A Fortune

Well at least according to his mother, the lady with a black gig, using most of her time crying, because she fears the narrator will grow up and be like his father. Growing up in a trailer park, the family didn't have a lot of money. This is one of the reasons for his father teaching him pick pocketing in the age of five. This pick pocketing is still a part of his life, even after his old man left town without leaving a note or a phone call. The reason for him still pick pocketing lies in the hope he has, of his father someday returning: â€Å"One day Pop will show up again.I'll hand him the boxful of money, he will throw me some bills, and then Ill Just stow them way without counting them. That's what I think. † (Line 31) It's not that he needs the money. In fact he has a Job. But he Is longing for the recognition from his father. As he says himself, when arguing why he didn't ever count the money his dad gave him: â€Å"l Just didn't want to know how much Pop thought I was worth. † (Line 13) When working his Job, he earns enough money to take Sundays of. It's not to go to church, but to recharge his batteries.Not being religious is something he learned in his childhood. His uncle Barney used to come around dressed like Santa, only to lose his eared and ask for at stiff drink. That taught him to be realistic, only to believe in what you can see yourself. Though not having had the most love full childhood, he still loves his mother: â€Å"l have to give her credit for trying to make me an honest boy. † (Line 1 5) He still visits her at the trailer park, reading the notes from fortune cookies aloud to her. When speaking of the fortune cookies, these play a big part In his life.He always saves them, after eating a low-price dinner at the Chinese restaurant. As he says: â€Å"I love those stupid fortune cookies. † (Line 38) When using â€Å"love† and â€Å"stupid† in the same line, he contradicts himself. The fortune notes inside the cookie are stupid, it's such a small thing, and the fortune usually doesn't come true. But he loves them, because when they tell him things like â€Å"love and happiness will be yours in abundance† it's something he has never heard before, it's something he hopes will come true.These fortune notes tell him everything he has longed hearing from his parents, the loving things they never told him. When seeing the little boy at the market, he reminds him of himself. The boy is about seven ears old, following his father, Just like the narrator at the age of five used to follow his father when they would go pick pocketing. When he sees the boy standing all alone In the street, he feels forced to take care of him: â€Å"l don't know what compelled me, but my feet Just sort of walked over to him before I told them to. Kid, you lost? â€Å"Do you want to come with me? † I heard myself talking and I swear I sounded Like a stinking Clapper. Eve never Ana a problem wi lt stealing wallets, D stealing lost kids is out of my territory. It's Just that, it must be nice, you know, to be mound† (Line 75) He feels a connection to the boy, which express itself in the last line. When saying it must be nice to be found, the narrator is no longer talking about the boy. He is talking about himself, and how he is longing to be found by his father. To be found, and being told that he is loved.When taking the boy to his house, the similarity between the two gets stronger. At first the narrator doesn't quite know what to do with the boy. But because of his loneliness, it's nice to have some company. He chooses to show his collection of fortune notes to the boy, and the two of them are paving a blast. The narrator never cries. But this boy touches something in him. When looking at his lop-sided smile, he gets all emotional. He has already given the boy a fortune note saying â€Å"time is of the essence, use it wisely,† when choosing to give all his fo rtune notes to the boy.Why? Here's why: mean it, kid. I want you to have my fortunes. You know why? You deserve it, kid, you earned it. † â€Å"Here it says, ‘Long life will be yours. ‘ I want you to have that one especially, because you deserve a long life† (Line 116) The narrator puts on the role of fatherhood, making sure that this id, opposite to himself, knows what he is worth and that he is deserves to have a good, long life. He is telling the boy the things that the father is supposed to tell him.By telling the boy what he is worth, he states the fact, that the boy is a fortune in himself – hence the title. His father is a lucky man, and he doesn't appreciate it. If he did, he wouldn't have yelled harshly at the kid when they were at the market. The text is build up as a flashback at first. The narrator is looking back at when he first saw the boy, then going on telling about his old childhood. When he's done telling about myself, he returns to the story: â€Å"Like I said, it was a Sunday when I saw this man and his son†¦ (Line 34) It goes on chronologically from here on, and the story ends sudden when the narrator has dropped the boy of at his house. The narrator is a 1. Person narrator, not knowing how other people know or think. By this kind of narrator, we focus on the narrator himself, although the main event of the story is the little boy. As fortunes being the main theme of the text, there's no talk about fortunes as a materialistic thing, but the fact that everyone is a fortune in themselves.But people aren't told, and it hurts the most when not hearing it from one's parents: â€Å"That guy didn't need his credit cards or cash or oilskin wallet. He didn't know what a fortune he had 159) Before meeting the boy, the narrator got a fortune cookie that said: â€Å"A change in your daily routine will lead you to treasure. † When telling the boy what he is worth, he immediately feels better with himself. The message of the text comes as a result of this: It's important to tell people what they're worth, no matter if they are rich or poor, leaving them happy and leaving you as feeling like a good person.

What You Pawn I Will Redeem Response Paper

â€Å"What You Pawn I Will Redeem† (Response Paper) â€Å"What You Pawn I Will Redeem† by Sherman Alexie is the story of the mission of the humorous character of Jackson Jackson. Jackson Jackson is a homeless Spokane Indian in search of money to repurchase the regalia that was stolen from his grandmother about 50 years ago. He embarks on a journey to collect 999 dollars, the amount of money the pawnbroker is willing to sell the regalia for. Throughout this journey, the humorous character of Jackson Jackson unravels to reveal a man of culture.Although Jackson has left Spokane to attend college in Seattle, his Indian culture remains an important part of him. He constantly speaks of his Indian beliefs, ways, and customs. In the opening sentence, Jackson immediately acknowledges that he is Indian and differentiates his race from â€Å"hungry white folks† (8). As the story progresses, he uses many other statements to distinguish his race; he explains that Indians â₠¬Å"don’t want to be perfect, because only God is perfect† (11). This distinctive Indian belief is used to prove that the regalia indeed belonged to his grandmother.Jackson’s culture also proves to play a substantial part in his decisions in regards to the money he needs for the regalia. Whenever he happens to gather a bit of money, it is always squandered almost immediately after, due to Jackson’s over-abundant sense of generosity. After winning one hundred dollars from a lottery ticket, he gives a fifth of it to Mary, the cashier in the Korean grocery store. At first, Mary refuses, but Jackson insists that it is, yet again, â€Å"an Indian thing† (18). His cultural sharing tendency also leads him to spend the remaining eighty dollars on whiskey shots for everyone at the bar.One can say that his decision was driven by alcoholism as well as ignorance, but the sense of family among those of his own race also impacted him when he decided that â€Å"[h e] and his cousins [were] going to be drinking eighty shots† (18). Clearly, Jackson’s Indian nationality not only distinguishes him from the white people of Seattle, but also makes a large impact on his actions and his decisions. Nevertheless, Jackson is not solely defined by his title of â€Å"a Spokane Indian. † Although his culture drives many of his actions, redemption also plays an important role in making up Jackson’s character.At first glance, the short story is about a man striving to repurchase his grandmother’s old regalia. However, if one looks deeper, the regalia may symbolize redemption, hence the name, â€Å"What You Pawn I Will Redeem. † Jackson’s hidden objective is to bring his grandmother back to life, or at least redeem some part of her. By redeeming a part of his grandmother, he is able to redeem a part of his home in India. Jackson’s longing to redeem his home in India also contributes to the theme of a lack of a place to belong. Jackson can be considered homeless both physically and symbolically.Because he does not have the financial means to provide shelter for himself, he is physically homeless. Jackson is also homeless symbolically, for he cannot find a home in society. He flunks out of his college, losing a place in the campus, and he ruins his attempts at marriage, losing his partner in life. In the beginning of the story, Jackson holds a place in the community of the homeless Indians, and he considers them â€Å"[his] teammates, [his] defenders, [his] posse† (9). However, he soon finds that one member of the group, Rose of Sharon, has left and hitchhiked back to Toppenship to live with her sister on the reservation.Later, he realizes that another member of his group, Junior, has also left and hitchhiked down to Portland, Oregon. When Jackson visits the Indian bar and befriends Honey Boy and Irene, he finds that at the end of the night, they too have disappeared. Finally, the Aleut cousins, also homeless Indians, disappear as well, said to have either drowned or disappeared north. Jackson’s status of a loner in society is further solidified as one by one, his â€Å"posse† (9) disappears. In conclusion, Alexie’s short story illustrates a cultural character looking for redemption, as well as a home.

Party Monster: The Twisted Story of New York’s Club Scene Essay

The mid-1990s was a time of wealth and recreation for the United States, with the combination of economic progress and social liberty producing a new generation of spoiled, unrestrained and often genuinely reckless young ‘celebutantes. ’ As many Americans were making their fortune on the Wall Street or in the Silicon Valley, a counterculture of hedonistic abandon emerged not necessarily in response or even contrast to these patterns, but rather oblivious to them. Centered on the club scene in New York City, the nightlife excesses of this era would closely mirror those of the disco era in the late 1970s. Just as the music, drugs, sex and glamour had come to define such hotspots as Paradise Garage and Studio 54 in the 1970s, so too would such locations as the Limelight and the Tunnel become notorious for the bacchanalian events which transpired inside during the 1990s. The early to mid-90s would in fact play witness to a peak in debauchery and mayhem with some of the scene’s most prominent self-made figures devolving from mere hedonists to perpetrators of serious and grotesque criminal extremity. The real-life narrative of Michael Alig and the Club Kid scene to which he was a self-proclaimed icon is at once a cautionary tale remarking upon the extent to which superficiality can breed outright evil and simultaneously projecting itself as a twisted tale of celebrity intrigue. In the novel by former scenester James St. James, Disco Bloodbath, as well as in the 1999 documentary and the 2003 film, both entitled Party Monster, the events surrounding the rise, peak and fall of the New York club scene are suggested as the hazy underside of a cultural mirror. The figures at the center take on mythic proportions for the hugeness of their appetites, their unwillingness to compromise hedonism even for ethical reflection and their suggested parallel to the most extreme impulses in the broader culture. The film, directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato reached limited audiences and fairly consistent acclaim upon its 2003 release. However, in research of television footage, documentary material, newspaper articles and interviews, it becomes increasingly clear that the film does a compellingly accurate job at capturing the personas, ethos and destructiveness of its focal characters. In particular, Michael Alig, played by Macauley Culkin, and James St. James, portrayed by Seth Green, channel the impulsive stupidity that lay at the root of the scene. The New York club scene that is depicted in such vivid and aggressive color by the film at the center of this discussion is one which sprang from the decay of the disco scene. The sexual revolution of the seventies—which opened the door for an unprecedented freedom of expression in the urban gay communities that were so prominent to the club scene—gay way to a more cosmetic interest in gay fashion, gay aesthetics and gay lifestyle excesses during the plastic eighties. This transition gave birth to the new club archetype of the late decade, with figures such as Alig, St. James, DJ Keoki, Amanda Lepore, Sophia Lamar and Richie Rich rising to prominence. Most of these individuals shared the same background as wealthy trust fund children who determined to use college moneys provided by affluent parents in far off places to migrate to the heart of New York’s gay community to shop for clothes, drugs and party supplies. Generally, this is how the club scene would come to be, with the figures collectively creating a genuine and notable ‘happening,’ which centered on the core premises of indulgence in sexual immodesty, costuming, drug binging and non-stop, excessive partying. Most of these individuals would become connected by their shared interests, meeting in the same VIP lounges, after-parties, dance-floors and back-rooms. However, they would soon create their own shared agenda, which largely consisted of concocting the most decadent, elaborate and creative party and club events imaginable. Ingredients for the pursuit of this aim were universally related to the intake of heavy intoxicants such as ketamine, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy as well as the donning of making, costume and androgynous fixings. The connection between these individuals established something of a familial scene in which individuals engaged in free love and unabashed expression. Though there was an artistic oeuvre to the scene, particularly notable in the transgender excesses which distinguished the players, there was not necessarily any meaningful ideology or core intention other than to be, as Alig would so often demand, ‘fabulous. Those who were directly participatory in the club escapades, as would be shown in the film, were of minimal ideological grounding and came from errant and flimsy philosophical consideration. Interestingly though, these figures would with no small air of self-parody project various ideas about a mission or purpose in the proportion of their behaviors. In a very interesting broadcast which can be found on You Tube (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=2h-JvWdPR0o), the Jane Whitney show would play host to a few members of this scene. In addition to demonstrating the notoriety to which these individuals had risen for essentially showing up to or planning elaborate party events, the talk show showed these to be a collective of very young individuals with a limited sense of purpose. In the sequence linked to above, it is clear that the notables featured on the show would come for a shared background generally distinguishable economic resource and few concerns beyond appearance and the pursuit of pleasurable activity. Richie Rich, Michael Alig, Walt Paper and others featured on the show struggle in coming to a common recognition of that which might be considered a central mission for the Club Kids. The Club Kids were a specific group of these scenestes who were noted for their role in defining said scene. Fixtures at the parties and discotheques, and even of the local gossip columns and celebrity reels, the Club Kids would become notorious for the extent to which they were willing to engage in excessive and what mainstream culture would consider downright dangerous behavior. In Party Monster the Club Kids are portrayed with some degree of sympathy, afforded by the source of most material concerning their activities, which tended to arise from the participants. Such is to say that many of those formerly involved in the scene would become successful as fashion designers, club promoters and performance artists. Indeed, referring back to the interview on Jane Whitney, the Club Kids cite Madonna and RuPaul as two individuals who had risen to genuine mainstream fame from the core of the club scene. In the discussion stimulated by Party Monster, we can see that the Club Kids were really a core of individuals who believed themselves to be engaged in some manner of social liberation. This much is hinted at and simultaneously contradicted in the Whitney interview. However, we can see a more palpable evidence that this is occurring in the alleged words of Michael Alig himself. As one who created his own image as the great party-promoter and chief merrymaker for his time and place, he had also come to play this part with a degree of individual excess that set him apart in a setting where this extremity was the norm. He would characterize his own social calling, according the film according to a personal impetus at how life should be pursued which is conspicuously hedonistic in the most genuine definition of the term. So would the Culkin-played character contend that â€Å"one day I realized I didn’t want to be like all the drearies and normals. I wanted to create a world full of color where everyone could play. One big party. . . that never ends. † (Bailey & Barbado, 1) To his perspective, there was a real mission and purpose in defying the gray habitations of mainstream society. As aspects of the lifestyle tendencies in such individuals were largely rejected by mainstream society—in particular their sexual proclivities and dug consumption habits—this would seem an appropriate framing for an existence of sheer indulgence. Perhaps more succinctly phrased is the explanation supplied by St. James himself in a 2003 interview with Ogunnaike, where he reflects with a degree of assume removal from this belief system today, on the idea that there was some kind of meaning or accomplishment to what was being done. As reported, â€Å"‘while Mr. St. James admits that he and his merry band of misfits were †nightmares and brats’,† he argues that there was an ideology, a club-kid agenda, behind the false eyelashes. †We were going to do away with sexual roles,† he explained. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Drag was going to be the norm. Drugs were going to be this gateway into this utopian society. ‘’’ (Ogunnaike, 1) Naturally, as this examination and the film clearly must contend with, the horrific events constituting the end of this scene would sharply counter such ambitions. Still, and quite interestingly, as is noted in a New York Times article from the time of the film’s release, there is concocted by the sympathies of the filmmakers and the author a tendency to frame the events of this time as somehow being worthy of note beyond their implications to the pursuit of fun. To this extent, it is noted that, â€Å"as hard as it is to imagine now, nightclubs seemed somehow important then. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring were doing installations, the outre 4 a. m. fashion was more interesting than anything on the runways, and people seemed to emerge from the disco as fully formed celebrities. Alig was the last of these self-created downtown freaks. † (Van Meter, 1) The Club Kids, Alig here included, would be remarkable for their aggressive pursuit of the things this implied. The characters that made up the inner circle of the Club Kids were those perhaps most rampantly committed to the extremity of the lifestyle, which consisted of sexual swinging and a consumption of drugs that, by all accounts, is even downplayed in the film in order to prevent audiences from falling into disbelief. Such is to say that reports and self admission as the level of drug abuse in the scene during the late 80s and into the early 90s for such figures as James St. James and Michael Alig demonstrate that it was nothing less than deadline. Ironically, both of these figures have survived to present date to tell this story, but the latter has done so largely from within a prison cell. The story of the Club Kids might seem essentially unremarkable for its representation of New York City during this time. Such is to say that the metropolitan city has already become a lightning rod for drug use, sexual excess, homosexual liberation and nightclubbing. That a subculture had developed around this would be no major revelation either. Just as had occurred in the disco heyday of the seventies, in-crowd celebrities and self-avowed leaders of the scene would become omnipresent in defining the existence of a cultural occurrence. What tends to set this story is its worthy representation of the horrors which can truly be created in such a cauldron of thoughtlessness. There is, without question, a prime directive guiding the actions of the Club Kids which utterly rejects the premise of consequences. The drug abuse, sexual indiscretion and refusal of responsibility will boil over in the events that compose the climax of Party Monster. When Alig and his roommate Freezes conspire in the chaotic murder of their drug-dealer, Angel Melendez, a lucid collapse would end the so-called Golden Age of the New York club scene. With its end would also come a host of philosophical questions relating the nature of the excess pursued and the form taken by this grisly endnote. Such is to say that there is a certain coldness and emotional detachment that is portrayed in the film and identifiable in the real-life Alig which causes us to view the murder as a direct and inevitable outcome to the abuses and the sheer materialist superficiality fostered by the club scene and its attendant lifestyle. In the Van Meter article, the journalist suggests that there was a clear pattern by which this process of decline had begun to occur, even before the events that killed Melendez. The particular spark that would ignite this incident would be merely symptomatic of a shadowy presence that had begun to rear its head. As the fun and airy ambitions of the Club Kids segued into hard drug dependencies and heartless sexual trysts, the pressure of ketamine and heroin had become dominant. As reported, â€Å"by the mid-nineties, the club scene had grown darker. At Alig’s Disco 2000, the Wednesday-night bacchanal at the Limelight, the warm, fuzzy bath of a roomful of people on ecstasy had turned into a torture chamber: people dressed like monsters stumbling around in their K-holes in a deconsecrated Gothic church while the menacing hardcore-techno music drove them literally out of their minds. † (Van Meter, 1) The impending ugliness of the scene could be scene in no one less than Michael Alig himself. He had been an inspirational party promoter and, in some respects one might have to admit, even a tireless worker in pursuit of extracting enjoyment for others. This is to say that there was some degree of his character which seemed to delight in bringing pleasure to others. And yet, there is a more apparent interest according to many of those who knew him, to delight in the pleasure that others recognized to have been extracted by his efforts. By all accounts, the evidence which the movie and the true events suggest that Alig was a consummate performer, both socially and emotionally. In the interview with Van Meter from his prison cell, which we will return to further on in this account, Alig explicitly claims that he works very hard to maintain a facade of uncaring coolness in deflection of the fact that he is extremely self-conscious about what others think of him. This admission, which is given well after the fact of his crime, lends us insight as we enter into a discussion on the murder itself. Indeed, extreme and reprehensible nature of the crime and causes us to question just exactly what lay beneath this facade. In building toward the event of the murder, the film comes to gradually show what type of figure Alig is. Though it does come after the fact of the murder and Alig’s incarceration, the film seems to leave no doubt that Alig is a man capable of deeply wrong acts. He is shown as one who is by his own nature and accord always attempting to engage of acts of great deviance, mischief and even wanton destruction. While many of the other Club Kids made their advances in the scene according to the utopian premises suggested by St. James, Alig took an altogether different tack to withdrawing from mainstream constraints. We can see as much even the relationship between he and St. James which is captured as the centerpiece of the film. As St. James is shown as marginally more thoughtful than his cohort, Alig is shown to be an almost unreal individual, whose shades of extremity could often infiltrate the territory of outright meanness. To this end, â€Å"the relationship between the two vacillates between tenderness and cruelty (as when Alig serves a glass of his urine to St. James, who takes it for Champagne), and it is the focus of this muddled, sometimes touching movie. (Scott, 1) That there is any type of emotion fostered between them we may say is a factor which actually conspires against such figures as St. James and, at another touching moment in the film, the jilted DJ Keoki (played by Wilmer Valderama). Because in truth, Alig is the figure who most accurately and ably captures the emptiness which is at the center of his scene. As a figure who inspires others to find ever more elaborate and incongruous ways to costume themselves, Alig is perpetually one who hides behind masks even as he aims to be a sweetheart of the spotlight.

HRM on International context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HRM on International context - Essay Example It can be noted that Germany labour systems have been characterised by collective agreements where the workers agree on collective bargaining instead of embarking on industrial action to press for more wages. However, the issue has been to test to see if MNCs and larger national fast food employers would respond to sectoral level bargaining as well as the extent of effectiveness of the German system of statutory employee representation in practice. Thus, the research mainly focused on these two groups of industries in Germany particularly McDonalds which has dominated the Germany food industry for many years and its labour relations practices. According to the research, the industrial relation in Germany are characterised by collective representation where industrial action is not advocated. Most unions are affiliated to the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) which by far is the largest and most important federation. In 2001 after mergers, there were six unions affiliated to DGB with the most important mergers taking place between service sector unions to form the new service workers union where the union representing the food, catering, drink and tobacco industries did not take part. Collective agreements negotiated at sectoral levels are legally binding but this excludes other companies in Germany. Focus in this case is on the fast food industry in Germany which broadly includes motorway service stations, retail sector restaurants and airport restaurants excluding hotels and other â€Å"leisure† sector. McDonalds tops the Germany food service sector in terms of turnover. Management at McDonalds believed that wor ks councils and collective agreements with unions would seriously undermine its system and this attracted criticism. However, the company later capitulated to pressure. However, the 1952/1972 and 1976 Acts do not apply to McDonalds because it has retained US registration in the state of Delaware. There are few

Critical response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical response - Essay Example Furthermore, considering her cynical attitude, it is possible she hast tried very many. I am of the opinion that technology is not a panacea for educational problems. However, this does not mean that it is all bad like the writer would have us believe. In fact, the authors seeming large scale condemnation of the notion of using technology in education of children is the main point of friction from my side. The article contains five arguments against the use of technology in elementary school; thus, I will undertake to examine each of them while adding additional evidence where I deem it necessary in the quest to acquiesce to or dispute some of the claims as posited by the author. Technology may be a controversial subject in lower school because the subject in the lower school, but in upper levels, it has become part of the system. This is because their teachers are unlikely to have the luxury of using their own discretion on whether to inculcate it in the syllabi or not. This is mostly because to majority of teenagers, IT is part of their lives and many spend hours in front of computer monitors or surfing and watching videos on their Ipads and I phones. As such teachers doing things their way is likely to be the IT way. As such, the lower school students will be better placed to acclimatize themselves to the technology higher up if it is introduced early. In the initial argument, the writer posits that the benefits are not clear due to insufficient research on the subject. He goes ahead to quote some of the findings and claim that technology has been found to have negative impacts on the concentration of children. While this might have some negative effects, it is not a conclusive result either. Furthermore, by his own admission, there is not enough evidence to show the benefits then it goes without saying there is not enough to uphold

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Essay

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) - Essay Example During the last few years, United Kingdom has witnessed four important appeals from British citizens regarding an attack on their individual Christian Faiths. The UK Courts of Law have integrated the four incidents into two cases. They have gained prominence by the name of Eweida and Chaplin Vs the UK and Ladele and McFarlene Vs the UK.Initially, the applicants had approached the UK Courts of Law, who had rejected their appeal due to the non-fulfillment of certain conditions. However, the cases are still in its proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights. However, this time, the EHRC has decided to intervene to ensure a fair trial to the applicants. The Main Issues The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public organization which was established according to UK’s Equality Act of 2006. It started functioning from October 2007 and was Britain’s only organization which supervised issues relating to equality and human rights in the countr y. The Commission works towards reducing inequality, eliminating discrimination and encouraging good relations among the citizens. It also ensures the protection of their rights in a variety of circumstances. On September 15, 2011 the EHRC notified the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) of its plan of intervening in four cases regarding the practice of religious discrimination in the workplace. These were four separate cases involved four British Government employees who were subject to unlawful discrimination regarding their Christian beliefs. The individuals involved were Nadia Eweida, a British Airways employee, Shirley Chaplin, a government hospital nurse, Lillian Ladelle, a marriage registrar in London and Gary McFarlane, a counselor. The European Court combined the cases of these four persons into two cases: Eweida and Chaplin Vs the UK and Ladele and McFarlene Vs the UK. In the first case, both the women were asked to conceal or remove the Christian cross worn on their ne cklaces, by their respective workplace authorities. Eweida worked as a check-in staff in the British Airways counter at London’s Heathrow Airport, while Chaplin was employed as a nurse in a government hospital. Being Christians by faith, both Eweida and Chaplin were used to wearing a cross tied to their necklaces. However, their respective management authorities did not approve of this and asked the women to either hide the cross beneath their clothes or stop wearing it altogether. This was definitely an attack on their religious sentiments. While the authorities accommodated the customs of employees belonging to other religions, they discriminated against these Christian women. In the second case, the two Christians Ladele and McFarlene were dismissed from their jobs as they refused to be involved in actions contradicting their religion. Ladelle was employed as a marriage registrar in London’s Islington Council. When she asked the authorities to exclude her from legal izing homosexual relationships, the management decided to discontinue her services. On the other hand, McFarlene served as a counselor in a government counseling service who used to provide advice to heterosexual as well as homosexual couples. However, in some cases he had declined to offer psycho-sexual therapy to homosexual couples and as a result was terminated from

President Bush Faces His Own Storm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

President Bush Faces His Own Storm - Essay Example In fact, nearly every post-hurricane project the President described hinges on a degree of federal involvement not seen in roughly 30 years. Even before the Aug. 29 hurricane devastated many areas along the Gulf Coast, the President's approval ratings were at an all-time low, largely because of Iraq, fuel prices and the economy. In the initial days after Katrina, Mr. Bush's hesitancy to act and apparent insensitivity to the plight of people too poor to evacuate dismayed even Republicans, especially candidates in congressional races next year. Comparatively, Hurricane Katrina is a different kind of crisis for a president already tested by terrorist attacks on American soil and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The immensity of this calamity has overwhelmed even the federal government. Bush faced not only the hurricane's aftermath, but the public perceptions formed by round-the-clock television coverage and the political pressures that follow. His wrong decisions blew the tops of people and ultimately gathered blame because of the government's laxity and slow paced disaster relief operations. Some even say that the disaster might not have been this "disastrous" if the government made proactive efforts to prevent all the damages. However, a reversal of President Bush's reaction, as he admitted responsibility on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, is exemplary on his part.

The encapsulation efficiency of a targeted drug delivery system Literature review - 1

The encapsulation efficiency of a targeted drug delivery system consisting of Herceptin-loaded polymers, an evaluation and characterization - Literature review Example There is enough evidence on nature on nanotechnology. For instance, the DNA molecules width is about 2.5nm, the thickness of the human hair is about 10,000nm thick, and the diameter of a hydrogen atom is about 0.1nm that is too small to be seen by human eyes. Nature also produces nanostructures that offer functional proteins, which are of great significance at the cellular level. It is argued that one of the functions of these proteins found in cells is nanotechnological separations. Molecular motors that comprise the human muscles are complex nanomachines that convert chemical energy to mechanical energy with high efficiency. Ribosomes can also produce protein molecules with high precision and photosynthesis is carried out in plants by nanosize cells that use energy to synthesize organic compounds with the use of cheap raw materials (Bender & Nahta, 2008). Pharmacists have confirmed the effectiveness of using Herceptin. Although the medication has raised controversies among scholars, it is confirmed that the medication is of paramount importance in the process of healing. According to Sauter et al. 2009, Herceptinis anticancer medication used mainly to treat early stage malignant cancer of the breast and in some cases cancer of the stomach. This is a condition that has for a long time given medical researchers sleepless nights as many of the medications used currently have been found to have severe side effects. In the process of treatment, Herceptin acts on those tumors which produce the Human Epidermal growth Receptor (HER2 protein) more than the normal amount. Human Epidermal growth Receptor 2 is a protein which enhances the growth of cancer cells. The presence of the cancerous cells leads to excessive production of the HER2 protein hence promoting the metastasis of the cancerous cells to a larger part of the affected area. The

Buddhism in 1500-1700 AD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Buddhism in 1500-1700 AD - Essay Example (The meeting of Altan Khaan and Sonam Gyasto in 1578 spread Buddhism in all parts of greater Mongolia) The Toyotomi family was a group of people who were profoundly devoted towards the Buddhism religion. Therefore, they intended to build a large statue of Buddha in the Hokoji temple in Japan. This was to pay honor to Buddha and help in spreading the religion by fascinating the people through the marvelous statue of Buddha. The statue was being built and when it got completed, unfortunately I destroyed. It could not remain for a very long time as it destroyed due to a devastating earthquake. In 1598 it started to re-build again but, because of the catching of fire, it was again destroyed. The statue was made up of Bronze and was almost completed. (Lipikazuo) One group of the Buddhist religious group was the Oirat Mongols. Oirat Mongols were a group of people who originated from the Altai region of the Western Mongolia. The Oirats, therefore, were the tribes from the western part of Mongolia and were influenced highly by Buddhism. In 1615, the oirat Mongols converted to Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism. The fifth Dalai Lama defeated the rivals Kagyu, Jonang sects and the secular ruler who was the prince of Shang. He easily defeated them due to the help and aid of Gushi Khan. Gushi Khan was the military leader of the Oriat Mongols. He then converted to the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism. Anonymous. (2009). The meeting of Altan Khaan and Sonam Gyasto in 1578 spread Buddhism in all parts of greater Mongolia. Retrieve from

Subject-Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English Essay Example for Free

Subject-Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English Essay Abstract In this paper, the researchers particularly investigated the subject verb agreement in Sindhi and English languages. English and Sindhi are two entirely different languages. There are differences in their phonology, morphology and syntax also. In this paper, the researchers examined the difference between one of the aspects of syntax, specially the difference between subject verb agreements in both the languages. Syntactically English is a head initial SVO language and Sindhi is a head Final SOV language. These two languages differ not only in phonology, morphology and syntax but they have also got difference in their origin. First the study shows a brief look at origin of Sindhi and English languages. Then subject verb agreement in Sindhi and English is analysed individually, afterwards there is a analysis of comparison between these two languages in subject verb agreement. Key words: Subject-verb, Agreement, Paryog, Head, Comparative, Syntax Introduction – Sindhi Sindhi is an Indo-Aryan language with its roots in the Lower Indus River Valley. Sindhi language is one of the most ancient languages of the world, which belongs to the Indus Valley Civilization. This language is the family member of the languages like Urdu, Persian, Sanskrit, Arabic, Hindi, and so on. Sindhi employs Perso-Arabic script and thus is written from right to left in contrast to the most of the Western languages which are written from left to right (Shaikh 1986). Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:6 June 2013 Mubarak Ali Lashari and Amara Aftab Soomro Subject-Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English: A Comparative Study Sindhi takes its name from the river Indus, known in earlier times as the Sindhu. Today Sindhi is spoken in the province of Sindh, Pakistan where it is recognized by the government as the official language of the province. Nearly half of the population of Sindh province lives in rural areas, where Sindhi is the primary language. In the urban centers of Sindh, Sindhi competes for status and speakers with Urdu (the national language of Pakistan), and increasingly English. Sindhi is also spoken by about 2.5 million people in India, including major communities in Gujarat, Mumbai and Pune, where immigrants from Sindh relocated after the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. Beyond the Indian subcontinent, Sindhi is spoken by large Diaspora communities in the United Kingdom and the United States, and around the world. English The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes were the Anglos, the Saxons and the Jutes. They crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed towards west and north by the invaders mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from Englaland and their language was called â€Å"Englics from which the words England and English are derived. English is a head initial SVO language, shows distinctive agreement only in the third person singular, present tense form of verbs, which are marked by adding -s (walks) or -es (fishes). The rest of the persons are not distinguished in the verb (I walk, you walk, they walk, etc.). In English, singular verb generally have an ‘s’ at the end, Plural verbs do not, and Nouns are the opposite, like; book (singular noun), walks (singular verb) and books (plural noun) , drive (plural verbs) etc. Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:6 June 2013 Mubarak Ali Lashari  and Amara Aftab Soomro Sindhi Structure In Sindhi, the order of words in a sentence differs from English. The verb typically appears at the end of the sentence in Sindhi, while in English, it comes after the subject, but not at the end of the sentence. Syntactically, Sindhi displays a host of properties that are typical of Indic languages as a whole. Sindhi is a head-final SOV language. Postpositions are attested and affixation is largely suffixal. Sindhi verbs agree with their subjects in person, gender, and number. All inflection proceeds by way of affixation. Sharaf ud Din Islahi, in â€Å"The linguistic connections of Urdu and Sindhi languages† (Urdu-Sindhi ke Lisani Rawabit), affirms the above claims that Sindhi language is closely associated with the sub-continental languages. He confirms that Urdu and Sindhi are two such languages of the sub-continent in which much linguistic relations and agreements are found. Their phonetic system is almost same. Their grammar is closely related. Their vocabulary and semantics are inter-connected. Their scripture is almost same. Their literary traditions are also almost analogous. (pp. 61) â€Å"Sindhi language has taken birth from Sanskrit and Prakrit; and its letters of Alphabets are mostly from Sanskrit† (Shaikh 1986, pp,6). Now we will have a brief investigation of syntactical differences between Sindhi and English language. Syntactic difference between English and Sindhi. Structure dependency seems common in all the languages. This asserts that â€Å"knowledge of language relies on the structural relationship in sentences rather than the sequence of words.† (Chomsky 1988). Yet language differs in many ways; if knowledge of language consisted simply of unvarying principles, all human languages would be identical. The theory of Head parameters specifies the order of elements in a language. It asserts that some languages are head-initial and some languages are head-final. We are here concerned with English and Sindhi language, so the syntactic differences of both these languages are given below: 1. English is a head-initial language and Sindhi is a head-final language. Other differences are; 2. Sindhi is written from right hand rule, while English is written from left hand side. Example This is English. - (He Sindhi Ahe) †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Å  Ø ³ ÚÅ'ÙŠ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬3. In Sindhi language, the auxiliaries such as. ‘-†«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢-Ù ¿Ã™Ë†-‘ ,’-Ù ¿ -‘ ,‘-Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å -‘ ,’-Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ appear at the end of the sentence, while in English auxiliaries appear in middle of the sentence. Example This is my book. (He Muhjo Kitab Ahe) †«Ã˜ ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †« هي Ù… Ø ¬Ã™Ë† Ú ªÃ˜ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬ 4. In Sindhi language, verbs come after the object of the sentence, while in English language verbs come before the object of the sentence. Example I am eating. - (Aaon Khai Rahyo Ahyan) †«-Ø ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë† Ú © Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ø ±Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã™Ë† Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ 5. In Sindhi language, preposition comes after the object, while in the English language object comes after preposition. Example I am going to School. (Aaon School Danhn Wajji Rahyo Ahyan) †«Ã˜ ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë† Ø ³Ãš ªÃ™Ë†Ã™â€ž Ú  Ù† ن†¬ †« ÚÆ'ÙŠ Ø ±Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã™Ë† Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Subject Verb Agreement Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule, which states that the subject and the verb must agree in a sentence. The subject normally refers to the noun or pronoun that tells us whom or what the sentence is about. A verb normally has a singular and plural form in the present tense. Agreement allows us to show who’s doing what in a sentence by indicating which part of the sentence go together. In languages where the verb is inflected, it often agrees with its primary argument (the subject) in person, number, and/or gender. The word whose form is determined by the other is said to be ‘agree’ with it. Agreement can occur over short or long distances in sentences (Neelman and Weeman 1999). For example consider the following sentence: John blames them In this sentence, the verb ‘blames’ agrees with the subject ‘John’. And the subject is licensed by agreement. There is no agreement between the verb and object ‘them’. Subject Verb Agreement in English Subject The word that represents the doer or agent of an action or set of actions in a sentence is either a noun (e.g., pen, car, Jessica etc) or a pronoun (e.g., we, they, he, she etc). It can be either a singular or plural. 1. Your sentence may have a compound subject. 2. Your subject will never be in a prepositional phrase. 3. Usually your subject comes before your verb. Verb The word/words represents the actions of a sentence (e.g., is, went, will place, have taken, will have been observed, etc.). Wren and Martin (2002) define verb as: â€Å"A Verb is a word that tells or asserts something about a person or thing. Verb comes from the Latin verbum, a word. It is so called because it is the most important word in a sentence† (pp. 65). Subject verb agreement refers to the change in the form of a verb depending on its subject. Wren and Martin (2001) say that; The subject of the verb, like the personal pronouns, has three persons- the first, the second and the third. The subject of a verb may be first person (I, we), second person (You [singular], You [plural]), or third person (he, she, it, they). In English a verb changes form only when its subject is third person singular (he/she/it) and only in the present tense. Present Tense Singular Plural I eat They eat You eat You eat He, She, It eats We eat Past tense Singular Plural I ate They ate You ate You ate He, She, It ate We ate The subjects above given are not underlined. The verbs are bold and underlined. Now look at the present tense conjugations of verbs, because that is where you will see a difference. In the present tense, all of the different subject uses â€Å"eat† except for the third person subjects â€Å"he†, â€Å"she†, and â€Å"it†. If you are using what are called â€Å"regular verbs†, you will always add this -s after the third person subject. Therefore you can say â€Å"I like apples†, â€Å"You like apples,† but if you use â€Å"She†, you must say â€Å"She likes apples†. English grammar is not quite this simple in practice because people don’t always use the words I, She, He, They, We, You, and It. Usually they are more specific rather simple. For instance say, â€Å"My sister teaches a class at college† or â€Å"Joe and Jessica always dress well†. Now look at the subject and than decide what type of word of pronoun it is. â€Å"My mother† is a â€Å"She†, so the verb must include an –s or –es. â€Å"Joe and Jessica† are â€Å"they†, so the verb will not have the –s or –es ending. Regular vs. Irregular Verbs This is a little more complicated because there are two types of verbs: Regular and irregular. Regular verbs such as walk, play, jump and always follows –s as stated above.; and in the past tense form you will add – ed to make walked, played, jumped. But irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. Below are given three most common irregular verbs and their conjugations, which you will have to memorize in order to use them correctly. To Be Present Tense Singular Plural I am We are You are You are He, She, It is They are Past tense Singular Plural I was We were You were You were He, She, It was They were To Have Present Tense Singular Plural I have We have You have You have He, She, It has They have Past tense Singular Plural I had We had You had You had He, She, It had They had To Do Present Tense Singular Plural I do We do You do You do He, She, It does They do Past tense Singular Plural I did We did You did You did He, She, It did They did Some Additional Rules * When you have a subject with both the singular or plural noun like â€Å"Mr, Anderson and the students†)., make the verb agree to the closest one. For instance, Jessica and the students like their university. * Make sure that contradictions like â€Å"isn’t/ aren’t, don’t/ doesn’t, haven’t etc† agree with the verb. For instance, Joe doesn’t like macroni. (Does not) The Andersons don’t like pizza. (Do not) * Words that come between a subject and its verb do not affect the number (singular or plural) of the subject. You must determine which word is the sentences subject and then use it to decide whether the verb needs an â€Å"-s† ending. For instance, . A computer with a variety of memory chips serves a special purpose. Computers with a variety of memory chips serve a special purpose. * If the verb comes before the subject, it still need to be conjugated. For instance, There are three children with the cat in the garden. * If you see who, which or that as a subject, than use the type of the verb that best suits the noun the who, which or that stands for. For instance. Maira is the type of person who is always silent. Maira is one of those girls who are always silent. Subject Verb Agreement for Compound Subjects A compound subject is made up of two or more subjects that are connected by a coordinating conjunctions. Both the subjects have the same verb. Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:6 June 2013 Mubarak Ali Lashari and Amara Aftab Soomro * When the compound subject is connected by ‘and’. It is treated as plural. For instance, Rabia and Sadia are my sisters. Ahmed and Aslam are absent. * A compound subject that refers to one thing/idea/person or to something considered as one unit is treated as singular. The producer and director of the film has won an award. (When one person is both the director and producer). * When there are two singular nouns joined by â€Å"or† or â€Å"nor,† use the singular verb. This is because you are looking at the noun separately, not as a combination. For instance, Neither Max nor John wants to do singing The mango or the apple juice is all right with me. * A compound subject made up of a singular subject and plural subject connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ is treated as follows. 1. Singular, if the subject close to the verb is singular. For instance, Either the students or the teacher has taken the globe from here. (Teachersingular) 2. Plural, if the subject close to the verb is plural. Neither the ship nor the boats are in sight. (Boatsplural) * When the subjects joined by or/nor are of different persons. The verb agrees with the nearer subject. Either he or I am guilty. Neither you nor they are responsible. * Two nouns qualified by each or every, even though connected by and, requires a singular verb. Every boy and every girl was given a packet of sweets. Specific Cases of the Subject-Verb Agreement * A collective noun can be treated as a singular or a plural depending on the context. * Collective nouns like â€Å"group, team, committee, class, family† treat a group as a single entity and therefore, should use singular verbs. For instance, 1. The group is cooperative. 2. The hockey team has great players. * It is treated as a plural when the components of the noun are considered  individually. For instance, The committee have issued individual dissenting notes. The board of directors are divided on the implementation of the reforms. * Always match the indefinite pronouns such as: â€Å"much, someone, anyone,  everyone, anything, nothing, something, everyone, each, every, either, neither, no one, one, other etc with singular verbs. For instance, Every one is anxious about me. Anyone who has got a problem, please stand up. * Some nouns like â€Å"news, civics, mumps, physics, mathematics† are singular and should be matched with the singular verbs. For instance, Mumps is a terrible disease No news is good news. * Some nouns like â€Å" spectacles† ending in ‘s’ however are treated as plural even  though they refer to one thing or pair .for instance His spectacles are broken. * Some indefinite pronouns such as: â€Å" few, many and several† are always plural. For instance, Several new products were introduced recently Few girls were absent yesterday. * Certain words such as: â€Å"any, all, most, more, none, enough, and plenty† can either be singular or plural. 1. They are singular, when they refer to one thing or person or to a portion of something and, hence they a singular verb. For instance Most of the work is over. 2. They are plural, when they refer to a number of individual things, persons, and places and hence they take a plural verb. For instance, Most of my neighbours are government employees. ( several) * ‘Many’ is singular as it modifies with a singular noun. For instance, Many students tries hard to pass this entrance exam. * Titles of books, magazines, etc are singular. For instance, The Arabian Nights is still read by many people. * Words or phrases that express an amount of money, fraction, distance, or  interval of time are singular. For instance, Twenty kilometres is a long distance. One hundred rupees is enough for this labour. * Class nouns denoting clothing, furniture, cutlery, stationary, etc. are singular. This stationary is expensive. Davidson (2003) states that sometimes it is not the immediate subject, or what seems to be the subject of the verb that determines whether the verb must be singular or plural, but some other words or phrase in the sentence. For example: The boy who is playing outside is my son. (‘the boy’ is the antecedent of the relative pronoun ‘who’). Subject Verb Agreement in Sindhi In Sindhi , the verb agrees with the subject and its number (either singular or plural), gender (masculine or feminine) and persons ( pronoun) .The word ‘Kartar’ or ‘karta’ means ‘Faail’, which we can say Subject in English and the ‘Kartary’ means ‘Faailey’( Kam Kandarr †«Ãš ªÃ™â€¦ Ú ª Ø ¯Ãšâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ) which we can say ‘Subjective’ in English language. The verb in Sindhi can be defined as; a word that shows to be, to do, to have or an action on something, that is said to be a verb or in short a word which tells something about a person or thing etc. (Baig1992, pp.2). Verb which in Sindhi language is called â€Å"Fael† has two main kinds. According to Allana (2004), â€Å"All the Dravidian languages have two kinds of verbs Fael Mutaadi and Fael Lazmi† (pp. 262). They are same as 1. â€Å"Fael Lazmi† (Intransitive verb) and 2. â€Å"Fael Mutaadi† (Transitive verb) same as in English language. In Sindhi, the agreement is said to be a ‘Nisbatoon’ or ‘Paryoog’, Paryoog of Sindhi language is taken from Sanskrit language which means â€Å"Nisbatoon‟ or â€Å"Melap†, or we can say agreement in English language. which shows the verb agreement with other components There are three types of ‘Nisbatoon’ or ‘Paryoog’ in Sindhi language. 1. Kartary paryoog (Subjective agreement). 2. Karmani paryoog (Objective agreement). 3. Bhawei Paryoog (Neuter agreement). Here we are concerned with the ‘Kartary Paryoog’ (Subjective agreement). 1. In Sindhi language, showing the number agreement of a verb with its subjects. - (Chhokro khedde tho â€Å"Boy plays†)-†«Ãš ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †«-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬ (Chhokra kheddan tha â€Å"Boys play†) †«-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ª Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš  Ù ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¬* In the former sentence, the subject is singular in number, than the verb agrees to it as ‘khede tho’. * In the later sentence, the subject is plural in number, the verb agrees to it as ‘khedan tha’. Let’s look at some more examples; (Ho Masjid wayo â€Å"He went to mosque†) †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë† Ù…Ø ³Ã˜ ¬Ã˜ ¯ يو†¬ (Uhe Masjid waya, â€Å"They went to mosque†)- †« هي Ù…Ø ³Ã˜ ¬Ã˜ ¯ ي†¬* In the former sentence, when there is a singular subject as â€Å"Hu† (He), than it takes singular verb as ‘wayo’. †«( يو†¬went) * In the latter sentence, when the subject is plural in number as â€Å"Uhay† (They), than the verb changes from ‘wayo’ to ‘waya’ particularly in Sindhi language. 2. All the Sindhi nouns belong to one of the two noun genders, feminine and masculine. A verb in the clause agrees to the gender of the noun. For example, the verb ‘laugh’ agrees with the gender of the subject. (Chhokro khilyo â€Å"Boy laughed†) †«Ãš ©Ã™â€žÃ™Å Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †«Ãšâ€¡Ã™Ë†Ãš ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬ (Chhokree Khilee, â€Å"Girl laughed†) †«-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ª ÙŠ Ú ©Ã™â€žÃ™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Masculine nouns commonly occur with the vowel endings -o in the singular , and with the –aa in the plural. And feminine noun commonly occur with the vowel endings – i in the singular and – oon in the plural . Verb agreement in ‘Kartary Paryoog’ changes according to the gender of the subject. For instance, (Chhokro khedyo huo â€Å"Boy had played)-†«Ãš ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å Ã™Ë† Ù‡ و†¬ †«-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬ (Chhokri kheddi hue, â€Å"Girl had played)- †«Ãšâ€¡Ã™Ë†Ãš ª ÙŠ Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å  Ù‡ ي†¬* In the former sentence, there is a masculine gender ‘- †«( ’ڇوÚ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬boy), the verb agrees to it as ‘-†«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãš ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ * In the later sentence, there is a feminine gender ‘-†«( ’-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ª ي†¬girl), the verb agrees to it as ‘-†« .’Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Let’s look at some more examples. (Ahmed School wayo, â€Å"Ahmed went to school†).†« Ø ­ Ø ¯ Ø ³Ãš ªÃ™Ë†Ã™â€ž يو†¬ (Rabia school wayee, â€Å"Rabia went to school†)- †«Ã˜ ± Ø ¨Ã˜ ¹Ã™â€¡ Ø ³Ãš ªÃ™Ë†Ã™â€ž Ø ¦Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬* In the former sentence. If there is a masculine gender (Ahmed), the verb agrees to it as ‘-†«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢- يو†¬ * In the later sentence, when there is a feminine gender (Rabia), the verb agrees to it as ‘-†« ’- Ø ¦Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬instead of ‘-†«.’- يو†¬ 3. The changing of the verb agreement of Sindhi language according to the persons (pronoun). For instance, (Aaon khedandus, â€Å"I shall play†)- †«Ã˜ ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë† Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã˜ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¬- (Aseen khedandaseen, â€Å"We shall play)- †« Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬- (Hoo khedandee, â€Å"She will play†) †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¡ Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Ã™Å½ (Uhey khedanda, â€Å"They will play†) †« هي Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:6 June 2013 Mubarak Ali Lashari and Amara Aftab Soomro Subject-Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English: A Comparative Study 487 ï‚ · In the first sentence, when the pronoun is first person singular , the verb stand for it as ‘-†«.’-Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã˜ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ï‚ · In the second sentence, the subject is first person plural, the verb agrees to it as a ‘†«.’-Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ï‚ · ï‚ · In the third sentence, the subject is third person singular, the verb agrees to it as ‘—†«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢-هوØ ¡ Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ÙŽ In the fourth sentence, the subject is third person plural, the verb agrees to it as ‘ †«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢-Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Differences between the Subject Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English Here are some of the areas where English and Sindhi subject verb agreement differs. Like: Agreement with Person Present Tense English Sindhi I speak †«Ã˜ ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë† Ú ³Ã˜ §Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã˜ ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã˜ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ you speak †«Ã˜ ªÃ™Ë† Ú ³Ã˜ §Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã˜ ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ he speaks †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë† Ú ³Ã˜ §Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã˜ ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ She speaks We speak They speak †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¡ Ú ³Ã˜ §Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã˜ ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã˜ ¯Ã™Å  Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ÙŽ †«Ã˜ ³Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ú ³Ã˜ §Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã™Å Ã™Ë† Ù ¿Ã˜ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Å  Ú ³Ã˜ §Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã˜ ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ù ¿Ã˜ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Now we can see from the above given examples that in English a verb changes form only when its subject is third person singular (he/she/it) and only in the present tense. Now look at the present tense conjugations of verbs, because that is where you Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:6 June 2013 Mubarak Ali Lashari and Amara Aftab Soomro Subject-Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English: A Comparative Study 488 will see a difference. In the present tense, all of the different subject uses â€Å"speak† except for the third person subjects he, she, and it. If you are using what are called â€Å"regular verbs†, you will always add this -s (speaks) after the third person subject. But in Sindhi, all of the different subjects agree with different verb forms, as the first person subject ‘- †« ’-Ø ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb ‘- †« ,’Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ø ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and ‘-†« ’ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb ‘- †« ’Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ø ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬instead of ‘- †«.’-Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ø ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ The second person subject ‘- †« ’Ø ªÃ™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb ‘-†« .’-Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ø ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬And the third person subject ‘-†« ’ -هو†¬agrees wi th the verb ‘-†« ’-هو-‘ , ’-Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬uses with the verb ‘-†« ’Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and ‘-†« ’- هي†¬uses with the verb ‘- †« ’-Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ù ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and In Sindhi main verb comes with the auxiliary verb like ‘- †« . ’-Ù ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¬here ‘-†« ’-Ú ³ Ù„ Ø ¦Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬is a main verb ‘ and ‘-†« ’-Ù ¿Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬is an auxiliary verb. Other auxiliary verbs are like; ‘- †« ’-Ù ¿Ã™Ë†-‘ ,’-Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å -‘ ,’-Ù ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¬etc Past Tense English Sindhi†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I visited †«Ã˜ ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë† Ú ¯ ÙŠØ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ you visited †«Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †«Ã˜ ªÃ™Ë† Ú ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ he visited †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë† Ú ¯ يو†¬ She visited †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¡ Ú ¯ ي†¬ ÙŽ We visited They visited †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Å  Ú ¯ ÙŠØ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Now we can see from above given examples that in English, a verb doesn’t changes form for the first, second or even for third person subject in the past tense, you can see that, all of the different subjects agrees with the verb â€Å"visited† . But in Sindhi, the case is different. The entire different subject uses different verbs in the past tense too. As for the first person subject ‘- †« ’Ø ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬uses the verb ‘-†«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãš ¯ ÙŠØ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ and ‘-†« ’ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb ‘-†«.’-Ú ¯ ÙŠ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and the second person subject ‘- †« ’-Ø ªÃ™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬uses the verb ‘-†«Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †« .’-Ú ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬And the third person subject ‘-†«(-هو†¬He)’ uses the verb ‘-†«,’-Ú ¯ يو†¬ ‘Hu’a (She)’ uses the verb ‘-†« ’-Ú ¯ ي†¬and ‘- †« ’Ú ¯ ي†¬agrees with the verb ‘-†«.’- هي†¬ Future Tense English Sindhi. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †«Ã˜ ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë† Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ù†Ø ¯Ã˜ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ I will drink †«Ã˜ ªÃ™Ë† Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ù†Ø ¯Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ you will drink †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë† Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ù†Ø ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ he will drink She will drink †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¡ Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ù†Ø ¯Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ÙŽ We will drink †«Ã˜ ³Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ù†Ø ¯ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Å  Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ù†Ø ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ they will drink Now we can see from above given examples that in English, a verb doesn’t change its form for the first, second or even for third person subject in the future tense, you can see that all of the different subjects agrees with the verb ‘will drink’. But in Sindhi, the case is different in future tense also. The entire different subject uses different verbs in the present, past and even in future tense. As the first person subject ‘- †« ’-Ø ¢Ã˜ ¦Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬uses the verb with it as ’-†« ,’-Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ø ¯Ã˜ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and ‘-†« ’- Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬uses the verb ‘†« ,’- Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ø ¯ Ø ³Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬the second person subject ‘- †« ’-Ø ªÃ™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬uses the verb ‘-†« ’-Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ø ¯Ã™Å Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and the third person subject ‘-†« ’-هو†¬agrees with the verb ‘- †« ’-هوØ ¡-‘ ,Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ø ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb ‘-†«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢-Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ø ¯Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ and ‘-†« ’- هي†¬agrees with the verb ‘- †«Ã¢â‚¬â„¢-Ù ¾Ã™Å  Ø ¯Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Agreement with Gender The boy had cry †«Ãšâ€¡Ã™Ë†Ãš ªÃ˜ ± Ø ±Ã™â€ Ã™Ë† هو†¬ The girl had cry †«Ãšâ€¡Ã™Ë†Ãš ªÃ˜ ±Ã™Å  Ø ±Ã™â€ Ã™Å  Ù‡ ي†¬ Now you can see in the above given examples that in English, the subject for both the genders (masculine and feminine) as ‘the boy’ and ‘the girl’ agrees with the verb ‘cry’. But in Sindhi, the masculine subject ‘- †« ’-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb as ‘- †«Ã˜ ±Ã™â€ Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †« ’-هو†¬with vowel ending –o, but the feminine subject ‘-†« ’-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ª ÙŠØ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb ÙŽ as ‘-†« ’-Ø ±Ã™â€ Ã™Å  Ù‡ ي†¬with the vowel sound ending –i. for more understanding another example is: The dog ran †«Ãš ªÃ˜ ªÃ™Ë† ÚŠ ڙيو Ù‡ و†¬ The cat ran †«Ã™ »Ã™â€žÃ™Å  ÚŠ Ú™ÙŠ Ù‡ ي†¬ ‘Dog’ is the masculine gender and ‘ cat is the feminine gender, In English the verb doesn’t change its form for different gender subjects. As in above examples, the verb agrees to both the gender subjects ‘dog’ and ‘cat’ as ‘ran’. But in Sindhi, the verb changes its form for different genders. As the gender (masculine) subject ‘†« ’-Ú ªÃ˜ ªÃ™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb as ‘-†« ,’-ÚŠ ڙيو Ù‡ و†¬and the feminine gender subject ‘-†« ’-Ù »Ã™â€žÃ™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with the verb as ‘-†« ’-ÚŠ Ú™ÙŠ Ù‡ ي†¬with the vowel endings –o and –I respectively. Agreement with Numbers The boy plays †«Ãšâ€¡Ã™Ë†Ãš ªÃ˜ ± Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ The boys play †«Ãšâ€¡Ã™Ë†Ãš ªÃ˜ ± Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš  Ù ¿Ã˜ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ She eats †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¡ Ú ©Ã˜ §Ã˜ ¦Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ ÙŽ They eat †«Ã™â€¡Ã™Å  Ú ©Ã˜ §Ã˜ ¦Ã™â€  Ù ¿Ã˜ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ In English, we will always add this -s after the singular third person subject he, she, and it, and a verb has a singular and plural forms in the present tense only. ‘the boy’ is a ‘he’ so the verb must include an –s or –es ending like ‘plays’. and for plural subject as ‘the boys’ refers to â€Å"they†, the verb will not have the –s or –es ending like; ‘play’. Same is the case with â€Å"She† agrees with the verb as ‘eats’, and ‘They’ agrees with the verb as ‘eat’. And in Sindhi, the subject ‘- †« ’-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬is a singular in number. Then the verb agrees to it as ‘-†« ,’-Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬But if the subject ‘- †« ’-Ú‡ÙˆÚ ªÃ¢â‚¬ ¬is plural in number than the verb agrees to it as ‘- †« .’-Ú ©Ã™Å Ãš  Ù ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Same is the case with the singular subject ‘-†« ’-هوØ ¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¬agrees with ÙŽ the verb as ‘-†« ’-Ú © Ø ¦Ã™Å  Ù ¿Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬and the plural subject ‘-†« ’- هي†¬agrees with the verb as ‘- †«.’-Ú © Ø ¦Ã™â€  Ù ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ Similarities in Some Cases Here are some of the areas, where English and Sindhi share a common rule for subject verb agreement like: * Every verb should agree with the subject in number and person. For instance, English: They like sweets. (They=plural, like=plural). Sindhi: Uhay mitha pasand kan tha. (Uhay=plural, pasand kan tha=plural) * When a compound subject is connected by ‘and’, it is treated as plural in both Sindhi and English. For instance, English: Rabia and Sadia are my sisters. (Are= plural) Sindhi: †« =-Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™â€ -(Ø ± Ø ¨Ã˜ ¹Ã™â€¡ Û ½ Ø ³Ã˜ ¹Ã˜ ¯Ã™Å Ã™â€¡ Ù… Ø ¬Ã™Ë† Ú€ÙŠÚ »Ã™Å Ã™Ë† Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¬plural) * If two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb treated as singular in both Sindhi and English. For instance, English: The producer and director of the film has won an award. (Has won= singular). Sindhi: †« = -Ú ©Ã™ ½Ã™Å Ã™Ë†-( -Ù Ã™â€žÃ™â€¦ Ø ¬Ã™Å  Ù‡Ø ¯ ÙŠØ ªÃš ª Ø ± Û ½ Ù ¾ ڊيوØ ³ يو Ø ±ÃšÅ  Ú ©Ã™ ½Ã™Å Ã™Ë†Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular). (When one person is both the producer and director). * Words joined to a singular subjects by words such as ‘with’, ‘as well as’ etc are treated as singular in both Sindhi and English. English: Sanskrit as well Arabic was taught there. (Was taught = singular). Sindhi: -†«Ã™Å  Ø ¯Ã™Å  Ù‡ ي†¬ †«= ÙŠ Ø ¯Ã™Å  Ù‡ ÙŠ-( .-Ø ³ Ø ³Ãš ª Ø ª Ø ªÃ™Ë†Ãšâ„¢Ã™Å  Ø ¹ Ø ¨Ã™Å  Ø ªÃ™Å  Ù ¾Ãšâ„¢Ã™â€¡ Ø ¦Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ singular). * When the subjects joined by the ‘or’ or ‘nor’ are of different person. The verb agrees to with the nearer in both Sindhi and English. English: Neither you nor he is responsible. (He = singular, is = singular). Sindhi: †« = -هو-( -نه Ø ªÃ™Ë† نه Ø ¦Ã™Å  هو ميو Ø ± Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular, -†« = -Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular) English: Either he or I am guilty. (I = singular, am = singular) Sindhi: †«Ã˜ ´ Ù… Ø ¯ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †«Ã˜ ±Ã™Å  م†¬ †« = -Ù… -( .-ÙŠ Ø ªÃ™â€¡ هو ي†¬singular, †«=-Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ singular). * When the plural noun is a proper name for some single object or some collective unit. It follows a singular verb in both Sindhi and English. English: The Arabian Nights is still a great favourite. (Arabian Nights = plural, is = singular) Sindhi: -†«( Ø ¹ Ø ¨Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ù† Ø ¦Ã™ ½Ã˜ ³ ÚÆ' Ø ª Ø ¦Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ù ¾Ã˜ ³ Ø ¯ Ú ª ÙŠ ÙŠ Ø ¯Ã™Å  Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬Arabian Nights = plural, -†« = -Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular) * The collective noun can be treated as singular in both Sindhi and English , when the noun is considered as a single unit. English: This group is cooperative. (Is = singular) Sindhi: -†«Ãš ª Ø ¯Ãšâ„¢ Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †« = -Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å -( .- هو Ù ½Ã™Ë†Ã™â€žÃ™Ë† Ø ªÃ˜ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular) * Words and phrases that express an amount or money, fraction, distance, or interval of time are singular in both Sindhi and English. English: Twenty kilometres is a long distance. (Is = singular) Sindhi: -†«Ãš  Ù…Ù  Ø µÃ™â€žÃ™Ë† Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬ †« =Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å -( ÙŠ Ù‡ Ú ªÃ™â€žÃ™Ë†Ã™â€¦Ã™Å Ã™ ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular) English: One hundred rupee is a large sum. (Is = singular) Sindhi: -†« = -Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å -( -Ù‡Ú ª Ø ³Ã™Ë† Ø ± Ù ¾Ã™Å Ã™â€¡ Ú Ã™Å  قي Ø ª Ø ¢Ã™â€¡Ã™Å Ã¢â‚¬ ¬singular) Conclusion From above analysis, we have examined that the subject and the verb agrees in a sentence. Agreement allows us to show who’s doing what in a sentence by indicating which part of the sentence go together. And through above analysis of comparison between Sindhi and English verb agreement, we have come to know the difference as well as the similarities in subject verb agreement in both languages. ========================================================= References Ahmed, S , Shah, Z. Qurat-ul-Ain (2004) , Syntactical Translation System for English to Sindhi translation. A paper presented in National Conference on Emerging Technologies 2004. Retrieved from http://www.szabist.edu.pk/Publications/Session%20VI%20Paper%20No%201%20(P %20112-115).pdf Bajwa.F (-), The fundamental of English Grammar and composition. Nela Gumbal, Lahore: Zia Publishers Barber, C. (1964). The Story of language. Pan piper/ Pan books Ltd. Cook.J. V. (1996). Chomsky’s Universal Grammar. Hong kong, Blackwell Publisher. Cole, J.S (2006), The Sindhi language. Asian Educational Services. Catherine (2013), BBC learning English, subject-verb agreement. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1844_gramchalleng e47/ Language in India www.languageinindia.com ISSN 1930-2940 13:6 June 2013 Mubarak Ali Lashari and Amara Aftab Soomro Subject-Verb Agreement in Sindhi and English: A Comparative Study Ping, L. G. (2012). An Alternative method of teaching subject verb agreement. The Teacher English, Vol. XLI(2) December 2012. Retrieved from http://www.melta.org.my/ET/2012/vol2/MELTA-9.pdf Guha, I. Guha, K. (2005), The Grammar tree, Essentials of Grammar and Compositon. Oxford University press. Jokhiyo, M (2008), Sojhro, Sindhi Grammar Jo Majmu’o. Kandiaro, Roshni Publishers. Lashari, M. (2011). Syntax in action, verb agreement in Sindhi language. language in India journal Subject verb agreement, writing centre module retrieved on 10/04/2013 from http://www.greenriver.edu/Documents/student-affairs/tutoringresources/wc/subject-verb-agreement-module.pdf Triumph, E. (1872). Grammar of the Sindhi language compared with Sanskrit and Prakrit. F.A Braukhaus. Murray, D. Rockowitz, A. C. (). The verb system, Subject verb agreement, Grammar Mechanics, The Hunter college reading/writing centre. Retrieved on 10/05/2013 from http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-writing/online/subject-verb-agreement.pdf Wren, P.C. Martin, H. (2002). High school English grammar and composition. Ram Nagar, New Delhi: S. Chand Company Ltd

The Euro Currency And European Union Economics Essay

The Euro Currency And European Union Economics Essay The Euro Currency has been a resounding success and is poised to replace the Dollar as the strongest currency in the world. The potential long-term advantages for business make it inevitable that the UK, Sweden Denmark will have to adopt the European Single Currency shortly or risk damaging their long-term prosperity by staying out Introduction European Union mission in the 21st century is to: Europes provide peace, prosperity and stability for its peoples; overcome the divisions on the continent; ensure that its people can live in safety; promote balanced economic and social development; meet the challenges of globalisation and preserve the diversity of the peoples of Europe; uphold the values that Europeans share, such as sustainable development and a sound environment, respect for human rights and the social market economy. PEST Chart Joining European Union Political Prevent war Government will lose its sovereignty and control over its monetary policies. Forming up as one big economy allows Europe to be competitive with other strong economies such as US, China Japan. Economical Bring down trade barriers Economy will be stable due to long term increase in trade Inflation and interest rates can be unified controlled. But inability to control any undesired inflation rate. Increase of employment and labor supply. Bring down Labor costs. Will be able to improve on employment issues, provide job trade opportunities Will increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Social Lost of national Sovereignty will cause unhappiness among the citizens affected. Majority of the people still do not agree on their country joining in the European Union (EU) EU stresses on the point of social responsibility towards Resource Conservation Technological Sharing of emerging technologies information. Combined effort/project of research and development activity for European economy Impact of technology transfer. If United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden were to join the European Single Currencyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The Economic Political advantages for businesses based in these countries Advantages (http://www.economicshelp.org/europe/benefits-euro.html) 1. Transaction costs will be eliminated This will greatly benefit businesses who trade and tourists within the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) area, as there will be no charge for changing of currency, thus boosting the economy. It is estimated that this benefit will be equal to 1% of GDP so will be quite significant. 2. Price transparency European Union (EU) companies often find it difficult to accurately compare the prices of goods, services and resources across the EU because of the distorting effects of exchange rate differences. So when price is transparent, trading starts to take place. 3. No more exchange rate fluctuations. Uncertainty eliminated. Due to the fluctuating currencies in the EU, many firms become wary when investing in other countries because of the uncertainty. Investment would rise in the EMU area as the currency is universal within the area, therefore the anxiety that was previously apparent is there no more. 4. Single currency in single market. It brings the Europes economy forward after trading has taken place more effectively and efficiently 5. Be able to contend with the American Dollar and Japanese Yen. A new currency in Europe could be a rival to the two currencies, as it seems EMU seems to be in a good situation that it can survive on its own, with or without the help of Japan and U.S.A. 6. Prevent war. When countries unite trade effectively together, they dont wage war on each other and if EMU have more undisrupted trade, then there will be peace for Europe too. 7. Increased Trade and reduced costs for businesses Proponents of the move argue that it brings considerable economic trade through the wiping out of exchange rate fluctuations, but as well as this it helps to lower costs to industry because companies will not have to buy foreign exchange for use within the EU. For them, EU represents the completion of the Single European Market. It is vital if Europe is to compete with the other large trading blocs of the Far East and North America. 8. Inflation The European Central Bank (ECB) which sets interest rates for the whole EMU area will be committed to keeping inflation low; countries with traditionally high inflation will benefit from this. However, this point is debatable as countries outside the EMU have maintained low inflation. 9. The Political agenda. There is also a political agenda to European bank (the European System of Central Banks -ESCB), the removal national control over policy. Individual nation states will lose sovereignty (i.e. the ability to control their own affairs). It will pave the road to move towards ONE economical union. Disadvantages (http://www.economicshelp.org/europe/costs-euro.html) Cost of replacing currencys and adjusting machines. (This is however a one off cost) 2. Loss of autonomy over economic policy. Loss of Sovereignty. By adopting a common interest rate for the EMU area, countries will lose a crucial part of their Monetary policy. Politically, an independent central bank is often argued to be undemocratic in this setting (A Cukierman, 1994). Although countries are heading towards ONE economic union in Europe but they are definitely not, with regards to political terms. 3. Countries economy are at a different stage in the business cycle. This will be a huge problem, for instance in 2005, Ireland and Spain were growing quite fast and need higher interest rates to control inflation than other countries who need lower interest rates. Therefore with low interest rate Ireland might experience inflation. On the other hand, in 2009, Ireland and Spain were experiencing a deeper recession than the rest of the EMU area. They needed lower interest rates and depreciation, while other countries did not require to. 4. The instability of the system In 1992, UK benefited from leaving the ERM in order to have lower interest rates and come out of recession. This showed that countries economies may not have converged and a single policy could be harmful. As Greece is heavily in debt and had caused EU to be affected, so it seems wise for UK, Sweden Denmark not to join at the moment 5. Government could not devalue the Euro to overcome balance of payments problems. Countries will lose some independence over Fiscal Policy. This is because of the growth and stability pact.( e.g. no country is allowed to borrow more than 3% of its GDP. Which means that they will have to try and maintain the economy at a similar stage to other countries. E.G. Ireland had high growth and was criticised for increasing spending, (which increases AS), Asymmetric Shocks. If one country experienced an external shock it might need a different response. But this is not possible with a common currency. E.g. In order to reduce inflation, German reunification required higher interest rates, but this was not in favor for many other EU countries. 6. Monetary Policy will have different effects in different countries. For example the UK is sensitive to changes in the interest rate because many people have mortgages. And their terms conditions differ from other countries. 7. The EURO has been quite unstable against the dollar Whilst Sterling has been quite stable. Joining the EU could therefore increase instability against over currencies 8. The ECB is less transparent in their decision making For example they do not produce monthly minutes, this makes interest rate changes less predictable and so countries may not be able to do their economy forecast. FIVE ECONOMIC TESTS AS PRECONDITIONS Set out by Chancellor of Exchequer in Oct 1997 Used to decide for UK on the membership of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) To adopt Euro currency and interest rate set by European Central Bank (ECB) Build on 4 key areas Benefit: trade, transparency and stability Constitutional issues: in nation interest, popular consent, clear and unambiguous Clear and unambiguous: Treasurys comprehensive and rigorous assessment Referendum: agreed by British people Five Economic Tests Are business cycles and economic structures compatible so that we and others could live comfortably with euro interest rates on a permanent basis? If problems emerge is there sufficient flexibility to deal with them? Would joining EMU create better conditions for firms making long-term decisions to invest in Britain? What impact would entry into EMU have on the competitive position of the UKs financial services industry, particularly the Citys wholesale markets? In summary, will joining EMU promote higher growth, stability and a lasting increase in jobs? UK Responses in 2003 assessment Significant progress on convergence, but the convergence test not met as there are still structural differences with the euro area, such as in the housing market. Therefore, UK are not confident of its business cycles being sufficient compatible with those of the euro area to allow the UK to live comfortably with euro area interest rates on a permanent basis. Flexibility has shown improvement for UK, but is still not confident that it is sufficient. Greater measures are been set out to meet the EMU requirement. UK agrees that joining EMU could potentially lower the cost for their companies which boost cross-border investment flows and foreign direct investment (FDI). On the other hand, it is also mentioned that if sustainable and durable convergence is achieved, only then can UK be confident that the investment test is met. UK agreed that entry EMU can enhance on the competitiveness of the companies while offering some other benefit and the financial services test is met Increase in jobs and lower cost of living can be achieved through increases in cross-border trade, investment, competition and productivity that EMU could provide. But again, it only sustainable and durable convergence has been achieved then can UK be confident to say that growth, stability and employment test is met. Overall, UK mentioned that improvement has been seen but it is still not ready the membership of EMU despite the risks and costs in the delay. According to Stathis Gould (2003) article, The test seem like a deliberate fudge and political excuse for UK to delay joining the single currency Loss of control such as interest rate to ECB EU Membership impose constraint on fiscal policy Joining euro could post threat as UKs record of foreign capital recipient is among the best mainly due to relatively light regulation Problem with the volatility of euro-dollar which is not tackle by ECB Factor that might really affect the join will be to reform or better leadership in ECB which is criticized for lack of transparency Another factor will be the increase in competitiveness and opening of labor, product and capital market According to James Igoe Walsh (2007) study, Britains economic cycle not synchronized with euro-zone and bringing Adopting single currency will harm foreign trade and investment Close look into the five excuses for Britains reluctance Divergent business cycles Convergence concern of losing the ability they now have to tailor monetary policy Not really the case inflation rates have essentially disappeared, as the two economies adopted the same interest rates and monetary integration promote business cycle convergence through greater trade and investment International trade and investment British invested more with North America and former colonies in the past, but it is not true now as many firms are also heavily invested in European Union. Joining the union benefits the large and growing number of firms and investors that trade with and invest in the rest of the Union. Overall, UK does have the capability to be in the EMU and by being in the euro member, it can really boost the economy of both their nation and other members Has been seen as delaying the membership deliberately Pressure for corporate in UK might also be another factor that influences their decision Furthermore, with recent issue of Greece, Portugal, and Spain which expose the flaws in Euro Single Currency, it will be even harder to convince UK entry SUCCESSFULNESS OF EURO SINGLE CURRENCY Main Benefits Lower cost of managing cash and raising capital Eliminate cost on converting currency from one country to another Broader, deeper and more efficient financial market result in further reduction in cost and access to a bigger capital pool Less currency risk Currency risk and the need to protect own business transactions are eliminated or reduced Simplify investment planning Bigger market Companies will compete in a larger and more integrated market Population adds up from the member countries to form bigger market Consumers are more readily to buy across border in euro-zone with no worry of different currencies and exchange-rate Over the years of Single Currency With information from Wim F.V Vanthoor (2000) study, Has high potential in it growth Created a market population bigger than US when group together Generated high share of world GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Created even higher world trade than that of US Compatible monetary value comparing with US with the aim as to compete with US dollar Aim not only Economically, but aims at going towards a political union In Martin Feldstein (2010) article, Crisis in Greece and the debt problems in Spain and Portugal exposed more flaws Individual member countries lost control of monetary policy and interest rates in order to respond to national economic conditions Exchange rate could not respond to the cumulative effects of differences in productivity and global demand trends. Weakens the market signals of fiscal deficits Eg. Greece ECB set monetary policy to the euro-zone as a whole even when it is not relevant to some members Despite all the problem, euro will likely still survive but the fundamental root problem might still remains Introduction of euro imply low interest rate to Greece and some other countries which previously has high rate, resulting in temptation for government to borrow. This drives the ratio of government debt to GDP to more than 100% for Greece and Italy. Until recently, bond markets treated all euro sovereign debts as virtually equal, not raising interest rates on high-debt countries until possibility of default became clear. Euro comparing with other currency Against US Dollar Euro shows it weaken and flaw especially with recent crisis As compared with US dollar which also operate on single currency with its fifty states, its lacks in 3 economic condition Labor mobility Labor in US move on to another area easily when one industry weaken in a certain part of the country Wherelse unemployed workers of euro member such as Greece, Portugal, and Spain do not move to faster-growing regions of Europe because of differences in language, history, religion, union membership, etc. Wage flexibility Substantially slower wage growth in the states that lost industries helped to attract and retain other industries Central fiscal authority fiscal system collects roughly two-thirds of all taxes at the national level, which can be transfer to the different states if it is falling short in income Euro comparing with other currency Against UK Sterling Pound Pound Sterling has become vastly more stable in the past decade and grown in stature as a reserve currency around the world Ironically it has benefited from being outside the Euro By not joining EMU, UK have retain their level of sovereignty and has better control and decision on solution to tackle their own economy Conclusion It seems that UK, Sweden and Denmark is going to stay out of the Euro zone for a while as mentioned by Vinocur N. (March 2010) Removing currency risk and driving integration with the European single market have been the main arguments that have put forward for the three nations to join the euro. But with Greece financial issues, with Ireland, Spain Portugal following suit, it made Euro Investec UK economist David Page mentioned that there is no chance that UK is joining the EU in the next 10 years. Conservative opposition front-runner David Cameron has declared that if he wins a general election expected in May, Britain will not join the euro as long as he is prime minister. Even though In year 2008, Sweden released a poll. It showed support for joining the euro had increased rapidly, with 44% of Swedes now in favour of joining the currency, up from 34.6% in May, while opposition dropped from 51.7% to 48% during the same period. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/nov/27/euro-currencies-sweden-denmark) in March 2010 as reported by Nicholas Vinocur on Reuters: Swedens finance minister Anders Borg mentioned that. How well it is going in one country decides how well run the whole is, whether or not one has adopted the euro. Denmark is skeptical on joining the Euro. Danske Bank chief economist Steen Bocian, remains cautious for the next two years, due to Greece incident.

Training practices used in the Shell Corporation

Training practices used in the Shell Corporation Populations are growing and economies are developing. The global demand for energy will continue to increase. And finding responsible ways to meet that demand will be the defining challenge of the 21st century. As result, more workers needed in the Shell company which it fulfills demand in the market. So, many ways was taken by Shell to retain more workers in company, also retrain them to be productive worker in the company. In Shell, they providing the training they need to fully optimize their skills and potential. Thats why they offer a huge range of training and development activities. Trainee can choose one or more training which provided by Shell of the following: On-the-job learning you can expect to move both sideways and upwards through the business, building on your skills as you go Training for recognized professional qualifications either through external organizations or Shells own extensive training services and facilities Personal development programmed Direction and support from buddy schemes, mentoring and regular appraisals with line managers. In addition to these initiatives, Shell also has tailored training for all of their new starters, including inductions and Shell Life. Shell Life is a highly experiential and interactive course for graduates designed to develop your leadership potential.   The course helps participants reflect on their personal direction and the leadership, interpersonal effectiveness and business awareness qualities theyll need if theyre going to have a successful career with Shell. Shell Aviation offers a number of different courses addressing subjects of importance to the Aviation Industry. These include: The Aviation Competence Education (ACE major) The Aviation Competence Education (ACE) provides personnel working in the Aviation Fuelling business with a basic knowledge of all facets of Aircraft fuelling. The course incorporates a structured series of modules with clear concise training material, informative video presentations, training needs analysis and documentation, programme development, plus refresher courses and assessments. Practical exercises and assessments ensure that the knowledge is absorbed and operator skills are proven in practice. It is also offered either as a traditional taught course delivered by Shell Aviation consultants, or alternatively in a series of self-learning computer modules. Train the Trainer This three-day course provides the user with the ability to deliver for example, the ACE training in-house. The course syllabus includes communication techniques, the skills training process, recall retention and assessment skills. The Operations Training Course This focuses more deeply on the specifics of fuelling operations, and is delivered as a combination of classroom and on-site teaching at one of Shells worldwide facilities. Courses are conducted mainly in English as standard, but are also available in other languages. The Famous Fuel Tech Course Offers deeper insight in advanced Quality Control, product knowledge and covers more technical issues concerning various aviation products and their use. The Supervising for Safety Course Targets Aviation Operations Supervisors, and helps them understand their role in managing safety in the aviation workplace. Others Shell Aviation also offers competency assessment tools to customers; WINGS, a general competency program, and CAF, an HSE competency program. Both of these assist management in profiling employees, deciding which competence levels they have reached, and identifying gaps in their knowledge. Courses are also custom designed based on specific customer needs and can cover all aspects of the supply chain, from the refinery to the wing-tip. As innovative training methods are developed, improvements and revisions are made to the programmed and new materials produced. These are incorporated into the refresher programmed together with updates to include developments in operating procedures and standards as they occur. This ensures that operators are always trained to the current standards. Training systems are available in multiple languages, using multi-lingual presenters and assessors. Training may be delivered by Shell Aviation or self-delivered by Aviation fuelling companies to their own staff. Whether Shell Aviation courses are delivered at the trainees workplace, or at Shell training centers, the benefits are always quickly secured. Training may be delivered by Shell Aviation or self-delivered by Aviation fuelling companies to their own staff. Whether Shell Aviation courses are delivered at the trainees workplace, or at Shell training centre, the benefits are always quickly secured. Furthermore, Shell also continues to complement the governments efforts to develop and enhance Malaysian human capital through its scholarship programmed. As the business community can play an integral role in realizing this manpower requirement, Shell contribute to sustainable development in the country by enhancing our nations intellectual asset pool through scholarship .The students to continue to work hard and be motivated to succeed not only in their studies but in their future careers. Funding from the Shell Scholarship Fund (SSF) set up by Shell Malaysia provides scholarships and incentive awards to deserving Malaysians to pursue studies in approved institutions either locally or abroad. Shell Malaysia invests RM11 million country-wide in various educational assistance or capacity building programmed annually. Out of the amount, RM3.4 million is allocated for Sarawak. Some 235 students from Sarawak were selected to receive scholarships and bursaries from Shell this year. Shell would continue to partner the state government as well as other stakeholders in their long-standing educational, youth development and other community-oriented programmed which are designed with the underlying objective of progressing capacity building, knowledge enhancement, skill development and promoting health and safety and environmental concern. Shell also works closely with universities in Malaysia to regularly share information on the oil and gas industry and employment opportunities within Shell Malaysia as well as collaborate on research programmed. These include a study on dolphins conducted with UNIMAS and Sarawak Forestry Corporation as well as the Campus Ambassador programmed with Curtin University, Miri. The long running Shell Scholarship programmed has benefited many bright young boys and girls from Sarawak and Sabah and a number of them have become leaders in their chosen fields within and outside Shell.   Training was provided in many courses at Shell which provides students with a work-and-learn experience that compliments their classroom curriculum. This opportunity will enable them to learn how to apply theory to practice, explore career options and gain knowledge of the working world. Commercial opportunities: Commercial Upstream and Midstream Contracting and Procurement Finance Human Resources IT/Information Management Sales and Marketing Supply Chain and Distribution Trading Technical opportunities Asset Maintenance Engineering Discipline Engineering Geology/Geophysics Petrophysics Process Engineering Product Process Research Production Engineering Production Technology Reservoir Engineering Well Engineering HSSE There are many examples, in developing and transition countries and industrialized ones, of the private sector directly sponsoring road safety initiatives. Four main areas of sponsorship have been identified: (i) road safety education and knowledge transfer; (ii) publicity and awareness campaigns; (iii) enforcement; and ( iv) driver training. Whilst these four groups are the main areas of business involvement in sponsorship, it should be noted that this is not an exclusive list. There are examples of companies sponsoring road signs, or reflective markings to enhance the visibility of vulnerable road users and heavy goods vehicles in Central and Eastern Europe. The initiatives invested in to date, however, do not generally include hard engineering measures. Corporate sponsorship of the four main areas of involvement is discussed below: For example, Petroleum companies have been identified as being a major contributor to child road safety education through a number of initiatives. These include resource material that teaches children about road safety, yet also ties in with the school curriculum and through direct investment in road safety education. For instance, BP developed a teaching resource pack in the UK, Living with Traffic, which was produced to help with primary school road safety education. Indeed, BPs own road safety team has been touring schools in the UK for some 30 years teaching road safety to primary school children. Indeed, Shell, for their part, have funded road safety education for primary school children in Germany and established the Deutsche Shell Youth Centre in 1950. Initially, participation involved development of fixed site traffic schools. Shell constructed the traffic schools and provided equipment including, eventually, miniature cars. In addition, mobile traffic schools were often provided in the form of equipment that could be taken to, and used in, individual schools. Deutsche Shell Youth Centre provides the equipment, and the State Government or town/rural districts fund the set up and operation costs. It is important that publicity campaigns target according to areas of specific concern. For example, Shell Canada has provided training to their drivers addressing collisions with wildlife. This area of road safety was highlighted through monitoring accidents and identifying that a number of animal strikes were being recorded. To highlight the problem, Shell has worked with other petroleum companies and has helped develop workshops within the petroleum industry to identify ways and means to reduce animal strikes. One third of Canadian traffic accidents are attributed to animal strikes, and it is hoped that a reduction will lead to lower costs, improved profitability and reliability of equipment. As well as car and truck driver training, cycle and motorcycle rider training is currently being sponsored in various locations. Shell Malaysia has been involved with the Emergency Motorcycle Unit (EMU) of the Malaysia Red Crescent Society. Volunteers in the EMU attend crashes and are able to get through traffic jams on a motorcycle where it would be impossible for a car or ambulance. In 1997, Shell assisted in training EMU volunteers in defensive riding, through its Road Safety Academy. The Road Safety Academy itself was built in 1991 to conduct safe and defensive driving courses for the companys own staff and contractors. 3M have been involved in Romania in highlighting the presence of vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, through the provision of retro-reflective safety devices and markings. Shells Introductory Trial of Overdriveà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ System Proves Safety and Efficiency for Running Casing on Floating Rig had objective to; Conduct a safe introductory trial on a floating rig of the OverDrive system with its TorkDriveà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ 750 HD (heavy-duty) casing running and drilling tool, Prove the ability of the OverDrive system to serve as the primary method for running casing on floating rigs in the future, Achieve no-incident health, safety, and environmental performance, Avoid cross-threading of connections, Minimize the time required for the rigs drillers and tool pushers to become proficient in the use of the OverDrive system. As a result, Shells first OverDrive system run (also the first OverDrive system run for any operator on a floating rig/semisubmersible) was successful, with no reportable incidents, No connections were cross-threaded, the operators drillers and tool pushers were running up to 16 joints per hour by the third hour of operation. The value to client are no reportable safety or environmental incidents occurred, use of the OverDrive system reduced operational risks and costs by eliminating manually operated, moving equipment from the rig floor, the need for a stabber was removed, and the number of rig floor personnel was minimized, training of Shells drillers and tool pushers by Weatherford personnel minimized non productive time and expedited operations. The success of this trial provided the operator with a proven means of avoiding the dangers of manual equipment manipulation on a floating rig. This success also reassured Shell that, with proper planning and discussion, new technology can be introduced safely and effectively without compromising the well.The Shell Training Center offers training in several areas including drilling and well operations, instrumentation and product operations. Classroom at the Shell Training Center designed to simulate operations on the rig. For example, PS3054 SUBSEA PRODUCTION OPERATOR TRAINING-PHASE I, this workshop is an introduction into the operation of subsea and subsea-related topside equipment. Issues addressed include an overall system presentation, equipment overviews, and flow assurance concerns, operating guidelines discussions, surveillance requirements, control system operation, ROV capabilities and the unloading of subsea wells. Shells standardized subsea system will be addressed significantly. Training videos, computer assisted training, control system simulator training, in addition to presentations by various Shell personnel and equipment manufacturers will be a portion of the training tools utilized during the workshop. The workshop is recommended for production operators or individuals that are involved in the operation of subsea systems. SKILL PERFORMANCE BASED PAY, upon completion of this course, successful participants will obtain the necessary foundation to self assess and certify at their field location the Level II subsea operations Skill Certification Manual. An introduction of Level III topics concerning site specific operating guidelines and simulator training will also be addressed. Objective of this workshop are: Provide platform personnel with an understanding of the overall subsea system, Furnish operating personnel with a working understanding of operating guidelines and control sequences and Provide personnel with flow assurance knowledge as it relates to an operating environment. Outline of this workshop are; I. SUBSEA SYSTEM OVERVIEW II. EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW III. FLOW ASSURANCE IV. SURVEILLANCE V. CHEMICAL SYSTEM VI. EROSION, CORROSION, SAND DETECTION VII. OPERATING GUIDELINES VIII. MCS SIMULATOR TRAINING IX. FLOWLINE PIGGING X. ROV OVERVIEW XI. UNLOADING SUBSEA WELLS Awarded MSC status in 2010, Shell  Business Service Center Kuala Lumpur was incorporated in January 2000, and is one of six global shared service centres of Royal Dutch Shell plc that provide a wide range of finance, accounting, human resource, customer service, contracts procurement and information technology services to Shell operating companies globally.   The KL centre was  the first milestone towards the Groups vision to enable the delivery of common business operations and services for Shell, at world-class operational excellence. The Shell Business Service Centre Kuala Lumpur (SBSC-KL) is one of six global business service centres providing finance, accounting, human resource, customer service, contracts and procurement services, and information technology to Shell operating companies globally. These centres enable the delivery of common business operations and services for Shell, at world-class operational excellence. Five services currently operate out of SBSC Kuala Lumpur. Finance Operations Finance Operations provides finance, accounting and business services to Shell operating companies across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.   The finance processes include: Revenue: Master Data Maintenance, Processing Invoice and Billing Adjustments, Cash Application and Allocation, Monitoring of Debts, Account Reconciliation and Reporting, Intra-Group Transaction Processing Expenditure: Processing Invoices and Expense Claims, Payment Run Processing Record to Report   Ã‚  Ã‚   o Financial Reporting: Group and Local Reporting, Business Planning and Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚   o Financial Accounting: Bank Reconciliation, End of Day (Cash Forecasting), Fixed Assets   Ã‚  Ã‚   o Hydrocarbon Management: Stock Recording, Reconciliation Valuation, Accounts Payable, Contracts Pricing, Customs Excise, Chemical Stock Accounting Management Information: Management Internal Reporting, Variance Analysis, Decision Support, Budgeting Planning Governance, Risk Assurance (Controls Framework): Controls Migration, Controls Assurance, Governance Compliance, Design Deploy HR Services HR Services delivers a full range of HR services to Shell employees across Asia Pacific and the Middle East: First point of contact for HR support and advice Enabling effective Self Service Capabilities Managing HR Data and Information Provision of HR Infrastructure Payroll Management   Processing of HR Transactions Downstream Customer Service Centre The Downstream Business to Business (B2B) Customer Service Centre (CSC) is a single touch point contact centre covering customer service order to cash activities for B2B, Retail and Lubricants business across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Contracting Procurement Contracts and Procurement (CP) helps ensure standardization in the efficient management of monetary resources. CP supports Shell operations and capital projects by guaranteeing timely delivery of goods and services, to the right specification. Information Technology Kuala Lumpur is the global hub for some of Shells Information Technology (IT) activities. Its service portfolio includes IT infrastructure services such as Desktop, Applications Hosting, Helpdesk and Telecommunications. Collectively, these services involve the support of more than 1,500 servers and 115,000 desktops across the group worldwide. It also provides business applications support and applications development, both predominantly SAP-based. IT operates on a truly global basis, and provides an opportunity to showcase Malaysian IT talents to the world. Shell Malaysia today awarded seven scholarships to the value of RM251, 000 to enable outstanding Sarawak-born students with disability to realize their full potential and pursue pre-university or first-degree studies at approved institutions locally. Datuk Tuan Haji Fadillah Yusuf, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, presented the scholarships to the recipients, in the special award ceremony held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur this morning.This special category of education assistance was introduced this year to mark Shells 100th year of operations in Miri. Similar scholarships will be offered to students originating from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia from 2011. In making the announcement, Anuar Taib, Shell Malaysia Chairman, said that the Company was proud to contribute to sustainable development in Malaysia through the enhancement of its intellectual asset pool. Education is often seen as the great leveller. With the introduction of these special scholarships, we wan t to offer a more inclusive education assistance programmed, where the mental capability of our applicants becomes the only criteria for selection.   With the inclusion of this category of scholarships, we hope that no talent with physical disabilities misses out on the opportunity of a good education on account of financial inabilities, Anuar says. Shell recognizes the importance of high quality education in fuelling the countrys growth and prosperity, and applauds the Governments focus on improving educational outcomes to build a competitive workforce and high income, Anuar adds. Shell Malaysia has been awarding scholarships and bursaries for over 40 years as part of a long-standing commitment in support of the governments effort to develop human capital.  In 2010, Shell presented scholarships and awards to the value of RM14.5million to students in Malaysia to pursue further studies at local and foreign universities. The partnership programmed that held on March 2009, was organized by Shell Malaysia Gas Power and the School of Engineering and Information Technology of UMS, in collaboration with Department of Environment (DOE) and Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Over the last three years, over 250 students from UMS as well as UNIMAS have successfully completed this capacity building programmed, which highlights Shells best practices in HSE and showcases how they are applied in the workplace using real-world examples.  The programmed is designed to benefit student engineers as they enter the workforce, to help them appreciate the importance of good HSE practices, and recognize their roles and responsibilities in ensuring their implementation. In 2008, in order to help develop the undergraduates capabilities in Deepwater, Shell has been and will continue to sponsor a Deepwater Platform Model competition in collaboration with the Faculty of Civil Engineering.   Shell and UTM are also currently looking into the possibility of setting up of a Deepwater laboratory.   Deepwater is a challenging environment and Shell has developed the ability and the necessary technologies to conquer its complexity and provide access to the oil and gas that lies deeper, in dispersed reservoirs. Shell has set up a Deepwater Engineering Office in Kuala Lumpur to manage the Companys deepwater projects in the region and is able to easily draw on its experts to assist in the capacity building of the UTM. Training Development initiatives at Shell can drive your career progression based on: Professional Development Onboarding Early Career Development Learning Programmes Finance in Projects Formal Learning Informal Learning Online Learning The firmly believe Finance can support Shell in building on its position and reputation as a leading global energy company. But realizing their potential as a firm means continuing to attract, develop and retain great people in Finance. At Shell, there are committed to your ongoing professional development. Their in-house team, Shell Finance Learning, provides a comprehensive Onboarding programme, a broad range of formal and informal learning, networking events and workshops globally. They are also offer e-learning and a number of initiatives with a clear Diversity Inclusiveness focus. In addition, Shell runs a Leadership Development Framework. These development courses are designed to help people with high potential to develop the specialist skills and experience theyll need to establish themselves as senior members of the organization. This whole learning programmers is supported by a tailored Finance Competence Framework that helps applicant identify the requirements of his job, match them with his own competences and locate gaps for Training Development. Onboarding means the firm want to ensure that you feel at home with us straight away So whenever you join firm in Finance, youll undertake a comprehensive half day Onboarding programme entitled Welcome to Shell. Early Career Development means if you join firm at the early stages of your finance career, youll be able to take advantage of firm Develop Early Career Development programme. Key features of this programme include assignment rotations, development discussions and mentoring or coaching. In other hand, Shell also developing talented young Malaysians. For Shobana Gnanam, 18, who grew up in a modest home in Selangor, studying abroad always seems like a distant dream. Undeterred, she worked hard and scored straight As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia public examination. Her efforts have been rewarded she is now pursuing A levels on a Shell scholarship, in preparation for further studies in Britain in 2010. The Shell Malaysia Scholarship Awards are presented annually to students in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. We invested over RM11 million (US$3.1 million) in these awards in 2008, benefiting some 530 students. Apart from the scholarship awards, Shell supports such capacity building programmes like the joint development of a Deepwater laboratory in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, an industrial welding course aimed at addressing a national shortage in this area, a personal computer assembly and maintenance course, and Practical Environmental, Safety and Industria l Guidance for Engineers (PRESTIGE) for engineering undergraduates. With the full support of Shell, employees and contractors have been helping in many ways: like build homes for the less fortunate, run blood donation drives, take special needs children to self-development camps, trek to marginalised communities in the interior to offer clothing, medicines or household essentials and join communities in keeping beaches clean. Upstream employees took the spirit of the programme further by establishing the Shell Employees Voluntary Fund (SEVF), to respond to crises and emergencies. Staffs who sign up have deductions made from their monthly salaries and the funds collected are distributed to community projects selected by a committee. In 2008, SEVF provided financial relief of RM59, 000 (US$16,000) to fire victims, cancer patients, and other groups in need, with the company matching many of these donations. In 2008, Shell was named Malaysias most popular graduate employer of the year in the inaugural Malaysias 100 Leading Graduate Employers and doctor jobs Students Choice Awards held by GTI Specialist Publishers.Shell was also the most popular graduate employer in the Engineering sector. The award is the result of surveys conducted by the GTI Group in the UK, Ireland and Australia, involving some 15,000 final year university students. Says Vimi Venugopal, Shell Recruitment Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific: Winning the most popular graduate employer award is affirmation that Shell Malaysia is on the right track towards attracting the cream of the crop when it comes to engaging graduates. Noting that the Shell Campus Ambassador (CA) programme had contributed to this success, she added: By liaising with students, careers advisers and academics, CA volunteers help to bring the Shell experience to life and play a vital role in enhancing Shell reputation among one of our key audiences. In the 2008, with the theme Small changes, big difference. With its emphasis on personal action, staff and contractors were encouraged to take steps and make pledges to change at least one aspect in their work that will help improve health and safety. Shell Malaysia Chairman Dato Saw Choo Boon took the lead when he pledged to intervene on any non-complying behaviours he comes across, while also inviting staff to stop him should they spot him committing a non-compliant act. To help monitor safety performance, a standard safety measure had been used- Total Recordable Case Frequency (TRCF). This reflects the number of injuries of contractors and staff requiring medical treatment or time off work, for every million hours worked. The injury rate has come down over time, improving approximately 23% since 20042. This reflects our efforts to build a safety culture where all employees and contractors must aim for Goal Zero operating with zero fatalities and significant incidents. Lost Time Injury frequency (LTIF) is an indicator of the number of injuries with time off work for every million hours worked by employees and contractors. Employees performance has been improving since 2005, successfully halving the number of cases per million work hours in 2006. Shell Company is a firm believer of enabling employee training that enhances performance. Their managements task is to ensure that their workforce is equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are necessary for optimal performance. Employee training forms an integral part of the corporate and human resources strategy and is available to all employees.