they are killed, leaving Odysseus alone. After many days he washes up upon Ogygia, Calypso’s island. He is oused there for seven years, and then lands on the island of Phaeacia, where he is the guest of honor at a banquet in the Phaeacian King’s palace. The king orders his men to give Odysseus a ship and then he sails off to home. He safely arrives in Ithaca, and has completed his journey home. Odysseus has many difficult encounters, near dea th experiences, and challenging tasks he must complete in order to return home. His outstanding level of endurance, strength and perseverance allows him to complete this miraculous journey and hold the title of en epic hero. Katniss endures many physically harmful situations in her quest to victory. Katniss protects fellow district members, hunts for food, kills off enemies, and builds shelters. As Claudis reinforms Katniss and Peeta that â€Å"the earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rulebook has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed,† she strings her bow and points the arrow right towards Peeta’s heart (Collins 342). As Peeta drops his knife, Katniss lowers her bow and steps back with shame. The two decide to, on the count of three, feed themselves a handful of poisonous berries so that neither of them would feel the pain of killing the other. Just as they lift their hands to their lips Claudis yells for them to stop and is â€Å"pleased to present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games† (Collins 345). A hovercraft materializes overhead and two ladders drop for Katniss and Peeta. As she places a foot on the first rung Walsky 6 of the ladder, she is home. As she steps aboard the plane safety and security fill the air. Katniss endured very harsh conditions, poor consistency, and emotional swings while in battle. Her astounding dedication and devotion for the victory of her district, led her home with triumph. Odysseus and Katniss return home through their astonishing endurance, dedication and courage, ultimately proving themselves as epic heroes. The twenty fifth hero journey step, Final Victory, is the most important as it labels the victory and win of a strenuous expedition, completed by an epic hero. Aragorn leads the Fellowship to triumph through his excellent leadership skills, combat abilities, and intelligent methods. The Battle of the Hornburg began Aragorn’s final victory. He revealed himself to Sauron as the heir of Isildur, in order to distract Saurons attention from Frodo, who was approaching Mordor. Aragorn defended the city with the Dead Men of Dunharrow, who owed allegiance to the King of Gondor. They defeated Saurons allies, and sailed to Minas Tirith. They arrived at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and with the help of the southern forces the armies of Gondor and Rohan rallied and defeated Saurons army. Aragorn then led his armies to the Gates of Mordor, to distract Sauron. Sauron attacked with overwhelming force but at that moment the Ring was destroyed by Frodo and Sauron and his forces were defeated. Aragorn was crowned King of Elessar and as the heir of Isildur, bore the shards of Narsil. He demands â€Å"this day doesn’t belong to one man but to all† and vows to â€Å"rebuild this world that they may share in the days of peace† (LOTR:RK). He is loyal to his country and even after acquiring glory and fame through his crown, he still believes the most important thing he can do as King is distinguish the world with peace and tolerance. As Aragorn is walking out of his coronation with his wife, Arwen, he encounters the hobbits as they bow towards his glory. Aragorn claims they â€Å"bow to no one† as he, along with the rest of the crowd, bow towards their tremendous accomplishment (LOTR:RK). Aragorn beholds genuine loyalty and Walsky 7 respect towards his fellow men and acts as a great role model to future epic heroes. His wholesome courage and bold leadership led the Fellowship to a final victory and prove he is worthy of being an epic hero. Odysseus battles many obstacles in order to share his identity with his family. As Odysseus arrives on Ithaca Athena covers him in a mist which allows him to reach his home without being harmed. Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus, although it takes some time as he appears god-like. Then Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and ventures to his home with Eumaeus. A fight broke out between Odysseus and Antinoos, a troublesome suitor, and he was summoned by Penelope as she was perceptive about the â€Å"beggar. † He tells her all he knows about Odysseus’ whereabouts and is then sent away. As he is receiving a cleanse from Eur’ykleia, the nurse, she notices his scar directly above his knee from hunting wild boar. Odysseus grabs her throat as he braces her up against the wall and informs her he will kill her if she tells others his true identity. Penelope believes Odysseus is not returning and decides to have a bow and arrow contest, to see which suitor possesses the skills of Odysseus. One must string a bow and shoot the arrow through a line of twelve axes. None of the suitors complete the task, so Odysseus proposes that he try and Penelope insists that he be given a chance. Odysseus swiftly completes the task, and strings a second arrow through the throat of Antinoos. He reveals himself as Odysseus, and the suitors then realize they have been locked in the room by Eumaeas and Philoetius. A raging battle begins and within no time all of the suitors are killed. Penelope, who slept through the entire fight, was called down to the scene. She didn’t believe it was Odysseus, and thought a god was playing a trick on her. She then orders Eur’ykleia to move her bridal bed and Odysseus immediately flares up. He explains that the bed is immovable, how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the house had been constructed. Hearing him recount these details, she knows that this man Walsky 8 must be her husband. He is reunited with his wife and his son, and becomes part of a family once again. Odysseus cleansed his home with the blood of the suitors and their families were pacified by Athena. After twenty long years, he is finally home. Odysseus’ unimaginable perseverance and outstanding courage are what lead him home to a final victory and prove that he is an epic hero. Aragorn and Odysseus both utilize their withstanding endurance and bravery to complete their final victory and return â€Å"home. † An epic hero is a brave, noble and courageous character, whom is admired for their great achievements. Aragorn, Odysseus and Katniss are all classified as epic heroes through their outstanding courage throughout their journey to heroism. Heroes of epic orchestration, such as Aragorn from The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, and Katniss from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, establish themselves as superior epic heroes through their intelligent utilization of the twenty-five epic hero steps, along with their astounding courage, bravery, and endurance which ultimately transforms them into three epic heroes that will never be forgotten. Aragorn, Odysseus and Katniss will forever be remembered as stunning epic heroes. One’s moral courage determines one’s future. Walsky 9 Work Cited Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. W. H. D. Rouse. New York: NAL Penguin Inc. , 1938. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1998 Tolkein, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Dir. Peter Jackson. New Line Cinema, 2001, 2002, 2003. Twain, Mark. The Quote Garden, 1998. http://www. quotegarden. com/courage. html

Sample College Admissions Essay on Teaching Summer Camp

Sample College Admissions Essay on Teaching Summer Camp Many college applicants have had summer camp experiences. In this Common Application essay, Max discusses his challenging relationship with a difficult student who ends up having a lot to contribute.   The Essay Prompt Maxs essay was originally written for the pre-2013 Common Application essay prompt that states,  Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.  The influential person option no longer exists, but there are many ways to write about an important person with the current seven essay options on the 2018-19 Common Application. Maxs essay has recently been revised to fit the new 650-word length limit of the current Common Application, and it would work nicely with the 2018-19 prompt #2:  The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? The essay would also work well with Common Application essay option #5,  Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Max's Common Application Essay Student Teacher Anthony was neither a leader nor a role model. In fact, his teachers and his parents were constantly chastising him because he was disruptive, ate too much, and had a hard time staying focused. I met Anthony when I was a counselor at a local summer camp. The counselors had the usual duties of keeping kids from smoking, drowning, and killing each other. We made God’s eyes, friendship bracelets, collages, and other clichà ©s. We rode horses, sailed boats, and hunted snipe. Each counselor also had to teach a three-week course that was supposed to be a little more â€Å"academic† than the usual camp fare. I created a class called â€Å"Things that Fly.† I met with fifteen students for an hour a day as we designed, built, and flew kites, model rockets, and balsawood airplanes. Anthony signed up for my class. He was not a strong student. He had been kept back a year at his school, and he was larger and louder than the other middle school kids. He talked out of turn and lost interest when others were talking. In my class, Anthony got some good laughs when he smashed his kite and threw the pieces into the wind. His rocket never made it to the launch pad because he crumpled it in a fit of frustration when a fin fell off. In the final week, when we were making airplanes, Anthony surprised me when he drew a sketch of a sweep-wing jet and told me he wanted to make a â€Å"really cool plane.† Like many of Anthony’s teachers, and perhaps even his parents, I had largely given up on him. Now he suddenly showed a spark of interest. I didn’t think the interest would last, but I helped Anthony get started on a scale blueprint for his plane. I worked one-on-one with Anthony and had him use his project to demonstrate to his classmates how to cut, glue and mount the balsawood framework. When the frames were complete, we covered them with tissue paper. We mounted propellers and rubber bands. Anthony, with all his thumbs, created something that looked a bit like his original drawing despite some wrinkles and extra glue. Our first test flight saw Anthony’s plane nose-dive straight into the ground. His plane had a lot of wing area in the back and too much weight in the front. I expected Anthony to grind his plane into the earth with his boot. He didn’t. He wanted to make his creation work. The class returned to the classroom to make adjustments, and Anthony added some big flaps to the wings. Our second test flight surprised the whole class. As many of the planes stalled, twisted, and nose-dived, Anthony’s flew straight out from the hillside and landed gently a good 50 yards away. I’m not writing about Anthony to suggest that I was a good teacher. I wasn’t. In fact, I had quickly dismissed Anthony like many of his teachers before me. At best, I had viewed him as a distraction in my class, and I felt my job was to keep him from sabotaging the experience for the other students. Anthony’s ultimate success was a result of his own motivation, not my instruction. Anthony’s success wasn’t just his plane. He had succeeded in making me aware of my own failures. Here was a student who was never taken seriously and had developed a bunch of behavioral issues as a result. I never stopped to look for his potential, discover his interests, or get to know the kid beneath the facade. I had grossly underestimated Anthony, and I am grateful that he was able to disillusion me. I like to think that I’m an open-minded, liberal, and non-judgmental person. Anthony taught me that I’m not there yet. Critique of Max's Common Application Essay In general, Max has written a strong essay for the Common Application, but it does take a few risks. Below youll find a discussion of the essays strengths and weaknesses. The Topic Essays on important or influential people can quickly become predictable and clichà © when they focus on  the typical heroes of high school students: a parent, a brother or sister, a coach, a teacher. From the first sentence, we know that Maxs essay is going to be different: Anthony was neither a leader nor a role model. Maxs strategy is a good one, and the admissions folks who read the essay will most likely be pleased to read an essay that isnt about how Dad is the greatest role model or Coach is the greatest mentor. Also, essays on influential people often conclude with the writers explaining how theyve become a better people or owe all of their success to the mentor. Max takes the idea in a different direction - Anthony has made Max realize that he isnt as good of a person as he had thought, that he still has much to learn. The humility and self-critique is refreshing. The Title Theres no one rule for writing a winning essay title, but Maxs title is perhaps a little too clever. Student Teacher immediately suggests a student who is teaching (something that Max is doing in his narrative), but the true meaning is that Maxs student taught him an important lesson. Thus, both Anthony and Max are student teachers. However, that double meaning is not apparent until after one has read the essay. The title by itself does not immediately grab our attention, nor does it clearly tell use what the essay will be about. The Tone For the most part, Max maintains a pretty serious tone throughout the essay. The first paragraph does have a nice touch in the way that it pokes fun at all the clichà © activities that are typical of summer camp. The real strength of the essay, however, is that Max manages the tone to avoid sounding like he is bragging about his accomplishments. The self-criticism of the essays conclusion may seem like a risk, but it arguably works to Maxs advantage. The admissions counselors know that no student is perfect, so Maxs awareness of his own short-comings will probably be interpreted as a sign of maturity, not as red flag highlighting a defect in character. The Essay Length At 631 words, Maxs essay is at the upper end of the Common Application length requirement  of 250 to 650 words. This is not a bad thing. If a college is requesting an essay, it is because the admissions folks want to get to know the applicant better. They can learn more from you with a 600-word essay than with a 300-word essay. You may encounter counselors who argue that admissions officers are extremely busy, so shorter is always better. This little evidence to support such a claim, and youll find very few applicants to top-tier colleges (such as the Ivy League schools) being admitted with essays that dont take advantage of the space allowed. The ideal essay length is certainly subjective and depends in part on the applicant and the story being narrated, but Maxs essay length is absolutely fine.  This is particularly true because the prose is never wordy, flowery, or excessive. The sentences tend to be short and clear, so the overall reading experience isnt labored. The Writing The opening sentence grabs our attention because it isnt what we expect from an essay. The conclusion is also pleasingly surprising. Many students would be tempted to make themselves the hero of the essay and state what a profound impact they had on Anthony. Max turns it around, highlights his own failures, and gives the credit to Anthony. The balance of the essay isnt perfect. Maxs essay spends far more time describing Anthony than it does describing Anthonys influence. Ideally, Max could cut a couple sentences from the middle of the essay and then develop a little further the two short concluding paragraphs. Final Thoughts Maxs essay, like  Felicitys essay, takes some risks. Its possible an admissions officer would judge Max negatively for exposing his biases. But this is unlikely. In the end, Max presents himself as someone who is a leader (he is designing and teaching a class, after all) and as someone who is aware that he still has much to learn. These are qualities that should be attractive to most college admissions folks. After all, colleges want to admit students who are eager to learn and who have the self-awareness to recognize that they have room for a lot more personal growth.

Superannuation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Superannuation - Assignment Example Adam can use this option to increase his superannuation with $90,000 more dollars so as to make the total amount of his superannuation funds to be $540,000. This option is only allowed for persons who are below fifty five years of age and Adam is eligible as he is fifty three years old. Employers are required to contribute 9.5% of their workers earnings to their superannuation funds. Adam’s is earning $35,000 and thus his employer is required to pay $3,325 towards Adam’ superannuation fund. The Low Income Superannuation Contribution refund is applicable to Adam because he earns less than $37,000. This scheme is applicable to people who whose superannuation contribution is made by their employers and those that earn less thus $37,000. Adam meet these two requirements thus he is eligible for the scheme. The amount in dollars that will actually be invested in Adam’s superannuation fund is $3,325. This is because the Low Income Superannuation Contribution refund is a refund of the concessional tax levied on employer’s contribution. Thus considering this scheme, the total amount of employer’s contribution will be invested in Adam’s superannuation fund. Benjamin should consider making personal contributions of $180,000 to his superannuation fund. Then if he is employed his employer will pay for his contributions where he will be eligible for the Low Income Superannuation refund thus the total employer’s contribution will be invested in his fund. The requirements in a SMSF investments strategy are; considering business risks, the investment must give adequate gains to the fund members, the investments must be diversified sufficiently, the needs, employment and income needs of the members must be met by the investment and finally the fund has to be able to sustain the investment as well as pay member benefits. The considerations that have to be made while making an SMSF investment are majorly

Corporate and interpersonal communication seminar paper Essay

Corporate and interpersonal communication seminar paper - Essay Example corporations, even as early as the 1980s when the term â€Å"greenwashing† gained popular usage as a neologism to describe seedy corporate tactics, to advertise products as â€Å"green†, exploiting corporate social responsibility and corporate ethics as a means of promoting one’s products and services as more altruistic (or ethical) than those of competitors. From the perspective of the corporation, greenwashing is advantageous for those in one’s target market because it gives an additional selling point. Even if the greenwash is an exaggeration, rather than an outright lie, the marketing of that product is able to create a short- and long-term benefit scheme with which to sell the product. However, a corporation facing the accusation of greenwashing can quickly find itself in a public relations feud with environmental groups that are increasingly loud and vocal with those sympathetic with what it is trying to achieve. Additionally, because of the prevalence of greenwashing in American industries, it is likely environmental marketing groups like TerraChoice and ENN are set on making an example of demonizing corporations accused of greenwashing their products and services, due to the prevalence of the practice among primary competitors in most industries. Therefore, responding to an accusation of greenwashing from consumer or envir onmental interest groups is a tricky situation no corporation should underestimate, especially given the increasing weight the value of environmental sustainability is being given in the new â€Å"green economy†. What defines the concept of a greenwash, however, might befuddle some in-house marketers, advertisers, and public relations people for a loop both in understanding the nature of acceptable practices in product promotion and in the proper response to an accusation of such fraud. Irrefutably, the best way of preventing an accusation of an act is no consciously avoid committing such an act in the first place; but, of course, it is

Benefits of Foreign Direct Investment

Benefits of Foreign Direct Investment Do Host Countries Benefit From Foreign Direct Investment? Evidence From Developing Economies Executive Summary The multinational companies (MNCs) and associated foreign direct investment (FDI) play an important role in international economy. It is well-known that FDI activity can bring many significant effects to host countries. In this essay I estimate such effects from three different aspects: The first part I focus on the relation between FDI and host country wages. Previous studies show that it is a universal phenomenon that the wages in foreign companies are higher than domestic companies. The FDI activity has a positive effect to the overall wage levels of the host countries, although wages spillovers to domestic companies are not always exist. The second part I focus on the relation between FDI and host country productivity. Foreign companies have higher productivity than domestic companies; it can be supported by most of the available studies no matter what measures have been used. Although some findings reflected that local firms in developing countries can benefit from FDI by productivity spillovers, in more cases, the productivity spillovers are not significant, even negative. The third part I focus on the relation between FDI and host countrys economic Growth. The result shows that developing countries can benefit from FDI and achieve economic growth. Overall, the host countries, especially the developing countries, can benefit from foreign direct investment. 1. Introduction The worldwide spread of multinational companies (MNCs) and associated foreign direct investment (FDI) play an important role in reconstructing economy pattern of the world. It is well-known that FDI activity can bring many significant effects to host countries development. In this essay I will estimate such effects from three different aspects- the effect in wages, the effect in productivity and the effect in economic growth- by reviewing numerous relative studies and try to find out whether host countries, especially the developing countries, can get benefits from foreign direct investment. 2. FDI And Host Country Wages In this section, I will explain to what extend does FDI influence host countries wages level. Whether local firms could benefit from the entrance or existence of foreign companies will be analyzed based on the previous studies. Firstly, let us take a look at the difference between foreign companies and domestic companies in regard to wages level. Almost all the available studies proved that foreign companies did pay higher wages in developing countries. Haddad and Harrison (1993) made a research on different companies performance in Morocco. They found that in unweighted means, foreign firms paid about 70% higher wages than domestic firms. According to weighted means, the foreign companies still paid higher real wages than domestic companies (PP.58-59). Higher wages paying by MNCs was also supported by some studies of other developing countries, such as Indonesia (Hill, 1990, Manning 1998, Lipsey and Sjà ¶holm, 2001). Lipsey and Sjà ¶holm (2001) reported that when taken the educational level into account, blue-collar workers can get 25% higher wages and white-collar workers can get 50% higher wages in foreign companies. In the conclusion part of this paper, the author stated â€Å"those higher wages for workers of a given educational level do not reflect only the greater size and larger inputs per worker in foreign plants, or their industry or location† (p.13). If considered all these factors, the foreign companies paid 12% and 20% more wages than domestic companies for blue-collar workers and white-collar workers respectively. Another evidence is taken by Ramstetter (1999), he did an research in five East Asian economies (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan) and made a report that wages in foreign plants were higher than domestic firms over 14-23 years, but the differences were not so significant in Singapore and Taiwan. It is a universal phenomenon that the wages in foreign companies are higher than domestic companies. Lipsey (2002) gave several explanations of this phenomenon. Firstly, higher wages may be caused by host-country regulations. Foreign firms are required to pay a higher price to the same quality workers in order to keep a good relationship with the host countries. Secondly, it could regard as compensation for the workers because they tend to choose local companies rather than foreign companies. Thirdly, as the foreign companies possess some advanced technology, they would rather pay more money to the employees to reduce the technology leaking resulted by stuff turnover. Last, the higher wages could count as an expense for attracting better employees because the foreign companies are not familiar with the labor market in host countries. Whether higher wages paid by foreign firms would affect the wages level in domestic firms and then change the wages level in host countries is another important question. The effects in wages of the local firms in host countries are referred as wage spillovers. Many studies focused on such wage spillovers as well as the effect to the overall wage level of the host countries taken by FDI. Aitken, Harrison, and Lipsey (1996) investigated the relationship between wages level and FDI in Venezuela and Mexico and found â€Å"no evidence of wage spillovers leading to higher wages for domestic firm†(Aitken et al., 1996, p.369). The lack of wages spillovers is in line with the different wages level between foreign and domestic companies. But there was a positive relationship between foreign ownership shares and averages industry wages, which means higher foreign ownership tend to increase industry wages. Besides, the effect was more significant for well skilled workers. The wage differ ences can be explained by â€Å"the greater human capital formation in foreign firms and lower turnover† (Aitken et al., 1996, p.369), well the increasing industry wages can be explained by the raising demand of labor in the foreign companies. Lipsey and Sjà ¶holm (2001) calculated the wage spillovers caused by FDI in Indonesia and found out foreign ownership could affect the wage level in domestic companies even if the difference in wage levels is not significant. Higher foreign ownership tend to increase the wage level of domestic companies, especially for white-collar than for blue-collar workers. We can conclude that the FDI activity has a positive effect to the overall wage levels of the host countries as the higher wages in foreign companies can increase the average wage level of the host countries, although wages spillovers to domestic companies are not always exist. As Lipsey (2002) summarized, the positive effect might caused by the higher wages paid by the foreign firms if there are no wages spillover to domestic companies; if there are positive wage spillovers, both higher wage level in foreign companies and the positive spillovers to domestic companies can contribute to the overall wage increasing; even when foreign companies take a negative effect to the wages of domestic companies, the negative spillovers could be offset by foreign companies higher wages, so it could not impact the wage level increasing in the host countries. 3. FDI And Host Country Productivity In this section, I will review the previous literatures based on two questions. The first one is whether the productivity is higher in foreign companies than domestic companies in developing countries. Only if the existence of higher productivity has been proved in foreign companies could the productivity spillover of FDI take place in developing countries. The second one is whether the higher productivity in foreign companies spills over to domestic companies. According to previous studies, comparisons of productivity between foreign-owned plants and domestic-owned plants were focused on the manufacturing sectors in developing countries. Lipsey (2002) gave a summary of Blomstrà ¶m and Wolffs working paper. They found that by measuring both value-added and gross output from manufacturing data of Mexcican in 1970, the productivity of foreign companies was more than twice of domestic companies on average. When comparing with domestic companies, the labor productivity in foreign companies was much higher in 20 manufacturing industries. They also found that the capital intensity in foreign companies was 2.5 times higher than Mexican domestic companies. Sjà ¶holm (1999, p.55) in his article examined intra-industry spillovers from FDI in the manufacturing sector of Indonesian. He used micro-level data to examine the difference in labour productivity between foreign and domestic companies in 28 industries. It was proved that technology level was higher in foreign firms than domestic firms in 26 out of 28 industries. A similar conclusion can be found in a working paper written by Okamoto and Sjà ¶holm (1999) which published in the same year. They reported in Indonesia, higher foreign shares of gross output than foreign share of employment between 1990 and 1995 indicated that foreign-owned companies had higher labor productivity. Many other studies also showed that in developing countries, the foreign companies have higher productivity than domestic companies. For Morocco, Haddad and Harrison (1993) compared the â€Å"deviation of firm productivity from each sectors best-practice frontier† in 18 industries from 1985 to 1989. They found a higher output per worker and a smaller deviation from best-practice frontiers in foreign companies than in domestic companies among total 12 industries. For Uruguay, value added per worker was used to estimate the difference in productivity between foreign and domestic owned companies. Result revealed that in 1988, the productivity in foreign firms was about 2 times as in domestic firms on average (Kokko, Zejan, and Tansini, 2001). According to a research of Taiwan manufacturing sector in 1991, Chuang and Lin (1999) found that labor productivity of MNCs was much higher than local firms, but total factor productivity of foreign companies was only slightly higher than lo cal companies. The study for Turkey between 1993 -1995 in which different elements of the production function were taken into account by Eridilek (2002), as well as the study for five Ease Asian economies (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan) in which Ramsteteer (1999) used value added per employee to measure labor productivity, both found that the average productivity of were significant higher in MNCs than in domestic firms. From all evidence mentioned above, the conclusion that â€Å"foreign companies have higher productivity than domestic companies† can be supported in developing countries no matter what measures have been used. This phenomenon may be resulted from â€Å"larger scale of production† or â€Å"higher capital intensity† in the foreign companies (Lipsey, 2002, p. 40). Before move to the research on whether host countries could get benefit from FDI in respect of productivity growth, we should first make clear when the productivity spillovers take place. Blomstrà ¶m and Kokko (1998) expressed that the productivity spillovers occur when establishment of foreign companies result in promoting the productivity and efficiency of the local companies in host countries, and the foreign companies can not completely internalize the value of these benefits. Another reason that productivity spillovers take place is the domestic companies are forced to improve the efficiency of using their existing technology and resources because the entry of foreign companies carried fierce competition to the host countries. The severe competition also leads the domestic companies to pursue new technologies which can result in the productivity spills out. Besides, we should also classify the different types of spillovers. Horizontal spillovers are the effects from foreign to local firms belonging to the same industry. Vertical spillovers occur both in upstream industries and downstream industries (Javrcik, 2004). For horizontal spillovers studies, Aitken and Harrison (1999) used a panel data of Venezuelan companies during 1976 to 1989, concluded that there are â€Å"no evidence supports the existence of technology spillovers† between foreign and local companies (p.617). Konings (2001) also used panel data to study the effect of FDI in Bulgara, Romania and Poland. According to their conclusion, they did not find any evidence of spillovers in these emerging market economies. Such results have also been supported by Djankov and Hoekman (2000). However, this conclusion can not be generalized from all the developing countries. Damijan et al. (2003) used firm-level data to study 8 transition countries between 1994 and 1998, found spi llovers from foreign to local companies were positive in Romania ( p.11). Besides, Kinoshita (2001) proved that the RD-intensive sectors of Czech Republic have positive horizontal spillovers. Compared with horizontal spillovers, â€Å"It is quite upbeat about the existence of vertical spillover† (Javrcik and Spatareanu, 2005, P.54). Since many existing articles have provided evidence of vertical spillovers in developing countries. In another paper of Javrcik (2004), firm-level panel data was used in testing the productivity spillovers in Lithuania. The results revealed positive spillovers from FDI in upstream sectors but the positive productivity spillovers were associated with partially owned foreign investments. Such existence of vertical spillovers has also been provided by Blalock and Gertler (2004) and Schoores and van der Tol (2001). Although most of the articles have a common idea on the existence of vertical spillovers, they cannot reach agreements in some questions, such as whether there are some positive spillovers carried by FDI in upstream industries. Javrcik and Spatareanu (2005) gave a theoretical assumption that if multinationals can benefit from the better performance of intermediate input suppliers, they would not take measures to prevent productivity spillovers from happening. Thus, a spillovers-channel would be established between foreign companies and their suppliers belonging to local firms. In their opinion, positive effects of FDI might take place in upstream industries as the foreign companies would impose an increasing demand and better quality of intermediate products, such requirements would stimulate local suppliers to improve their technology in productive activity, meanwhile, they can benefits from scale economies. It seems reasonable but is not always the case in reality. Lipsey (2002) in his article cited an unpublished paper written by Aitken and Harrison (1991), which showed â€Å"negative effects of foreign direct investment in an industry on productivity in upstream industries† in Venezuela (p.41). They also provided a possible reason that â€Å"foreign firms shift the demand for intermediate inputs from domestic to foreign producers, reducing the scale of output, and there fore productivity, in domestic production† (p.41). Other factors that could influent spillovers are also existent. Xu (2000) used data from 1966 to 1994 of US manufacturing MNCs in 40 countries to investigate whether MNCs can help international technology diffusion. The paper found a weak evidence of technology diffusion from US MNCs in less developed countries (LDCs). The explanation given by the author is most LDCs cannot reach â€Å"a human capital threshold of about 1.9 years (in terms of male secondary school attainment) to benefit from technology transfer of US MNE affiliates† (p. 491). A conclusion that â€Å"the technology spillover effects brought by FDI are not significant in less developed countries† could be abstracted from this paper. Some studies did support that local firms in developing countries can benefit from FDI, because productivity spillovers from foreign firms can help local firms to improve their existing technology as well as achieve scale economies. However, in more cases, the spillovers are not significant, even negative. So we can not make a simple conclusion as whether the positive spillovers are really existent is depend on different factors in different circumstances. 4. FDI And Host Countrys Economic Growth Economic growth, which is a common objective for all developing countries, can be achieved from productivity spillovers. Several authors have studied the interaction between FDI and economic growth in developing countries. De Mello (1999) found that spillovers of technology and knowledge from the foreign countries were two determinants of long-term growth in host countries and FDI has positive effects on economic growth in developing countries. Bende-Nabende (2001) used annual data from 1970 to 1996 studied on Asian countries and showed that in Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines there is a positive impact carried by FDI. Bengoa and Sanchez-Robles (2003) used data between 1970 and 1999 of Latin American countries and find that positive effect only take place in countries with more economic freedom. According to Kohpaiboon (2003) and Marwah and Tavakoli (2004), a positive correlation between FDI and GDP growth were showed in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. Moreover, several papers focused on FDI effect in China also reflected positive effect on economic growth (Vu et al., 2008, p. 546). However, not all the studies supported the positive effect of FDI in developing countries. In the research of Blomstrà ¶m, Lipsey, and Zejan (1994), developing countries were separated into two groups the higher income countries and the lower income countries -and reported that only the higher-income group FDI inflow lead to economic growth. Through the analysis on 69 developing countries in the period of 1970 to 1989, Carkovic and Levine (2002) used panel data to test the correlation between FDI and developing countries economic growth. The results showed that the effect of FDI inflows was not significant. The different methods and data choosing may lead to such different results. Some unknown factors would also affect the results. But they do not have so much impact to our conclusion. Based on the findings of previous studies, generally speaking, developing countries can benefit from FDI and achieve economic growth, 5. Conclusion The propose of this essay is try to estimate whether developing countries can get benefits from foreign direct investment. The effect of FDI has been classified into three aspects. Firstly, it is a universal phenomenon that the wages in foreign companies are higher than domestic companies. The FDI activity has a positive effect to the overall wage levels of the host countries, although wages spillovers to domestic companies are not always exist. Secondly, â€Å"foreign companies have higher productivity than domestic companies† can be supported by most of the available studies no matter what measures have been used. Although some findings reflected that local firms in developing countries can benefit from FDI by productivity spillovers, in more cases, the productivity spillovers are not significant, even negative. Thirdly, developing countries can benefit from FDI and achieve economic growth. Overall, we can get a positive conclusion that the host countries, especially the dev eloping countries, can benefit from foreign direct investment. References Aitken, B., Harrion, A., Lipsey, R. E., (1996) ‘Wages and foreign ownership: A comparative study of Mexico, Venezuela, and the United States, Journal of International Economics, Vol. 40 Issue 3-4, pp.345-371 ScienceDirect [Online]. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/ (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Bende-Nabende, A., (2001) ‘ FDI, regional economic integration and endogenous growth, some evidence from Southeast Asia, Pacific Economic Revies, Vol. 6 Issue 3, pp.383-399 InterScience [Online]. Available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com / (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Blalock, Garrick. ‘Technology from Foreign Direct Investment: Strategic Transfer through Supply Chains. Paper presented at the Empirical Investigations in International Trade Conference at Purdue University, November 9-11, 2001 (part of doctoral research at Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley). 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Available at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/ (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Chuang, Y. C. and Lin C. M., (1999) ‘Foreign Direct Investment, RD, and Spillover Efficiency: Evidence from Taiwans Manufacturing Firms, Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 35 Issue 4, pp.117-137 EBSCO [Online]. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Damijan, J. P., Knell, M. S., Majcen, B., Rojec, M (2003) ‘The role of FDI, RD accumulation and trade in transferring technology to transition countries: evidence from firm panel data for eight transition countries, Economic Systems, Vol. 27 Issue 2, pp.189-204 EconPapers [Online]. Available at: http://econpapers.repec.org/ (Accessed: 20 December 2009) De Mello, Jr.,L.R., (1999) ‘FDI-led growth: evidence from time series and panel data , Oxford Economic Papers, Vol. 51 Issue 1, pp.133-151 OXFORD FOURNALS [Online]. Available at: http://oep.oxfordjournals.org/ (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Gà ¶rg, H. and Greenaway, D., (2000) ‘Multinational enterprises, technology diffusion, and host country productivity growth , Research Paper 2000/12, Centre for Research on Globalisation and Labour Markets, University of Nottingham. Available at: http://globalisationandeconomicpolicy.com (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Haddad, M. and Harrison, A., (1993) ‘Are there positive spillovers from direct foreign investment? Evidence from panel data for Morocco , Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 42 Issue 1, pp.51-74 RePEc [Online]. Available at: http://repec.org/ (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Javorcik, B. S. and Spatareanu, M., (2005) ‘Does foreign direct investment promote development?, PP. 45-71, Available at: www.economics.ox.ac.uk (Accessed: 20 December 2009) Javorcik, B. S. (2004) ‘Does Foreign Direct Investment Increase the Productivity of Domestic Firms? 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