Educational Software Reviews Essays - Busytown, Richard Scarry

Educational Software Reviews Software Titles reviewed here: 1) Elmo's Computer Phone 2) CD-ROM Suitcase 3) BusyTown Best Christmas Ever Elmo's Computer Phone Ages: 12 months - 3 years Price: $79.95 Distributor: Hilad 02 9700 9377 Publisher: Comfy Interactive Requirements: 486 DX, Win 95, 8 MB RAM, 4 X CD-ROM Rating: lllll Along with the Comfy keyboard this product is definitely the best tool to introduce children under three and a half years, to the joy of playing on a computer. It's also great for and all preschoolers who have not yet mastered mouse control. Using it is easy, you simply plug the phone in and move your keyboard to the side. The child operates the game displayed on the computer screen, by pressing buttons on the phone and listening to sound from the ear-piece and speaker. If you wish, the child can play using sound from the ear-piece only. This has the added advantage of reducing household noise. The game offers hours of enjoyable play for preschoolers and encourages them to recognize shapes, sounds, objects, colours, and body parts. They can play peek-a-boo, sing along and join Big Bird and Elmo in the activities they present. CD-ROM Suitcase Pic: BusyTo.bmp Ages: 3-7 years Price: $69.95 Distributor: Hilad 02 9700 9377 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Requirements: 486 DX, Win 95, 8 MB RAM, 4 X CD-ROM Macintosh: Power mac, System 7.1, 8 MB RAM, 4 X CD-ROM Rating: lllll Another bargain! This CD-ROM Suitcase from Simon and Schuster, contains 12 CD-ROMS for kids aged 3-7 years. Though these are older titles, there are enough top quality ones included to deliver top value for money. The disks include Richard Scarry's Busytown, How things Work in Busytown, How Many Bugs in a Box, More Bugs in Boxes, Alistair and the Alien Invasion, Earth 2U, Exploring Geography, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, My Favourite Monster, Mooky Takes Manhattan, MacMillan Dictionary for Children and Road Construction Ahead. The most inappropriate game for Australia Money Town, features, US money. The other titles are of international interest however. Busytown for example giving kids practice in adding, subtracting, measuring, counting, patern matching, problem solving and early reading skills. Similarly 'How Things Work in Busytown' features eight activities that enable players to practice word recognition, vocabulary, pattern recognition, sequencing, community roles, problem solving, colour and counting skills in Busytown. 3) BusyTown Best Christmas Ever Pic: BestXmas.bmp Ages: 3-7 years Price: $49.95 Distributor: Hilad 02 9700 9377 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Requirements: Pentium 90, Win 95, 16 MB RAM, 4 X CD-ROM Macintosh: Power mac, System 7.1, 8 MB RAM, 4 X CD-ROM Rating: lll A latest release in the Busytown series based on the best-selling books by Richard Scarry, 'Busytown Best Christmas Ever', features a snow-covered Busytown for young players to explore. You join Huckle and Lowly to cut down and trim the Christmas tree, decorate the gingerbread, take a trip with Santa on his flying sleigh, and help Santa Bear finish all the toys. At the card shop you can make real Christmas ornaments, cards and gift tags. Click the shape you want to decorate and select designs and greetings by clicking the arrows, then dragging the designs onto the card, ornament of tag. You then print your creation and fold the paper in half to achieve a three dimensional effect. At the gift shop you can pick a story for Father Cat to read to you and on Christmas morning you help Huckle and Lowly give out the presents that Santa has left under the tree. Computers Essays

Free Essays on Symbolism Vs. Truth

Symbolism vs. Truth When society allows the manipulation of a sincerely earnest event, during a time when the people of this country long for relief; my inner being becomes greatly enraged. "Serious people with serious purpose": Kathleen Parker has summed the reaction of our society on 9-11-01 as a whole. Political correctness was nowhere insight when the thousands of people united with tremendous strength, absent of ethnics and colors, to overcome the mortal terror of losing our freedom. Everything has a symbolic meaning in one way or another, but the truth has only one–reality. Symbolizing the memorable photo of three New York City firefighters raising the American flag atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero into a statue honoring the 343 fellow firefighters this country lost on 9-11 is a true show of Americanism, as long as this statue duplicates the actual photographic event. Kathleen Parker in, "Statue puts symbolism over truth", The Peoria Journal Star, Section A. 2, expresses her opini ons on symbolism over truth; I support her opinions fully, based on my beliefs and values of truth always being put first. Changing the reflection of three firefighters to symbolize the ethnic content in the fire department would be an unmerciful attempt to rob these men of the recognition for their loyalty, bravery, and respect that they deserve and a gross effort to take away their true God given identities. Haulk 2 With one notable difference. The three firefighters are still men (an oversight, I'm sure), but they are no longer white (Parker 2002). Three white men now become white, black, and Hispanic. Discrimination is evident by the idea of changing these men from white men to other ethnics and colors. Had the men been black, the outcome very well may have been different. Undeniably, this is a show of ethnics over honor, these three firefighters found a way to honor the many lives that were taken on 9-11 and the politically corr... Free Essays on Symbolism Vs. Truth Free Essays on Symbolism Vs. Truth Symbolism vs. Truth When society allows the manipulation of a sincerely earnest event, during a time when the people of this country long for relief; my inner being becomes greatly enraged. "Serious people with serious purpose": Kathleen Parker has summed the reaction of our society on 9-11-01 as a whole. Political correctness was nowhere insight when the thousands of people united with tremendous strength, absent of ethnics and colors, to overcome the mortal terror of losing our freedom. Everything has a symbolic meaning in one way or another, but the truth has only one–reality. Symbolizing the memorable photo of three New York City firefighters raising the American flag atop a pile of rubble at Ground Zero into a statue honoring the 343 fellow firefighters this country lost on 9-11 is a true show of Americanism, as long as this statue duplicates the actual photographic event. Kathleen Parker in, "Statue puts symbolism over truth", The Peoria Journal Star, Section A. 2, expresses her opini ons on symbolism over truth; I support her opinions fully, based on my beliefs and values of truth always being put first. Changing the reflection of three firefighters to symbolize the ethnic content in the fire department would be an unmerciful attempt to rob these men of the recognition for their loyalty, bravery, and respect that they deserve and a gross effort to take away their true God given identities. Haulk 2 With one notable difference. The three firefighters are still men (an oversight, I'm sure), but they are no longer white (Parker 2002). Three white men now become white, black, and Hispanic. Discrimination is evident by the idea of changing these men from white men to other ethnics and colors. Had the men been black, the outcome very well may have been different. Undeniably, this is a show of ethnics over honor, these three firefighters found a way to honor the many lives that were taken on 9-11 and the politically corr...

Remedies and Replacements of Trustees Case Study

Remedies and Replacements of Trustees - Case Study Example A variant of this type of trust is an accumulation and maintenance trust, which is also termed as a grandchildren's trust. Its use is to benefit a particular child or children who are under a specified age, when they become entitled to the income by right and frequently to the capital also. The trust deed, at times will give the trustees certain discretionary powers permitting them to decide as to which of the beneficiaries will receive the income or capital of the trust. The trust deed generally gives clear instructions as to the trustees' administrative powers for routinely dealing with trust property. In our case, since, the trust deed is silent with regard to the administrative powers of the Trust the law will take its own course for proper administration of the trust. Seven years ago, Cathy took 50,000 from the trust and used it on a new kitchen and a conservatory. If the trustee becomes bankrupt or dies, or the trustee transfers assets in breach of trust then the beneficiaries have the right to claim their equitable ownership of the trust assets against the trustee's trustee in bankruptcy in other words the individual appointed by the court who takes charge of a bankrupt person's assets, or his personal representative on death, or the transferee of trust assets transferred in breach of trust. Two of Georgina's grandchildren who were alive at her death, namely Estelle, now aged 21 years and Peter, now aged 23 years came to know that the Trust property was misappropriated by Cathy. Since, seven years ago Estelle and Peter were minors and also they came to know about this fraud o nly recently, the limitation for claiming their rights begins from the day from which they came to know about this fraud. Hence, they can proceed against Cathy's court appointed trustee in order to recover 50,000. In Barnes v Addy, it was held that a third party may be liable as constructive trustee if it "receives and becomes chargeable with some part of the trust property" , this is known as the first limb or knowing receipt or where they "assist with knowledge in a dishonest and fraudulent design on the part of the trustees", this is termed as the second limb or knowing assistance; which held that tracing, may provide a proprietary remedy to the plaintiff along with the personal liability of the defendant including return of property (Barnes v Addy, 1874). The beneficiaries' interest in the trust money binds not only Cathy but also her successors in title, including volunteers who either receive trust property or its traceable proceeds. Hence the trust amounts paid to Bob by Cathy can be fully recovered at the suit of the beneficiaries. The remedy available to Estelle and Peter is that they can move the court to transfer the Tippit shares, in which Bob had invested their trust money, and hand over the painting for value to them. Bob invested the amount of 40,000, which was given by Cathy under the pretext that she had won the amount in a lottery. Bob added 20,000 of his money to the bank account without knowing the fraud committed by Cathy. Since he is an innocent third party his liability is limited to the amounts given to him by Cathy. In 2004 Bob withdrew 20,000 and bought a painting whose value is 5,000 at present. In respect of this painting the law will keep track of its value

HRM and absence Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HRM and absence Management - Essay Example In fact in some organizations a culture of absence exists, contends Hayton (2010). It has been found that regular illness occurs on a Monday or a Friday although Monday is a better option for an extended weekend with absenteeism being recorded at 35% against 3 percent on Fridays (Gray, 2010). However, the Office for National Statistics finds that that days lost to sickness were fairly evenly spread across the weekdays (Barham & Begum, 2005). Employers are becoming aware of the direct and indirect cost to organization due to high levels of absenteeism. If absenteeism is left unchecked it impacts organizational morale and productivity (HRM Guide, 2001). Organizations now do have absence management policies but these policies must examine the causes of absence and take remedial action. While devising the policies it must be recognized that employees can be genuinely ill also. Hayday (2006) contends that a certain amount of absence is a part of working life and any absent management poli cy must provide support to those who are legitimately absent. At the same time non-legitimate absence has to be discouraged because absenteeism is proving to be costly for both private and public organizations. The cost of sick-notes in the UK has reached GBP 750 million in lost working days (Macnab, 2011). The number of workers facing disciplinary action has doubled since 2010 and thousands of workers have been dismissed because of poor attendance. More than 17 million days have been lost as a result of workers reporting sick over the last five years. The situation is the same in both the private and the public sector, says Macnab but Thomas (2010) contends that the absence costs are higher in the public sector at ?685 per head for 2009 against ?455 in the private sector services and ?545 in manufacturing and production. NHS Lothian faced a loss of GBP 17 million due to absenteeism in the past five years. Unscheduled worker absenteeism results in about 2 to 4 percent loss of workin g time (Bridges & Mumford, 2001). A study of absenteesim across genders reveals that women with dependents are less likely to be absent but those with children below the age of 2 years would frequently absent from work. One of the most respected surveys of UK absence conducted by CBI/Pfizer Absence and workplace health survey revealed that the economy lost 190 million working days to absence in 2010 with each employee taking about 6.4 days of sick on an average (Paton, 2011). This results in direct cost of ?17 billion to the economy while it does not include the indirect cost such as lower customer service and reduced productivity. Another survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers argues that the average UK salary stands at ?25,000 which means the absenteeism was costing the economy approximately ?32 billion per year based on the finding that an average worker took about ten days of unscheduled absence. This figure too does not take into account the potential replacement costs and the lost p roductivity. The survey results may differ on the figures but what is evident is that unscheduled absenteeism is taking a toll on businesses and demands immediate attention. One in three workers in the UK abuse sick days at work costing the UK economy some ?32 billion (Clarke, 2011). However, handovers and good weather are cited as reasons for absenteeism. Some even plan their vacations in advance and fake symptoms by appearing for work with props to justify their sickness. This report by PwC suggests that a large part of this loss is preventable. One of the ways is to introduce flexible working hours. Hayday (2006) divides the causes of absence under four clusters – health and lifestyle, attitude and stress, workplace, and domestic and kinship.

Egyptian god Osiris Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egyptian god Osiris - Essay Example Also remarkable about Osiris, he once took on a human form and existed on earth (Hill). In addition, as a mythological deity, he was characterized as a bearded man with white mummy wrappings bearing the Atef crown and the Flial and Crook at hand; these two symbolized supreme power. His supreme power was recognition as the representation of resurrection and eternal life. In addition, in his representations, he had green or red skin to signify vegetation or earth respectively. Another attribute he was associated with is the source of wealth and fertility (Deurer). In some legends, Horus is recognized as his son who took vengeance for his death by casting Set away to the desert. Part of this legend states that after Set had chopped Osiris’ body to pieces, Isis found the pieces and pleaded with the god, Re to bring him back to life. Since he was already dead, Osiris’ body was put back together in a mummy, and he was made god of the dead; therefore, his responsibility was as judge of the souls of the dead. The living pharaoh is materialized by Horus while the dead pharaoh is materialized by Osiris. This divine kinship arises from his two separate roles as king of the dead and provider of fertility (Wigington). Horus came about from the coming together of Osiris and Isis who were twins. He was looked to for advice on agricultural matters as the flooding of the Nile, which added nutrients to the soil making it fertile, was ascribed to him. The annual cycle of flooding, planting and harvesting was attributed to him, as it was believed he had life-giving powers. There exists a folklore, which points the changing of ancient Egyptians from cannibalism to Osiris, as his wisdom and advice brought about agricultural practices. This made him be accredited for the evolution of Egyptians to a civilized way of life (â€Å"Osiris- God of Fertility and Renewal†). Further civilizations ascribed to him include ways of worshipping the gods and instituting of laws. During

Singapore Assessing the impact of the regionalization strategy

Singapore Assessing the impact of the regionalization strategy Has the regionalization strategy succeeded in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the period from 1995 to 2010? Explain your answer with supporting evidence. The formulation of national strategies to leverage upon global resources for economic development has always been part and parcel of Singapores drive to engender continued economic growth since independence in 1965, based upon the reallocation of economic resources via the Developmental State Model (Evans, 1995). To this end, the Singapore government engaged in foreign direct investment (FDI)-oriented growth models from the 1960s to the 1990s, investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure to achieve economic growth and enhance the countrys economic competitiveness through the creation of a secure and pro-business environment. (Yeung, 2001) State investment on infrastructure and human capital was also seen as a means of benefiting from developmental effects such as the generation of employment, earning of foreign currency, and transfer of technological or managerial expertise (Chang, 1999). The subsequent onset of globalisation and advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) from the 1980s onwards led to structural changes among the economies of the developed world, necessitating a shift from labour-intensive, low value-added manufacturing towards high-tech, high value-added industries and financial services. At the same time, several governments in the region, including those of Malaysia and Indonesia, sought to liberalise their economies and capitalise on lower average labour, land, and raw material costs in order to attract foreign investors (Tongzon, 1998), emulating the FDI-oriented strategies adopted previously by the economies of Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. By 1990, rising labour and land costs in Singapore had led many transnational corporations to relocate their lower value-added operations to the regional newly-industrialising economies (NIEs), where overall operating costs were lower by as much as 75%. (Kumar Lee, 1991) The Singapore governments response vis-Ã  -vis this rising competition for capital investment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors was to ensure Singapores continued relevance in the new global marketplace despite her resource constraints and limited domestic market (Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB), 1995a) by implementing new national strategies for economic development, marking the onset of the regionalisation strategy, aimed at creating an external economy through participation in the dynamic growth opportunities of regional economies in the Asia Pacific. (SEDB, 1995b). This essay aims to demonstrate that the regionalisation strategy has succeeded to a large extent in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the period from 1995 to 2010, given its central role in facilitating Singapores transition from an export-oriented manufacturing centre to a knowledge-based economy and global business hub in the Asia Pacific, although it should be recognis ed that these regional initiatives do not reduce Singapores external dependence but instead augment her economic vulnerabilities. Regionalisation 2000 To harness external economic space and overcome local supply-side constraints (Regionalisation Forum Proceedings, 1993), the concept of Regionalisation 2000 was introduced in the 1990s to encourage greater investment and business in the Asia Pacific region, rationalised by the liberalisation of foreign investment controls occurring in large Asia Pacific markets such as China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and by the high growth rates being achieved by these economies. (Okposin, 1999) Explicitly designed to enhance Singapores competitiveness within the regional and global economies (Wong Ng, 1997) given Singapores decreasing comparative advantages in the industrial and manufacturing sector due to its significantly higher labour, land, and raw material costs vis-Ã  -vis the Asian NIEs, Regionalisation 2000 consisted of programmes for creating a knowledge- and service-based economy via four main regional initiatives comprising regional headquartering, regionalisation of local enterprises, r egional investment, and regional industrialisation, with regional investments and regional industrialisation projects constituting the major transnational aspects of Singapores regionalisation drive. According to the Economic Development Board (1995), The strategic intent of the regionalization programme is to build an external economy that is closely linked to and which enhances the domestic economy by participating in the growth of Asia. This programme seeks to form a network of strategic zones in key markets with emphasis on building good linkages between our regional projects and domestic clusters. (SEDB, 1995, p. 8) The regionalisation strategy should therefore be conceptualised as an economic programme explicitly designed to carve out a new economic niche for sustaining Singapores competitiveness and relevance, particularly during a period when its former economic strength in manufacturing was being eroded by rising competition with Asian NIEs and structural changes in the world economy. In this regionalisation drive, as in prior economic development programmes, state intervention and collaboration played an important role, with the governments regional headquartering and regionalisation of local enterprises programmes representing instances of state intervention within national boundaries. Construed as the twin objectives of further internationalizing Singapores indigenous firms and assisting the transnational restructuring and cost-competitive endeavours of hosted foreign TNCs in an adaptive context (xxx), the government aimed to encourage foreign and local enterprises to invest and establish business ventures in the region, using Singapore as a headquarters for high value-added operations such as product development, customer support, and financial services. To this end, the government has invested in institutional infrastructure and the enhancement of local factors of production such as workforce quality (Ho, 2000), offering tax incentives and supporting services in its self-conceived role as stakeholder, facilitator, and partner (Perry Yeoh, 2000) to strengthen the competitive advantages of transnational corporations and domestic enterprises in their outward expansion into the region. To complement regional headquartering and the regionalisation of local enterprises, regional investment and regional industrialisation programmes were introduced to further facilitate Singapores embrace of economic globalisation through investment-driven economic growth (Porter, xxx) and economic restructuring through the relocation of local low value-added industries to Singapore-managed industrial parks in the region. Noting how some transnational corporations had been reluctant to relocate operations from Singapores secure business environment to the emerging NIEs due to a scarcity of high-quality industrial infrastructure and management (Kumar Lee, 1991), the Singapore government sought to build and manage industrial parks across Asia at locations such as Batam in Indonesia, Suzhou and Wuxi in China, at Bangalore in India, and in Thailand and Vietnam, combining Singapores expertise in industrial development with the low cost of regional land, labour, and raw materials, whilst ma ximising the use of savings and state revenue through investment in regional investments to further profit from the economic growth in Asia. Serving as interesting examples of government intervention outside of national boundaries, given their transnational nature, the governments intention to export Singapores expertise in industrial infrastructure development across the region (Perry, 1995) is therefore implicit in the regionalisation strategy, promoting regional economic linkages and the concept of Singapore Incorporated based upon close cooperation between the Singapore government and a wide range of Singapore business entities. Has the regionalization strategy succeeded in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the period from 1995 to 2010? Explain your answer with supporting evidence. Regionalisation 2000- A Success? According to the Singapore Department of Statistics (2011), the first 15 years of the regionalisation drives implementation from 1995 to 2010 was characterised by overall strong GDP growth, from S$124,581.8m in 1995 to S$284,560.7m in 2010, with Singapore registering double-digit growth in 2010 from the previous year. Negative economic growth, however, occurred in the years 1998, 2001, and 2009, following poor regional or global economic performance, and this is attributable to Singapores vulnerabilities and dependence on external economies for economic growth. In terms of real economic growth, the states economic transition into a knowledge-based economy is evident from Figure 1, given the overall decreasing percentage share of manufacturing in GDP from the years 2000 to 2010, whilst business and financial services together account for approximately 22 percent of GDP as of 2010, on par with the percentage share held by manufacturing alone. FDI in Singapore has grown from strength to strength, pointing to a successful sustenance of foreign investment inflows by the governments regional headquartering strategies aimed at attracting high value-added industries and investment to enhance Singapores niche as a global business hub in the Asia Pacific. From 1995 to 2005, FDI in Singapore more than tripled from S$93b to S$311b, representing an average growth of 13% per annum, with FDI in professional, technical, administrative, and support services gaining importance and increasing from 1.7% to 3.1%. (Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat), 2007). Europe, Asia, and North America constituted important sources of FDI, accounting for up to 82% of the total, with Asian FDI more than doubling from S$31b to S$74b (SingStat, 2007). Of this FDI, 87% was concentrated in diversified sectors such as financial and insurance services, high value-added manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, electronics, and petrochemicals, wholesale and retail trade, and hotels and restaurants, reflecting Singapores attractiveness to foreign investors as a business hub (SingStat, 2007). It can be surmised, therefore, that Regionalisation 2000 has succeeded in this regard, ensuring Singapores transformation into a regional business hub in the global market, sustaining its economic competitiveness in Asia through the creation of new economic niches in product development, customer support, and financial services for foreign and local enterprises. The other transnational aspect of Singapores regionalisation programme has, however, proved less successful. Direct investment abroad by Singapore has not managed to exceed levels of FDI in Singapore itself (Figure 3), indicating that the regional headquartering programme along with FDI were responsible to a large extent for Singapores economic growth over the past 15 years. The onset of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1998, in particular, significantly negated the regional industrialisation, regionalisation of local enterprises, and regional investment programmes, causing many projects to suffer financial loss due to a severe contraction in demand for industrial products from both consumers and producers in the region. (Henderson, 1999) Still, despite no actual reports of the regional industrialisation programme being profitable (xxx), and the absence of verifiable information on Singapores investment performance by Temasek Holdings and GIC in the long period spanning 1995 to 2010, it can be argued that the regional industrialisation programme was designed to supplement the domestic economy in the long run, since infrastructural projects require large initial investments of capital resources. The regional industrialisation programme brought about positive economic benefits, not least for those companies which relocated their lower value-added operations to the regional industrial parks, facilitating Singapores shift towards a higher-tech and higher value-added economy. In the case of the Batam Industrial Park, most of the enterprises that chose to occupy these it generally established additional units instead of shifting all operations overseas, and also tended to upgrade the remainder of their operations in Singapore (Kumar Lee, 1991) Furthermore, investors located in Singapore-developed industrial parks were reported to be highly satisfied with the operation and management of these industrial parks, especially in terms of cost savings (Kumar Lee, 1991). The regional industrialisation and regionalisation of local enterprises programmes thus served as strategic outlets for transnational and local corporations to reduce operating costs and improve profit margins, sustain ing Singapores economic competitiveness and relevance in the region to a large extent despite the limits of state intervention in transnational business environments. Instead of focusing solely on profits generated, a long-term view of Singapore Inc. indicates that it is built upon strong business fundamentals, as exemplified by the sound infrastructure and superior administration of the regional industrial parks. These offer the potential of future profits for the Singapore government in times of strong manufacturing demand for industrial products, having proven its feasibility based on the high take-up rate of industrial space in Singapore-developed industrial parks prior to the crisis, and growing demand for industrial units after 1999 (xxx). Evaluating Regionalisation 2000- A Success to a Large Extent Singapores regionalisation drive has therefore exposed her external dependence and vulnerabilities with regards to the external economic environment, which most negatively affected the regionalisation programme, rather than failings in the strategy itself. In contrast to the domestic success of the regional headquartering programmes in attracting FDI to Singapore, the experience of Singapores regionalisation strategy overseas has shown that the achievement of national competitiveness in the global economy cannot be brought about by the states policies and support alone, with the external environment and availability of global opportunities playing an equally important role, given the states limitations in economic, political, and social resources, and factors beyond its control in the regional economy and investor confidence. The Suzhou Industrial Park, in particular, has often been alluded to as an example of a foreign venture gone wrong, with the Singapore government divesting its ownership and management of the Park to the Suzhou municipal authorities. Much media attention has also been devoted to the financial losses incurred by Temasek Holdings in foreign investments and acquisitions, and these notable examples further demonstrate that the success of Singapores regionalisation drive does depend to a large extent on international economic cycles. The regionalisation strategy, though, has succeeded to a large extent in sustaining Singapores economic competitiveness in Asia for the years 1995 to 2010, mainly due to its success in ensuring Singapores continued relevance in the global economy by exploiting new economic niches. The overseas regionalisation initiatives hold the promise of success given their strong fundamentals, and possess potential for much greater returns, if not much greater risks, and are instrumental in Singapores embrace of economic globalisation if she desires not to be out-competed by NIEs in the region. Indeed, the main thrust of Singapores economic development since independence has been to thrive in change, and the overall success of the regionalisation programme is reflected in Singapores been ranked the worlds easiest place to do business. Singapore, too, is ranked among the top few when it comes to cities with best investment potential, foreign trade and investment, business legislation and efficiency, quality of human capital, and minimal corruption. (SEDB, 2011) To further sustain and improve its regional economic competitiveness in the years ahead would require Singapore to further improve its attractiveness to foreign FDI, given its success so far, particularly in the services sector, which is still relatively underdeveloped, and regional tourism, which is also seeing success since the opening of the two Integrated Resorts, with overall visitor numbers to Singapore increasing and reaching a peak of approximately 11m in 2010 (SingStats, 2011), indicating its potential. The years from 1995 to 2010 have also afforded the government extensive opportunities to adapt and modify its transnational investment strategies for maximal success in differing socio-political environments, allowing future success. Conclusion Singapore has, over the years, proven itself capable of mobilising economic, social, and political resources to create economic space, despite its resource constraints and small domestic market. Through regionalisation, it has managed to tap into the lower land, labour, and raw material costs of neighbouring NIEs in the region, ensuring its economic dominance through export of the Singapore Inc. concept throughout Asia and the world, making Singapore a top choice for transnational and local enterprises to do business today. The regionalisation strategy has therefore succeeded to a large extent in sustaining Singapores regional economic competitiveness since its onset, despite the cultural and political complexities of external economies diminishing the efficiency and commercial viability of overseas ventures in tandem with the uncontrolled external environment. These difficulties, however, are outweighed by the potential successes these ventures can bring if the Singapore government manages to learn from its errors, successfully creating an external economy which serves as a launching pad for Singapore into the global economy.

Australia :: History

Australia  ¡Ã‚ §The Portuguese were the first to discover the East Coast of Australia ¡Ã‚ ¨ In Australian history books, it has been thought for hundreds of years that Captain Cook from England was the first to discover the east coast of Australia on 28th April 1770. However latest evidence shows that this historic event is inaccurate. A number of relics and remains have been found which indicate the Portuguese arrival at Australia in the early to mid 1500 ¡Ã‚ ¦s, 200 years before Cook. These clues include the Mahogany Ship, a Portuguese caravel that was shipwrecked six miles west of Warrnambool; a stone house at Bittangabee Bay; the Dieppe map, a secret map drawn by the Portuguese; a cannon and five keys found in Geelong. The shipwreck of Mahogany Ship remains Warrnambool ¡Ã‚ ¦s first shipping disaster. The Mahogany Ship is believed to be a Portuguese caravel lost in 1522 in Warrnambool under the command of Cristovao de Mendonca. Prince Henry, the ruler of Portugal at that time, had sent Mendonca and his crew to Australia in order to discover unfound land on the other side of the world that he had located on the French Map, the Dieppe Map that the Portuguese had stolen and copied. Many people believed that the world was a flat saucer but Prince Henry believed that the world was a sphere. Prince Henry wanted to find out if there was in fact such land over the other side of the world as Australia, if it was inhabited and if there was any treasure or valuable things there. This journey had to be kept a secret because the Portuguese were breaking an agreement that they had made with the Spanish. The agreement stated that the Spanish and Portuguese had half of the world each to explore but they could not explore past their boundaries. Mendonca and his crew set out from Portugal in the 1500 ¡Ã‚ ¦s to find out about this new territory. Unfortunately the Mahogany ship was shipwrecked at Warrnambool in Victoria, Australia. Twenty-seven people reported that they saw the Mahogany Ship sink however no one ever found the remains of the caravel. It has been believed that a great storm last century had buried the ship in sand, under sand dunes, but also the last timbers might have been burnt by whalers and locals who were in need of firewood. In July 1999, Mr. Des Williams discovered some wood buried three metres underneath the sand dunes between Warrnambool and Port Fairy.