Negative Economic Impact of the Ppaca Essay Example for Free

Negative Economic Impact of the Ppaca Essay Negative Economic Impact of the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) also referred to as ObamaCare, federal healthcare law, Affordable Care Act, or ACA, is a United States federal Statute signed into law on March 23, 2010, by President Barack Obama. In combination with the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act, it represents the most significant regulatory overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The PPACA is intended to increase the number of health insured Americans and reduce the overall costs of healthcare. The PPACA will revamp the current health insurance system by extending health insurance coverage to nearly 32 million currently uninsured Americans; 18 million through Medicaid expansion to individuals with incomes under the 133 percent federal poverty line (FPL), and 18 million through government exchange subsidies to individuals with incomes up to 400 percent of the FPL. Citizens and legal residents in families with income between 100 and 400 percent of poverty who purchase coverage through a health insurance exchange are eligible for a tax credit to reduce the cost of coverage. To subsidize the additional 32 million individuals covered, the new law introduces 18 new taxes and penalties on individuals, employers, and businesses (Campbell). Though the PPACAs intent is to lower healthcare costs, it will increase the federal deficit, increase state deficits, hinder employment, job creation and innovation, increase health insurance costs, and delay economic growth. These negative economic issues are far-reaching and long lasting. Increase the Federal Deficit One of the goals for the PPACA was to reduce the federal deficit by a small amount in the first ten years and by trillions of dollars thereafter. Contrary to this key objective, the combination of mandates and taxes will not reduce the federal deficit, but will likely increase it. The PPACA is estimated to increase the federal deficit by $75 billion, per year, resulting in the nation’s publicly held debt to grow to $753 billion higher at the end of 2020 (Campbell). Once the government begins to pay health insurance for individuals through subsidies and bring people into the government insurance program in the later half of the decade, this growing debt will balloon. The CBO’s updated 2011 estimates found that the PPACA will increase federal outlays by roughly $604 billion between 2012 and 2021 (Blahous). The excessive debt will drive out productive investments and lead to an estimated 670,000 lost job opportunities annually. The imposed tax hikes are anticipated to cost taxpayers $503 billion over 10 years and more in the future to subsidize government spending on new entitlements (Dubay). The standing budget analysis is very limited, as it does not account for how the policy’s combination of spending and increased taxes alters the macroeconomic performance of the economy. The heavy initial costs of the policy hinder economic growth with higher inflation and interest rates, overwhelming the benefits the law hoped to gain in later years. Within the PPACA, legislation double counts $53 billion in Social Security payments, counts $70 billion in premium payments for long-term care insurance programs as revenues, and ignores up to $115 billion in discretionary costs associated with the PPACA (Howard). After discounting the double counting of Social Security payments, long-tern care premium payments as revenue, and takes discretionary costs into account, the true financial deficit of the PPACA during its first ten years is over $562 billion, and $1.15 trillion thereafter (Howard). Increases the State’s Deficit Not only does the PPACA have a serious negative impact on the federal deficit, but also on state’s budgets, several of which are already suffering multibillion-dollar budget deficits. Medicaid spending currently consumes about 20 percent of state’s budgets, crowding out spending on everything else from education to infrastructure (Howard). States will be held responsible for roughly 11 million uninsured Americans who are eligible for Medicaid but have never enrolled. In 2014, many of these individuals will sign up for coverage under the pre-PPACA rate, which varies by state, and is far more complex. The mandated spending makes an already bad fiscal situation worse, as states are projected to face $21 billion in new Medicaid costs from 2014 – 2019, not including up to $12 billion in new administrative costs (Howard). While this reduces the $442 billion in new Medicaid costs for the federal government, many state budgets are already facing huge deficits and cannot afford any new outlays. In fact, they need to cut spending to balance their budgets. The increased rolls of people on Medicaid will continue to put financial pressures on state’s budgets, leading to further economically destructive tax increases, budget cuts, and state employee layoffs. Hinders Employment, Job Creation, and Innovation The PPACA imposes a 2.3% medical device tax, $2.3 billion annual tax on the pharmaceutical industry, and $2,000, per employee, tax penalty on employers with 50 or more workers who do not provide their employee’s insurance coverage or â€Å"adequate† insurance coverage. Stock shares fell in the medical device sector on June 28, 2012, the day the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the majority of the new healthcare law. In accordance with the new law, medical device manufacturers are subjected to pay a 2.3% sales tax on medical device sales. Scheduled to go into effect in January 2013, the excise tax on medical devices is a blow to innovation, will cost the industry more than $28 billion by 2019, destroy 14,000 to 47,1000 jobs, and increase the cost of medical devices (Graham). Several major manufacturers have already been affected and are preparing for the new healthcare tax. Welch Allyn plans to lay off 275 employees, 10% of their workface, over the next three years. Stryker plans on countering the medical device tax by cutting five percent of their global workforce, an estimated 1,170 positions. Zimmer Corp cites the tax for 450 job cuts and a $50 million charge against earnings. Cook Medical has nixed plans to open a manufacturing factory in the United States, moving business overseas to Ireland. Medtronic anticipates a $175 million annual charge against earnings, forcing the company to cut 1,000 jobs between 2012 and 2013. Boston Scientific is removing between 1,200 and 1,400 jobs, while shifting investments and workers overseas to China. In addition to the companies just mentioned, the following companies are also facing future layoffs at the hands of Obamacare. Smith Nephew: 700 employees, Abbott Labs: 700 employees, Coviden: 595 employees, Kinetic Concepts: 427 employees, St. Jude Medical: 300 employees, and Hill Rom: 200 employees. The medical device industry is the sixth leading exporter in the United States (Top US Exports). The impact of this tax will likely reduce exports, thereby exacerbating the trade deficit and damage the medical device industry. Obamacare will hit pharmaceutical companies with more than $20 billion in new taxes over the next ten years. Some companies cannot bear a massive tax bill and risk failure of multimillion-dollar research. The American economy benefits remarkably from the vast amounts that pharmaceutical companies invest into research and development. New drug therapies help increase the economy, because research and development expenses directly create jobs, and successful drugs enrich people’s health and can free up caretakers for more productive pursuits. For example, the cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia will reach $200 billion this year and $1 trillion by 2050 (Pipes). A new treatment that could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by five years would decrease the prevalence of the disease by 43 percent and save $447 billion by 2050 (Pipes). Beginning in 2014, employers with more than 49 employees will pay a non-deductible penalty of $2,000 for each employee beyond the first 30 employees if they do not offer minimum creditable health coverage. If an employer fails to provide affordable coverage, and at least one employee receives insurance through a state-based exchange, the penalty rises to $3,000 per employee (Howard). The law mandate is estimated to cost businesses an additional $96 billion between 2012 and 2019 (Howard). One economist notes that the $2,000 penalty will amount to costs averaging 15% of wages in the restaurant industry and nearly 10% of wages in the retail sector, provid ing an incentive to hire part-time, lower wage employees (Willnite). Many businesses will move toward hiring part-time instead of full-time employees to mitigate the health-care overhaul’s requirement. â€Å"32% of retail and hospitality company respondents told Mercer consulting firm that they were likely to reduce the number of employees working 30 hours a week or more† (Jargon). The CBO predicts that the law will reduce the number of jobs in the U.S. by one half of one percent, equating to about 700,000 additional Americans being unemployed. Employers with fewer than 50 employees that do not provide health insurance are disincentivized to grow beyond the â€Å"cap† and incur a penalty, further reducing unemployment and growth. One small business owner of an IHOP franchise in New Jersey anticipates penalties up to $220,000 for his 140 uninsured workers, forcing him to raise prices or lay off workers. â€Å"Ultimately, either businesses will close or consumers will pay more† (Dubay). Dana Holding Corp warned their employees of potential layoffs, citing $24 million over the next six years in additional U.S. healthcare expenses. The company has already begun laying off white collar employees. The CBO predicts three million people will lose employer based coverage as a result of the PPACA, noting firms that tend to drop coverage are smaller employers and employers who employ low wage workers. Other sources have estimated as many as 43 million low wage employees may be dropped into the state exchanges. This would significantly increase taxpayer obligations and further increase the cost of the program. To compensate for the new tax expenses, companies can reduce profits, reduce administrative costs, reduce labor costs (fewer jobs or lower wages), or raise their premiums. The global capital market is highly competitive and many companies already have prevailing incentives to redu ce administrative costs. Therefore, they are more likely to raise premiums or reduce labor costs, or a combination of both. Mercer, an employee benefits consulting firm, revealed in a November 2012 research study that in addition to considering lower-cost plans, two-thirds of companies polled said they would also raise health care costs for workers through higher co-pays and deductibles, regardless of whether the employee is a CEO or a line worker at a factory (Murphy). This is a job destroying law that will negatively affect nearly everyone. The cost of the tax increase will result in lower wages, hire unemployment, lower hours worked per employee, cut jobs, lower profits, lower shareholder returns, less innovation, and higher prices for consumers. The new tax mandate will create access barriers to healthcare and services, further increasing costs. Companies will proceed very cautiously before committing themselves to new investments and employment decisions. The effect this has on economic growth, innovation, and job creation is significantly counterproductive toward the goal of increase growth in this anemic economy. Increased Health Insurance Costs The PPACA imposes a number of new requirements on health insurance companies, including being barred from setting premiums based on medical history, limitation to varying premiums based on age, extending dependent coverage for adult children until the age of 26, and eliminating the lifetime cap on health insurance coverage. The effects on the provisions and taxes will likely be passed onto employers and individuals in the form of higher insurance premiums, especially for younger adults, thereby subsidizing older Americans. The law allows premium costs to vary by a ratio of three to one, based on age. Heritage research specifies â€Å"The natural variation by age in medical costs is about five to one, meaning that the oldest group of non-Medicare adults normally consumes about five times as much medical care as the youngest group.† Under Obamacare, young adults will pay exaggeratedly high premiums, and older adults will pay unnaturally low premiums. Young adults in the exchange, who are under the age of 30, will see an eight percent increase in their premiums (Radnofsky). The ban on establishing premiums based on medical history also increases premiums for individuals who are healthy. Individuals with chronic disease have healthcare expenses three times greater than those without chronic disease. The Kaiser Family Foundation study found that due to the health law’s restrictions on how much prices can vary by age, having older, sicker people participating in the insurance exchanges could drive up premiums for everyone in those exchanges by three percent, or $141 for each enrollee in 2014. Delay Economic Growth The law charges insurance companies and imposes a 40 percent excise tax on individuals with high-premium insurance plans. The excise tax applies to insurance plan premiums exceeding $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 for families, for the cost of combining health savings accounts, medical, prescription drugs, dental, vision, etc. There is a higher threshold for early retirees and high-risk professionals of $9,850 for singles and $26,000 for a family. Until 2019, these thresholds will be indexed to the general price inflation, plus one percent. In CBO’s latest projections, the plan is expected to cost taxpayers $87 billion between 2011 and 2019. The PPACA enforces a new 3.8% investment income tax and an additional 0.9% Medicare payroll tax on individuals with annual income exceeding $200,000 and on families and small businesses with annual income exceeding $250,000. Similar to the previous law’s Medicare payroll tax, the revenue from the additional 0.9 percent tax will be allocated to the Medicare HI Trust Fund. The tax increase is expected to cost this group of individuals $210 billion between 2012 and 2019 (Howard). High tax rates carry economic penalties. They cause taxpayers to base decisions more on tax considerations and less on economic merit. Additionally, high taxes can shrink the size of the tax base, raising less revenue than the causal bystander might assume. A study by Ernst and Young has concluded higher tax rates will result in a significant increase in the average marginal tax rates on businesses, wages, and investment income, as well as the marginal effective tax rate on new business investment (Prante). The study finds that these higher marginal tax rates result in a smaller economy, fewer jobs, less investment, and lower wages. Specifically, the study found that the higher tax rates will have a substantial adverse economic affect in the long-run that includes lowering output, employment, investment, the capital stock, and after tax income. Higher tax rates on wages reduce work effort and labor force participation (Prante). The higher tax rates on capital gains and dividends increase the cost of equity capital, which discourages savings and investment, and reduces capital available for companies to grow. In effect, capital investment falls, which reduces labor productivity and means lower output and living standards in the long run (Prante). These economic destructive policies will impede an already weak economy. Conclusion PPACA’s taxes, penalties, and fees on investors and businesses will decrease the amount of investment in the economy. The law is packed full of taxes on individuals, employers, medical device companies, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies. Almost all of these costs will be passed along to employers and individuals in the form of higher insurance premiums, reduced wages and employment, and reduced investment in products and services. In turn, this reduced investment will lead to a decline in productivity. Higher taxes on investments also put upward pressure on interest rates as investors seek to achieve their after-tax desired rate of return. Lower wages reduce the amount of taxable income that could otherwise have been achieved. This will increase the deficit and grow the total debt, putting upward pressure on interest rates and push out some savings that could have gone to new productive business investments. Due to higher interest rates, more American tax dollars will go toward paying the interest on the federal debt rather than paying down principle. Simulations using dynamic analysis estimate that the government would spend an average of $23 billion more per year on interest rate payments between 2010 and 2020 that it would without the PPACA (Campbell). The enactment of the PPACA has and will continue to substantially worsen a dire federal fiscal and economic outlook, accomplishing the opposite of its intention. The actual economic cost in money and jobs will not fully be known for years, but the outlook is dismal at best. Works Cited Blahous, Charles. The Fiscal Consequences of the Affordable Health Care Act. Mercatus Center at George Mason University, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/publication/The-Fiscal-Consequences-of-the-Affordable-Care-Act_1.pdf. Dubay, Curtis S. Obamacare and New Taxes: Destroying Jobs and the Economy. Tax Increases in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Heritage Foundation, 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/01/obamacare-and-new-taxes-destroying-jobs-and-the-economy. Graham, John R. Obamacares Medical-Device Tax Kills Patients, Not Just Jobs.Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 06 June 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/06/06/obamacares-medical-device-tax-kills-patients-not-just-jobs/. Howard, Paul. The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Economy, Employers, and the Workforce. Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute, 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. http://www.man hattan-institute.org/pdf/testimony_02092011PH.pdf. Jargon, Julie, Louise Radnofsky, and ALexandra Berzon. Health Care Law Spurs a Shift to Part Time Workers. Wall Street Journal. N.p., 4 Nov. 2012. Web. 2012. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204707104578094941709047834.html?mod=djemHL_t. Murphy, Patricia. Cadillac Tax in Health Plan Would Hit Middle Class Hard. Politics Daily. The Capitolist, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/17/cadillac-tax-in-health-plan-would-hit-middle-class-hard/. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Analysis of Indias Advertising Industry

Analysis of Indias Advertising Industry Indian Advertising Industry: An  Introduction Introduction The Indian advertising industry has evolved from being a small-scaled business to a full-fledged industry. The advertising industry is projected to be the second fastest growing advertising market in Asia after China. It is estimated that by 2018, the share of ad spend in Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be around 0.45 per cent. The Indian government has given tremendous support to the advertising and marketing industry. Advertising expenditure is likely to increase in the financial sector, driven by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) policies which could result in a more favourable business environment. Also, proposed licences for new banks and better market sentiments render the advertising and marketing industry in India a fertile space. Market  size Indias Advertising industry is expected to grow at a rate of 16.8 per cent year-on-year to Rs 51,365 crore (US$ 7.61 billion) in 2016, buoyed by positive industry sentiment and a strong GDP growth of 7 per cent and above. Indias digital advertising market has grown at a fast pace of 33 per cent annually between 2010 and 2015, while spending as a percentageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °of total advertising increased to 13 per cent or nearly US$ 1 billion in 2015. Print contributes a significant portion to the total advertising revenue, accounting for almost 41.2 per cent, whereas TV contributes 38.2 per cent, and digital contributes 11 per cent of the total revenue. Outdoor, Radio and Cinema make up the balance 10%. Of the current Rs 2,750 crore (US$ 407.66 million) digital advertisement market, search and display contribute the most search advertisements constitute 38 per cent of total advertisement spends followed by display advertisement at 29 per cent, as per the study. The Internets share in total advertising revenue is anticipated to grow twofold from eight per cent in 2013 to 16 per cent in 2018. Online advertising, which was estimated at Rs 2,900 crore (US$ 429.9 million) in 2013, could jump threefold to Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.48 billion) in five years, increasing at a compound annual rate of 28 per cent Advertising agencies in the country too have taken a leap. They have come a long way from being small and medium sized industries to becoming well known brands in the business. Mudra,OgilvyandMathew(OM),McCannEricsonn,Rediffussion,LeoBurnettare some of the top agencies of the country. Indian economy is on a boom and the market is on a continuous trail of expansion. With the market gaining grounds Indian advertising has every reason to celebrate. Businesses are looking up to advertising as a tool to cash in on lucrative business opportunities. Growth in business has lead to a consecutive boom in the advertising industry as well. The Indian advertising today handles both national and international projects. This is primarily because of the reason that the industry offers a host of functions to its clients that include everything from start to finish that include client servicing, media planning, media buying, creative conceptualization, pre and post campaign analysis, market research, marketing, branding, and public relation services. Keeping in mind the current pace at which the Indian advertising industry is moving the industry is expected to witness a major boom in the times ahead. If the experts are to be believed then the industry in the coming times will form a major contribution to the GDP. With al this there is definitely no looking back for the Indian advertising industry that is all set to win accolades from the world over. Advertisement  Spending  Sector  Wise Advertisement  Spending  Sector  Wise Introduction The issue of TV advertising and children has always been quite controversial. In past hundreds of studies have been conducted on this topic. Some of these studies are based on the observation of children in experimental situations. By their use of a non-verbal research method, these studies have the advantage of avoiding misrepresentation caused by some childrens verbal skills whenresponding to verbal tests. The disadvantage of this type of experimental research,however, is that the real-life validity of the results is sometimes quite low. Similarly, research data based on the actual questioning of children should be treated with caution, since younger children especially misunderstand the questions, lack the verbal techniques to provide an adequate answer, or are simply intimidated by the presence of the researcher. In this study, I chose a third method: to obtain evidence related to TV advertising and children by questioning childrens parents. Parental attitudes towards the issue of TV advertising and children are of utmost importance to this issue, given the role played by the parents in a great many aspects of their childrens lives. LITERATURE  SURVEY The marketers and advertisers have shown keen interest on the market segment of childrens product and services; conducted surveys on children television advertising containing trade publications. Involvement of Academicians on the research studies of children research during the period of 1980 was reduced to the amount of publication on the products of children.1 A little publication was done to the childrens television. Investigation had showed that animation which was used to the adult target audience, now using for the children programming especially in the commercials for games, toys, candies, cereals, etc. A study on the content analysis of television advertising of today children has focused on the change or growth in presentation of advertisements over the period. The findings concluded in the study were as: The male voice-over is still predominant in advertising 32 The advertisement which has focused on personal gain to fun and happiness of children, now focused on childrens product performance. In the study conducted on evaluation of research pertaining to children and advertising by Jeffry Gold Slain in four countries namely Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands and Britain; found little evidence to supporting the position that the children are vulnerable to advertising. He opined that the influence of mass media is more on children than on parents and playmates. The argument is that the commercial advertisement creates wants in children and bring pester power on their parents for the products advertisement. In fact, the parents succumb to their childrens demands assuming to be true despite paucity of support evidence. Jeffry Gold Slain believes that the influence of children has come by the advertisers from so many directions which have no critical examination. The Task-force of the American Psychological Association had conducted a study on children and observed that children under the age of 8 years are unable to comprehend critically the televised advertising messages and are prone to accept the advertised messages as truthful, accurate and unbiased. This can lead to unhealthy eating food-habits as evidenced by todays youth obesity epidemic. The Association sums up that advertising targeting children under the age of eight is to be restricted.4 When the cable culture was in rise in India, a study on the impact of television advertising on children in Delhi in 1992 by NamithaUnnikrisnan and ShailajaBajpai has found that: More than 70 per cent of children in the age group of 8 to 15 years want to own products advertised on television 33 Children favourite advertisements included airline advertisement Perception of children about television advertising is one of the most important influencers in childrens lives and watching television more than ever before. Advertisement is only likely to increase with time as television services extend their reach and offer greater viewing option Advertisement targeted children acts powerfully and promotes consumer culture and the values associated with it Advertisement, hence, is an investment for the future and the manufacturers expect high pay-off many times over   Ã‚  

Causes of Islamic Radicalism

Causes of Islamic Radicalism Anastasiya Sernetskaya Problem Solving in a Global Age: Islamic Radicalism Since the 18th century, the Wahhabi movement vied for the rejection of new Muslim ideas, instead reverting back to the original beliefs set by the Prophet Muhammad (Commins 5). From their roots in Arabia, multiple groups that embraced radical beliefs of Islam grew. They now span the whole globe with major groups such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the Middle East, the Caucasus Emirate in Russia, Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, and Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram in Africa. However, radical Islam originated from the Middle East (Commins 3), an area with a deep history of poverty (Long 7) and, in turn, a history of religious government institutions that only teach upcoming generations militarism and the Quran (Tavernise). Instead of solving for symptoms of Islamic radicalism, it is important to solve for its root cause (Hamid) and help fund nonreligious private education because of the Middle East’s importance to the global economy and future relations concerning oil (Tà ©treault). The first cause of Islamic radicalism lies in what can be called the ‘Western Grip,’ the strong presence of American and colonial culture. After World War 2, oil resources developed and sent imperialistic powers to the Middle East. This created a dependency on the Middle East and their resources. However, the relationship between major global oil economic powers and local populations in the areas of extraction has not been fostered; instead, an irreconcilable divide between Islam and the West emerged (Tà ©treault). Similar to British imperialism, the United States involves itself in the politics of the Middle East and takes it upon itself to solve the Middle Easts problems, initiating conflict and invasions. As Western influence increased, industry created a connection to Western culture, one that includes provocative clothing, music, and habits- all of which go against the fundamentalist interpretation of the Quran. These directly oppose the ideals of the fundamentalis ts and thus fuel anti-Americanism and further rebellion against modern progression. The reason why such radical religious organizations thrive is by their use of religious persuasion to impose the ‘true’ interpretation of the religious text. They oppose modernity and instead act on Sharia law, which instead of governing by secular laws, only looks toward Muslim rules and regulations based on strict interpretations by the Quran. In addition, when the United States began to occupy Iraq, it created an anti-American sentiment in the area that only grew as Muslims realized a long history of American negligence and indifference towards supporting followers of Islam (Long 1). Conflicts in Bosnia, Chechnya, and Gaza, directly targeted Muslim victims, and these conflicts are â€Å"†¦given as an example of where Western nations have failed to act quickly or effectively to protect Muslim civilians (Baksh 2). Their occupation of Iraq and their refusal to aid Muslims created a strain on the Middle Easts relationship with the United States and further fueled anti- American sentiments while turning to a more radical solution that incorporated their religious values that they place great value onto (Long 201). Another cause of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East is the high poverty rate. Their huge variation in oil wealth across the region drives income disparities (Long 6). Historically, the Middle East has not expanded or modernized along with the rest of the world. Instead, their history shows a reliance to turn to religion whenever they needed consistent governing. This led to the creation of Sharia law and an importance placed on religious education. The poor who live difficult lives were much more susceptible than those who could afford a strong, secular private education (Long 7). It has been stated that countries like Pakistan have never really taken their education seriously, and rely only on the Quran for educational resources. As students learn about the way of the Prophet Muhammad, most either see no value of further schooling and drop out or they further their religious education and learn how to preach as a career opportunity. Many of the organizations that take up teaching young children and organizing preaching groups have been linked as stepping stones to Al- Qaeda or the Taliban (Tavernise). The third cause of Islamic radicalism is the political backing by Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini who had a crucial position in the rise of extremist government. While in power he stressed the spiritual over the material, (Sorenson 45) and implemented Sharia law. As fundamentalists first began to pop up and run for official power, there was a tense struggle between factions. As Khomeini backed the radical Muslims, he in turn increased radicalism in Iran and pushed for the execution of moderates. Radical leftist guerrilla groups sprouted all over the area as they became more organized under a provincial government and gained le gitimacy and power (Long 59). This highly contrasts to the Philippines where Abu Sayyaf, the major Islamic terrorist organization, has not been able to gain such a strong political backing and thus radical Islam has not been able to grow with such vigor (Ankerson 241) The primary cause of Islamic radicalism cannot be the Western influence or the politics of Iran. The Western Grip that was created affects many countries but none have spurred radicalisms like countries in the Middle East have. As scholars Long, Reich, and Gasiorowski stated in their book The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, The inescapable American influence affects almost every other part of the world with no radical consequences,† (23) so why is the Middle East so unique? To find its primary cause, one must look to the root cause of all problems instead of just looking at symptoms, like the politics of Khomeini, who began his radical backing after a mass influx of broken governments and fundamentalist groups who promised to stay true to the Quran and bring Allahs glory to the area. The Wahhabi movement was another symptom of the people reaching to find stability in their government and life. All of the corruption spurred from the true root cause o f Islamic radicalism- poverty. The poor began to and continue to turn to radical ideas because of fewer opportunities in their society other than ones to preach religious ideas. They are facing a socioeconomic delay behind the rest of the world, and it corrupts their education, which builds a foundation for the upcoming generations in the Middle East, thus progressing the radicalism and turning fundamentalism into a standard in the government (Burhania 16). The most viable solution to Islamic radicalism lies in funding secular education. Other past attempts to go in and fight the groups out has only spurred more violence and backlash against Westerners, pushing the divide between the two regions further and further. Attempts to change the government cause progress but not enough to effect poor areas that radicalism grows from. Instead, it is important to solve their education as †¦ poor public education forces them to turn to Muslim education sources and breeds radicalism (Rasizode 54). Education that is secular creates a more western-positive approach and educates about democracy therefore solving both other causes of Islamic radicalism. Islamic radicalism is a complex problem that is multifaceted. Although there are many proposed solutions, one must look at how radicalism is bred and how it spurred in the Middle East to see that education could help solve poverty and fundamentalism.

Troys Battle with Anger in August Wilsons Fences Essays -- August Wi

Troy's Battle with Anger in August Wilson's Fences Conflicts and tensions between family members and friends are key elements in August Wilson's play, Fences. The main character, Troy Maxon, has struggled his whole life to be a responsible person and fulfill his duties in any role that he is meant to play. In turn, however, he has created conflict through his forbidding manner. The author illustrates how the effects of Troy's stern upbringing cause him to pass along a legacy of bitterness and anger which creates tension and conflict in his relationships with his family. Troy?s relationship with his father was one, which produced much tension, and had a strong influence on Troy?s relationships with his loved ones as an adult. He had very little respect for his father because his father did not, in Troy?s mind, make his family a priority. At an early age, Troy?s father beat him ?like there was no tomorrow? because he caught Troy getting ?cozy? with a girl (549; I,4). Troy said that ?right there is where [he became] a man? (549; I,4). It was at that moment that Troy made the decision to free himself from his father?s power. Despite the fact that he did eventually escape his father?s wrath, the struggle with his father?s aggressive behavior and lack of love resulted in a coldness that resided in Troy?s heart toward life and love. His father did not care about his children; children were there to work for the food that he ate first. Troy describes his feelings toward his father by saying, ?Sometimes I wish I hadn?t known my daddy. He ain?t cared not hing about no kids. A kid to him wasn?t nothing. All he wanted was for you to learn how to walk so he could start you to working? (548; I,4). Although Troy had very little respect for his father and vowed to be nothing like him, many of his father?s harsh personality traits show up in his own personality. Despite Troy?s continuous attempts to push himself away from anything he had ever known about his father, the inheritance of such irrational behavior was inevitable because it was all he had ever known. The inheritance of this angry behavior was, in turn, the cause of his damaging relationships with his own family. Just as Troy endured his father?s cruel ways, Troy?s family is left with no choice but to try to learn to live with his similar ways. Troy?s family is one that strives to maintai... ...y as a responsible person. He overlooks Cory?s efforts to please him and make a career for his son, learned from his past with his own father, is responsible for the tension that builds between him and Cory. This tension will eventually be the cause of the lost relationship that is identical to the lost relationship that is identical to the lost relationship between Troy and his father. Troy?s damaging relationship with his father had a dual effect in his life. It created a conscious awareness of how not to conduct his life and built fences, which inevitably recreated his father in his personality. These fences shaped and formed his relationships with his son. Due to his conscious efforts to not become what he did hold that were his father?s. The narrowness of his thoughts and ideas about life made him an almost impossible person with whom to have a relationship. These flaws permanently changed the lives of the people around him and built barriers which were too solid to ever be broken. Works Cited Wilson, August. Fences. New Worlds of Literature: Writings from America?s Many Cultures. 2nd ed. Jerome Beauty and J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, 1994. 522-575.

Philosophy as Metaphysics :: Philosophical Papers

Philosophy as Metaphysics (1) ABSTRACT: Philosophy works with special types of objects: the totalities. The basic characteristics of this type of object are their metaphysical, transcendental, and total character. The character of these objects determines the specificity of language and the methods of philosophy. The language of philosophy represents symbolic language; speculation is the basic method of philosophy. On the one hand, objects of this type emphasis homo sapien as essences capable of constructing such objects, which in turn assumes the ability of human consciousness to make synthetic acts. On the basis of philosophy as metaphysics, an original approach is offered which divides the history of philosophy into periods as well as providing analysis of different philosophical systems. Feature of philosophical activity, as against a science, is the work with special, not physical objects — the totalities, which are constituted by the philosopher. One of such objects is the world, and, in this sense, we often say, that philosophy is a wel-tanschauung (world-outlook) . Certainly, the world as some set of things can be studied by physics (sciences in a broad sense), but in this case a researcher can miss the point that the world is a totality, not just a simple set of things. As distinct from scientific study the philosophy takes its objects as the totalities, which the subject of knowledge cannot study as ordinary objects, because the including the learning subject character of these the totalities excludes any standard scientific approach to knowledge in principle. Others examples of the above mentioned objects (the totalities) are Ego and God. Objects of this type (with some reservations) are a lot of human being phenomena, such as love, virtue, conscience, courage, bravery, understanding and so on. All these objects are those, that the precise fixing of objective criteria of their existence is impossible, it is impossible to create the high-grade theory of these phenomena (for example, theory of love or bravery), as they assume not only objective Contemplator (as it occurs in case of objects of scientific knowledge), but also postulate the Actor inside them, that causes essentially twinkling way of them being.(2) Exactly the character of these objects determined essential features of the philosophizing as metaphysical activity. The underlining of metaphysical character of philosophy objects dictates the special procedures of work with them, distinct from of methods of scientific knowledge. Metaphysical objects — constructs cannot be given in frameworks of physical experience; the study — constructing of these objects occurs by a way of thinking means, procedures of speculation.

Operation and Strategy management for Ryanair Essay

Introduction The company chosen in this report is Ryanair in the airline industry. Ryanair is a low cost budget airline travelling across 1600 routes from 57 bases connecting 180 destinations in 29 different countries (Ryanair.com). Ryanair first started its operations in 1985 between Ireland and London. The first year it commuted around 5000 customers but the company really took off in 1990 when Michael O’ Leary was appointed the CEO of the company. The company was envisaged by its CEO Michael O’ Leary and adapted the Southwest airline model from America and brought it to Europe and since then the company has also embraced a no frills, low cost model where it plans to get their customers from A to B at the cheapest rate possible. This has revolutionised the travel industry and made travel cheaper and reliable within Europe. Ryanair has a strong hold on market in most of the countries Europe with 44% in Ireland where its headquarters are, followed by 23% to 21% in Poland, Italy and Spain (centreofavaiation.com). In the UK the company holds a modest 16% of the market with its overall customers estimated at 81.5 million for the year 2014. The company gets a stiff competition from Easyjet, Lufthansa, Aerlingus and Alitalia. These airlines try to follow the same model as well but Ryanair has been the leader by far  generating revenues of â‚ ¬3.789 billion for the fiscal year 2013 with profits of â‚ ¬374.6 million. Figure 1: Market share of different airlines ( Source: Centreofaviation.com) PEST Analysis Political Factors: The political factors tend to affect the airline industry the most if they are flying from one country to another. In case of Ryanair, it only flies within the EU, thus there is no question of arising uncertainties. One factor which has helped the airline sector grow is deregulation. In 1978 the United States removed government control over many aspects of air travel, including fares and routes, in the Airline Deregulation Act (Liberty of Economics and Liberty). This shifted the power to the market sphere. Following the success of this, Europe completed their own faze of deregulation by April 1997. This allowed passenger planes to fly between member states freely. Ryanair added several new routes to their repertoire after deregulation, taking the opportunity to add routes to new parts of Europe and Scandinavia. A further form of deregulation came in March of 2008 when the EU and United States agreed to let any city within each other’s territory fly between each other. This was called the Open Skies Agreement. Although Ryanair have still to take full advantage of this, they have announced their desire to start transatlantic flights at a very low cost to the consumer (RTE, 2007). This unprecedented step could shake the air flight market, increasing the volume of passengers able to fly more freely across the Atlantic and could have a knock on effect with Ryanair’s transatlantic competitors, forcing a change in the market. In 2012 a new law was introduced where all flights coming to and from the EU had to buy their CO2 emission allowances, whereas before they were exempt from the Emissions Trading Scheme. Many airlines have expressed their anger at their inclusion in the scheme, pointing to the fact that only 2% of global CO2 emissions are caused directly by air traffic. Many airlines have increased ticket prices to cope with the extra costs incurred. Ryanair have passed on the cost to customers in the form of a 25c charge (Irishtimes.com) Economical: During a deep recession Ryanair has flourished, recording a +18.71% 1 year return in 2012 ( Bloomberg, 2014) and announcing that it is Europe’s leading scheduled airline. In comparison to other airlines that are cutting jobs and have planes grounded, Ryanair are experiencing high demand and adding extra flights, creating new jobs for many sectors in their business, from pilots to sales and marketing people (RTE, 2007) One of the upmost problems facing the airline industry is the fluctuating oil prices. To compensate the rising oil prices most airlines have to put ticket prices up, which directly affects their customers. However, under the exceptional leadership of Michael O’Leary, Ryanair has addressed the problem through hedging. Hedging could be termed as an agreement between the oil companies and the airlines where oil prices are agreed in advance. In Ryanair’s case they have increased its fuel hedging capacity to 90% of its requirements (Centre of Aviation). This exceptional thinking by Ryanair gives them a cost cutting advantage over its competitors and thus still being able to offer its customers the same low fares which have been Ryanair’s forte. Social: The airline industry as per any other industry has to comply with the customer’s requirement to sustain in the market. A very god example that could be stated in this case is that of Ryanair, whereby, during the recession times when the unemployment grew to almost 15% and thus people did not have much money to spend, Ryanair gave its customers cheap flights to commute from one place to another taking away all the inflight luxuries. This has helped the airline grow even in the toughest times the economy has faced and thus also creating new jobs. But also to with stand the competition by other luxury airliners, Ryanair would offer its customers to book their cars and train tickets while booking their flights as it mostly flies to secondary airports. This, therefore not only attracted middle class customers but also people on business. The airline industry especially in Europe has had a last few troublesome years due to natural disasters that have cost the company extensive amoun ts. To point out a few, the ash cloud in 2010 cost the company 29.7 million Euros (Irish times, 2011) and these are huge costs for the airline to bear and thus, to compensate these compensation chargers Ryanair now chargers a â‚ ¬2 levy to compensate these claims in the future (Irish times, 2011). Technological: In the current climate technology plays an important part in the airline industry. Firstly, with the increasing fuels costs, fuel efficient aircrafts can save the companies a substantial amount of money. Another way is the internet; with the growth of internet all the companies’ use online advertising to push the sales and television advertising is also second to none. The internet is also a medium where people look for cheap airline tickets. In the case of Ryanair, the company makes the utmost use of technology to cut the human involvement out and thus keeping the costs down. It has a very good online ticket booking system where 85% of its tickets are booked (Ryanair.com). In 2009, Ryanair introduces the self-service kiosks whereby the passengers can check in using the machine and thus taking the human element out of the equation. This service was already available for passengers travelling without luggage but it was now developed for the customers travelling with check-in lu ggage. This was a chip and pin service developed in collaboration with Ingenico and thus gave the company a competitive advantage over its competitors and thus delivering low price flights for its customers (BBC News, 2009). Value Chain Analysis: A firm’s competitive advantage could be determined by the value chain analysis. The value chain consists of primary and support activities. Understanding the company’s linkage between the primary and secondary activities gives the company’s business model and helps one understand the secret of withstanding the competitive advantage. Figure 2: Value Chain Analysis model In the case of Ryanair, a clear linkage could be made between the inbound and outbound logistics in the primary activities to the Technology development in the support activity. Now, to obtain a clear understanding of this model, inbound logistics are the deals that the company is able to acquire from its suppliers on the promise of higher volumes. These include food, drinks, duty free goods, fuel which have to be delivered, stored and controlled on time as to avoid any delays for the aircraft. Ryanair, also puts a great deal of  effort in its operations as it promises its customers a 25 minute turnaround period which could be one of its core competencies and for the company to do so all the inbound logistics should be delivered on time. This 25 minute turnaround period also, gives the company the advantage of flying two extra flights on the same route compared to its competitors and enables high aircraft utilisation. The company also offers nonstop direct services to its destinati ons and does not link with any other airline, thus giving them a timely departure from the airport and also avoiding the costs for through services for its passengers and does not have to rely on other flights coming on time to schedule their departures. This has helped them gain a competitive advantage over its competitors as 95% of Ryanair’s flights are on time compared to 88% that of EasyJet. Ryanair also uses the standard Boeing 737 model of aircraft and thus, the company manages to get maintenance services and spares at a very minimum cost. This also reduces the cost of staff training and offers flexibility in scheduling aircrafts and crew assignments. On the outbound logistics, Ryanair operates to the secondary airports and thus have to arrange onward journey for their customers. They have teamed up with certain vehicle companies to give its business customers the advantage of that service however some of the routes are so obscure that these services cannot be provided constantly, a prime example are some of the Scandinavian routes. Thus, Ryanair has certain limits when acquiring the market share. On the contrary, Ryanair’s competitor EasyJet does the opposite and flies to major airports and cities and thus paying higher landing charges which are then reflected in the fares for their customers. The advantage of flying to secondary airports is that Ryanair pay fewer chargers and they are also in a position to bargain with the airport authority and get a deal that favours them and the secondary airports are less congested and thus turnaround times are much faster (Centre of Aviation), 2014). The inbound and the outbound logistics are coupled nicely with the technology to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Ryanair has tried to eliminate the human element as much as they can. They have introduced kiosks at the check-in desks for customers to check-in themselves at their own leisure. Thus, reducing staffing costs which is then reflected in the prices they charge their customers. The company doe s not invest much in advertising as well, the main advertising is  done through its very own website and 90% of the tickets are booked through the website as well( Ryanair.com). It only uses ticketing agents when they’re opening new routes and trying to venture into unknown markets; otherwise it is the website that people book their tickets through. The company constantly monitors its planes minute by minute through its own website and thus, keeping the human element out and using its website for mainly everything saves them on an average â‚ ¬6 million a year (BBC news, 2014). Amongst all the competitive advantage the company have, the one that has not been mentioned is the good leadership of Michael O’ Leary and his ability to create a vision for the company. He has successfully managed to adapt to the change as and when required and adopt different model to envisage the change for the betterment of the company which has helped the business to grow. Conclusion: To conclude this report, Ryanair has emerged as a successful company since it was established in 1985. It had a few hiccups on the way for the first 5 years but since Michael O’ Leary took the reigns over in 1990 as the CEO the company has gone from strength to strength. Its success has been helped by the conducive nature of the industry and the external elements within the airline industry. This industry has its threats but since the de regulation act and the expansion of EU, there have been a lot of commuters within these countries for business and leisure, thus this higher demand and low costs have helped Ryanair emerge as a low cost budget airline. Just because the company operates all its routes within the EU, it does not really have to deal with changing political factors and that it has always used them to their advantage. Ex. De regulation act and the open skies act even though the company has not started its flights to the US as of yet. The changing oil prices are a c oncern for every airliner but Ryanair counteracts through a process call hedging and uses the most advanced technology to remove the human element to curb the costs down for its customers and another reason for its success even during recession is because it gave the customers cheap flights to commute taking the luxuries out which were the demands at that time. Ryanair has a competitive advantage by the virtue of its inbound activities and the outbound activities combined with the technological  aspect of it. It uses the same standard Boeing so the costs are less and also, flying at secondary airports mean less landing charges and they’re also in a position to get a favourable deal for themselves from the airport authorities. The turnaround time is only 25 minutes as well and thus giving their customers more daily flights from the same destinations compared to its competitors. Refrences: Belobaba, P., Odoni, A., & Barnhart, C. (2009). The global airline industry. Hoboken: AIAA, Inc Helm, C., & Jones, R. (2010). Extending the value chain: A conceptual framework for managing the governance of co-created brand equity. The Journal of Brand Management, 17(8), 579-589. McCormick, T. (2010). Understanding costs using the value chain a ryanair example. Dublin: Institute of Chartered Accountants In Ireland. Research and markets: European low cost airline industry continues to prosper.(2004, Business Wire, pp. 1. Research and markets: European low cost airline industry continues to prosper.(2004, Business Wire, pp. 1. Research and markets: PEST analysis.(2003, M2 Presswire, pp. 1. RTE 2007. http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2012/q1_2012_doc.pdf[Accessed 20 March 2014]. http://www.ryanair.com/en/about/ryanair-and-the-environment[Accessed 20 March 2014]. Aviation, C. C. (2011, May 25). CAPA Centre for Aviation. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from Ryanairearnings up 26% but change in tack for 2012: http://www.centreforaviation.com/analysis/ryanair-earnings-up-26-but-change-in-tack-for-2012- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0112/breaking26.htmlEdwards, N. (2012). http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=27620789 accessed on 2/04/14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22659822 accessed on 1/04/2014 http://www.air-passenger-rights.co.uk/tag/the-irish-times/ accessed on 5/04/14 http://wwwnews.live.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23487106 accessed on 10/04/14

Grammar Test

Tenses 1) I’m busy at the moment. ~ on the computer. a) I work b) I’m work c) I’m working d) I working 2) My friend ~ the answer to the question. a) is know b) know c) knowing d) knows 3) I think I’ll buy these shoes. ~ really well. a) They fit b) They have fit c) They’re fitting d)  They were fitting 4) Where ~ the car? a) did you park b) did you parked c) parked you d) you parked 5) At nine o’clock yesterday morning we ~ for the bus. a) wait b) waiting c) was waiting d) were waiting 6) When I looked round the door, the baby ~ quietly. a) is sleeping b) slept c) was sleeping d) were sleeping 7) Here’s my report. it at last. a) I finish b) I finished c) I’m finished d) I’ve finished 8) I’ve ~ made some coffee. It’s in the kitchen. a) ever b) just c) never d) yet 9) We ~ to Ireland for our holidays last year. a) goes b) going c) have gone d) went 10) Robert ~ ill for three weeks. He’s still in hospit al. a) had been b) has been c) is d) was 11) My arms are aching now because ~ since two o’clock. a) I’m swimming b) I swam c) I swim d) I’ve been swimming 12) I’m very tired. ~ over four hundred miles today. a) I drive b) I’m driving c) I had been driving d)  I’ve driven 13) When Martin ~ the car, he took it out for a drive. ) had repaired b) has repaired c) repaired d) was repairing 14) Janet was out of breath because ~ a) she’d been running b) she did run c) she’s been running d) she’s run 15) Don’t worry. I ~ be here to help you. a) not b) will c) willn’t d) won’t 16) Our friends ~ meet us at the airport tonight. a) are b) are going to c) go to d) will be to 17) ~ a party next Saturday. We’ve sent out the invitations. a) We had b) We have c) We’ll have d) We’re having 18) I’ll tell Anna all the news when ~ her. a) I’ll see b) I’m going to see c) I see d) I shall see 19) At this time tomorrow ~ over the Atlantic. ) we flying b) we’ll be flying c) we’ll fly d) we to fly 20) Where’s Robert? ~ a shower? a) Does he have b) Has he c) Has he got d) Is he having 21) I ~ like that coat. It’s really nice. a) am b) do c) very d) yes Questions, negatives and answers 22) What’s the weather like in Canada? How often ~ there? a) does it snow b) does it snows c) snow it d)  snows it 23) Which team ~ the game? a) did it win b) did they win c) won d) won it 24) What did you leave the meeting early ~? – I didn’t feel very well. a) away b) because c) for d) like 25) Unfortunately the driver ~ the red light. ) didn’t saw b) didn’t see c) no saw d) saw not 26) You haven’t eaten your pudding. ~ it? a) Are you no want b) Do you no want c) Don’t want you d) Don’t you want 27) I really enjoyed the disco. It was great, ~? a) is it b) isn’t it c) was it d) wasnâ€℠¢t it 28) Are we going the right way? – I think ~. a) indeed b) it c) so d) yes Modal verbs 29) The chemist’s was open, so luckily I ~ buy some aspirin. a) can b) can’t c) did can d) was able to 30) Susan has to work very hard. I ~ do her job, I’m sure. a) can’t b) couldn’t c) don’t d) shouldn’t 31) We had a party last night. ~ spend all morning clearing up the mess. ) I must have b) I’ve been to c) I’ve had to d)  I’ve must 32) There was no one else at the box office. I ~ in a queue. a) didn’t need to wait b) mustn’t wait c) needn’t have waited d) needn’t wait 33) ~ I carry that bag for you? – Oh, thank you. a) Do b) Should c) Will d) Would 34) I’ve lost the key. I ought ~ it in a safe place. a) that I put b) to be putting c) to have put d) to putting Passive 35) We can’t go along here because the road is ~. a) been repaired b) being repaired c) repair d)à ‚  repaired 36) The story I’ve just read ~ Agatha Christie. a) was written b) was written by ) was written from d) wrote 37) Some film stars ~ be difficult to work with. a) are said b) are said to c) say d) say to 38) I’m going to go out and ~. a) have cut my hair b) have my hair cut c) let my hair cut d) my hair be cut Infinitive and Gerund 39) The driver was arrested for failing ~ an accident. a) of report b) report c) reporting d) to report 40) Someone suggested ~ for a walk. a) go b) going c) of going d) to go 41) I can remember ~ voices in the middle of the night. a) hear b) heard c) hearing d) to hear 42) The police wants ~ anything suspicious. a) that we report b) us reporting ) us to report d) we report 43) We weren’t sure ~ or just walk in. a) should knock b) to knock c) whether knock d) whether to knock 44) It was too cold ~ outside. a) for the guests eating b) for the guests to eat c) that the guests should eat d) that the guests eat 45) Did you congr atulate Tessa ~ her exam? a) of passing b) on passing c) passing d) to pass 46) I didn’t like it in the city at first. But now ~ here. a) I got used to live b) I’m used to living c) I used to live d) I used to living 47) They raised the money simply ~ for it. It was easy. a) asking b) by asking c) of asking d)  with asking 8) As we walked past, we saw Nigel ~ his car. a) in washing b) to wash c) wash d)  washing Nouns and articles 49) I need to buy ~. a) a bread b) a loaf bread c) a loaf of bread d) breads 50) My father is not only the town mayor, he runs ~ too. a) a business b) a piece of business c)  business d) some business 51) The ~ produced at our factory in Scotland. a) good are b) good is c) goods are d)  goods is 52) I’m looking for ~ to cut this string. a) a pair scissors b) a scissor c) a scissors d)  some scissors 53) I was watching TV at home when suddenly ~ rang. a) a doorbell b) an doorbell c) doorbell ) the doorbell 54) I’ve alwa ys liked ~. a) Chinese food b) food of China c) some food of China d) the Chinese food 55) In England most children go ~ at the age of five. a) school b) to school c) to some schools d) to the school 56) We haven’t had a holiday for ~ time. a) a so long b) so a long c) such a long d) such long 57) Our friends have a house in ~. a) a West London b) the West London c) West London d) West of London Miscellaneous 58) It’s so boring here. Nothing ever happens in ~ place. a) that b) these c) this d) those 59) Is that my key, or is it ~? a) the yours b) the your’s c) your d) yours 0) Adrian takes no interest in clothes. He’ll wear ~. a) a thing b) anything c) something d) thing 61) There’s ~ use in complaining. They probably won’t do anything about it. a) a few b) a little c) few d) little 62) I don’t want to buy any of these books. I’ve got ~. a) all b) all them c) everything d) them all Pronouns 63) Let’s stop and have a coff ee. ~ a cafe over there, look! a) Is b) It’s c) Them d) There’s 64) Everyone in the group shook hands with ~. a) each other b) one other c) one the other d) themselves 65) The washing-machine has broken down again. I think we should get ~. ) a new b) a new one c) new d) new one 66) All the guests were dancing. ~ having a good time. a) All were b) Every was c) Everyone was d) Someone were Adjectives and adverbs 67) The house was ~ building. a) a nice old stone b) a nice stone old c) a stone old nice d) an old nice stone 68) The government is doing nothing to help ~. a) poor b) the poor c) the poors d) the poor ones 69) The young man seems very ~. a) sensible b) sensiblely c) sensibley d) sensibly 70) I ~ missed the bus. I was only just in time to catch it. a) mostly b) near c) nearest d) nearly . 71) This detailed map is ~ the atlas. ) more useful as b) more useful than c) usefuller as d) usefuller than 72) This place gets ~ crowded with tourists every summer. a) always more b) crowded and more c) from more to more d) more and more 73) Yes, I have got the report. ~ it. a) I just am reading b) I’m just reading c) I’m reading just d) Just I’m reading 74) I’ve read this paragraph three times, and I ~ understand it. a) can’t still b) can’t yet c) still can’t d) yet can’t 75) Sorry, we regret what happened ~. a) a bit b) much c) very d) very much Prepositions 76) The village is ~ Sheffield. It’s only six miles away. ) along b) by c) near d) next 77) You can see the details ~ the computer screen. a) at b) by c) in d) on 78) I’ve got a meeting ~ Thursday afternoon. a) at b) in c) on d) to 79) We’ve lived in this flat ~ five years. a) ago b) already c) for d) since 80) This car is ~ if you’re interested in buying it. a) for sale b) in sale c) on sale d) to sell 81) Polly wants to cycle round the world. She’s really keen ~ the idea. a) about b) for c) on d) with 82) I prefer dogs ~ cats. I hate cats. a) from b) before c) than d) to 83) My father used the money he won to set ~ his own company. a) forward b) on c) out d) up 4) Don’t go too fast. I can’t keep ~ you. a) on to b) on with c) up to d) up with Reported speech 85) Someone ~ the tickets are free. a) said me b) said me that c) told me d) told to me 86) Last week Justin said â€Å"I’ll do it tomorrow. † He said he would do it ~. a) the following day b) the previous day c)  tomorrow d) yesterday 87) I don’t know why Nancy didn’t go to the meeting. She said she ~ definitely going. a) be b) is c) was d) would 88) The librarian asked us ~ so much noise. a) don’t make b) not make c) not making d) not to make Relative clauses 89) What’s the name of the man ~ gave us a lift? ) he b) what c) which d) who 90) What was that notice ~? a) at that you were looking b) you were looking at c) you were looking at it d) which you were looking 91) Sus an is the woman ~ husband is in hospital. a) her b) hers the c) whose d) whose the 92) York, ~ last year, is a nice old city. a) I visited b) that I visited c) which I visited d) whom I visited 93) The accident was seen by some people ~ at a bus stop. a) waited b) waiting c) were waiting d) who waiting Conditional sentences and wishes 94) If I ~ my passport, I’ll be in trouble. a) lose b) will lose c) lost d) would lose 95) I haven’t got a ticket.If ~ one, I could get in. a) I’d have b) I had c) I have d) I’ve got 96) If the bus to the airport hadn’t been so late, we ~ the plane. a) caught b) had caught c) would catch d) would have caught 97) If only people ~ keep sending me bills! a) don’t b) shouldn’t c) weren’t d) wouldn’t Linking words 98) I just had to take the dog out ~ of the awful weather. a) although b) despite c) even though d) in spite 99) Anna put the electric fire on ~ warm. a) for getting b) in order get c) so she gets d) to get 100) ~ I didn’t feel well, I went to school. a) Because b) Nevertheless c) And d) Although